A small number of employees were nervous about the change. During regular People Promise (121’s) we could dig a little deeper behind the initial fear and anxiety to collectively identify supportive tools for our team members. Some individuals did not feel IT literate hence; we had to introduce ways to build their capability. We recognised that we had staff in different places with regards to their capability – those who were anxious were encouraged to have a “buddy” who could support them through the process and learn from them.
Some people did not understand what the change meant for them; using the buddy scheme it allowed peer to peer conversations about the change rather than a management conversation. We promoted ambassadors for change e.g. Universal Job Match to support colleagues with this business tool.
It is key that all individuals know the role that they play in the change and understand what their barriers are e.g. fear of using a new business tool. Even if this means that you slow down your pace as a leader to encourage some team members that might need the additional support. Using Pareto’s theory you will have 80% of people that instantly are on-board with the change and can work at the pace of it. As a leader you cannot forget about the 20% who may need additional support or understanding, they are critical to it being a success. Instead of force, slow down and bring them with you.
Very well – the site has a positive vibe. We have held visits for several foreign ministers who have all commented on the enthusiasm, passion and pride of employees. I believe this is because they helped to shape the service that we deliver. Currently we are hitting our deliverable targets and our engagement score is 83% with leading and managing change being rated at 81%. This makes us one of the highest performing sites in London & Home Counties.
We sit next to our staff, often alternating our desks so that we are visible across the office. This means that we hear the dialogue between our team members and customers, so we can give regular feedback in the moment. Even it is something small like “I really liked how you supported your customer”. This means we can quickly identify staff who need some support or praise those who have done a good job.
Additionally, we hold monthly all office meetings to cascade messages down but individual team meeting are held regularly with staff so that they are informed of any major changes or messages from our senior team. We use these forums to consult the staff with changes to management, structures, and office decisions; and use open dialogues to discuss the planning and why this change has to be implemented. If you explain the “bigger picture” context then people are more likely to accept the changes.
1 comment
Comment by Tony Payton posted on
Some context would be useful. What change were you trying to introduce.
On a pedantic point it is known as the Pareto Principle rather than theory.