This is the first opportunity in the change leadership process to design the approach
that will bring your team, or organisation, with you on the
change journey. Consideration of the outcomes,
outputs, benefits, performance indicators and alignment of
business plans is critical to ensuring that you can explain
the 'why ' of your project. A common precept of all
adult engagement is answering the 'why' question to the
satisfaction of the participant.
A critical role in change leadership is communicating with team members so that they are aware of the required changes and know why the changes are required.
Messages from immediate supervisors are far more impactful than those from other team members or the project team. Close supervisors should explain:
- Why the change is necessary
- What is changing and how it will impact the way they work
- The benefits of the changes (always broadcast on WII FM: ‘What’s In It For Me’)
- The consequences of not changing
- Why parts of the change are urgent (where is the 'burning platform')
- Constructive feedback on the changes is welcome
|
|
Leaders need to be open to new ways of communicating with team members, using all forums and opportunities available. The Sandar Chandelier of Communication is a
good reference.
Creating a vision for the future change can inspire, motivate and engage team members. A vision can also create meaning and a sense of purpose uniting people
towards a common goal.
Communicating the vision is the ability to articulate not only what the future will look like, but how it will feel, what team members will experience and
what they will be doing in the future. The more detailed, rich and full-bodied the vision of the future, the more likely will be the buy-in.
Developing a vision does not have to be the responsibility of the leader alone, it can be done as part of a team approach; creating a shared vision can further
engage team members and gain commitment of the change effort. Often the change elements can be presented as activities along a path towards the vision.
Team members will be more motivated to adopt a change when they can clearly see/feel/hear how the change aligns with the organisational strategy, their values,
the group or team goals, and individual performance objectives.
©1999 - 2020 Sandar Management Services Pty Ltd
|
|