Embracing Shifts In Company Culture

Change is hard, especially when it comes to organizational changes in the workplace. While you may think adjustment is as simple as getting used to a new routine, real sustainable change occurs when workers accept it as a positive move for them. It is really about becoming a part of the solution. How do you go about communicating the urgency for change and embracing it? In this blog, I explore four key ways to quickly adapt and become a company culture change champion.

First Focus On Leadership

Attitude starts with leaders. Unfortunately, many leaders who have been with their organization for a period of time may become part of the change problem rather than the solution. When launching a culture change initiative, identify positive leaders. Encourage them to become a mentor and a role model. Leaders should be sincerely inspired to embrace change, so they can inspire others to do the same.

Encourage Purpose-Driven Performance

It’s a fact that people–especially those in the midst of change–perform far better when they understand their specific role and how their work relates to the larger goals of the organization. As part of your initiative to embrace change, perform a change management readiness assessment and develop a communications plan. Many long-term employees may think they know the answers to a readiness assessment such as who is affected by the change, who will resist or support it, and how the change will impact the organization but they may be surprised. A thorough readiness assessment often sheds light on misperceptions. It can lead to greater role clarity and help to identify valuable professional development opportunities for all employees. As you uncover employees or departments who consistently exceed agreed-upon expectations, recognize them. Add strategies in your communications plan to make these team and individual recognitions repeatable and consistent. Celebrating employee achievements along the way assists in engendering a positive change environment. When employees see their performance matters in this midst of change, it becomes a source of self-motivation, and inspires those around them.

Make Work A Positive Experience

As you develop a change plan for your organization, focus intently on how this change will affect what employees need to know or do differently. How will these changes affect their daily work positively? Identifying the positive impact of change will help in fleshing out a valuable communications and training plan. Well-known adult learning theorist, Malcolm Knowles, believed that adult learners learn best from experience. Yet, they need to know why new information/change is relevant. Training, activities, and communications that connects new changes with improving one’s performance on the job are more likely to resonnate with adults.

Create A Sense Of Community

With company change comes unsettlement, often triggering an intense desire to belong and feel more secure. Most employees want to believe in their teammates, their leadership and the organization. They want to leave work everyday feeling that they made a strong impact on the company’s achievements. Encourage this feeling of belonging by implementing opportunities for more employees to collaborate and solve problems.