Handling Change in the Workplace
We all know it and resist it – I’m talking about the “C” word – change. Whether it be our personal or professional life, most of us are not good at handling change. However, the truth of the matter is, change is afoot everywhere and if we don’t embrace it, we are closing ourselves off to new opportunities, relationships and improvements in our daily lives.
But from a corporate team building perspective, what are the compelling reasons to change?
Team motivation used to be a 3-legged stool: More money, a promotion or recognition for a job well done. While these motivators are still somewhat viable, most teams want more than that.
According to Blanchard International, people are inspired to change for 3 reasons:
- Motivation
- Ability and
- Triggers
Let’s take a deeper look at all three of these when handling change in the workplace.
Team Motivation
In order to have change, you need to raise motivational levels. The energy needs to be different – you need to have a positive outlook on what has to happen. As part of a leadership team development effort, you need to do the following:
- Communicate the new and improved vision for the organization.
- Set goals that will work using the SMART format: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results Orientated and Time Bound. Think baby steps. Instead of doing one thing 100% better, do 100 things 1% better. This is change.
- Celebrate change along the way by recognizing and rewarding it. Whether it is installing a new software system or merging two companies together, be acutely aware when team building activities happened and celebrate them.
Ability
This is where you need to assess your team and their abilities. Some individuals are quick to learn new skills and tasks and others…well…are not so nimble. Do an honest assessment and be fair when looking at teamwork skills. Ask yourself the following:
- Is the change easy or hard to implement?
- Can I simplify the task in any way, shape or form?
- Should I invest in staff development in order to make this change successful for the team?
Trigger
Blanchard International believes there needs to be a cue for handling change. In order for change to be sustainable, team members need to constantly revisit their SMART goals and reassess their skills. This might be handled with team building exercises that are conducted every week. In addition, the team needs to know when they have accomplished a goal or milestone. There is nothing worse than working toward a goal and never knowing whether or not you accomplished it.
Fun Team Building is at the forefront of leadership team development and handling change in the workplace. The owner, Larry Lipman, applies team building exercises to all types of businesses – developing high performing teams and enhancing staff development. Call Larry today at 770.333.3303 for more information!