Nearly two-thirds of senior executives and human resource professionals say that employees are struggling to focus amidst all the changes at work, according to a recent poll conducted by Right Management. While that may not be completely surprising to you, the larger problem is that they also acknowledge it is seriously impacting productivity levels.
Reacting to change is an emotional roller coaster. The greater the impact of the event and the less welcomed the change is for people, the more dramatic the emotional response will be. The process often includes a time of clinging to the past, followed by a period of apathy or hopelessness, and finally the eventual acceptance and positive movement toward the future. It’s actually a healing process, and individuals differ greatly in how long they move through it and how well.
To accelerate the pace of change implementation and increase the potential of succeeding with the objectives driving the change, you need to build change management capabilities at all organizational levels. Each organizational level – senior leaders, middle managers and staff – needs to learn how to effectively respond to and manage change. But each requires different capabilities, depending on role and amount of control over the process. For instance:
-- Senior leaders need to ensure engagement and alignment. They should encourage input from employees, communicate and keep them informed about the change process, value and act on ideas, follow through on actions, and model appropriate responses to change.
-- Middle managers need to facilitate change and help employees understand the reasons and objectives for the change. Provide direction and support, understand typical responses and cycles of change, guide people through the cycle, and help them to maintain their productivity through the process.
-- Employees need to continue to meet performance objectives during and after a change initiative. Involve them in the process. Ensure they understand the rationale for change, their role in making change work, and what is expected of them. Create strategies to help them overcome natural resistance to change, and show them how to recognize their own styles and reactions to change through assessments, workshops and team meetings.
If you are frustrated with the impact of change on productivity, consider building change management capabilities at all organizational levels. Are your employees struggling to focus and maintain performance levels?
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Showing posts with label change management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label change management. Show all posts
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Stressed Out With Change?
According to a recent poll conducted by Right Management, 71% of senior executives and human resource professionals said their jobs are more stressful amid the current demanding and changing business environment. No big surprise, really… who isn’t feeling like this lately?
One of the main triggers of stress is understanding what you can and can’t control. Stress can be a common cause of negativity, driven by a lack of understanding for the business rationale behind change initiatives, the role each employee plays in making the change work, as well as an inability to adapt quickly to changes in the environment. Focusing on the factors you can influence and control helps to develop a more positive and productive response to change.
We’ve conducted research in this area and found that nearly one in three employees don’t adapt well, if at all, to changes at work. More than 9 in 10 employees are disengaged when organizations don’t implement change well. For employees who said leadership managed change effectively, only 40% were disengaged. Improving change effectiveness positively impacts performance. Our studies also identified the top global drivers of effective change management. The number one driver: senior leaders implement effective change. However, our results revealed that less than one in two employees work in organizations where senior leaders are perceived to implement change effectively. And only one in three people believe that the reasons for decisions are fully explained.
What can workers do – at all levels of the organization – to reduce stress and cope more effectively with change? Take a look at the three main pillars that provide the foundation for our ability to adapt to change:
-- Attitude. A feeling or emotion toward something that impacts what we think, feel and do. Attitude is impacted by our openness to change, our ability to embrace it, adapt to it and persevere through change.
-- Self-management. Being able to manage your own emotions and behaviors to increase personal resilience in a range of situations. This is also a pillar in developing strong emotional intelligence. Your ability to control your emotions and the self-confidence that comes as you successfully navigate interactions all contribute to a strong sense of self-management, particularly important during times of change.
-- Relationship management. The ability or willingness to carry out interpersonal interactions in a way that increases the likelihood of beneficial outcomes. Your skill at building relationships, combined with influence, provides you with the ability to build agreement and affect positive change.
In the words of John Wooden: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
Are you stressing over what you can’t control?
One of the main triggers of stress is understanding what you can and can’t control. Stress can be a common cause of negativity, driven by a lack of understanding for the business rationale behind change initiatives, the role each employee plays in making the change work, as well as an inability to adapt quickly to changes in the environment. Focusing on the factors you can influence and control helps to develop a more positive and productive response to change.
We’ve conducted research in this area and found that nearly one in three employees don’t adapt well, if at all, to changes at work. More than 9 in 10 employees are disengaged when organizations don’t implement change well. For employees who said leadership managed change effectively, only 40% were disengaged. Improving change effectiveness positively impacts performance. Our studies also identified the top global drivers of effective change management. The number one driver: senior leaders implement effective change. However, our results revealed that less than one in two employees work in organizations where senior leaders are perceived to implement change effectively. And only one in three people believe that the reasons for decisions are fully explained.
What can workers do – at all levels of the organization – to reduce stress and cope more effectively with change? Take a look at the three main pillars that provide the foundation for our ability to adapt to change:
-- Attitude. A feeling or emotion toward something that impacts what we think, feel and do. Attitude is impacted by our openness to change, our ability to embrace it, adapt to it and persevere through change.
-- Self-management. Being able to manage your own emotions and behaviors to increase personal resilience in a range of situations. This is also a pillar in developing strong emotional intelligence. Your ability to control your emotions and the self-confidence that comes as you successfully navigate interactions all contribute to a strong sense of self-management, particularly important during times of change.
-- Relationship management. The ability or willingness to carry out interpersonal interactions in a way that increases the likelihood of beneficial outcomes. Your skill at building relationships, combined with influence, provides you with the ability to build agreement and affect positive change.
In the words of John Wooden: “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”
Are you stressing over what you can’t control?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Bad attitude! Who, me?
Leading in today’s ever-changing business climate can come with frustrations. Change is constant and often implemented at break-neck speed. As a result, employees who are finding it challenging to adjust and adapt quickly often begin to exhibit negative behaviors. And worst of all, negativity is contagious. It’s important to address as soon as you see signs of it in your workplace.
The signals to look for include criticizing others not present, gossiping, power struggles, lack of teamwork or collaboration, tardiness, absenteeism and even a lack of healthy conflict through withdrawal. People are either unskilled or reluctant to have those difficult but crucial conversations -- critical to a productive environment. When employees are bewildered by change and floundering as they try to cope and adapt -- and in the absence of straightforward methods to deal with growing negativity -- productivity and morale can decline swiftly.
Employees express negativity with statements such as “it will never work,” or whining, sarcasm, or sighing, and even outright complaining. As a leader, the worst thing you can do is to remain silent and permit or tolerate bad attitudes and negative behaviors.
Here are some tips to help you eliminate negativity:
--Start with yourself and check your language and behaviors.
--Persist in showing zero tolerance for negativity.
--When negativity could escalate easily, smile…choose not to react in that moment.
--Stop the cycle of a lack of appreciation.
--Don’t collude with the negative employee - Be careful not to validate or encourage negativity just to make the individual feel better.
--Lead by example. Identify and authentically communicate the positive aspects of the situation.
--Offer recognition when deserved and for specific behaviors and results.
--Ask open-ended questions, listen and help develop solutions.
--Counsel the complainer and challenge negative and pessimistic thinking and beliefs.
--Set expectations. Don’t permit others to complain without first suggesting possible solutions.
As a leader, you are in a strong position to break the cycle. At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone. But you can do your best to educate and inspire those around you. Is your negativity level growing? Do you have the skills and motivation to turn yourself and others around?
If you’re interested to learn more on this topic, Manpower is hosting a webinar on Creating Positivity in the Workplace on September 29.
The signals to look for include criticizing others not present, gossiping, power struggles, lack of teamwork or collaboration, tardiness, absenteeism and even a lack of healthy conflict through withdrawal. People are either unskilled or reluctant to have those difficult but crucial conversations -- critical to a productive environment. When employees are bewildered by change and floundering as they try to cope and adapt -- and in the absence of straightforward methods to deal with growing negativity -- productivity and morale can decline swiftly.
Employees express negativity with statements such as “it will never work,” or whining, sarcasm, or sighing, and even outright complaining. As a leader, the worst thing you can do is to remain silent and permit or tolerate bad attitudes and negative behaviors.
Here are some tips to help you eliminate negativity:
--Start with yourself and check your language and behaviors.
--Persist in showing zero tolerance for negativity.
--When negativity could escalate easily, smile…choose not to react in that moment.
--Stop the cycle of a lack of appreciation.
--Don’t collude with the negative employee - Be careful not to validate or encourage negativity just to make the individual feel better.
--Lead by example. Identify and authentically communicate the positive aspects of the situation.
--Offer recognition when deserved and for specific behaviors and results.
--Ask open-ended questions, listen and help develop solutions.
--Counsel the complainer and challenge negative and pessimistic thinking and beliefs.
--Set expectations. Don’t permit others to complain without first suggesting possible solutions.
As a leader, you are in a strong position to break the cycle. At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone. But you can do your best to educate and inspire those around you. Is your negativity level growing? Do you have the skills and motivation to turn yourself and others around?
If you’re interested to learn more on this topic, Manpower is hosting a webinar on Creating Positivity in the Workplace on September 29.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Leadership Development Making a Comeback
After several years of employers cutting spending on training, Bersin & Associates reports that half of the companies they surveyed plan to increase leadership development budgets and almost one-quarter plan to increase spending by more than 10%.
What’s behind this change in investment strategy? Many companies fear an exodus or shortage of qualified leaders as the economy picks up and customers re-engage. Their pipelines are weak or non-existent. Executives across most industries are having a hard time finding strong managers to fill vacancies. The result is that leadership training is gaining urgency amid the stronger economy.
Companies have been tested over the past few years as they experienced heightened levels of economic turmoil and unpredictability. Weaknesses in leadership capabilities are showing. As many as one-in-two managers fail. Not just at the top of the house, but for many firms leadership bench strength is proving to be shallow.
Looking for a quick fix, many companies opted for short-term approach to declining revenues by cutting costs during the recession. Companies are now restructuring and changing their models to include leadership development as they are struggling to find managers well-equipped with the leadership capabilities and behaviors needed to handle the kinds of changes we are experiencing at an ever-quickening pace. Engagement, retention, productivity and performance are suffering as a result of poor communication, lack of customer focus, ineffective strategic thinking, and the inability to link one’s workforce with the business strategy.
As your business levels start to pick up, consider the investments in leadership development you need to make to build a pipeline of ready-now leaders at your disposal, regardless of what changes might come your way.
What’s behind this change in investment strategy? Many companies fear an exodus or shortage of qualified leaders as the economy picks up and customers re-engage. Their pipelines are weak or non-existent. Executives across most industries are having a hard time finding strong managers to fill vacancies. The result is that leadership training is gaining urgency amid the stronger economy.
Companies have been tested over the past few years as they experienced heightened levels of economic turmoil and unpredictability. Weaknesses in leadership capabilities are showing. As many as one-in-two managers fail. Not just at the top of the house, but for many firms leadership bench strength is proving to be shallow.
Looking for a quick fix, many companies opted for short-term approach to declining revenues by cutting costs during the recession. Companies are now restructuring and changing their models to include leadership development as they are struggling to find managers well-equipped with the leadership capabilities and behaviors needed to handle the kinds of changes we are experiencing at an ever-quickening pace. Engagement, retention, productivity and performance are suffering as a result of poor communication, lack of customer focus, ineffective strategic thinking, and the inability to link one’s workforce with the business strategy.
As your business levels start to pick up, consider the investments in leadership development you need to make to build a pipeline of ready-now leaders at your disposal, regardless of what changes might come your way.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
A change will do you good... but I don't want to leave
The recession is coming to an end. The business journalists are writing doomsday articles about the impending mass exodus of frustrated employees. Employers are supposed to fortify the dams and fashion retention ties (golden handcuffs are passé’).
What’s interesting is that most good employees don’t want to leave and most employers don’t want to lose good employees. (Read Jerry’s Harvey’s “the Road to Abilene”.) Where is the disconnect? Too many companies were too quiet for too long about how they were dealing with a troublesome economy. Hearing nothing, employees became anxious and subsequently disengaged.
One tactic in a solid engagement/retention strategy: talk with your employees. Let them know what's going on in the business and how they can help. More importantly, let them kow that develoment opportunities still exist. Good employees want development and want to know what the future holds. Ironically, most meaningful development doesn't cost a lot of money; and, it occurs on the job via projects, stretch assignments, attending conferences or meeting and working with clients.
Good managers - those who are good coaches and care about developing leaders and engaging their teams - hold the keys. People quit managers, not companies. How you feel about your manager directly affects how you feel about your company.
With what money companies have left after the travails of 2009, they should invest in developing managers to develop people. It will be the best investment made in 2010 and beyond.
What’s interesting is that most good employees don’t want to leave and most employers don’t want to lose good employees. (Read Jerry’s Harvey’s “the Road to Abilene”.) Where is the disconnect? Too many companies were too quiet for too long about how they were dealing with a troublesome economy. Hearing nothing, employees became anxious and subsequently disengaged.
One tactic in a solid engagement/retention strategy: talk with your employees. Let them know what's going on in the business and how they can help. More importantly, let them kow that develoment opportunities still exist. Good employees want development and want to know what the future holds. Ironically, most meaningful development doesn't cost a lot of money; and, it occurs on the job via projects, stretch assignments, attending conferences or meeting and working with clients.
Good managers - those who are good coaches and care about developing leaders and engaging their teams - hold the keys. People quit managers, not companies. How you feel about your manager directly affects how you feel about your company.
With what money companies have left after the travails of 2009, they should invest in developing managers to develop people. It will be the best investment made in 2010 and beyond.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Focus on HR "soft" issues ensures value after a merger
Global merger and acquisition activity could rise as much as 35% this year. But for mergers and acquisitions to succeed, it’s essential that companies address such "soft" issues as effective change management and alignment of culture with strategy. Yet, senior leaders seldom give them the priority they deserve.
That was the conclusion of a study by Right Management of post-M&A performance that surveyed 156 companies in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It found that the top factors correlated to achieving value and growth were, in large measure, human resources issues. Yet, the four composite indices where participants gave their organizations highest marks were productivity, value creation, business integration, and customer focus, while the four bottom-rated indices were talent management, alignment, internal communications, and culture integration. Thus, according to the study, "hard" issues tend to be addressed more effectively than softer, people-oriented factors.
Why does this happen? Part of the explanation lies in the role of HR executives in most organizations. Because they often are perceived as not being conversant in finance and business basics, HR professionals tend to be left out of M&A planning and implementation. As a result, their input is given short shrift.
That’s a mistake. HR should be brought in at the front end of the M&A process – before the ink dries. In fact, because "people" issues are so important to M&A success, organizations should give HR and business considerations equal weight. Business objectives, after all, can only be achieved when top performers are there to make them happen. In the process, HR professionals need to be actively involved in the planning and implementation, and given full-time, dedicated resources related to culture and change-management issues.
But HR professionals also have a responsibility to step up to the plate by calling attention to the substantial value they add to the integration process. To make the case for the benefits they can bring to the organization by focusing on talent retention during and after the transition, they first need to demonstrate to senior leaders their understanding of key business issues. Here’s some of the value they can bring:
-- Facilitation of preliminary integration discussions with business leaders
-- Future focus on workforce strategy
-- Development of retention strategies critical for the deal to succeed
-- Active role in due diligence process
-- A first look at organizational design, cultural issues and leadership
-- Planning the launch of the integration team
If leadership doesn’t include HR as serious partners – they run the risk of undermining the potential value the organization can reap from the merger.
That was the conclusion of a study by Right Management of post-M&A performance that surveyed 156 companies in North America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region. It found that the top factors correlated to achieving value and growth were, in large measure, human resources issues. Yet, the four composite indices where participants gave their organizations highest marks were productivity, value creation, business integration, and customer focus, while the four bottom-rated indices were talent management, alignment, internal communications, and culture integration. Thus, according to the study, "hard" issues tend to be addressed more effectively than softer, people-oriented factors.
Why does this happen? Part of the explanation lies in the role of HR executives in most organizations. Because they often are perceived as not being conversant in finance and business basics, HR professionals tend to be left out of M&A planning and implementation. As a result, their input is given short shrift.
That’s a mistake. HR should be brought in at the front end of the M&A process – before the ink dries. In fact, because "people" issues are so important to M&A success, organizations should give HR and business considerations equal weight. Business objectives, after all, can only be achieved when top performers are there to make them happen. In the process, HR professionals need to be actively involved in the planning and implementation, and given full-time, dedicated resources related to culture and change-management issues.
But HR professionals also have a responsibility to step up to the plate by calling attention to the substantial value they add to the integration process. To make the case for the benefits they can bring to the organization by focusing on talent retention during and after the transition, they first need to demonstrate to senior leaders their understanding of key business issues. Here’s some of the value they can bring:
-- Facilitation of preliminary integration discussions with business leaders
-- Future focus on workforce strategy
-- Development of retention strategies critical for the deal to succeed
-- Active role in due diligence process
-- A first look at organizational design, cultural issues and leadership
-- Planning the launch of the integration team
If leadership doesn’t include HR as serious partners – they run the risk of undermining the potential value the organization can reap from the merger.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Workforce strategy: looking to the future
The speed of change, created by advances in technology, means that jobs are evolving at a breakneck pace. And that has significant implications both for organizations and individuals.
An urgent issue relates to addressing vital questions about future workforce needs: What skills and abilities will be necessary for success that are not in play now? How do you assess the current talent pool for the skills that will be required in the future? What is the best approach: to hire from the outside or to build competencies internally? Or, should you move to a temporary staffing solution?
As organizations struggle with these questions, individual employees also face a world in which many jobs are becoming extinct, while new ones are appearing to take their place. They must address a different challenge: finding ways to adapt and grow, to embrace these changes and turn them into opportunities.
For organizations, the solution lies in understanding which type of skills and abilities will be required as driven by workforce trends like demographic changes, technology use, increasing market sophistication and other forces. Then creating a process ensuring they have the right people in the right roles – and that their talent strategy supports their current business goals and future business strategy. For individual employees, it’s the chance to look ahead to the future, rather than at the door that’s closed behind.
In either case, the ability to create a plan for addressing rapid workforce change will mean the difference between success or failure in the market.
An urgent issue relates to addressing vital questions about future workforce needs: What skills and abilities will be necessary for success that are not in play now? How do you assess the current talent pool for the skills that will be required in the future? What is the best approach: to hire from the outside or to build competencies internally? Or, should you move to a temporary staffing solution?
As organizations struggle with these questions, individual employees also face a world in which many jobs are becoming extinct, while new ones are appearing to take their place. They must address a different challenge: finding ways to adapt and grow, to embrace these changes and turn them into opportunities.
For organizations, the solution lies in understanding which type of skills and abilities will be required as driven by workforce trends like demographic changes, technology use, increasing market sophistication and other forces. Then creating a process ensuring they have the right people in the right roles – and that their talent strategy supports their current business goals and future business strategy. For individual employees, it’s the chance to look ahead to the future, rather than at the door that’s closed behind.
In either case, the ability to create a plan for addressing rapid workforce change will mean the difference between success or failure in the market.
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