Change Management Playbook for the Pandemic: Stick to the Basics

When a company experiences a major disruption to business, its resilience and continuity are dependent on its leaders’ ability to manage through the moment. Whether it's a gradual transition to a new strategy or anticipation of an economic slowdown or even something more abrupt, successful business leaders recognize the importance of a solid change management plan.  

Until the pandemic, almost any business disruption scenario - from a major industry breakthrough to an economic boom/bust cycle or even a natural disaster - could be studied so leaders could benefit from past experiences as they developed their own approaches.

This was different. Practically overnight, the pandemic disrupted global business, shutting down entire regions, industries, and economies. Today’s business leaders are in uncharted territory, writing the playbook for “managing a business through a global pandemic in the digital age” that future business leaders will hopefully never need to dust it off. 

While change management might seem unique to specific circumstances, the heart of any good change management approach is based on a solid communications plan, a trial-and-error approach, and empathy - best-practices that should be applied anytime.

Clear and concise communications

The only way to ensure that employees, partners, or any other stakeholders in the company are aligned around the same goals and following the same policies is through frequent, clear, and concise communications. A structured communications plan is critical to minimize business disruption no matter how unexpected or significant the change in circumstances.

In a recent report, Deloitte highlighted a number of steps that business leaders should consider as a way to minimize the impact of the COVID disruption. It’s no surprise that most of those steps were focused on communications efforts.

Over the years, I have learned that you cannot over-communicate while managing change. People need to hear the “how” and “why” as often as possible so that they have a clear understanding of the business decisions that are being made. For example, Deloitte recommends creating a cross-functional team that gathers insights from different business units to share with senior managers so they, in turn, can provide clear and consistent messaging for employees, customers, and partners.

Obtain new information and adjust quickly

One of the challenges for leaders trying to provide a sense of structure is that everything related to the pandemic - the guidance around masks, the guidelines around social distancing, and the effectiveness of different types of tests - is constantly evolving. As frustrating as that can be, changing course and updating guidance as we learn more is exactly the right approach. 

It’s important that leaders embrace a growth mindset and allow the company to operate under a trial-and-error approach. Being open and vulnerable as a leader is critical. Nobody has all the answers, nor is anyone expected to have them. If you are transparent with your team that you are acting on the best information available and using a sound decision-making framework, they will trust you. When you have to course-correct because of new information, they’ll understand and trust the process. Being a leader isn’t about having all the answers all the time; it’s about navigating change using current information and a sound framework. 

The key is for employees and other stakeholders to understand that the situation and available information may change suddenly and that a decision made today could very well be revised tomorrow. Being transparent lowers frustration levels and helps employees and others recognize that decisions are based on the best information available at the time. 

Practice empathy

Unlike a natural disaster, which is usually confined to a specific region, a widespread pandemic has a way of literally impacting your entire business ecosystem - workforces, customers, vendors, and investors, among others. What’s challenging is that people experience and handle the impact in ways that are unique to them.

For some, the virus may have directly impacted their own households. Others may be struggling with the balance of work life and family life, with the added stress of being confined to their homes. Many people are experiencing anxiety and other mental health issues that are compounded by current events. 

In these times, we have to remind ourselves that we are all humans dealing with this moment in the best way possible. The most important thing we can do for ourselves - and each other - is to practice empathy, put ourselves in our colleagues' shoes, and try to be flexible with them as they cope in ways that may be different from our own.

Adapt and stay focused

As we have learned, a global pandemic has a way of disrupting our lives in ways we might have never imagined. There was no playbook to leverage for how to deal with it and the one thing you can be certain about is that the only constant will be change. How we respond to those changes will determine how we’ll come out at the end. 

The same goes for companies. These are unprecedented times, but the response doesn’t have to be. If you stick to the fundamentals of change management, allow yourself to be both vulnerable and empathetic, and recognize that change in business - whether planned or unplanned - requires a solid communications plan, the disruption and discomfort will be minimized. We may stumble along the way, but if we adjust quickly and stick to the basic principles, we improve our chances of riding the storm and coming out stronger as we recreate normal.