Understanding change: A simple approach to supporting people through transitions
In our monthly blog ‘Deconstructing Change‘ our internal change experts, Rachael Hays and Gayle Lui, look at all things change and transformation. In this edition, Delivery Manager, Gayle, discusses why change is all about supporting people. Enjoy!
I had planned to talk about the different roles within change, or at least the primary roles of Sponsor, Change Manager and Change agent and explain the other names they go by as well as the many different roles they need to play. In a large team there could be 10 distinct roles (or more)! Covering comms, engagement, data review, specialists…your organisation will need a bespoke size and variety of team depending on the scale and complexity of the initiative…
But instead, I’m first going to talk about my puppy, well my little dog, Luna. She got spayed recently, it wasn’t a decision I took lightly but it was the right choice for our family. While we were doing the hand back with the veterinary nurse, she said something which really struck a chord with me.
“Luna is going to feel weird because of the drugs we gave her, she doesn’t understand what’s happened to her or why, it’s far easier for us (humans)”.
I walked out feeling all the feelings but as I thought about her words, I realised she’s right. Because we (humans) agree to an operation, someone explains the drugs needed and what the impact of them will be. We also understand that it’s going to take a while to get back to normal. We are told about the change, we know why we are doing it, we know what we are doing it for, and we know how it’s going to do down. We know the bad bits and we know the good bits and if we are lucky, we have people around us to see us through.
Luna had a change done to her today, there was no way for her to be told about the what, why or more importantly the impact to her, despite the love and care we wrapped around her.
My takeaway? It’s that big stuff can happen to you and will. For you as a human to feel best about it you need to know what, when, why and where the changes will happen. Most importantly you need to know how you get support and who from.
For me, that is what change management is, having someone that gets you through. That could be as complex as a change impact assessment and business readiness action list or it could be a conversation – a worry shared, that makes you feel supported.
A simple approach can be:
- Introduce people to the change
- Get them to feedback about the change – Do they understand it, both why it’s happening and for what reasons, and then act on that feedback to adapt the messaging.
- Set up a Change Network – Ensure this is appropriate for the size and complexity of the change
- Explain the Change Management tools – What you are going to use to navigate the change, what the expectations are of them and how they need to engage and contribute.
- Get specific – Explain how the change is going to impact the company, their department, their team, and them personally.
- Be real about how it’s going to feel – Keep communication open as the change is approaching, while the change is happening, after it’s been done and what’s the plan after that.
- Get more feedback – Have multiple methods of communication, one and two ways, and refine the Change Network if needed
- Even if you have no news, keep talking as silence is far more concerning – This is especially true if a project is delayed. Be honest, say its delayed and plan B (or C or D) is being worked on and will be communicated in due course
- Celebrate the wins (don’t rely on doughnuts) – Recognise individuals and team contributions and acknowledge when difficulties are or have been experienced.
- Keep getting feedback – Then you can refine again.
Change management is about making sure people feel supported throughout the journey—whether that’s through formal processes or simple, consistent communication.
If you would like to talk more about an upcoming project and how Definia can help you, reach out to the team today.
