In this first installment of a two-part blog examining the evolving work environment, our workplace strategists discuss how to build and sustain a culture for change management.
The adage that the only constant is change is more relevant now than ever—especially when considering the workplace and commercial real estate market. With the sudden disruption of the past several years, we have gone from an in-person workstyle to a remote workstyle and now variations on a hybrid workstyle.
At the center of change is a company’s most valuable resource—employees who drive business success and define the culture.
HGA has been helping businesses envision change long before the pandemic forced us to rethink the workplace. Along the way, we have learned that every company is different and their need for change is different. We also have learned that change is a lengthy process that first involves managing expectations and communications to be successful.
To build a culture for change, we have developed six pillars that reinforce a sense of shared vision.
Trust
Effective change management starts with establishing trust early and often. This is true for the team leading the new processes and across the entire organization and departments. Trust involves ineffable people skills that let everyone know this is a collective team effort.
Engage
Engaging employees in the process is an important step to building trust. Most people want to get personal messages from their direct supervisor and organizational messages from a president, CEO, or executive manager. In other words, maintain open dialogue and let people know who they can go to if they have questions.
Excitement
Inspiring excitement starts at the top and works through every level and department. Having a team of coaches or changemakers can help engage employees to push information as well as pull feedback and ideas. Having a system in place to exchange information is an important step to inspire buy-in.
Expectations
Train the organization to ensure everyone understands the change, new skills, tools, or processes. Be specific about expectations and timing. Explain how everyone throughout the company will go through this change. Will it be in phases? What are the expectations of the organization? Of the leaders? Of individuals?
Implement
Now that everyone has been fully informed, you are done, right? No. You need to help educate and train team members about new work models. Consider interactive activities that support the change, such as forums for answering questions, one-on-one coaching, or access to additional resources. Maintain open communication to help them through potential roadblocks, with an eye on the benefits.
Feedback
Finally, encourage feedback. Again, this needs to start at the top with authentic excitement about the results. Are people more efficient and happier in the new workspace? Your change will be more successful if you can measure specific benchmarks that validate progress. Even if you did not achieve all desired results, reinforce that everyone is involved in meeting shared metrics. But if you achieved the anticipated results, take time to celebrate success.
Looking Forward
Change is inevitable—and something to welcome not resist. But what does this change look like? And how do you get there, step by step?
To find out, visit Part II: Workplace Strategies, Processes, and Deliverables.