How can you actively listen to employees during a culture change?

When an organization or team goes thru a change, it’s important to check in with team members to see how things are going for them…most often the change involves several things in the employees’ world…and not just culture, so when you check in on them ask them questions that allow them to tell you about anything that’s happening to them…Not just what you want to know about.

I think before active or rather deep listening can take place, first and foremost the leader must be PRESENT. Be there entirely for the employee and not checking emails, looking at their phone, being late and in between back to back meetings. Really listening and being present so that employees feel seen and heard about the things that are going on in their world. This would bring so much value! What are your thoughts?

To actively listen to employees during a culture change, it's crucial to establish open lines of communication. Start with structured listening sessions, where employees can freely express their thoughts. Use surveys and tools to gauge the current culture and identify gaps towards the ideal state. Acknowledge emotions, validate concerns, and reflect back to ensure mutual understanding. Show empathy and resist jumping to immediate solutions. Summarize and act upon feedback, making it clear that their voices drive change. This should not be a one-time initiative but a persistent approach to embed a culture of trust and continuous improvement.

Any form of changes in practice, workplace or performance which requires certain learning, giving up old habits, behavioural modification & more discipline in terms of streamlining self & environment harbours apprehensions & irrational fear. To make it easily digestible,communication is vital. Post communications at every nook and corners, taking feedback is more crucial to stabilise the new.creating channels of communication & platforms is critical. Line mangers need to have one on one connect or address multiple pools, why, what, how of changes taking the input where things can go worst! To listen, empathetic leaders further take those vital inputs further up adding their analytics. Mutual discussion is the best form of listening.

The important part about active listening is to always listen first before putting forward your view. If you speak first you set the tone and frame the discussion in ways that might not elicit the best conversations. Be an active listener with an open mind, always ready to have your mind changed by what is being said.

I couldn’t agree more, active listening is the (not so!) secret sauce that sets change managers up for success. Deliberate and effective active listening gives us precious insights about what’s really ‘going on’, which can then inform the specific change management actions you take. This way, you end up addressing the real issues. Here are some of my favorite starter questions to ask when encountering resistance, which helps me to understand it better… - How will this impact you/your team/your department? - What are your concerns about this situation? - What would make things better? ??to support

Even better than setting a clear objective for the conversation, try to enter with an open mind and an open ear. For active listening it is more important to listen without judgement to what the other person has to say than to follow your own agenda.

The be place to practice active listening is within your own family. Though there are family and relational dynamics involved which are too lengthy to discuss here, I always ask clients to practice this skill with family and friends. For those who are new at it, just accept it will be messy, confusing, and it can feel very awkward. That's ok. Have the mindset of growing personally to be your best. No one is perfect. I've watched Dr. Phil not correctly understand someone. It's ok. If you need a coach or therapist, get one. It will require work and dedication but the rewards are more than worth it.

Culture change is difficult. Lean practices teach us to ask those doing the work before making a change because they will need to execute it. Most of the time that is a fabulous practice. Occasionally when legal requirements require a shift without consultation, it is still important to have a listening session to allow feelings to be said and heard and then proceed with a second meeting to implement the change.

The biggest tip here is to be transparent. For example, if you are struggling to find the right words or questions, then admit that openly. If you are not in a good place to listen (sickness, stress, family problems, etc.), then admit that. People love honesty over pretending. If you feel yourself becoming angry, take deep breaths to slow down your nervous system. Don't interrupt. Don't force your words on others. Don't rush the process. Let others have their own words, their own space, and their own timing when they want to speak. It's all about letting others dictate when, how, and where they want to share, not you. It's the Golden Rule - treat others like you want to be treated. Respect, integrity, and empathy go a long way.

When actively listening to employees during a culture change, one should avoid interruptions, showing impatience, or jumping to conclusions. We should stay clear of being judgmental or dismissive about their concerns and opinions. And refrain from planning our response while they are talking, as it prevents genuine understanding. Ensure we are not appearing distracted; maintain eye contact and show that we are fully present. We should also avoid minimizing their feelings or experiences, as this can erode trust and hinder the change process. Instead, foster an environment of openness, empathy, and validation to encourage honest and constructive dialogue.

Often we enter in a difficult conversation holding on to our own point of view. Active listening is about taking in all of the concerns and trying to discover if there is a better way of doing business. The point is to find a suitable way forward for all.

Due to the complexities involved with difficult conversations, there is no one-size-fits-all model. But, there are some principles that should always be used: 1) Be kind. 2) Go slow. 3) Let everyone know the discussion will be sensitive. Never surprise someone with such. 4) Don't seek to "control" the discussion. 5) It should always be about seeking the best in everyone. 6) Any emotion should be allowed. If you restrict emotions, then trust goes away. 7) The door should remain open for the discussion to continue later, if needed. 8) Always mention the positive about the other person. 9) Every team member has the right to say, ask, or clarify anything. 10) No one is exempted from being in such conversations. Treat everyone the same.

A great way is to hire a 3rd neutral party to hear what's going on internally. Allow them to provide assessments, surveys, and one-on-one interviews. Provide and secure a confidential agreement so team members can have some assurance there will be no retaliation. I've found that when organizations hire a 3rd party to help, and the 3rd party can report to several leaders like the CEO/HR/Board etc, then it eliminates the results being manipulated by leadership. The organization should do what it takes to provide an emotionally-safe place for feedback.

Assessment tools can be extremely helpful. I recommend beginning with yourself to find where you might be missing before asking others as a second step. If you do ask others for their feedback, be ready to listen, and make changes. Otherwise, they will not feel heard, and you've managed to make things worse instead of better.

In my work with clients, I regularly have to remind leaders that communication during a culture change (or anytime) needs to be: - Authentic - Raw and unpolished - More transparent than you're comfortable with The skepticism meter among most employees is at an all-time high. Anything that looks like polished corporate-speak will be viewed with suspicion. As an example, if you do an "Ask the CEO" feature, make sure it's actually the CEO who answers (without being filtered by HR and 13 other people first). Trust the people in your organization to handle real information. Yes, they will misunderstand and misinterpret some of it, but the chance of that happening only goes up when we over-wordsmith every communication.

TIME - Firstly make rime to engage and be consistent about it. FRAME - Frame discussions well and ask easy open questions. Active listening requires proof to yourself and those you are engaging that you heard them. PROVE IT - Prove you are listening by seeking clarity on what is being communicated. FURTHER PROOF! - ACTION - Above all, take action on what you heard. Everything you say and do after your engagement communicates whether you were really listening or not. True leaders address the elephant in the room, implement quick wins and put resources towards the larger issues.

It is important for organisations to support leaders with additional insights through employee listening programmes to help them understand the mood of the business and how well the change is being managed. Giving leaders access to data driven insights will enhance the conversations and enable them to use active listening more effectively as they can approach the situation with the right mindset.

I have found it helpful to involve employees early in the process of design. Get early reactions to what is important. Involve them in planning for how to roll out the change. Enable them to be influencers and advocates in their personal network.

It's key to have both active and passive feedback loops for employees to share. Equally important is to have a transparent and rapid process to respond to the feedback with what you are and are not doing, why, etc.