Dealing with resistance to change among your team members. How can you effectively lead them through it?

Resistance to change is a common human reaction, and it's often encountered in workplaces. To effectively lead your team through resistance to change, focus on: Open and transparent communication: Explain the rationale, address concerns, and maintain consistent updates. Involvement: Seek input, create ownership, and empower your team. Support: Provide resources, training, and emotional support. Recognition: Celebrate achievements and offer incentives. Patience and persistence: Understand the process and maintain a positive attitude.

I follow a simple framework of 5 C's when there is resistance to change for example curriculum change, new teaching methods etc. Communicate: Clearly articulate the reasons for change and its benefits. Collaborate: Involve team members in the decision-making process, especially the most vocal. Coach: Provide support and guidance throughout the transition and regular pow wow meetings. Cultivate: Foster a culture that embraces innovation and continuous improvement. Celebrate: Recognize and reward progress and successes along the way even the smallest success.

Changes can bring teams outside of their safety zone, creating resistance or even worse anxiety. As a leader, it is our duty to spend more time explaining transparently why there is a need for change, and making sure we pause and listen to understand teams' concerns. It is not about forcing changes in but creating a space where changes are understood, and bought in,while ensuring psychological safety.

By being empathetic and trying to understand the change from the perspective of the staff, e.g. what is it in for them, staff may gradually buy in to the need for change. Staff has to see that the end point of the change benefits them and is an improvement of current status. Assurance should also be given to them that they will not go through the change unaided or alone and that management and resources will be there for them to see them through the change.

Explique o motivo da mudan?a, os benefícios esperados e como isso afetará cada membro da equipe. Mantenha uma comunica??o aberta para responder dúvidas e aliviar preocupa??es.

Clear communication must be two-way. It is essential to understand team members’ resistance to the change effort. Resistance typically stems from one of three sources: the person leading the change effort, the way the change is being rolled out, or the change itself. To most effectively address a team member’s resistance, it’s important to understand the source. Open communication is required.

Ter uma conversa próxima e métricas bem construídas para avaliar o processo de mudan?a também faz parte da comunica??o clara. Desta forma o colaborador saberá o que está acontecendo e que ainda estar por vir. Os processos precisam ser claros e bem comunicados, de preferência deverá haver informativos de acompanhamento aos colaboradores já previstos no planejamento da mudan?a, prevendo canais para possíveis dúvidas e maiores explica??es. O líder deve ter uma boa comunica??o e um leque de ferramentas que possam auxilia-lo na comunica??o, por isso a importancia do planejamento e execu??o do plano.

Letting employees know about changes to the status quo as soon as possible helps to build a bridge between employees and management. Share any information you have with employees that you are able to share. If you’re not sure about an answer or simply cannot provide an answer, it’s okay to say something like, “I’ll look into that and follow up with you” or, “I’ll share that information with you as soon as I have it.” The more open and honest your communication with them, the less likely they are to speculate and spiral.

Change as a process unsettles everyone, and to deal with change on a large scale basis, it is important for the team to understand the Golden circle ( Ted Talk Simon Sinek). The WHY, the WHAT, and the How, is that is clear, most people would align with the transformational process.

Change initiatives often fail due to lack of involvement from those closest to the work. It's crucial to engage these individuals early in the planning process. Resistance stems not only from disruptions to established systems but also from their insights into potential pitfalls. When I work with clients, we form a change committee with skeptics and champions, serving as an advisory body to senior leadership. Effective facilitation helps these groups learn from each other, leading to better solutions. Committee members advocate for change, showing that their voices are heard and fostering collaboration. This approach enhances trust and engagement, increasing the likelihood of success.

I’m an advocate for, and prescribe to, the social leadership style - this recognises the skills and talent of all around you, and seeks to empower people to be key stakeholders in all elements of the role. I’ve evidenced how beneficial this can be on numerous occasions managing change, crucially engaging all affected early and then keeping them closely involved. Not only are you then nurturing behaviours but you are also harvesting more ideas and concepts to make whatever the change is fit for purpose - so there is a better outcome for the people, customers and business. I’ve come to learn and believe that you can eradicate the ‘fear’ element of change if you manage it proactively and communicate thoroughly throughout.

Aline expectations and involved our team in the changes we want to make as leaders is crucial to aiming the goal. Lack of clearity, involment and ownership attents the development of the changes. But, there also some situations and some changes that must be decided and implement by the leaders without consultation, for example, policies about discrimination, harrasment, etc. These are no negotiables.

Involving team members in change initiatives reduces resistance and builds commitment. Encourage participation in planning and decision-making. Use brainstorming sessions or task forces to integrate their insights into the change strategy. This approach fosters ownership, harnesses diverse perspectives, and enhances solutions. By making change a collaborative process, you strengthen team cohesion and engagement.

Liderar é constantemente ensinar, remover obstáculos, produzir pontes, dar exemplos, feed backs e feed forwards. é equilibrar talento com desafio, é extrair de seu colaborador o melhor de sua mente, cora??o, espírito e atitudes. Ou seja, liderar é suportar, se n?o está fazendo isso, n?o está liderando. Alguns processos que ajudam nesses objetivos s?o as conversas claras, escutas ativas, paradas programadas para validar o curso da mudan?a, saber ter flexibilidade para entender se o planejamento precisa ou n?o ser repensado e saber ser contrariado. O suporte principal virá da postura do líder e sua proximidade com os colaboradores e o processo, uma ponte que liga a expectativa a execu??o. Entender as dificuldades do time e suas necessidades.

We need to approach change and people's reaction to it with care because change is not easily accepted. It's important to keep in mind that people are resistant to change, so we need to approach this resistance cautiously. When implementing change within a structure, the goal is to adapt and improve the current setup. We tend to feel uneasy when we are taken out of our comfort zone, which is a natural human reaction. Change always moves us forward from what is already in place, but embracing it requires a certain mindset. Acceptance, adaptation, learning, and understanding are key factors to consider.

It is very important to remember that not only the thecnical support is useful but also the emotional support. Not all the people reacts in the same way so as leaders we must detect that little changes in behavior and moods and aproach them with kindness and ask how we can help them navigate the changes.

Don’t leave your employees out on an island – support your team members with resources, change management tools, knowledge bases, and training on the new process or tool you’re implementing. This will help your employees find value in a new system quickly, causing them to build trust with you when it

This is part of the “ABC” of living, supporting your team in the good and the bad will only create positive ripple effect. You’ll not only support directly the person in dealing with the challenges ahead, but also indirectly others that even they might then help. Providing support will give them a sense of safety which then will allow them to perform at their best.

Reconhecer é a parte básica para diferenciar desempenhos. é necessário este momento para motivar os que ainda n?o est?o desempenhando de maneira aceitável e principalmente para manter o alto desempenho de quem já vem produzindo bem.

Reconhe?a e recompense os esfor?os e sucessos dos membros da equipe que se adaptam bem à mudan?a. Isso pode incentivar outros a fazerem o mesmo.

Measurement is a key factor in the change process because it allows organizations to understand how the implementation influences overall business performance. If something doesn’t go as planned, there’s an opportunity to change it or include it in the next phase of the change implementation.

Behavior rewarded is behavior repeated. If something positive happens, it should be celebrated and acknowledged as it will encourage it to happen more times in the future. It creates a positive cycle that will encourage the team to keep providing value. What you focus on will eventually determine what you get, so focusing on the positive and celebrating it will create an atmosphere within the team that, instead of looking and pointing at mistakes, will focus on performance and solutions.

Verbal recognition must be immediate. If somebody of our team or our team as a whole made something good we have to let them know in that moment. Waiting until a meeting or the anual celebration of the Company is a bad decision. We can reinforce the Message in that events to let other teams of the Company know about the good performance of our team.

Clear communication is crucial when leading ur team through change. It is the clarity in communication that can change the behaviour

One of many strategies to change/transformation is convincing/eliciting views of internal influencers. Who are they: They do not carry big titles! But when their colleagues have any personal issues (biz or life), they seek out these influencers because they are well respected for their ideas, advice. If the leadership can find out: 1. who are these people? 2. Elicit their views on required change, listen to their feed back, modify & seek their thoughts… Then request them to convince people around them for the need & benefit of change. Caution required: do not bill-sh*t or lie to hidden influencers! How to find them? Contact me ??

Understand Individual Perspectives: Take the time to listen to each team member’s concerns and perspectives. Understanding their fears and motivations can help tailor your approach to address specific issues. Be Patient and Persistent: Change can be a slow process, and resistance may not disappear overnight. Be patient with your team and stay persistent in your efforts to support them through the transition.

I think it is important to understand the main differences that exist between the generations. We may be experts at our jobs, but we are hiring new people to become the experts of the future. They want to share their ideas and want these ideas to be respected no matter their age and/or experience. In some cases we may not necessarily agree with some of the ideas these new people present. They have to know that they are included in a very thourough,conisderite explaination of why it is or is not accepted.

Never make a decision without consulting those on the front lines – your employees. After consulting with your team, come to an agreement on the timeline and overall plan for managing and implementing a new change.