How to Manage Change in Your Team

Michael Finnigan
Sep 23, 2019

It’s can be both inspiring and exciting to implement change in your team. You should take multiple factors into consideration and make sure it’s never done forcefully. Any organization that is serious about its growth undergoes periods of change. For most, change is the only thing that remains constant in the world of business. Companies that are on top of it can guide their workforce into the foreseeable future and to success.

Work Together to Make a Plan

Your employee team should feel as though they’re involved in this change process as well. So give them chances to make their individual voices heard, while at the same time inspiring them to believe in the company’s vision. Also, make sure to consider the following when drafting up a game plan.

  1. How will the change contribute to the company?
  2. What specific changes should be made to each team to make it more efficient?
  3. What systems should be in place for an effective implementation?
  4. What resources are required?
  5. How will you know these changes were successful?

Have Clear Communication Lines

Communication is vital in business. All team members have to be kept up-to-date with developments as well as objectives that must be met. Every team member should feel comfortable sharing both their viewpoints and proposals for improvement. Communication is a two-way process, and it cannot happen unless there is feedback. It’s not all about dictating requirements but rather about making the team a part of the process. Therefore, it’s crucial to choose the right individuals to lead your team.

Delegate Key Responsibilities

Sometimes, change brings about the need to structure teams again for work efficiency. You will have to identify individuals with a strong set of skills who embrace your change, to work along with managers. Those people could also act as a leader of newly formed teams so they should be chosen carefully. The decision relies on both the company structure and the change you are experiencing.

Clarify Expectations

Your team members must understand what their goals and requirements are. Both roles and expected results for each role have to be clearly defined. Understanding what each member expects from those who lead them is also very important. Their responses will help you recognize the kind of support they require in order to reach the excepted results.

Set Up a System for Responsibility

When change is brought into the picture, it’s normal for companies to hold a meeting with all their employees. The purpose of this conference is to communicate expectations from team members and to assign roles to each individual. In some scenarios, they are expected to work with tools they already have, therefore making it difficult to track the team’s progress.

In order to avoid this in your own organization, create a system in which regular feedback is needed. You can do this through reports or keeping a tracking of key metrics once a week. The whole point of this is to consistently monitor the progress of your team and make them feel obliged to meet their goals.

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