The Change Initiative

We’re witnessing workplaces adapt to the fourth wave of the industrial revolution powered by data and automation. But if that wasn’t enough, leaders are challenged with rapidly changing health mandates, supply chain issues, extreme weather, and a growing disengaged workforce.

Unfortunately, most businesses fail when adapting to change. Statistics reveal that an overwhelming 70 percent of change initiatives miss the mark as organizations fail to implement change successfully. Leadership in today’s changing world isn’t easy, but?with every challenge, there is opportunity.?

Adaptability in the workplace is critical. Here are ways to adjust to a changing business environment and how to continue building strong teams.

Don’t just react to change, anticipate it.?For leaders, this means adjusting to changes swiftly and staying attentive to the trends on the horizon. It’s crucial to position your team for where the world is going. Be an agent of change, not an opponent.

You don’t always need to reinvent the wheel,?you can realign it. There is a misconception that reacting to change is trial by fire. But leaders can investigate how other industries are evolving and adopt strategies for success. Be cautious of sources and do your research. Ultimately, you want to leverage experts and make decisions based on what best fits your organization. Browse through our?“Testing Assumptions” section of our downloads?for exercises to discover when it’s time to change direction. One highly recommended exercise is the?Agreement and Certainty Matrix.?This is a?Liberating Structures exercise where you sort challenges into four categories: simple, complicated, complex, and chaotic. Explore items that appear to fit in more than one category, and highlight the range and nature of the challenges facing people in the organization.

Build a support network.?Pulling in fresh perspectives will help guide you through the process of change. Outside coaches and consultants can provide your team with tools for success as well as identify gaps in your organization. Address these gaps by adding talent that will aid in your team’s growth.

Look inward.?Many times adapting to change means developing and fixing internal processes. Set new goals and readjust your priorities as needed. As you do so, be sure to communicate these updates with your team and the reasoning behind them. Transparency will build trust and help your team settle in with change.

Provide stability.?While this sounds counterintuitive to embracing change, providing your team with some peace is essential. This could be through reinforcing your mission, discussing goals that won’t change, or even holding regular check-in meetings. In our ever-changing world, introducing stability where you can provide comfort to your team.

Change is inevitable. The ability to cope with change has the power to decrease stress and even increase productivity. New and exciting opportunities show up when you’re able to navigate your team through whatever comes their way.

Douglas Ferguson | President, Voltage Control

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