We continue to live in a rapidly changing and unpredictable work environment. In many situations, a state of flux has edged out perceived certainty, stability and/or familiarity in the workplace. As we exit the pandemic, the worker/employer relationship continues to evolve through this disruption.
“As you begin the new year, it is a great time to reevaluate your change approach to quickly respond to market dynamics.”
From an organizational change perspective, how can we quickly respond in our change initiatives to respond to these dynamics? What strategies can we use to track short and long-term wins from a change perspective?
CORE CHANGE STATEGIES
As you implement your plans for the new year, here are four core strategies that you can incorporate to respond and track your change initiatives:
- Define the short and long-term requirements for change. Change continues to impact industries at all levels, including through initiatives such as the adoption of new technologies, long-term sustainability efforts, realignments of organizational structure, and/or the modernization of different functions. The full impacts of these changes may be realized over longer timeframes. As change professionals, we can continue to refine and address business requirements for both the short and long-term impacts. While maintaining a systemic, long-term view, we can also ask, “What does “done” look like for our people in this particular stage of the initiative?”
- Ask transformational questions. In a rapidly evolving environment, it is also important to routinely ask clarifying questions. We need to move beyond the basic “Who” and “Why” to expand to the “What” and the “How” questions. Through these types of questions, we can identify the specific needs and adapt our response accordingly.
- Clarifying roles. One issue that can significantly impact the speed of change is the clarity of roles. If our teams are not clear on their individual roles, they will likely spend more time on wasted or duplicate efforts which will negatively impact results. As a result, it is critical that we’re continually aligning on our roles. One method that you can use within your team to quickly achieve this goal is through a role clarification exercise.
- Provide coaching support along the way. After you have developed a solid infrastructure for your change initiatives, continue to engage leadership and core stakeholders throughout the change. You can support your team through ongoing coaching and ensuring clear actions and accountabilities.
As you begin the new year, it is a great time to reevaluate your change approach to quickly respond to market dynamics. Ensure that you have refined the requirements for your change initiatives with both a long and short-term view. As you work with your leaders and core stakeholders, ask transformational questions to clarify the specific needs and define your approach. If not clearly defined, take the time to define roles. And, as you move further into deployment, make sure that you’re providing the best coaching support for your team.
And, as always, please feel free to reach out to us at marketing@thecaragroup.com for any additional assistance that you might need in your change efforts. We’d love to help tailor your OCM program to your specific business changes and accelerate your business success.
