Too much change, too little time

By Dave Adams, SAIF senior safety managing consultant, state agency team; and
Beth Smith, IS business services supervisor

Many organizations report a lot of change happening at once and limited capacity to effectively handle it all. So, what happens when you need to make an important safety change, but your organization doesn’t feel ready for one more modification? The result can suffocate needed progress.

Change impacts how your employees do their work and, equally important, how they feel about the work they do. When an organization doesn’t consider employees’ capacity for change, most changes will result in loss of productivity, resistance, and even employee turnover.

Change management is a set of tools and resources designed to help leaders talk about and present upcoming changes in a way that prepares employees for the inevitable impact. In his book, ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community, Jeffrey M. Hiatt offers five keys for managing change successfully:

Awareness
Lack of awareness around the reasons for change is the number one reason for resistance. Leaders must explain the “why.” Frame conversations by answering these questions:

• What is the change?
• Why is it important?
• What will it do for us?
• Why now?
• What are the risks of not changing?
• What’s the plan?

Desire
Do employees feel motivated to support and participate in the change? Motivating desire is challenging because of limited control over employees’ choices. Answering these questions from employees will help:

• How will the change affect me?
• What’s in it for me?
• What will I gain?
• What will be my burdens?

Knowledge
Implementing change successfully requires training and education on new skills and behaviors, as well as detailed information about new processes, systems, or tools. Make sure employees understand their new roles and responsibilities. Some questions to consider:

• What new knowledge and skills are needed?
• How will training and education be provided?
• What's the training plan and schedule?

Ability
When change is happening, most employees worry about how their performance will be measured. To achieve the desired performance level, employees will want to know the answers to these questions:

• What job aids will be available?
• How much time will I have to practice?
• What kind of at-the-elbow support will we have?
• What should I do when there are problems?

Reinforcement
Actions or events that strengthen and reinforce change can be as simple as a sincere thank you and acknowledgment from the employee’s supervisor to a larger corporate-wide celebration. Some ideas to consider:

• How will we recognize milestones along the way?
• How will we celebrate success?
• What old tools and processes will get turned off?

Important takeaway
Reinforcement is often the most neglected component in change management. Revisiting the change a year down the road and verifying or validating its importance can positively enforce how employees perceive the change—and make them better prepared for the next round of change that will inevitably come.