Many companies have experienced organizational transformations that force them to deal with the unknown and embrace unforeseen challenges. Change seldom isn’t frightening – for both organizations and individuals – since it demands people leave their comfort zones and walk into uncharted territories. Organizations require the supervision of an effective leader who can manage this change properly while supporting subordinates to survive through it. What are some different ways leaders handle change?
During COVID’s climax, business companies suffered from too many changes too quickly. From cashless transactions to contactless deliveries – different trends transformed the way organizations operated. A survey shows that 69% of employees in the US were working from home in April 2020. Leaders today must lead their organizations across this changing business landscape. We know managing change isn’t easy during a pandemic and its aftermath. But our below-mentioned methods can help with this problem:
- Enhance your learning
Both leaders and workers require some training to perform better. A manager can’t resolve business challenges without pursuing advanced education. But what sort of learning enables you to drive the workforce through organizational transformations? We suggest you pursue an executive program in leadership.
Now, you can earn a leadership certificate in under two months online. This online course makes you familiar with different strategies to deal with business problems, including change management. Moreover, you’ll uncover some brilliant commercial insights while finding opportunities for business innovation. Therefore, enhance your academic qualifications and become a better manager during these pandemic-caused changes. Your education will increase the productivity of those behind you.
- Explain your vision
Make your subordinates understand your vision and feel motivated through it. Leaders should speak with their followers about a shared vision that explains what’ll change and how this change will affect them. We suggest conveying this vision via several channels for better comprehension. You can also discuss this vision in company meetings while talking to your employees – formally and informally. It will help you explain how this change influences them personally. That’s how you manage change effectively.
- Support them emotionally
The pandemic influenced many changes in business operations. It replaced face-to-face interactions with digital meetings. Another pandemic also followed COVID in the shape of mental health problems among employees. While 80% of them felt “emotionally drained”, 59% of workers stated that their manager didn’t support them emotionally. You must help them cope by providing proper counseling services. Also, be there when they need someone to listen to their emotions.
- Practice radical candor
Kim Scott introduced this management philosophy. It encourages business leaders to find a middle ground between horrible hostility and eccentric empathy. Radical candor helps managers communicate with their subordinates sincerely, thereby promoting complete transparency. Workers are often distressed about uncertain processes, such as a merger, in the future. Managers can acknowledge that a merger is scary while educating them about how this decision can affect their future. Be truthful but sympathetic.
- Communicate effectively
A manager spends 80% of their time communicating with people – speaking, listening, and sharing a lot of details at the workplace. Hence, leaders should permit two-way communication to enable workers to handle the change effectively. How can you make this happen? We recommend you to:
- Promote casual interactions among employees
- Eliminate communication bottlenecks to pave the way for the change
- Give office workers a platform to speak in office meetings and off-work activities
- Remain optimistic
A 2015 study by Harvard Business Review has claimed that positive workers are more productive. Whether changes happen or not, a positive attitude in the workplace helps leaders boost people’s morale and maintain their productivity. Leaders shouldn’t forget that employees look up to them for encouragement. An optimistic leader can manage change effectively by showing everyone how this change benefits the company. Conversely, a negative-minded manager passes this negativity to the workforce and ruins their hopes. A strong leader always displays optimism before workers.
- Praise their contribution
Are you praising your workers enough? According to surveys, 80% of managers think they appreciate their subordinates enough. Just 22% of employees believe their leaders offer praise to them.
Now, we’re not asking you to lavish excessive extolling over your workforce. But valuing workers’ sacrifices for the company and their dedication to business objectives sure deserve some praise. Recognize their efforts and appreciate how they’re trying to adjust to changes in the company. Don’t forget that an employee’s productivity increases when the leader values them. This tactic helps in morale-building, thereby making change management effective.
- Keep looking forward
During organizational transformations, prevent yourself from “getting caught in the moment.” Your subordinates expect their leader to remain a forward-thinker with eyes on the future. A manager must utilize their hindsight to expect changes to happen, thereby always being prepared for the impact of these potential changes. For instance, when a worker resigns, the leader should have seen it coming from miles away. This ability helped many managers prepare in advance for COVID’s ramifications.
Conclusion
The pandemic persists, and more changes are expected to influence the business industry. However, a survey states that 60-70 percent of all initiatives for change in organizations aren’t always successful. A leader can manage this change effectively by motivating the workforce and keeping them engaged. We have seen leaders enmeshed in difficulties themselves during this global health crisis. But they refuse to hesitate to lead their subordinates through these unforeseen circumstances.
When faced with organizational transformations, leaders can manage their teams by informing workers properly. Stop yourself from delivering surprises during these nerve-shattering times. Try to deliver bad news tactfully and keep reassuring your employees. Ask them about their emotions about these changes and continue motivating them to “stay strong.” Don’t forget to lavish them with praise. Recognize the efforts of a hardworking employee. That’s how leaders make any transition comfortable for everyone.
