Essay: Leadership and change management

Everyone deals with change differently. Some thrive in change in a positive way, others are neither for nor against it while some are completely against change and find the entire process extremely difficult to deal with. In order to make the transition as smooth as possible it’s important to have good leadership skills, a good strategy in place and aid all employees through each of the emotional stages of change. You should be aware that not everyone moves through each stage at the same pace and some will not reach the end stage. Understanding these stages can make you more effective at managing your employees through this change.
Shock: Once employees have been informed of the idea of change their initial response is usually a sense of shock where they are unable to take in any information about the change. They are unable to believe the change suggested. Ensure the change is repeated to individuals mimicking this emotion and that the reason for change is explained to them thoroughly to try help them understand the need for this change in the laboratory.
Denial: The next stage is to naturally deny that the change is needed within the laboratory. Employees start to think that the change won’t happen and use phrases like “They won’t do it,” “It won’t work.” Etc. To help employees through this stage of change it’s important to inform them of the benefits the change will have on them as individual workers. It could also be beneficial to break the change down into a series of steps so the employees find it easier to understand and follow.
Anger: When employees realize the change is going ahead the next natural reaction is usually anger. They see the change as unnecessary and don’t want to spend extra time having to adapt when the routine they are currently in works for them. Employees who feel anger need a chance to voice their opinion on the change and it’s important to give a one-on-one meeting to allow them to voice their concerns. Keep communications open, repeating the benefit of the change when people have doubts.
Exploration: Maintaining this open communication will lead to most employees understanding that the change needs to happen and it’s here to stay. Employees may begin to explore the possible outcomes of the future and what it may mean for them in their working life and where they may fit in to this new change. As manager, it’s important to keep everyone moving forward with the change and emphasize the benefits it will have on the laboratory. Encourage employees to get involved and initiate training programs if needed well in advance of the change to ensure employees are somewhat confident when it’s implemented.
Acceptance: Employees begin to understand why the change needs to happen and accept that they need to deal directly with it. They have confidence in your vision of change and begin to get involved. Not every employee will reach this end stage of change acceptance. Managers should celebrate the success of reaching this stage with his/her employees and ensure that they feel valued for their work they have done so far. Reiterate the benefits of the change and continue to drive the change forward.
Every person is different and will need different things to help them with change. Something that works for one will not work for all and as manager you must keep this in mind when implementing any change into the laboratory that will affect your employees. Not all employees will be accepting of the change and you must be aware of these people. You should make their transition into change as smooth as reasonably possible with open communication but keep in mind the 20:60:20 model. Find your 20% of employees that are ready for change. These will drive the change forward and are the best people to start with. Next, focus on the 60% of employees that are neither for nor against the change and work on getting them to believe in the vision of the change. Your model should then make up roughly 80% of employees willing to drive the change and the rest shall simply follow their lead.
Reference list:
Love Monday Mornings. 2018. Managing Change In The Work Place. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.love-monday-mornings.com/managing-change-work-place/. [Accessed 8 October 2018].
Lamarsh.com. 2018. The 7 Emotional Phases Employees Go Through During Change. [ONLINE] Available at: https://lamarsh.com/the-7-emotional-phases-employees-go-through-during-change/. [Accessed 8 October 2018].