How to support your employees in accepting change and moving forward
"When will we finally start using change methods? When will I get more tools and resources to guide and drive my change process?" Perhaps you have asked yourself this or a similar question?
If you have been following the latest posts on managing change processes, I am very happy for you. You are already in the midst of developing a willingness to change. And it gets even better. Because, in my view, you have leader overcome what is probably the most difficult hurdle for a leader navigating change.
What hurdle am I referring to?
We would like to invite you to take part in a short thought experiment. Imagine you are a captain. You have been sailing your ship, the "MS Change," for several weeks now, aiming to conquer new, unknown lands. Your goal is clear: to leave the old harbor behind and set sail for exciting new shores. And to do so as quickly as possible, or at least before the competition. Long in advance, you gathered all the available information, exchanged ideas with colleagues, and planned the itinerary. But despite all your time-consuming preparations, a large gray cloud of fog prevents you from seeing your destination clearly."What the heck," you think to yourself, "once I set sail, the fog will clear."You take a deep breath and gather all the men and women who are to accompany you on this expedition. But when you look around, you realize that there is thick fog not only in the distance, but also all around you. Only a few familiar faces stand by your side, ready to follow you. You can only vaguely make out the majority of your team in the distance.
That was the situation before you started asking questions, perhaps prompted by the last article. Today, you know that questions help you become aware of the conditions under which you are starting. Thanks to your willingness to approach your employees, ask questions, and listen with genuine interest, you have already done a great deal to dispel the thick fog around you and make way for clarity. Some things that you have been cognitively aware of for a long time can now also be anchored on an emotional level. Among the many individual insights you have gathered for yourself, I would like to highlight the following:
Insight number 1: Resistance serves to balance uncertainty and fear.
Through direct discussions with employees, you now also understand emotionally why some people come up with numerous counterarguments and make energetic efforts to win over colleagues, while others withdraw into themselves or, for example, try to avoid the impending uncertainty in the face of upcoming changes by calling in sick.
This"fight-or-flight response,"named after physiologist Walter B. Cannon, was essential for survival in the days of early humans: when faced with a saber-toothed tiger or something unknown, decisions had to be made in a matter of seconds. Attack or flee? Today, however, this mechanism leads to the preservation of the status quo.
You realize that such behavior is usually caused unconsciously. Rather, behavior perceived as active or passive resistance serves to compensate for inner insecurity.
Insight number 2: The level of resistance depends on self-confidence
Through dialogue, you have gained an even deeper understanding of this: each individual perceives and interprets the current situation of your company and the planned change in a completely individual way.
You can observe the effect of this individual experience directly in behavior that is largely characterized by resistance. My thesis is that the intensity of resistance is significantly influenced by two factors:
- Through self-perceived self-confidence:
Self-confidence describes the trust in one's own abilities in a given context, built up through results and successes. It is nurtured and strengthened through numerous repetitions and experiences of self-efficacy. In times of change, however, practiced behaviors and action strategies must be let go of and habits that convey security must be abandoned. As a result, confidence in one's ability to cope with the new situation immediately declines.
- Through clarity about the goal:
If it is not yet entirely clear what the future holds for employees, i.e., what will replace their usual behavior, this causes stress for them. The lack of clarity about the future reinforces the effect described above. Self-confidence continues to decline. The positive aspect of this is that resistance is energy. Energy that has so far been directed in the wrong direction. Your task as leader effective leader to transform this destructive energy into constructive engagement that supports change.
Insight number 3: Emotions determine whether your employees will embrace change
You have experienced on an emotional level that it is not enough to communicate the need for change rationally, on an intellectual level. According to brain researcher Gerhard Roth, there is "a rational, i.e., intellectually guided weighing of actions and alternatives and their respective consequences, but there is no rational action."Contrary to previous assumptions, current brain research shows that in times of change, whether private or professional, it is no longer your intellect that is in control—but your emotions. "The mind's opportunity is to point out the possible consequences of our actions in such a way that they are associated with strong emotions that lead to a decision," says Gerhard Roth. [1]
This means that all your undoubtedly sound rational arguments must also be emotionally acceptable to your employees. Accepting the need for change on an emotional level is a prerequisite for enabling change on a behavioral level. This requires strong emotions.
How can you now use these findings for your project?
How can you ensure that your employees also accept the changes emotionally? How can you succeed in converting the existing energy into commitment? What options do you have for supporting your employees in building self-confidence and being able to act even under new conditions?
- Convince others not with your words, but with your actions: go on site with your team and take a close look at the initial situation together. This gives you the opportunity to understand the status quo in detail, both cognitively and emotionally. You will be able to understand your employees' concerns more quickly, as you will have gained a comprehensive picture of the current situation yourself. You will recognize potential resistance early on and can address it specifically in dialogue. By being present on site, you show your interest and clearly signal that you are available to your employees as a contact person. This creates trust.
- Encourage your employees to regularly share the current key figures for their area with each other, if possible on a daily basis. This increases transparency and helps employees better understand the impact their own work has on the bottom line. By recognizing their own contribution to the company's success and regularly discussing it, they develop an emotional connection to it. Employees increasingly identify with the results and take responsibility. They learn that their active participation is necessary and meaningful, and that it is they who, with their expertise, contribute significantly to improving the key figures and thus the company's results.
- Ensure that employees understand how internal process results affect the outside world, i.e., customers. For example, provide examples of poor-quality products and then discuss the impact on customers and possible solutions. This will help employees experience the need for change on an emotional level.
- Develop entertaining, short simulation games and simulations to clearly and comprehensively present and experience the effects of the planned changes in a protected environment. This gives your team the opportunity to identify and work through any concerns they may have about future situations. This allows you to develop joint solutions in advance. Your employees build the necessary self-confidence in a protected environment and remain capable of acting even in difficult situations amid the complexity of everyday life.
Feel free to supplement these ideas with your own, because your employees are the experts in their field. Utilize and promote this great potential by giving their thoughts and ideas room for emotional experience. Then, the few confidants you had at the beginning will be joined by more and more close allies who will support you with enthusiasm and master the challenging journey into (as yet) unknown territory together with you.
That's why you're not really happy.
Why success and fulfillment have nothing to do with each other.
[1] (Gerhard Roth: Evolution of the Brain – Evolution of Freedom. In: Jan-Christoph Heilinger (ed.): Natural History of Freedom. Berlin 2007, p. 173)
