Some people are calling the explosion of change in the workplace the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It’s that big. Change may be important and even exciting, but the hard truth is that many individuals tend to resist it. So how do you get people to accept, even embrace, change? Try these strategies:
- Show your team the way. Lead by example. Provide a vision and outline the steps to accomplish your goals. Be transparent about efforts to change and be willing to admit that it’s not easy.
- Help your teams see the big picture. Help them understand how they can contribute to change and what their efforts will mean in the long run. Communicate what is in it for them and how they will personally benefit from change.
- Celebrate successes. Take time to stop and celebrate milestones and even small victories. This will help people to see the positive results of their efforts and motivate them to stay on track with efforts to change.
- Create a cross-functional change team. Give everyone a chance to share their thoughts on what changes they see as necessary or important, what barriers they see to change, and their ideas for overcoming roadblocks.