Businesses change – it’s the nature of a competitive marketplace. Regardless of the industry in which an organisation operates, at some point it will likely have to undergo some level of change in order to position itself as a market leader. Change management in business can be a complicated issue, as most, if not all of us, have had to combat to some extent in the past two years due to the pandemic. Major adjustments to the way in which a business operates or provides its products and services must be carefully managed. There are several different ways to manage change in the workplace – but here are just a few key tips that the experts would recommend if you’re looking to lead your business through a change process. Plan: Before undertaking any change, a business needs to have a clear and valid reason and mission for the change process. Make sure any undertaking, no matter its size or impact, is realistic, measurable and achievable – there is no use in creating a difficult situation if there is no significant gain to be made for the organisation or its stakeholders. Start with the end in mind – make plans according to your overall goals, and ensure that all staff are also able to see exactly where an organisation is heading throughout a change process. A solid direction makes employees more likely to accept and embrace changes. Communicate: The most important factor in changing anything within a business, small or large, is to communicate the change, and its many factors, to the key stakeholders within the organisation – staff, first and foremost, but also outside stakeholders like shareholders and consumers. There is no perfect or fool-proof way to communicate change within a business setting. But there are a few rules to remember, such as:
Integrate: If it’s possible for the change program of your business to be adjusted, then open up your plans for consultation with your stakeholder group. The staff of an organisation are the people who work with a particular product, or encounter customers, or provide services – whatever the case may be for your organisation. Because they have direct experience, they are likely to have valuable information and suggestions to offer to a proposed change. If the change in an organisation is related to a merger or acquisition, or something equally beyond the control of a manager, then it is best to ensure that staff and stakeholders do not feel excluded from the change process. Motivate: One of the biggest challenges with change management processes comes in the form of motivation. How are you meant to motivate staff when there are major changes occurring within an organisation? Unfortunately, some changes are not necessarily beneficial – in tough economic changes, occurrences like mergers and downsizing can create an unmotivated environment in some businesses. Ensure that your organisation finds a way to connect with its staff and provide motivation for staff to continue working and contributing to the business. Be Confident: Staff are often guilty of reverting to old ways throughout a change process – both effective and ineffective. A change process needs to be organisation wide, so have faith in the changes being implemented and show your trust by limiting opportunities for staff to revert to their old habits. If your organisation is changing a procedure, then ensure that the new procedure is followed closely. If your business is implementing a new computer system, ensure that there is minimal access to the previous system. If your company is changing attitudes across the organisation, create a system that can catch any instances of old attitudes. Manage the Workload: Change can bring an increased workload in many organisations, especially if there are changes to technology or company procedure. As a manager in a change situation, be mindful that if you are changing the way in which your staff operate or produce work, they may be less efficient than they previously were – simply because they are most likely learning new habits again. Change can be a lengthy process, so ensure that people are supported – expect delays and deficiencies as employees learn. Evaluate: As a manager or executive throughout a change management situation, it’s crucial that the organisation, its passage through the change program, and the wider organisation’s reactions to that change program are evaluated at every feasible opportunity. Measure KPIs, ask for feedback from staff and make any required revisions to the original plans – changes should be flexible where necessary to protect the business, its staff, and its brand. Evaluation can occur in many different ways, and at many different stages – choose whichever evaluation tools work effectively for your business and situation. These are just a few key issues that organisations face throughout change management processes – have you been in a situation involving drastic business changes? How did you approach it – or alternatively, how would you approach it as a leader? This article was written originally written by Simone Ball on behalf of the Australian Institute of Business and revised in January 2021. All opinions are that of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of AIB. The following sources have been used to prepare this article: Change Management, Sources of Insight, Inc. and Harvard Business Review. Seven Steps to Ethical Decision Making Introduction
The decision making process described below has been carefully constructed to be:
Why do organizations need ethical decision making? See our special edition case study, #RespectAtWork, to find out.
First, explore the difference between what you expect and/or desire and the current reality. By defining the problem in terms of outcomes, you can clearly state the problem. Consider this example: Tenants at an older office building are complaining that their employees are getting angry and frustrated because there is always a long delay getting an elevator to the lobby at rush hour. Many possible solutions exist, and all are predicated on a particular understanding the problem:
The real-life decision makers defined the problem as “people complaining about having to wait.” Their solution was to make the wait less frustrating by piping music into the elevator lobbies. The complaints stopped. There is no way that the eventual solution could have been reached if, for example, the problem had been defined as “too few elevators.” How you define the problem determines where you go to look for alternatives/solutions– so define the problem carefully. Step 2: Seek out relevant assistance, guidance and support Once the problem is defined, it is critical to search out resources that may be of assistance in making the decision. Resources can include people (i.e., a mentor, coworkers, external colleagues, or friends and family) as well professional guidelines and organizational policies and codes. Such resources are critical for determining parameters, generating solutions, clarifying priorities and providing support, both while implementing the solution and dealing with the repercussions of the solution. Step 3: Identify available alternative solutions to the problem Step 4: Evaluate the identified alternatives You should think through not just what results each alternative could yield, but the likelihood it is that such impact will occur. You will only have all the facts in simple cases. It is reasonable and usually even necessary to supplement the facts you have with realistic assumptions and informed beliefs. Nonetheless, keep in mind that the more the evaluation is fact-based, the more confident you can be that the expected outcome will occur. Knowing the ratio of fact-based evaluation versus non-fact-based evaluation allows you to gauge how confident you can be in the proposed impact of each alternative. Step 5: Make the decision Step 6: Implement the decision Step 7: Evaluate the decision Ethics FiltersThe ethical component of the decision making process takes the form of a set of “filters.” Their purpose is to surface the ethics considerations and implications of the decision at hand. When decisions are classified as being “business” decisions (rather than “ethics” issues), values can quickly be left out of consideration and ethical lapses can occur. At key steps in the process, you should stop and work through these filters, ensuring that the ethics issues imbedded in the decision are given consideration. We group the considerations into the mnemonic PLUS.
The PLUS filters work as an integral part of steps 1, 4 and 7 of the decision-making process. The decision maker applies the four PLUS filters to determine if the ethical component(s) of the decision are being surfaced/addressed/satisfied.
The PLUS filters do not guarantee an ethically-sound decision. They merely ensure that the ethics components of the situation will be surfaced so that they might be considered. How Organizations Can Support Ethical Decision-Making
|