Building Trust through Change Management
The industry of the 9-to-5 knows the logical side of change. Revenue is coming down, operational costs must come down too. We are just starting to adopt a long-awaited progression into the emotional side of change management. Our streamlined ideas are being implemented by emotional beings who require compassion and people who strive to understand rather than to be understood.
I recently went through a major process change. The project management software shifted and we decided to turn the second training into a game. We split everyone into teams and set the rules (the simplest way to get through the new process a dozen times). There were three rounds and the team that won got a paid lunch from the vendor of their choice. It was high energy and very loud due to the poor location choice. Our new office was bare at the time but it was fun!
A few participants were having a difficult time getting on board with the new system. One of them chose not to participate with his team and made negative comments throughout the game. I didn’t see that as a problem but as part of the process.
If we don’t have at least one on our small team, we haven’t pushed the bounds of innovation enough.
Our solution was not to make him wrong for it. For the duration of the game, we focused on everyone that was having fun.
It was the following day that I sat down with our straggler. He’s a resource. Everyone likes the bandwagon people—they’re fun and easy, but I like the non-conformists. They may not express themselves very well but they’re seeing something that concerns them, they just need an opportunity to communicate effectively.
The one-on-ones are a complex conversation of logic and emotion. There is some teaching going on, as much as listening, both to what is being said and what isn’t.
I work through the frustration and push-back to come to a place of trust.
It isn’t me against them, we’re all on the same team and, once we get there, we can use their concerns to come up with innovative solutions. The shifts usually help everyone involved with the process, not just them.
It’s important to listen to all feedback, big or small. It’s easy to be frustrated over someone grasping at straws to find ways to discredit the change but we can reframe it for ourselves. Employees, managers, clients—they’re looking for a physical outlet to channel their grief and mourn the old ways. It’s important to let that process run its course. As change managers, the best we can do is be on their side and collaborate on solutions to the concerns they’ve communicated. They’ll work through the emotion themselves, we need to have compassion and patience while they do and take it for what it is: an opportunity to build trust.