Change is hard for many people. Learning the right approach for introducing change can increase your chances for gaining people’s buy-in for change. To obtain people’s buy-in for change, they must feel respected and valued for their work.
People want to feel like what they do matters.
A committee consisting of members from management, shift supervisors and human resources was tasked to make the workflow in an area more efficient. After reviewing the research and design layouts, the committee asked maintenance to move the workstations to their new locations. When an experienced employee came to work to discover his workstation had been moved, he stated he could not work in the new location. Why was he upset?
Avoid surprises.
The change was a surprise without him having any prior knowledge or input in the decision. It was a forced change. He felt like his job was not important and he was not important enough to be asked for his opinion.
Here are 5 steps to gain people’s buy-in for change.
- People do not like forced change. Make sure everyone who may be affected by the change is included in the discussions.
- Share the reasons why the change is important. People may not feel the change is needed because they do not see the big picture. Share how the need was identified in the beginning.
- Emphasize what is good about the change and mention areas where it has been successfully implemented. Individuals want to know, “Has this worked before?” and “How well did it work?”.
- Reassure people this change will not affect the identity of the company. Tell them who we are as a company will be preserved. Your organization’s value statements provide stability and assurance – a constant – employees can count on in times of change.
- Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Everyone will not hear the message the first time. Keep repeating it until it is heard by all.
Include people in the process before implementation.
You gain trust when you include the people who are affected by the change in the conversation. Even if you move ahead with the change against their wishes, they are more likely to come on board if they were asked their opinion.
What are you doing to gain people’s buy-in for change?
Warmly,
Jean
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