You're leading a change management project. How can you get your team to work together more effectively?

In my experience the power of in-person interaction is unmatched, on the ground quick focus group catch ups supplementing written communication, works very well. This can be achieved through on camera comms sessions in today’s hybrid world of work. Regular communication lead by strong respected leaders in an organization is key to buy-in and adoption. It is important for teams to hear news about change from their direct leadership so the change is owned and the WIIFM is answered.

As a change management lead, i have realised one way to make the team work together more effectively is to make them realise that they are actually a team. We selected change champions from across the organisation and took them through some training to help them understand the role they were to play as agents of the change. Spending time together and getting to know each other and knowing that they are being brought together for a clearly communicated common goal helped the team to understand each other better. A team building session of the change champions helped cement their bond and made them understand their different personalities and how they can work together effectively and efficiently taking into account their differences.

In cultivating a work environment that values transparency, when communicating the vision, I prioritize open dialogue as a cornerstone of effective communication. This commitment goes beyond mere rhetoric; it's a fundamental principle that shapes the way I lead and interact with my team. I firmly believe in the power of sharing the rationale behind any changes that may arise, demonstrating a proactive approach to addressing concerns, and fostering an atmosphere where everyone feels not only listened to but truly understood.

Clear communication of the change vision instills understanding and commitment among teams. By elucidating the necessity, benefits, and expected outcomes, aligning actions with strategy becomes easier. Regular updates on progress and success metrics reinforce engagement and motivation throughout the change journey.

According to KHHR consultancy leadership frame we created based on our researches vision alignment of leader with organisation vision is an internal leadership frame. In our leadership model this is first frame of leadership together with discipline, physical and mental development, (leadership starts here). It is critically important not only communicate vision via different proper channels but to ensure that each team member vision aligned with organisation vision.

In my past and present experiences, I involve team-building exercises on collaboration. collaboration always lead to a more creative solutions. find that carrying my team along is key. I emphasise the importance of collaboration and the power of collective knowledge. In my experience, working together leads to better solutions and fewer roadblocks. For instance, on a past project I was on, actively seeking input from team members with a different background, brought in potential issue early on that which could have caused major delays. We use project management software that allows everyone to see the big picture and easily share updates. We also hold regular brainstorming sessions where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas."

An essential element in successful change management is team engagement throughout the change's planning and implementation stages. Achieve this by seeking their opinions, critiques, and recommendations, giving them a stake in the process and a feeling of accountability. Allocate specific responsibilities and roles to them, and encourage autonomy in decision-making and problem-solving. Involving your team taps into their expertise, insights, and viewpoints, promoting an environment of teamwork and creativity.

Leading change is one of the most complex tasks in project management. Projects involve a diverse range of stakeholders whose expectations and needs vary. One of the key success factors in my experience is stakeholder engagement. Ensuring that the entire team is well aligned with the vision and feels part of the project goes along way in resolving issues. To manage this successfully, stakeholder mapping helps the project leader to understand who, how and when to engage them. It also enables the leader to communicate effectively as this is one of the key areas that can make or break a project.

I interpret “team” in this context as your end users. I have always found success in ensuring that I fully understand what the expected experience will be like for the end user before moving forward with a change project. In doing so, assuring folks of what will stay “the same” to give them a sense of calm and assurance - while also getting them involved in the change process to potentially identify long-standing issues and inefficiencies that can be fixed as a result of the change. Perhaps there is a new process you can implement to make everyone’s lives easier, or there is an opportunity to get small enhancement requests executed to create more buy in.

Foster open and transparent communication to ensure everyone understands the project's goals and their roles. Recognize Achievements-Acknowledge and celebrate individual and collective accomplishments to boost morale and motivation. Training and Support-Offer necessary training and support to ensure the team is equipped to handle the changes effectively. Regular Check-ins-Schedule regular team meetings to address concerns, share updates, and create a space for collaboration. Feedback Mechanism:-Establish a feedback loop for team members to express their thoughts and concerns, fostering continuous improvement. Flexibility-Be adaptable and open to adjustments, considering the evolving nature of change initiatives.

We need to recognize that not everyone handles change in the same way. Understanding about the neuroscience of change really helps explain why it can be such a struggle. Our brains like to make predictions and change requires a lot of cognitive effort. The more you can make people feel empowered and behind the change rather than them feeling victims of it the better. Let them talk and find a way to make them buy into it rather than comply.

In leading a change management project, effective conflict management is essential for enhancing team collaboration. Encourage open communication channels for addressing conflicts promptly. Foster a culture of respect, active listening, and empathy to understand differing perspectives. Utilise mediation techniques to facilitate constructive discussions and find mutually beneficial resolutions. By addressing conflicts proactively and promoting a positive team dynamic, you can foster collaboration and drive project success.

Change frequently sparks disputes within teams or between them. These clashes may stem from divergent perspectives, goals, principles, or character traits and can impact your team's effectiveness and spirit. As someone guiding the change, it's imperative to handle conflicts positively. Do this by genuinely considering differing opinions, recognizing emotional responses, and seeking areas of agreement. Additionally, it's important to tackle any problems or apprehensions your team might have and offer them the necessary backing and direction. Effectively navigating conflicts helps cultivate trust, esteem, and collaboration within your team.

Forgiveness and Grace: Embrace the principles of forgiveness and grace. Recognize that conflicts and disagreements may arise within the team, but encourage team members to approach these situations with humility and a willingness to forgive. Create a culture where mistakes are viewed as opportunities for growth, and where individuals extend grace to one another, fostering a spirit of reconciliation and unity.

The best medicine for managing conflict during change is a double dose of empathy. Conflict can be considered a reaction to change and invoke feelings of fear, caution, anxiety, apprehension, etc, about the change. Most times “conflicts” are resolved because each perspective is better understood by the other, through the sharing of new information, insights and expectations. Take the time to consider each team and their perspectives about the change, then test it on each team to validate assumptions. This will allow you to proactively avoid a “conflict” because you’ve already considered/ thought about other possible perspectives.

Absolutely agree! Celebrating successes early and milestones is crucial for boosting team morale and gaining stakeholder buy-in to your change project. However, finding the right balance is key. I've witnessed recognition become more of a ? exercise, diminishing its value. It's essential to acknowledge individuals for their merit and efforts, tailoring rewards to what truly motivates them, rather than opting for generic gestures like ??. Understanding your team's desires is paramount for meaningful recognition and continuous improvement.

According to my experience with international companies most of them have culture of "lesson learned" and "lesson earned" . It doesn't matter what achievement happened positive or negative most of them celebrate learning or earning. It is crucial important to have such culture as this teach, motivate, develop and brainstorm new ideas!

I think we sometimes overdo this. It is great to celebrate achievements and recognise others. I suggest using these opportunities wisely so that they have maximum impact, build trust and authenticity. One way to ensure this is to set specific milestones at a point in time and to gather all noteworthy rewards and recognitions up to and including, for that celebration time. Be sure to set the scene for the team upfront so they know what to expect - creat and build anticipation.

To me one of the most useful mindset shifts comes from no longer talking about change management and instead describe it as changing management. Since it is ongoing it is important we refer to it like this to remind ourselves constantly.

Learn and adapt can be quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative is more straightforward if you put in the right mechanism to collect data, and have a process to analyze it. Qualitative is tricky! So create a process to capture this systematically, and translate these into tangible actions - akin to an agile retrospective. This not only helps you adapt, but also feeds back into involving the team in change management.

The change management requires Growth Mindset, it is not possible with Stable Mindset and here is my algorithm how to Learn and Adapt in Changes: -Observe organisation, stakeholders, needs vision and culture. -Comnunicate as much as it possible, communicate to hear and understand use active communication methodology. -Investigate and Benchmark what change needs, how others deal with it. -Get and Guve Feedback this is your compass and probe to understand what you can do better how to adopt.

In this phase, it is in incredibly important to make sure that the leader of the change project is not a team of one. Plans, ideas, and timelines should be run by multiple colleagues for input and perspective. Also, if you notice that a part of your project does not go the way you hoped, or if there is a major error that affects the end users, you must address it ASAP, recognize when multiple parties have given you feedback, and do so publicly (“We heard you loud and clear, here is the change”) to elicit a healthy and continuous feedback loop for everyone to learn from.

Change is a fluid and repeating journey, not a straightforward or unmoving one. In your role as a leader of change, it's essential for you to continually learn and adjust in response to new situations, obstacles, and potential opportunities that emerge. This requires keeping an eye on the evolution and effects of change initiatives, as well as gathering and scrutinizing data and feedback. In addition, it's vital to engage your team in this ongoing process of learning and adjustment, encouraging them to contribute their experiences, insights, and discoveries. Learning and adapting in this way helps enhance the change's quality and success, and promotes an environment committed to ongoing enhancement.

Maintain a fun workplace without taking work too seriously. While it's important to focus on tasks, it's equally crucial to create an environment where people can be themselves, share opinions, and learn. Fun can be found in various ways: changing the environment, exploring new ideas, learning skills, and sharing experiences. Then when the pressures on you'll see how your team pulls together as they have a sense of belonging and responsibility to each other not just their tasks

Teams need inspiration. Teams need an inspiring leader. If you can, inspire them. If you can’t, find someone or something that can. The joy and fun will increase : not to mention the performance of the team. Go team go !!! ????????

There are two inevitablities: Change and resistance to change. There seems to be many similarities to how the resistance is manifested to the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The one addition I would make is fear. Fear of things like: "I won't be able to learn the new..." "The change will mean more work; I will lose my job..." and I am sure you could add others. You will always here: "We always did it this way." "It's not broken, so we didn't have to fix it." Having a visin is important, but more important is having others see the value in the vision and involving them early on in the change process. A wise person told me important too, is telling others what is going to remain the same too.

Two critical elements. The first is "be the change" - live the change, model the change. For example, if you want people to use an AI tool like Microsoft Copilot, you should be modeling and sharing to encourage your team. Publicly walk the walk. Become a really good storyteller about the change you're trying to create, and make sure to include stories about your struggles to show that you're human. This type of modeling goes a long way to encourage team involvement. The second is to inclyde and involve the team in the decision-making process wherever possible. This fosters is a sense of ownership and commitment to the project and each other.

To enhance team collaboration in change management, leverage tools like Trello for task management, Zoom for virtual meetings, and Slack for real-time communication. Foster a culture of open dialogue, encourage diverse perspectives, and establish clear goals. Implement regular check-ins and celebrate achievements to maintain momentum and cohesion.