Managing change in the workplace, like any successful project, requires a systematic process that guides, prepares, and enables individuals to quickly adopt change to achieve desired business results. Companies that effectively manage change consistently outperform their competitors. Why? Effective change management requires a structured approach, with leaders who embrace the process and proactively engage impacted employees. Well managed workplace changes help individuals make a positive transition, and result in achievement of organizational goals.
The WHY for Change
Communicating and understanding the WHY for change is critically important for implementing successful change management. Leaders can leverage the workplace as an asset to effectively enable an organization’s business strategy by communicating compelling and inspiring key messages that the organization can rally behind. Examples are:
- “We need to get closer to our customers’ roadmaps.”
- “We need to make faster and better decisions about our customer experience and delivery systems.”
- “We need to break down the silos across the organization to improve product development.”
- “We need to align our organizational culture across departments and locations.”
Leveraging the Workplace as Business Performance Enabler
Leveraging the workplace as an asset that aligns the organization’s business goals, desired culture, and processes creates a competitive advantage. While markets are rapidly changing, so too are employee demographics, technologies, and distributed work practices. Designing an adaptable workplace that aligns with organizational culture and business objectives drives business results. This purposeful approach to workplace planning helps document a comprehensive “why” for change.
When planned at project inception, a change communication program, clearly articulating the “why” driving workplace change, drives business results. Workplace changes that skip this upfront planning may be efficient—but not effective.