Change is an unavoidable part of any organization, and it's essential to make sure that employees are engaged and on board with the process. To maximize employee engagement during a change management process, business leaders must prioritize internal communication and create an organizational change management program. It's also important to select change promoters, involve employees in the process, and integrate change management into project plans. Here are five proven strategies to increase employee engagement during a change management process. The first step in increasing employee engagement during a change management process is to create a unified vision of how the team will work together and with stakeholders to make the initiative a reality.
If executives don't take the time to explain the adjustments, they can't expect employees to participate. According to PWC, 44% of respondents stated that they resisted organizational change because they didn't understand it. To ensure that employees understand the changes, business leaders must make internal communication a priority. Developing and implementing an organizational change management program will not only have a positive impact on the costs associated with a disconnected workforce, but it will also lay the foundation for a healthy and positive culture. To increase employee engagement, change management must be applied at both the organizational level AND at the project level.
This will increase the success of business improvements and make employees feel more comfortable and successful in facing the change. Strategic change management is often promoted only by executives, which can make employees feel that only leadership benefits. To avoid this, choose change promoters (ideally volunteers who are excited about the new direction) to work with the leader and actively participate in change management initiatives, gathering support. Michelle's experience lies in strategy, program management, project management, change management, process improvement, facilitation and working with people. Departmental and team events allow employees to delve deeper into how the company's change management approach will affect them personally. This helps create a culture and climate in which organizational change is present in their corporate DNA.
It's also important for employee morale that leaders responsible for change take charge of the process themselves and not just hand it over to the human resources department or to external change management consultants. To ensure that changes are successful, it's essential to integrate change management into project plans. This will help take advantage of the benefits of changes and address the human side of the change. So how can we shift our perspective and use the change to achieve positive results? Integrating change management into project plans is one way to do this.