How to Survive (and get your employees to embrace) Change. Dr. Susan Stoker Pikes Peak Community College

Transcription

1 How to Survive (and get your employees to embrace) Change Dr. Susan Stoker Pikes Peak Community College

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3 Examples of Personal Changes New Baby Marriage Buying a House Moving from one state to another Divorce Breaking a bone/illness Weight loss/gain

4 Why Do People Resist Change? Tradition is Threatened Perceived as illogical Lacks Clear intention and direction Brings on fear of the unknown Positions are threatened

5 Life Cycle of Resistance to Change Phase 1 90% Against 10% For Phase 2 70% Against 30% For Phase 3 50% Against 50% For Phase 4 30% Against 70% For Phase 5 10% Against 90% For Harvey, D. & Brown, D. (2001). An experiential approach to organization development. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

6 Resistance Overt Strikes, poor work output, sabotage Covert Absenteeism, requesting transfer, resigning Passive can be most damaging Refuse to participate in suggestions to change equaling lack of commitment

7 Social Exchange Theory Relationships that provide more rewards than costs will have mutual trust and attraction. What can the organization give to the employees in return for their support in the change process?

8 8 Errors when Implementing Change (Kotter( Kotter) 1. Allowing Too Much Complacency Not creating the sense of urgency in employees. Not telling them WHY the change is needed 2. Failing to Create powerful guiding coalition The Leaders HAVE to support the change 3. Not having a clear vision It helps direct, align and inspire actions

9 8 Errors when Implementing Change (cont.) 4. Under-communicating that Vision Without it, employees hearts and minds aren t captured 5. Permitting obstacles to block the vision Concrete or mental. (organizational structure, compensation, supervisors, etc)

10 8 Errors when Implementing Change (cont.) 6. Not having any short-term goals Transformation takes time. Need milestones along the way to celebrate and keep up morale 7. Declaring Victory too soon Until changes are ingrained in culture, changes are subject to regression 8. Not making the Changes Stick in the culture Until behaviors are rooted, they are subject to degradation as soon as pressures assoc. with change effort are removed.

11 Kurt Lewin 3 Stages of Planned Change Unfreeze Movement Refreeze

12 William Bridges 3 Transition Phases Ending, Losing, Letting Go The Neutral Zone The New Beginning

13 Harvey, D. & Brown, D. (2001). An experiential approach to organization development. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

14 How to Get Your Employee to Buy 1. Leadership Into Change If the leaders don t support the change, it will fail. Trust in leadership-if there is no trust, it will fail. Employees need to feel confident that the leader will do what is best for the company. How get this trust? Communication!

15 How to Get Your Employee to Buy 2. Communicate Into Change Having a new child how break it to your current children/child? Be honest when questions arise. If issues aren t brought out into the open, people will make up their own thoughts

16 How to get your Employees to Buy Into Change Communication Cont. Acknowledge the losses openly and sympathetically I know that switching to the new software is going to leave a lot of you feeling like beginners again. I feel that way myself Don t pretend that the losses don t exist.

17 How to Get Your Employee to Buy 3. Give them Time Into Change Allow time to question and to buy into the new ideas. Greater chance of becoming supporters than uninterested parties or sabotagers.

18 How to Get Your Employee to Buy 4. Be Positive Into Change

19 How to Get Your Employee to Buy Into Change 5. Let them Have a Say Include all levels of employees in the planning process If an employee takes an active role in the process they are more likely to embrace the change

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21 How to get your Employees to Buy into Change 6. Celebrate Successes Acknowledge when good things happen Celebrate reaching the end of the neutral zone I Survived the Merger (or software change, or whatever it was) T-shirts, buttons, certificates

22 Changes at PPCC New Computer System (SIS to Banner) Transcripts, Academic History, Registration New President (Interim (June-Dec 06), 2 nd Interim (Jan 1-Feb 15 th 07) New Director of Enrollment Services

23 Changes at Your Organization? Examples from the group?

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25 References Blau, P. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York, NY: Wiley and Sons. Bridges, W. (2003). Managing transitions (2 nd ed). Cambridge, MA: Da Camp Press. Hellriegel, D., & Slocum, J. (2004). Organizational behavior (10th ed.). Thompson Learning. Kim, S. (2002, Mar/Apr). Participative management and job satisfaction: Lessons for management leadership. Public Administration Review, 62, Kotter, J. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Pater, Robert. (2002, Mar.). Leadership skills for the 21st century. Occupational Health & Safety, 5, 6-15.