Kim Hazen, Chief People Officer at Fulcrum Therapeutics, MBA, SHRM-SCP, and over 25 years in HR across Fortune 500 companies and startups.
Getty
Organizational change happens all the time, whether we choose it or it chooses us. Everyone handles it differently. Some see the opportunities, while others see the obstacles. As a leader, it's really important to be mindful of the many ways your people may react in the face of organizational change. When you make the effort to understand what's going on and avoid reactive decision-making, you can better support and guide employees.
Here are three ways to help you lead effectively during these times.
1. Be transparent throughout the process.
As your organization shifts, some employees may feel anxious and powerless. I've found that being open and transparent about the change has the most meaningful impact. If you don't talk about it, people will draw their own conclusions, which can negatively impact your culture. Your employees will feel more comfortable if they hear from their leaders directly about how they see this change and how they will react.
Here are some questions you may want to answer up front.
• What does this change mean for us?
• Is it a short-term or long-term change?
• How will we address this change?
• How will it impact us directly?
As a leader, one of your greatest responsibilities is keeping your employees steady. During organizational change, particularly if it's unexpected, it's important to be thoughtful in your reactions so you can keep morale high. When you discuss the situation openly, your employees will feel more stable.
2. Refocus and reengage with your people.
As a leader, you need to be focused on the big picture, which means different things in different companies. For example, I work in a rare disease biotech company, and whenever we go through change, we always try and bring the focus back to impacting the lives of our patients. While we can't control everything, we can control how we show up as leaders. So it's key to try and guide your people to refocus on the bigger picture of what you are trying to accomplish.
Where you can, bring your employees along on the journey by making them part of the solution. Let them be a part of the change instead of letting the change happen to them. One strategy for getting employees' input is implementing engagement pulse surveys. These can help you best understand how your employees are feeling and what you may need to address as the change progresses. Another option is hosting All Hands meetings as a moment for the whole organization to unite and embrace the change together. Within these meetings, you can break out into groups and ask employees directly for their solutions to the problems the company is facing. They'll likely have good insight into what you need to start, stop or continue doing. As you hear from them, ensure the focus stays on solutions rather than anxiety.
3. Use this opportunity to prepare for the future.
Because change happens all the time, it's really important to be prepared for it. Things are always going to happen that you can't control, but you can be ready by thoughtfully planning out different scenarios. In the long run, preparation will provide more comfort to your employees when change does come along.
One of my favorite books about change is Our Iceberg Is Melting by John Kotter. It's a fable about a penguin colony and how they survive, thrive and ultimately plan for change by setting the stage, deciding what to do, making it happen and making it stick to their culture. After one curious bird, Fred, discovers their iceberg is melting, he considers his best way of influencing a Leadership Council that's resistant to change. He decides to approach the more open-minded Alice. If he can convince her, she'll help him get in front of the entire Council. Knowing it's a tough group, Fred takes a risk by creating visuals to help them see what's happening to their iceberg. He instills a sense of urgency, and all penguins begin communicating across many channels. The Leaders, understanding they can't do this alone, create a skilled team of birds to guide the change. This team must create a vision of their future, find a new home and then help everyone see the new way of life. Once the scouts share their journey, most of the previously skeptical birds find themselves believing in their new future.
Kotter writes this about sufficient leadership: “It often starts with only one person not looking away or waiting for something to happen, but seizing opportunities to act where others see problems, fault or threat.” Good leaders don’t wait for something to happen or turn their heads at the first hint of difficulty or change. They come up with strategies to implement.
Remember that change is emotional. You need to acknowledge you’re not always in the same headspace as others. People need time to get their emotions in check and prepare for change. For some, this can take a while, so you need to demonstrate patience. For many, it can help to clarify how the future will be different and how you can make this a reality. Paint the picture for them so they see it more clearly and start to believe in it. This allows you all to move forward together. Some may be slower than desired, some a little faster, but by moving together, you’ll be stronger for it.
As a leader, when you're supporting your employees through organizational change, it's vital to take the right approach. Be authentic and genuine about the situation, and bring your employees along as key stakeholders in creating solutions. By reminding everyone that you’re all in this together, you can better lead toward meaningful impact.
Forbes Human Resources Council is an invitation-only organization for HR executives across all industries. Do I qualify?
