I am putting together a presentation on making change happen.  Personal change can be hard enough but getting others to change – at the office for example – when they really don’t have any incentive and as a matter of fact will view any change as a threat or just plain “making it harder”, can be overwhelming and occasionally impossible.

So how do you get others to change with you?  Here are 5 things to consider:

1) Solve their problem – not yours.  How many times have you listen to someone outline a major technological advantage to a new software or procedure only to discover that it solves all of their problems but not yours?  How interested are you in doing “extra work” to solve someone else’s problem.  Maybe occasionally but if you are getting ready to implement a new case management system that will affect everyone in the organization and the work they do Every Day – do not expect love if you don’t first figure out how this new system will help them do their jobs.  It can benefit you too – but don’t lead with that.  Lead with how the new stuff is going to make their lives better, easier, more fun.

2) Make a Change that They Can See, Feel, Touch – the amount of stress involved in making the change should be proportional to the derived benefit.  Don’t make a big change that has an incremental benefit.   Save the big overhauls for when the long term value is worthwhile. 

And the benefit has to be something everyone can see, feel, and touch.  Making a change that means the month end reports run 6 seconds faster will mean nothing to the front line data entry staff.   Implement change that simplifies their job – reduces the number of fields they have to enter, the number of screens they have to use, has default values that reduces typing, etc.  Make a change that positively impacts them.

3) Make them Feel Better – we are all human and full of emotion.  The office has just as much emotional context as a home does and you forget that at your peril.  When implementing new technology – figure out what they are afraid of (that they will lose their job? Become obsolete?) , what makes them uncomfortable? (They will look stupid in front of their peers?), what makes them resistant?  Once you get a handle on this (and it may be that everyone has a different issue) try to address this in a way that helps them feel better about where the change is going.  Will they lose their job?  If the answer is No, TELL THEM!  And then tell them how much time this new system will free up so they can concentrate on learning new skills, or on a more important aspect of their work, etc.  Find out and share with them how the system will benefit them.

4) The Change must increase their value – to themselves.  They have to see the change as an overall improvement to their lot in life – not as a threat to or reduction to the life they have created.  This one can be hard – what are the unspoken perks of the “way it was”?  Can you identify a way to replace or upgrade those perks in the new system?  For example if the old system allowed for a certain amount of flexibility around say timekeeping, is there a way to incorporate that into the new system?  Or if the point of the new system is to eliminate that kind of flexibility – then be up front about that and be prepared to find another way to address whatever legitimate need may have been represented by the flexibility.

5) Unbridled enthusiasm never hurts – If you can’t get excited about this, don’t expect me to.  Seriously a little enthusiasm, a bit of optimism, can make all the difference in the world.

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Blog by Joyce