Overcoming Team Resistance To Change In The Digital Age

Running a team requires flexibility and an openness to change. A leader needs to take risks in leading, even when the prospect is daunting. Your ability to adapt can spell success or failure for your team and project. Managing a team means that you often have to deal with change. It could be a merger, an acquisition or a new technology. Alongside these changes is the emergence of new technologies like artificial intelligence and automation.

The accelerating rate of change has companies implementing these technologies for a variety of different tasks. As employees struggle to come to terms with these changes to workflow and culture, you need to be strategic, prepared and organised to make the most of the opportunities and obstacles presented.

Establish a Game Plan

Leaders and management are central to the transformation effort. Before undertaking the transformation, create a strategy to ensure that the team has the knowledge, experience and skills to cope in the future. A plan can help them adapt to the change and meet new market demands. If change is not managed correctly, it can disrupt the culture and slow down innovation and efficiency. Ensure the success of your team by setting clear goals and priorities and empower them to deliver results. Establish metrics to monitor operations if they help morale and productivity.

Daily team activities may soon differ so think of different situations that could occur, unexpected complications or events. Stay focused and organised on properly preparing your team and facilitate change. By understanding the goals and objectives of the transformation, you can be confident and capable while listening to your team and make adjustments along the way.

Be Empathetic

Win over the team by addressing their causes of distrust and lack of understanding. It is natural for a team used to working a certain way to be reluctant to follow new technology as they believe it might disrupt their existing roles or even lose their jobs. This is a misconception as they will instead potentially free up time from mundane tasks and be able to focus on more creative and innovative work. 

Be clear in your communication so that you are properly understood. Ask your team to share their concerns and inputs so that you can help solve problems and motivate them to adapt quickly to the change. At such a time, your team should be behind you with everyone aware of any new developments and understand them.

As a manager, think of the challenges or responsibilities that they will face, evaluate the team and strengthen them whenever you find a weakness. Your game plan should balance expectations and responsibilities equally across the team. By channelling coordination and effort across the team, you can maximize the talent of each member and position the team well. 

Involve the Team

Show them how they will personally benefit and give them enough opportunities to interact with the new technology. Be empathetic to their needs even if they are not involved in a technical role. Being allowed to experiment not only makes them feel involved in the change but also makes them excited about it. Each team member can share their viewpoints, experiences and ideas.

Keep the careers of your team members in mind, matching talent and career goals to opportunities that arise. Each team member will react differently to the transformation. Identify those detrimental to the change and others who are instrumental in encouraging participation and fostering positive team morale.

Look Forward

Technical capabilities are constantly improving and are likely to expand in scope in the coming years. Tasks will need to be reassigned within teams and managers will have to figure out how best to utilise their teams. Making use of these new tools will allow you to be effective, fulfilled and focused on the more valuable aspects of your work. 

The development of automation and robotics is changing the future of work across every industry. The benefits are numerous but implementing these changes will require a team is to be comfortable and familiar with the technologies and view them without suspicion. As work moves at a faster pace, we will have to alter our work style and lead others well to ensure that transformation is a boon rather than a bane.