Navigate Organisational Change Management Moving Forward
Originally posted By TEAM Software September 25, 2018
Setting your business up for success amid changing labour markets, economic uncertainty.
Changing times = changing mindsets.
The past few years have felt like a waiting game for many industries. Between the early stages of the pandemic, supply chain issues, labour market shortages and now, the looming prospect of an economic recession, it may seem that the only thing that is truly constant is change.
The truth is, TEAM has gone through alot of change over the past few years, as well. We’ve expanded our product line, entered global markets, developed new features and APIs and grown organically and through acquisitions.
The thing about change, is no one gives you a guide on how best to move forward. There are different priorities and different goals guiding each step of a new process, and at the same time, responsibilities to current processes and the customers they serve.
In this blog, we’re providing actionable, bite-sized tips to help juggle it all and navigate organisational change management, better.
Tip 1: Lead with transparency.
One of the scariest things about change is the uncertainty it presents. A common question we hear in demos (or even, in smaller groups during implementation) is ‘what does this mean for my job?’
Measurable success following a software solution implementation often equates to efficiencies gained (and costs cut). Understandably, this could lead people across your company to assume the savings will translate into loss of jobs.
It’s important to be transparent with your teams from the start. While there are some cases where companies’ goals include a reduction of headcount, it’s often not the case and can cause an unnecessary panic. So, be vocal about what your goals are.
For many, the goal of making a big change (like implementing a software solution) is to gain efficiency. For example, if you have an employee within your HR team dedicated to only managing time off requests or entering time worked, an efficiency gain could be reducing the amount of time spent processing those requests (through automated product features) and redirecting that employee’s time to other HR-related tasks.
Are you interested in reducing time spent on HR-related tasks, like employee time off requests, or payroll? See how companies like yours are realising time savings of 90% by implementing a software solution. Then, let’s start a discovery call.
Tip 2: Involve a variety of stakeholders.
It’s important to have a clearly structured plan of involvement for any kind of business change. For a software implementation, this typically involves identifying stakeholders from across the organisational chart: leadership, management and end-user. This builds trust around the process, and also uncovers aspects of real-world implications that one point of view might not think of on their own.
For example: If you’re looking for a way to eliminate hard-copy daily activity reports from your routes, it would be beneficial to gain feedback from a field-based team member (who can speak to how and when it makes the most sense to fill out a digital or automated form instead, and provide input from a direct user standpoint) a manager (who can speak to the ease of information collection and proof of service reporting) a member of the HR team (who can speak to the implications of time worked) a scheduler (who can speak to the implications of scheduling across contract needs and overtime) and leadership, on top of any IT or operations management individuals you’d want to include.
Tip 3: Stay in contact.
It may seem like a one-and-done announcement to all employees is sufficient, but there is really no way to over communicate during times of change. So, communicate and communicate often.
What does that mean for your company? Well, it is harder to hold all-company meetings when you’re managing a largely distributed workforce who, in some cases, are located across many different regions and are operating in different time zones.
Take full advantage of every channel you have to communicate with employees. Post on your employee self service portal, and keep documents (like steps for what’s next, personal messages from leadership and expected changes) saved for easy reference. Encourage two-way communication (and make sure the toolkit you’re using can support that infrastructure. Then, gather feedback.
It’s important to keep a pulse on how your workforce is feeling under normal circumstances, and address that feedback in a positive way. It’s even more critical during a labor shortage, when companies are already feeling the strain of retention and are struggling to hire.
Takeaways and next steps in organisational change management.
As you consider how to succeed with change management, keep these key takeaways in mind:
- Be transparent. It’s common for the prospect of change to instigate nervous energy within your team. Let them know early (and consistently) what your goals are and how you’re planning to accomplish them.
- Involve a variety of stakeholders. While it is unrealistic to involve every single person in every single decision, involving stakeholders from across your organisational chart will help you anticipate issues before they become problems.
- Stay in contact. Use communication as a tool to keep your team in the loop. As a happy aside, you’ll experience less pushback from team members in the long run.
Do you want to know how TEAM Software can help you gain efficiencies alongside change management? Request a discovery call today.