Change is the name of the Game

Jasmine Flowers July 3, 2008

Creating an environment of change is just as important as effectively managing that change for employees. Dave Ulrich discusses the importance of the role of change agents in Workforce Management. He offers 3 principles that HR professionals can implement to encourage, design, implement, and facilitate change.

“Make the unspeakable speak” – Create dialogue around the customs and norms that hinder your organizations ability to successfully change. I have listed some examples from the article below:

Authority ambiguity: Not being sure of who is responsible or accountable

Over-changed: Too much going on at once

Going for the big win: Looking for the big change that will solve all problems

“Turn what we know into what we do” – Understand and know the 7-10 keys to successful change in your organization. Some best practice keys to successful change are as follows:

Leadership that champions change

Create a need that surpasses the resistance or the perceived deterrents

Shape the vision around business goals and objectives

Facilitate a spirit of commitment by engaging and communicating to others

“Make change a pattern, not an event” – Change is not about a single incident, make change a way of life in the work place. By creating a pattern or mind-set of change in the work place, a new culture is also created that best represents the company.

I found this article to be insightful as change is often overlooked and ignored in many organizations. Employees often end up feeling “out of the loop” and resist change because they simply have not been effectively communicated to or engaged. Next time a new initiative is being implemented or minor changes are being launched to the organization, think about how you can better ensure adoption of the change. The more effective your change program, the more successful your initiative will be.

Posted in Human Resources Analytics, HR Consulting, Human Resources, Retention