Constant Change Rattling Your Teams? This Session Will Steady Them
: A small team processes the latest round of re-orgs in the office.
Between re-orgs and leadership turnover to lay-off rumors, employees in nearly every industry are facing daily uncertainty. Understandably, this can translate into teams that are disengaged, anxious and the opposite of productive. Your remedy starts with talking with your employees about workplace change — and guiding them beyond their resistance to it.
Begin by gathering one or more of your teams and asking what they find challenging about unanticipated change. A common response might be “as soon as we learn a new program or system, it’s replaced by another one.” Other answers may include “no clarity around why changes are being made” or “change is always forced on us from above instead of discussed in advance.”
While it’s tough for most leaders to hear these grievances, bringing issues out in the open is key to resolving them. My standard reply in these situations is “Good, what else?” but feel free to choose your own response — so long as you avoid being defensive or asking for more context. Focus on capturing every response on a virtual or physical whiteboard and keep the session moving.
Once you’ve documented every obstacle, ask the group to make a case for their three biggest challenges to embracing change.