Articulate your goal

Change is disruptive. It will impact the working lives of your employees, and just the prospect of change can lead to confusion and anxiety. To counter that, explain in detail and well ahead of time what the purpose of the change is, and what it will mean for the business. Then dig deeper – articulate the benefits of the change at the department, team and individual level. Help colleagues to understand the benefits of a successful change and the positive impacts on them.

Stress the importance of collective action

When change projects fail, it is often because employees do not have any immediate input into the change process. By contrast, when staff take ownership of change they are more likely to commit to its success. Stress the need for collective action, involve all relevant employees at the planning stage and then for the entirety of the change process, and give key members of staff specific roles and responsibilities.

Invite debate

Not everyone will agree with what you want to do or how you intend to do it. You need to take these opinions on board. Discussion and debate is healthy, and may actually lead to a better project. Outside consultants can be helpful, but employees who have insider knowledge on specific obstacles to change in your organisation – and ideas on how to do things more effectively – are invaluable. Create project-specific communication channels and give your teams the opportunity to critique, debate and smooth the path to change.

Keep talking

One mistake organisations often make is to offer opportunities for discussion and feedback at the start of a change management process, but not thereafter. By keeping the channels of communication open you are more likely to get early notice of upcoming roadblocks or growing staff frustration. People who have experienced the first phase of a large project will be in a better position to suggest ways of making the following phases flow more easily.

Slice large projects into smaller chunks

Working towards a distant goal can be demoralising – so split projects into sections and bring goals forward. Large change projects may naturally divide into multiple phases with distinct milestones. Even if they don’t, create milestones with interim goals to your overall objective and celebrate the successful completion of each phase. When a milestone is reached, recognise the achievements of those who contributed.

Accept setbacks

Inevitably, there will be challenges. When activities do not go to plan, accept it, learn from it and move on. Trying to hide challenges will only frustrate employees who are working valiantly to overcome them. Be transparent and open to fresh suggestions, whether a project is going smoothly or not.

Be sensitive to changes in culture

Change can have a significant impact on the culture of an organisation and individual teams. It can make people uncomfortable and less responsive to the challenges ahead. Be aware and be ready to listen and respond if you detect a rise in tension or if an employee raises an issue that requires focused, positive action.