Supporting Company Employees Through Change
2 February 2007
Read by 5106 persons
Supporting Company Employees Through Change
Wherever we are in the world, we are subject to the law of change. We constantly observe this change around us. So how do we accelerate it?
"It's not the big fish that eat the small fish, it's the fast fish that eat the slow fish"
The era of computing, the internet, and rapid transportation mean that change is no longer an exception but an unavoidable constant in any company.
"We must accept change to grow and survive"
Living at this pace of change involves grieving, and as soon as we experience one loss, we must already think about moving on to something else.
A change announced by top management always elicits a gradual response from employees.
1. Refusal: "I can't believe it"
2. Anger: "It's unfair, it's intolerable, I'll show them I disagree"
3. Sadness: "It was better before"
4. Fear: "I don't know how I'm going to manage"
5. Negotiation: "What are my options?"
6. Acceptance/Non-acceptance: "Am I ready to accept this change?"
7. Adjustment: "I agree to adapt my behavior."
8. Commitment: "I'm investing myself."
The most difficult thing? Changing mindsets, for example, moving from a product-centric culture to a customer-centric culture. Accepting a change in strategy or organization.
Even today, many French companies are struggling with habits stemming from several decades of paternalistic management. In principle, no one doubts the need to change things to gain market share, get back on track, or simply stay at the top. It remains to convince the main actors of change, the employees, of its merits.
The best way to accelerate change is to involve employees in it.
"Talking to people is the best way to involve them"
One of the best ways is to involve company employees in cultural changes. Let's take the example of the Guilbert Office Depot group, which underwent several successive acquisitions and lost its traditional management style (paternalistic and tribal) in favor of rigorous "American-style" management.
The sense of belonging to the company and the brand was strongly eroded, and employee motivation suffered, impacting results in terms of market share gains.
Accelerating change involves the strong involvement of employees to rediscover the desire to move forward with the company. Acteo helped management remotivate company actors by restoring meaning and motivation.
General meetings and individual interviews.
The most frequent objection: "We've always done it this way, why should we change?"
Hence the importance of publicly explaining everything that justifies a new positioning. And, above all, no naive optimism: highlighting the positive aspects is fine; hiding potential difficulties would be worse than the disease. You can also calmly reply to skeptics that tradition is the excuse of unimaginative people. To make the usefulness of change understood, you also need to know how to... be silent. A listening phase, where you gather everyone's expectations, doubts, or discomfort, is essential.
Get employees talking, involve them in the change! We audited 130 people from the Guilbert-Office Depot group to understand their experience in the company, their opinion on the market, and on the company. Acteo even led roundtable discussions with clients. Generate ideas, ensure that solutions come from employees or clients. Finally, an event presentation was organized with the 165 senior executives to announce the strategic directions set by the company, management decisions, and their implications.
Some may wonder what's the point of so much diplomacy? Simply to give yourself the best chance of successfully implementing change effectively.
In any case, don't forget to sweep in front of your own door! Leaders who constantly urge change in their speeches are often the least able to change their behavior and management style. However, charity begins at home...
indicerh.net
Wherever we are in the world, we are subject to the law of change. We constantly observe this change around us. So how do we accelerate it?
"It's not the big fish that eat the small fish, it's the fast fish that eat the slow fish"
The era of computing, the internet, and rapid transportation mean that change is no longer an exception but an unavoidable constant in any company.
"We must accept change to grow and survive"
Living at this pace of change involves grieving, and as soon as we experience one loss, we must already think about moving on to something else.
A change announced by top management always elicits a gradual response from employees.
1. Refusal: "I can't believe it"
2. Anger: "It's unfair, it's intolerable, I'll show them I disagree"
3. Sadness: "It was better before"
4. Fear: "I don't know how I'm going to manage"
5. Negotiation: "What are my options?"
6. Acceptance/Non-acceptance: "Am I ready to accept this change?"
7. Adjustment: "I agree to adapt my behavior."
8. Commitment: "I'm investing myself."
The most difficult thing? Changing mindsets, for example, moving from a product-centric culture to a customer-centric culture. Accepting a change in strategy or organization.
Even today, many French companies are struggling with habits stemming from several decades of paternalistic management. In principle, no one doubts the need to change things to gain market share, get back on track, or simply stay at the top. It remains to convince the main actors of change, the employees, of its merits.
The best way to accelerate change is to involve employees in it.
"Talking to people is the best way to involve them"
One of the best ways is to involve company employees in cultural changes. Let's take the example of the Guilbert Office Depot group, which underwent several successive acquisitions and lost its traditional management style (paternalistic and tribal) in favor of rigorous "American-style" management.
The sense of belonging to the company and the brand was strongly eroded, and employee motivation suffered, impacting results in terms of market share gains.
Accelerating change involves the strong involvement of employees to rediscover the desire to move forward with the company. Acteo helped management remotivate company actors by restoring meaning and motivation.
General meetings and individual interviews.
The most frequent objection: "We've always done it this way, why should we change?"
Hence the importance of publicly explaining everything that justifies a new positioning. And, above all, no naive optimism: highlighting the positive aspects is fine; hiding potential difficulties would be worse than the disease. You can also calmly reply to skeptics that tradition is the excuse of unimaginative people. To make the usefulness of change understood, you also need to know how to... be silent. A listening phase, where you gather everyone's expectations, doubts, or discomfort, is essential.
Get employees talking, involve them in the change! We audited 130 people from the Guilbert-Office Depot group to understand their experience in the company, their opinion on the market, and on the company. Acteo even led roundtable discussions with clients. Generate ideas, ensure that solutions come from employees or clients. Finally, an event presentation was organized with the 165 senior executives to announce the strategic directions set by the company, management decisions, and their implications.
Some may wonder what's the point of so much diplomacy? Simply to give yourself the best chance of successfully implementing change effectively.
In any case, don't forget to sweep in front of your own door! Leaders who constantly urge change in their speeches are often the least able to change their behavior and management style. However, charity begins at home...
indicerh.net
