Manage each employee through the transition. Recall the key activities for managers outlined above, and embrace those as your role in times of change: be a communicator, advocate, coach, resistance manager and liaison to your employees. Ensure the implemented changes are reinforced and celebrated.
When we discuss about the barriers of change from senior managers, we need to distinguish between the levels of managers. This is necessary as the barrier to change is different at each level. For instance, the front line managers often resist change because they fear for their positions post change.
The middle level managers who form the “sandwich” between the workforce and senior management have a pivotal role to play in change management initiatives as they are the ones who communicate the changes to the workforce and in turn have to report on the success or otherwise of the initiatives to the senior management.
It is often the case that when change programs are initiated in firms, there is a level of resistance from senior managers due to a number of reasons. These range from protecting their turfs to uncertainties regarding their position after the change is implemented and to ego clashes as well as power politics.
The middle level managers who form the “sandwich” between the workforce and senior management have a pivotal role to play in change management initiatives as they are the ones who communicate the changes to the workforce and in turn have to report on the success or otherwise of the initiatives to the senior management.
These middle tier managers often resist change because of inertia and a status quo mentality which makes them impervious to new realities. It is a fact that the middle tier managers in bureaucratic or machine structure organizations have a lot from continuing with the status quo because of the tangible and intangible benefits that accrue to them.
In the case of senior managers, the barriers to change arise because they would want to protect their turfs, resist change because it has been initiated by a rival power group ...
The second phase in the manager's framework turns the focus towards action steps to lead teams through change . This phase includes introducing changes to employees, building awareness of the need for change, guiding each employee through the stages of the ADKAR Model, managing resistance with individuals, and acting as a liaison to the project team. This phase is where the coaching takes place.
Manager resistance to change is especially common if there is a history of past failed changes or if managers are unaware of why the change is happening.
Prosci has developed a model and supporting tools specifically for managers, which are captured in the Change Management Guide for Managers. The underlying model in the toolkit is the Prosci Change Management Process for Managers and Supervisors. This process recognizes a crucial fact: managers are employees first, and managers second. Managers have to reconcile themselves with a change before they can effectively guide their direct reports. The framework shown in this toolkit contains two phases: 1 Preparing yourself for change 2 Leading employees through change
Like sponsors, project managers and change managers, supervisors need to be equipped with a structured, repeatable process to lead change. A defined framework and set of tools will allow managers to lead the changes they are facing now, and the inevitable changes that will come in the future, more effectively.
You must first embrace a change that is affecting you and your employees before you can effectively lead your employees through change. This is known as the manager's dilemma, and is an important crossroad in the manager's change journey.
It is important to not only recognize and acknowledge employees who are thriving during the change, but also ensure that the time and energy committed to a project has not been wasted. Every member of an organization plays an important role in times of change.