Inspiring Commitment During Organizational Change
by Dick GroteCategories : Performance Management , add a comment
Be Passionate. Everybody will look to you for their marching orders. Be uncompromising in sending a consistent message: Change is a fact of life, it’s not going to go away, and efforts to resist change and maintain things the way they used to be is not only futile but disloyal.
Tell the Truth. Change frequently means that some people won’t work here any more. It means that everybody’s job will change and we’ll all face doing even more with even less. Don’t sugarcoat reality. If there will be downsizings and rightsizings, tell people that. (And when the layoffs are done, tell them that, too.)
Keep your Keepers. There’s not one manager in your whole company who can’t tell you who her genuine whizzes and virtuosos are. They are the people that you most need to keep. They’re also the ones who can effortlessly find new opportunities. Don’t let them get away! Make sure that everyone in this small group knows the organization sees them as part of the future and the company is committed to keeping them.
Accelerate the Process. Culture change can’t proceed at a snail’s pace and succeed. High-velocity change is mandatory. Decide what needs to be done and do it all at once. Successful change efforts make people’s necks snap; it leaves skid marks. Remember — if you’re going to dock a dog’s tail, it’s no kindness to the dog to do it an inch at a time.
About the Author
Dick Grote is one of America’s most successful and best-known authors, employee performance management consultants, and business keynote speakers. He is the Chairman and CEO of Grote Consulting Corporation - http://www.groteconsulting.com