Leading change towards a new normal [Part 2/2]

This is the second of two articles on how you might lead and implement change towards a new normal in response to COVID-19. My aim is to provide tips for doing so in a way that helps achieve the transition's outcomes whilst reducing already high levels of uncertainty and anxiety for the people affected.

In the first article, I suggested that no matter how great a solution, it's worthless if people don't actually adopt it, and that we know from neuroscience that the uncertainty of change can lead to a 'threat response', reducing our ability to make decisions, solve problems and collaborate with our colleagues.

In this article, I look at two sets of questions we should answer in order to provide some certainty, decreasing the threat response and, therefore, improving the transition to the new normal. Now, more than ever, I believe we need to approach these changes collaboratively, engaging colleagues to shape the transition whilst recognising the need for rapid development of it.

That means considering both business and people needs - of course, these aren't mutually exclusive, and collaborating on the transition will benefit both the business and its people in the long-run.

Successful change has a focus on people

The future is more uncertain than ever - what have we learnt from 'lockdown', what opportunities are we taking forward; what issues need immediate attention; what external (customer, partner, suppler, political, social and, in particular, environmental) dependencies need prioritising; how quickly can we regain productivity and profitability; how can technology help; how do we retain employee engagement and the social benefits we're experiencing from connecting in new ways; how do we return to our place of work, do we need or want to and when will it be, or rather, feel safe to do so...?

The better we are at leading change towards the new normal, whether that's enabled by new technology, processes, or organisational changes: 

• the faster it will happen
• the greater the number of people adopting it
• the higher the level of proficiency they will have.  

When we know what's required, having the right (virtual) training, webinars, live Q&A sessions and champions in place will, of course, be required for things like tech rollouts and process changes, but it's important to reduce the threat of the change as much, and as early, as possible.

Engaging colleagues to answer the two sets of questions below will help:

1) Why are we changing, why now and what will we achieve? 

At one level, changes brought about by COVID-19 might speak for themselves, particularly around the ‘why’ and ‘why now’ questions on the response...but don't just explain what the changes are, tell positive stories about how they will improve the current situation.

Enlist the organisations great orators to help enthuse and engage teams and create online forums for dialogue, giving colleagues an opportunity to shape the transition. Also consider using online polls, which are a quick and easy way of getting feedback on priorities and options.

Whilst collaboration might be a challenge in today's climate, for example, if changes are impacting on a personal level, be honest in the engagement about what's known and what isn't. Remain positive and focus on the strategic outcomes, even if the direction for getting there is less clear. 

People will want to hear strategic intent from the seniors ultimately responsible for it and co-creating these outcomes will help colleagues to understand and feel ownership of them.

The transition over the next few months isn't happening in isolation, of course, so make sure the relative priorities of initiatives are clear, and how they link to the strategy and operational plan.

2) What’s in it for me and my team, how will we be directly affected by the changes? 

Whilst the strategic stories provide some certainty by focusing on an aiming point, people will ultimately want to understand what the transition will mean for them personally.  The big picture storytelling will need some translating and contextualising by middle-managers, support them with, for example, a 'core script' so they are primed for engaging with their teams to shape implementation.

Don't try and control the transition too much, be clear about the outcomes and allow teams the autonomy to work out how to achieve them, that will give them some control, which is important for easing their anxiety.

Encourage them to experiment and innovate, running pilots can help create quick-wins, introducing a sense of progress and reward, as well as providing valuable lessons ahead of wider adoption.

How people are feeling generally, as well as about the transition specifically, is important. Now, perhaps more than ever, leaders will need to listen carefully and offer empathy and compassion as well as provide direction.

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, it's also what it takes to sit down and listen, Winston Churchill

Communicate, communicate, communicate (and congratulate)

It’s said that people need to hear messages 5-7 times before they consider taking action so continually reinforce positive messages and the desire to engage and listen to colleagues' views.

Shine a light on the teams making good progress, and publicly thank and congratulate them on what they've achieved. Encourage them to tell their own stories of success to their colleagues and the wider organisation. This will highlight that the end state is achievable, and it'll help to motivate others too.

Your communications and engagement campaign, and stakeholder map, should identify the important and influential people that will need tailored engagement. These influencers could be at any level in the organisation, they'll be worth their weight in gold if they're supportive.

Conclusions

Change can feel threatening. Neuroscience reveals the powerful influence a threat response can have on our ability to think clearly, so take action to reduce the uncertainty and threat.

That'll require both active senior leaders, providing what certainty they can when explaining why specific changes are required and what they will achieve, as well as empathetic and engaging middle-managers, collaborating with and helping their teams to understand how the changes will affect them, and then working together on planning and trialling the best approach for transition.

Finally, a communications and engagement campaign that takes account of influencers is key for reinforcing positive messages about the future and for demonstrating progress is being made.

Before we finish

I hope these tips are useful for the planning of a successful transition to the new normal, in a way that reduces stress in what's an already difficult time.

I offer my sincere thanks to those who have engaged in this conversation and shared their valuable insights and I look forward to learning more from you, as well as contributing further to the discussion.

Please do reach out and connect with me on LinkedIn, collaboration is key in these difficult times!

[Photos by Neil Harrison]