Clearly, many companies have a problem when it comes to encouraging their people to embrace change. According to research by McKinsey & Gartner, 70% of transformation programs fail to achieve their goals. And only 38% of employees willingly support organisational change, a huge drop from 2016 when the figure was 74%.*
Why is this and how can you change the situation so that your staff take a more positive approach?
The ubiquity of change
Cegos Group recently conducted a webinar about this topic and two of our key experts in the field shared their professional view. Sarah Ratcliff is Learning Ambassador, Cegos UK, and Christelle Delavaud is Personal Development Officer and Expertise Manager, Cegos France.
“Change is everywhere,” says Sarah. “We have to consider its impact on the workforce and ask how empowered they are to deal with it. Frustration is a particularly strong emotion associated with change, especially as people tend to focus on the constraints of change at first, rather than the opportunities.”
Instead, it is more effective get your people to follow a well structured path change
Cegos' 5 steps to navigating change
- Discover change
Define your ambition. What is it you specifically want to achieve and what change is necessary to achieve it? Most of all, take the time to discover and digest the change. Let the emotions flow through you. - Take the first step
Be bold and go for it. Remember it is better to act than to suffer.
- Stay tuned to your needs
Work on your own needs first and practise self-care. It is important to take care of yourself before taking care of others, so you can effectively help them deal with the change. - Remain positive and determined
Go through change together with your team and share successes. Focus on continually moving towards the goal for which change is needed. - Embrace change
Take time to regularly review the impact of change and, hopefully, you will see the evolution you desire.
“Dealing with change is a process,” says Christelle. “Change enables us to grow and learn, just like the human lifecycle, where we continuously make new neurological connections and new learnings.” There are several skills that will help truly embrace change
Key power skills to help embrace change
- Cognitive flexibility
An ability to adapt our way of thinking to new and unexpected events. - Deductive and systematic analysis
We need to understand our role in the change, along with the role of other people, identifying the link between both. - Complex problem-solving
We must consider rational and emotional responses to change separately. Identify our biases, and adopt critical thinking is a way to take a step back and avoid diving in the situations too quickly. - Interpersonal skills
Emotional Intelligence is a key element when developing interpersonal skills.
We then need to think about how to regulate the feelings associated with change and use that skill to help others; read what others are feeling and develop a sense of empathy. We also need to consider a ‘collective intelligence’. That means facilitating a generative dialogue – open conversations that help navigate difficulties together.
Now we understand the cycle of change, what initiatives can we put in place to embrace it?
4 actionable approaches
- Get out of your comfort zone
Fear does not avert danger. You need to get out of your comfort zone and experiment dealing with fear. It starts by identifying what your comfort zone looks like – your habits, understanding what you’re comfortable with. You then step into the ‘panic zone’ where you identify your doubts and fears. Next is the ‘learning zone’, where you replace fear with knowledge and turn challenges into opportunities with small steps. Finally, you reach the ‘magic zone’, where you can imagine how you will feel when goals are achieved. - Take care of your energy
Energy is essential to productivity. When we are motivated, our energy levels increase, so we need to learn how to effectively manage that energy. The better you handle your energy, the faster it becomes a habit. - Experience the flow
‘Flow’ is when you are completely immersed in your activity with full engagement and a sense of satisfaction. It is more effective to promote a constructive approach to change and aim for this state, which gets people to associate positive feelings with change, such as reinforced motivation and a greater sense of satisfaction.
To achieve this state, you should capitalise on things you like. Create an inspiring environment, establish rituals and find the right moment to do activities that you like the most and help recharge your batteries. This will motivate you to embrace change and enjoy some psychological freedom. In many ways, it is the antidote to cognitive and mental overload. - Adopt a growth mindset
Understand the power of ‘yet’. Change may be difficult in the short term but training yourself to use the word ‘yet’ – e.g., “I am not able to do this yet” – helps you think long term. The trick is to enjoy the journey until ‘yet’ becomes a reality.
The reward for inspiring your people to embrace change is self-evident. Change, ironically, is an inevitable constant in the business world. That is why helping people to learn how to manage it and turn challenges into opportunities is invaluable.
If you would like to know more about how Cegos can inspire the way your people deal with change, contact us today.
* Sources: www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/leadership/changing-change-management and https://www.gartner.com/en/articles/this-new-strategy-could-be-your-ticket-to-change-management-success
