Introduction
Workplace change management is a process of engaging and involving those employees of the organization who are about to experience the process of workplace change. The primary goal of change management is to assist people in adjusting to the changes in a quick and effective manner. An effective and successful change management allows its people to work quicker and experience a greater sense of satisfaction with the overall changed situation. A change management program is necessary for initiating and managing the employee transition (Managing Workplace Change, 2012). This case deals with the essence of change management, and deals with an important question of how to make the change at workplace work?
Some of the factors that are promoting change at workplace
Several global organisations are poised to make dramatic changes to their workplace, that range from change in employee strength, introduction of new software, to complex programs that offer better workspaces and management approaches. These changes are altering the way people work (Ouye, 2011). If we closely analyse the factors that are driving these changes, we can infer the following:
- Talent management and competition: Organizations are increasingly becoming more dependent on certain key workers who possess the necessary technical and interpersonal skills required to get the job done effectively. These workers are involved in complex and high valued projects. And it is becoming a challenge for organizations to retain these workers.
- New technology and mobility: With the advent of modern technology, it is possible to outsource the work, and allow people to work from virtually anywhere. This is one of the biggest drivers of change in today’s workplace environment.
- Increasing competition and the necessity to excel: In today’s world of cut throat competition, organizations have no choice but to innovate in order to stay ahead of its competition. They need to introduce better working conditions, better employee engagement programs, and latest technology and work solutions.
- Decentralization: In today’s work culture, it is important for any organization to empower its employees and reduce red tape. There is a pressing need to move towards a less centralized structure and work policies.
- Sustainability and managing productivity: Today, thanks to some energy solutions, it is possible for organizations to reduce their energy cost and improve their overall productivity.
As seen from above, there are several driving factors that promote the process of change in the workplace, but many a times, it happens that the concerned employees feel de-motivated and threatened by the proposed changes. This causes a resistance to change, and this must be managed and eliminated for ensuring a successful transition from old to new workplace conditions.
Resistance to change
When organisations concentrate only on getting the end results, they often ignore the needs of their employees, limit their concerns and fail to develop a level of trust in them. The resistance to change can be seen when the organization’s employees are lacking in motivation and are rigid in their views towards accepting new conditions. This occurs when the senior management fails to create trust and confidence among its employees during the start of the transformation. This condition puts the organization in a dilemma, and it needs to answer: How can it make the changes at its workplace work?
How to make change at workplace work?
In order to make sure that the proposed changes are effectively executed at the workplace and in order to overcome any possible resistance to this change, organization must take the following measures in order to execute a successful change management process:
- Create and communicate a clear message: The most important step for a change management process is to identity to right message that the employees, who are involved in the change, need to listen to. This message must include the main reasons that have resulted in the workplace change. The organization must emphasize on the potential benefits that would motivate its employees, working groups and organization as a whole (O’Neill, 2011). This message needs to be effectively communicated through various official and unofficial sources such as e-mails, bulletins, notice boards, functions and informal group gatherings.
Once the message is being communicated, it is necessary to take support of those ‘leaders’ in the organizations, who are widely trusted and respected by the employees and workgroups. These champions can magnify the impact of the message. It is very important to convince these champions to vouch for the intended message, otherwise, the opposite can happen and it can severely affect the end results of the overall efforts.
- Analyse the overall mood of the organisation: The general sentiments of the employees can be analysed by organizing town hall meetings, informal gatherings, and discussions with the group representatives, to enable interest in their plans. By doing this exercise, the organization can modify its final message that needs to be put across the employees. This will be like a perfect launch for the change management process.
- Delivering the message: The message related to change needs to be communicated effectively across the different working groups. The reasons for change, its advantages, its long term impact on the employees and the timeline must be communicated. This message must be communicated through media vehicles such as the company website, e-mails, pamphlets, power point presentations, meetings and group discussions.
- Support change management process: All the efforts that have been put to effect the change must be reinforced by the top management. The top management can organize activities and functions that promote the positive aspects of the proposed changes. Once the employees start experiencing workplace changes, they must be provided with adequate assistance in order to deal with certain situations like internet connectivity, lost items, work desk location etc. Quick and effective resolution to these issues would create employee goodwill and increase employee motivation. The organisation leadership must share the guidelines on the correct behaviours in more open spaces and other important aspects of workplace etiquette (O’Neill, 2010).
- Evaluate the effectiveness of the change management process: After the completion of the change management efforts and few months thereafter, the employee satisfaction needs to be measured with reference to the new workplace conditions and the overall change experience. It is recommended that this process should be conducted 3-4 months after the introduction of change management process, because 3-4 months is good enough for employees to differentiate between the old and the new workplace conditions.
Employee satisfaction can be measured by conducting interviews, group discussions, personal e-mails, and casual conversations or by conducting surveys. Once this is done and the information is collected, it is time to evaluate and analyse the results. The organization needs to ask the following questions: How was the overall change management process? How far did it succeed in achieving its goals? What changes can be made to this process ? What were the major road blocks? How can these be avoided next time? How is the overall employee morale? The answers to these questions can help the organization to decide its future course of action.
- Record and store the results for future references: The results and the analysis of the entire change management process should be recorded and shared with the company’s top management and leadership.
Managing and sustaining organizational change
Any form of organizational change can have a direct impact on the concerned employees, especially on those who have some issues (personal or professional). It is extremely important that managers do what they can to support their employees and make them feel more comfortable in the new work environment. Managers must encourage their employees to speak out and be open regarding any issues pertaining to the changes in workplace. Managers must applaud the efforts and the valuable work that employees have been doing in the new work environment. This will create confidence among the employees and they will be receptive towards any future changes.
Conclusion
Change management is a process which needs to be constantly tracked and evaluated. Any form of workplace change would be greeted in different, often unpredictable ways by the employees. The key is to communicate the benefits and need for the proposed change and create confidence in the minds of the workforce. Once the change has been implemented, the next step is to measure, evaluate and improve the change management process.
References
Managing Workplace Change (2012). Retrieved April 04, 2014 from: www.cfi-knoll.com/
Ouye, J. (2011). Five Trends that are dramatically Changing Work at the Workplace. White Paper, Knoll, Inc., New York, NY. Print.
O’Neill. (2010). Rules for Etiquette in the Open Office. Knoll, Inc., New York, NY. Print.
O’Neill. (2011). What to consider when shifting from private offices to an open plan. White Paper, Knoll, Inc., New York, NY. Print.
