​Addressing these questions upfront can help to prevent or reduce resistance.  When planning for change, you also have to plan for resistance.  Not everyone is comfortable with transitioning from old processes to new processes.  Some employees get comfortable doing what is a routine that he/she has practiced, and it works for him/her and do not want to learn a new or different way of doing what he/she may have been doing for many years.  Their motto could be, “If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”  However, keep in mind that there is usually more than one way to solve the same problem.  New processes are usually implemented in effort to help employees perform their job responsibilities more efficiently and effectively (at least that is usually the intent, however, this may not always be the outcome). 

Developing an effective communication plan is the best way to approach workplace changes.  Encourage employee feedback, when you are in the process of considering implementing changes in the workplace.  Inclusion of employees in decision making and the planning phase of the change processes are important.  Leaders are usually the last to be impacted by the change, however, leaders are on the front line of the decision making regarding what changes need to be made.  However, the subordinate employees who will be impacted by the change are the individuals who should be included in the decision making process when planning workforce change, as the changes will most likely impact them directly.  The employees who will be impacted by the change can provide more of an insight to the pros and cons of the change, about what their job responsibilities entail, and if their job responsibilities are dependent upon another employees job responsibilities (interconnected). 

Changing one employees job responsibility processes can ultimately have an impact on other employees whose job responsibilities depend upon one another roles.  For example, if the financial department changed their reporting technology system to generate budget reports more efficiently with a new system, without input from the admissions office that utilized the same old system to track student data to generate different reports on where most of the applicants live in effort to determine what locations to place marketing advertisements, and now the new system no longer provides access to track student data; this will impact the ability to determine where marketing funds should be allocated, which is extremely important.  So, being inclusive when it comes to the decision making process is important when planning for change.  Inclusion doesn’t just mean, “present,” it also means included in the decision making process. When employees are included/actively involved, this helps employees feel like a valued member of a team environment, when he/she can work collaboratively with others before, during, and after the change.  Getting employee feedback from those who will be directly impacted by the change, is critical to the success of change implementation.
 

Have a communication plan in place before the changes occur, during the change process, and after the changes have taken place.  Develop a focus group that includes management and supervisors in the department and the staff that are direct reports, as well as other departments and employees who will be impacted by the change.  Allow each member of the focus group to describe in detail what their job responsibilities entail and how the changes could impact current processes.   For example, if your employer decides that they are going to downsize, establish a focus group in the areas where the downsizing will take place (before the downsizing occurs).  Assign group roles to the focus group, such as leader, note taker, communication strategist, and change initiator.  Speak with the employees about their job responsibilities and the processes that each job responsibility entails in effort to find out how one position could impact another employee’s position.  Conduct a needs analysis to assess what areas are impacted and how to overcome any obstacles that could impact the success of change implementation. Planning for change, means planning for resistance, so make sure that you consider possible obstacles and barriers that could impact change implementation.
 

Make sure that you have adequate staffing and know employees capabilities, skills, and resources needed for the change to be effective to determine if additional resources and/or training is needed.  Discuss what the existing processes are and whether or not the change will have a negative impact on the existing process.  If the changes have a negative impact, it is important that the decision makers put ego and pride aside and re-strategize about what change areas need improvement and what modifications need to be made to the change process.  It is better to make modifications to the change process, as needed, rather than keep or repeat the same failing practices in place.  Employees are not always resistant to change, when they know the who, what, why, how and when prior to change implementation. 
 

When implementing change in the workplace, a useful model to consider is the Prosci ADKAR Model.  The Prosci ADKAR Model is a “goal-oriented change management model to guide individual and organizational change.  This model was created by Prosci founder, Jeff Hiatt, who believes that change happens at the individual level.  ADKAR is an acronym that represents five outcomes an individual must achieve for change to be successful: “Awareness; Desire, Knowledge, Ability and Reinforcement.”   Hiatt breaks down each term as such: “Awareness of the business reason for change.  Awareness is the goal/outcome of early communications related to an organizational change.  Desire to engage and participate in the change.  Desire is the goal/outcome of sponsorship and resistance management.  Knowledge about how to change.  Knowledge is the goal/outcome of training and coaching.  Ability to realize or implement the change at the required performance level.  Ability is the goal/outcome of additional coaching, practice and time. Reinforcement to ensure change sticks.  Reinforcement is the goal/outcome of adoption measurement, corrective action and recognition of successful change.”  According to Hiatt, “The goals and outcomes defined by ADKAR are sequential and cumulative, they must be achieved in order for effective and sustainable change to take place” and I agree.

Source: https://www.prosci.com/adkar/adkar-model

For more information about this model, you can download the ADKAR Model Guides via this link: http://empower.prosci.com/the-prosci-adkar-model-ebook-bundle

 
      

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By Lynnette Clement