Four Strategies for successfully leading your business through change
Change is an inevitability of modern business; in order to remain competitive, companies must adapt to accommodate evolving customer requirements, market conditions, technological advances, new legislation and many other aspects which may have a bearing upon long-term survival and profitability.
It's an accepted and well-documented fact that implementing a change in business culture is difficult and likely to be met with resistance from employees. However, with appropriate planning and leadership it is possible to minimise the effect that business change can have on morale and productivity. Leadership training specialists Maguire Training are experts in this field and their comprehensive and indispensable course for business leaders, Managing Change, explores the reasons for, and benefits of, business change. Delegates will gain a thorough understanding of their own role, and that of employees, in the context of business change, and acquire the knowledge skills and strategies necessary to communicate and implement change successfully by evaluating reactions to it, handling resistance and negativity and building confidence and acceptance of change.
For leaders, navigating their managers and employees through business change can be a challenging process, but here Maguire Training offers four strategies that can help leaders to communicate and implement change with minimal disruption.
- Communicate change visually as well as verbally
Business change can be complex and difficult to explain fully in words alone. Complementing presentations or talks with a 'map' which illustrates the current position of the business, the way it will look post-change, the benefits that will be gained and the individual steps that must be taken to get there will help everyone to better understand what is happening and why, and enable them to chart progress.
- Engage your HR team to build advocacy
Even the strongest and most accomplished leader will find it impossible to drive business change along. Ensuring that HR people are fully involved ensures that procedures are adhered to and employee grievances are dealt with correctly. A fully-briefed HR team is useful for issuing change bulletins to staff and for documenting each stage of the change process, and reactions to it, for later evaluation.
- Ensure that employees have a voice and inclusivity in the process
Give employees as much honest information as possible and invite them to raise any questions, concerns or suggestions regarding the business change that they may have. Building confidence is paramount to overcoming resistance and this is achieved through openness and enabling employees to see exactly how they contribute to, and fit into, the changing shape of the business. - Implement change step-by-step and at an appropriate pace
Business change is not something that can be rushed if it is to be successful. Break the process down into stages and implement them one at a time. Allow sufficient time after each implementation as to be able to measure its impact and effectiveness and to allow managers and employees to come to terms with the actions that have been taken before embarking upon the next stage.
Meeting the challenges of change can lead your business into a healthier, more competitive and financially robust position but change is not a process to be taken lightly or without due planning and consideration. With the knowledge and skills provided by Maguire Training's comprehensive courses on the subject, leaders can have the confidence to steer their businesses through change with minimal negative impact. For delegates who simply can't spare the time to attend formal offsite training but who wish to obtain the benefits offered by Maguire Training, some courses such as Driving the Change Process ~ Navigating Change are handily provided as online training, available via Maguire's innovative E-learning platform.
