Critical Moves for Change Management | 2-Minute Video

New Year, new changes.

Change is a given at most organizations. So you need top-notch change management strategies.

What’s Up in This Episode: Change Management

In this episode of HRMorning’s 3-Point, our expert Exos‘ Chief People Officer Greg Hill walks us through their playbook that has made changes — and we’re talking about some big ones like going to a four-day workweek — more than just possible: They’re successful.

Click, watch and listen for more details on three critical moves you want to make to ensure effective change management.

Transcript (edited for clarity):

Let’s say you want to make changes. After all, it’s the new year. Some things have to change – whether it’s in HR or across the company.

And you know what’s going to happen. Reluctance. Push back. Total resistance.

Not this time. Not this year.

Our friends at Exos have some cool ideas for change management. And it starts with ditching the lingo employees hate to hear.

Greg Hill, Chief People Officer, Exos: “We call it a playbook so that it doesn’t feel like it’s a policy or an HR driven one. And the other big learning for us was we really promote capacity and flexibility. And that has resonated really well with every level of an organization,” 

You see, when employees feel they have some say, they’re less likely to resist change. And a playbook is just a guide, not an edict. So it opens doors for better things.

Hill: “The one area that I thought would really show up has, which is trust. When you tell individuals we’re an outcome-based company, we’re not going to be tracking when you come through a turnstile or when you turn on your computer, as long as you’re hitting the outcomes that we’ve measured, that level of trust has really, really accelerated.” 

But change is constant. And while you don’t have to change again and again. You want to be certain the changes work.

Hill: “And each quarter we do an executive review of it from a… how are things working? And that could be cumulative, it could be through surveys and it’s through output. So it is really becoming more of a code by peers and teams as it is a push from executive leadership.

So to make positive, effective changes this year:

• Drop the edicts. Give employees a playbook with room to adapt.
• Build trust. Focus on outcomes more than an exact process.
• Review change. Regularly make sure it’s working.

Change is inevitable. Resistance isn’t. Handle change with employees’ best interests in mind, and it’ll manage itself well.

Key Takeaways from this Episode of HRMorning’s 3-Point

More than 75% of companies fail at organizational change, according to research from the Harvard Business School. Just 22% get change right. Why?

According to researchers, leaders who managed change effectively “shared a common focus on initiatives that prioritized employees.” The secret is to focus on employees throughout change.

Three takeaways from or expert and the research.

• Get employees involved. Don’t just roll out edicts and tell employees to adapt and overcome. Talk to them about the changes before they happen — and get their feedback. You might gain some great ideas from their early input.
• Recognize the challenges. If you want to be a great changemaker, you need to stay ahead of the obstacles that get in the way of change progress. Recognize the biggest challenges — resistance, lack of resources, time limits and poor communication — and plan to mitigate or avoid them.
• Be prepared. You can only manage change with an overarching plan.
  • Develop a vision and goal.
  • Communicate constantly.
  • Empower your leaders.
  • Provide training and support.
  • Monitor progress and adapt.