• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Close
OEE - Home
  • English
    • Français
    • Deutsch
    • 简体中文
    • 繁體中文
SearchSearch
  • Home
  • Sectors
    • Banking & Financial Services
    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • High Tech Outsourcing
    • Insurance & Investment
    • Public Sector
    • Retail
    • Travel and Transport
    • Utilities
  • Services
    • Consulting Services
    • Innovation Services
    • Managed Services
    • Technology Solutions
    • Data and Analytics
    • Organisational Excellence
  • Thinking
    • Latest News
    • Insight
    • Client Stories
  • About
    • Our Values
    • Management Team
    • International Expertise
    • Consulting Excellence
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Our Thinking
  • Managing effective change in uncertain times

Managing effective change in uncertain times

Reading Time 3 mins

  • twitter Tweet
  • facebook Share
  • linkedin Recommend
  • Share via Email Pin

It’s an overstated aphorism that ‘the only thing constant is change.’

So much of our daily work is concerned with change. Academic literature can sometimes focus on episodic change - going through large events such as implementing a new system or reacting to a shift in legislation - but we are now increasingly experiencing continuous change every day. There is always something different that has to be done.

For managers and leaders at all levels it pays to be better equipped to deal with both day to day change activities and significant change programmes, and change management is the best way to do this. It shouldn’t be a skill set solely for change leaders; it benefits all managers and leaders at all levels.

Change management takes people through a journey of change, as an organisation moves from its current state into a new future state. It finds ways to keep people engaged and motivated during change, to feel like change is something they have done and not had done to them.

Good change management will help you cross the chasm of change, establishing how to get from one side to the other in the most effective way. There are two broad themes we can pull out at a macro level:

Involving people in change is more than communication. 

You must involve and engage people in the change process. People don’t resist change, but they resist a sense of being changed - especially when there is no clear narrative explaining why.

Discuss the need for change, and actively involve people in the work needed. Give them the capability and confidence to lead change in their own area. Work together to define new processes and map out how this will impact them, their team, and their customers. We refer to this as doing change with people, not ‘to’ them. 

It may seem simple but in practice it can lead to extremely large and complex programmes. For example, in a recent project with a global business we built a bespoke training course to give their operations leaders the competence and confidence to deliver better client outcomes and drive their own improvements – rather than rely solely on external improvement experts. It engaged people through accredited training with a clear focus on improving capabilities and delivering real benefits to each individual’s working day. It’s now been delivered to over 1,000 leaders across 20 countries, with each programme graduate leading teams to drive further improvements across the company.

Opinion_2_Managing effective change in uncertain times.

Tailor your response

The generalised change models that most people are familiar with will assume a series of stages stepping through a change curve. 

Opinion_2_Managing effective change in uncertain times_2

Whilst this provides a structured methodology, it doesn’t always dig deep enough to explain why some people react to change in very different ways. You can’t manage an individual’s journey through change in the same way you would timetable a change programme; it’s organic and different for everyone.

Through exploring psychological contracts and new models on emotional reactions we can understand why people respond differently – and how we can tailor our approach to individuals with different requirements. This could include providing them with different actions, projects and means of communication.

Whilst you may consider the change programme to be a great success, remember that your team’s emotional journey can continue even after change has been delivered, and they need to be supported in understanding and managing it.

In conclusion

If we accept that everyone goes through a change curve, we also have to recognise that people will experience this journey in different ways. With careful consideration and management there are ways you can short-circuit some of these changes to transition as smoothly as possible.

Enlightened leaders recognise that people will react differently to change. By identifying early on who might respond in different ways, and setting in place mechanisms to support and engage them, you can deliver a successful and long-lasting change intervention.

So ask yourself what is getting in the way of making change a real success?

Close
Would you like to get in touch with us?
Please complete our contact form.

Stay informed. Never miss our email updates.

Our knowledge-led emails are an invaluable source of business information, inspiration and learning.

We'll store this data in accordance with our privacy policy and process for the use intended. We will not share your personal data with any third parties.

Our Thinking

Insight
Fraud in the NHS – The hidden risks to your organisation

Pressures on clinical teams across the NHS have never been higher, but it’s not just the pandemic that is to blame.

Find Out More
Insight
Whitepaper: How to nudge your CX and transform your business

Richard Chataway gives a glimpse of how your organization can optimize its customer experience (CX) with the power of pioneering behavioral science.

Find Out More
News
Gobeyond Partners announces 2023 charity partner to support the end of hunger in low-income communities

Gobeyond Partners continues its commitment to provide support to communities in need.

Find Out More

Stay informed. Never miss our email updates.

We'll store this data in accordance with our privacy policy and process for the use intended. We will not share your personal data with any third parties.

The Future of Service Forum

The Future of Service Forum brings together like-minded organisations from across the service sector. Each is committed to improving operations, creating networking opportunities and providing access to insight and content contributors.

Explore the Forum
Close
Would you like to get in touch with us?
Please complete our contact form.
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies
  • Privacy
  • Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
  • Terms of Use
  • Accessibility
  • Customer complaint policy

info@gobeyondpartners.com

44 Great Marlborough St, Carnaby
London
W1F 7JL

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Glassdoor
  • English
  • Français (French)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • 简体中文 (Chinese (Simplified))
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese (Traditional))