Push it down their throat.
No. Don’t do that.
If you’ve worked your buns off in building a new strategy, setting up new software, finding the best-fitting consultant, or anything of that sort, your teammates might put you off!
And,
This is normal.
People don’t like change.
Talk about a drastic change? Hell, no.
But this new thing you’ve brought in is going to be highly impactful, you know that.
You can’t do anything alone, you need your team to accept the newness and get started with that.
If you ask people to change something, this is what it means for them –
- They will have to leave the environment where they know everything
- They might have to step out of their comfort
- They might fail in the new environment
Read between the lines, and you’ll quickly notice that there are tons of inhibitions that come along when a new system is introduced to a person or a group of people alike.
That’s why, before getting to the “how to get them to adapt to the new system” part, we must understand what happens when businesses don’t welcome change.
1. Uninspired working environment
This leads to zero creativity because everything is running in exactly the same way as it was in the last ten years or before that. Because there is nothing fresh and exciting to look forward to at work, the employees and the management team feel reluctant to go to work every day.
2. Lose growth opportunities
Whenever new opportunities come, they require people to change some or a huge part of their mental space. If it’s not done, then it’s quite easy to sit back and think that it was not that important. So by slipping into the it-doesn’t-matter zone, you let every possibility of growth go away from your company.
3. Go out of business
This is not the only company that provides this particular solution to customers A, B, and C. These customers have options now. There are companies that offer similar solutions. They have either transformed their ways of treating the customer, brought in tools that give an error-free and faster turnaround time for the same solution, or introduced a fresh version of this solution with added advantages.
This is such a strong factor, that even the clients and partners who have been working with your company for the last 30 years will also leave. Why should they be at a loss because your team doesn’t want to advance?!
So, bookmark this page, and use it with your team whenever there is “anything” new you’d want to introduce.
How To Introduce Change
It might look like a rough patch where all the team members are not on the same page. But, you can definitely make it happen.
If there was one thing that the COVID episode taught us, it was this – things will change, whether you accept it or not. Globally, companies adopted a remote or hybrid work culture, and invested more resources in innovation rather than getting a huge corporate building on lease.
So, don’t just plan to get this done, have a strategy to successfully bring about the change. If you’ll be prepared well, the unforeseen events will have a lower bad impact on you.
The steps below will guide you to do just that.
Step 1. Introduce Before Implementation
Introduce your team to the “idea” of having a new system, whatever it may be.
Present like you own it already. Talk about the outcomes. Facilitate a demo, if required.
If there’s an external team of people required, bring them in to talk directly with your team so that no questions are unanswered.
Step 2. Brainstorm The Odds
Have a brainstorming session with your team where they can put forward their concerns.
Do not make it a debate, listen to them most of the time. When people propose alternatives and ideas, they become a part of the solution, and it feels good in their minds.
Address their concerns to filter away any negative emotions attached to the new environment that is about to set in.
Step 3. Train The Team
People feel confident when they are fully informed. Train your team to use the new systems.
You might counter this and say, “If they spend a lot of time training, when will they do their actual work?”
You’re right, training needs time, and time costs money for your business.
This is your skill to manage their time so that they spend just enough time on the training sessions, while not impacting their revenue-generating activity much.
At this point, you will have to accept that these training sessions will make sure they perform at their best in the new environment.
Step 4. Allow Making Mistakes
Allow a mistake-accepting environment in your workplace, especially within the team that will be going through the change.
Tell them it’s okay if they take more time learning the systems. Be open for feedback, and always be ready to tweak the systems on the go.
This will make them feel safe, be more open to experimenting, and become more familiar with the new ways of working in the business going forward. Familiarity has the ability to create repeatable processes. These could be the people who will train the next set of employees you will hire next year.
On the other hand, you could reward the people who continue learning quickly and make fewer mistakes.
Step 5. Show The Future
More than the changes your team will have to go through, talk about the high-level impact it will bring to the business, and to their individual lives as well.
This is not a one-time thing. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to keep the discussions alive throughout the process and even long after the implementation. Your team looks up to you. They need your reassurance to continue the excitement, high morale, and creativity at work.
What’s New With You?
Openthrive is a strategic partner working with companies in the B2B space to help them break through their traditional ways, innovate in their industry, and transform their business processes right from point of customer acquisition to pot-delivery.
Whether it’s your online presence, customer engagement operations, or client management, we will help you stand out from the crowd of competition and make them irrelevant.
Drop us a line, if you feel stuck and need expert help.