We are in a time of great disruption. The COVID-19 pandemic turned businesses upside down, freight demand is outstripping the industry’s ability to get it delivered, and we are being bombarded with technological changes at a dizzying pace.
As a result of these changes, almost every aspect of corporate culture and processes will need to learn to adapt. As we all know, change can be scary. However, there are some things you can do to help make it less frightening for everyone in your organization.
According to Logic Bay, the most common reason change initiatives fail is that companies fail to plan properly. They focus on making changes quickly, rather than taking time to plan a strategy for the change.
When it comes to change, the thing to do is ask yourself why you are making the change, what specific processes and procedures will need to be altered as a result of the change and what the benefits of the changes will be. Once you have answered those questions you can move on to planning the best way to implement the changes.
The next way to make a major change go smoothly is to get all the stakeholders involved in the change process as early as possible. Make sure you share the reasons behind the change, the strategy for implementing the change, and how each person will benefit from the change. Seek input and buy in from everyone impacted by the change.
This is one of those times when there is no such thing as over-communicating. Remember to keep the communication clear, simple, and focused on outcomes. Share details as appropriate. Different departments and individuals will need different levels of detail to implement the change.
While communicating from executives to managers and frontline employees is critical, make sure you also have a feedback mechanism to address concerns of people either who are implementing the change or whose day-to-day responsibilities will be impacted by it. They may have some great suggestions on how to make the implementation go more smoothly or may be able to point out potential problems early in the implementation process.
There is no way to avoid change. The good news is that following a few simple rules can ensure an easier transition.
Jane Clark focuses on managing the member services operation at NationaLease as vice president of member services. She works to strengthen member relationships, reduce member costs, and improve collaboration within the NationaLease supporting groups.
