Change is obviously a very important part of our everyday lives. Change happens no matter what you do and no matter who you are. Change especially happens in the business world.
In order for organizations to be competitive in their particular industry, I feel it’s critical for them to embrace change on a continuous basis.
For any organization to fully embrace change, it’s imperative that they work to ensure that their employees are embracing the change. This is why I believe that change management training is extremely critical in today’s business environment.
Mistakes Employers Often Make
- Not Following Up—Employers often require their employees go through training (regardless of the type of training: change management, technical, professional development, etc.), but then they don’t take the time to follow up and reinforce the skills they have just learned.
Some organizations might have a difficult time reinforcing the concept of change and putting it into real life practice; that’s understandable. Change is one of those things that people easily embrace or constantly resist. But one thing to consider is that if you are planning to require your employees to go through training and take the time away from their work day, it’s essential that you, as a leader, do your part to help put these skills into action and reinforce the training. Otherwise, training can simply be perceived as a “waste of time.”
This is probably one of the biggest mistakes that I’ve seen organizations make. It’s difficult to take your employees through training and presume they will come out knowing everything there is to know about that particular subject. Especially when there is no follow up.
- Not Doing the Training Yourself – It’s very common, in my experience, that leadership/management requires their employees to attend training, but yet they don’t take the time to attend, as well. It’s this training gap that can cause a serious disconnect between the leadership and their staff.
In order to get your employees to effectively embrace change and learn from the training that’s provided to them, it’s vital that you practice what you preach. Yes, this means that everyone, including you – leadership, must make yourself a part of that training, as well.
I think when it comes to change management training specifically, the key word here is ‘management.’ Management/leadership needs to be part of the training as much as the employees do. And change management needs to be an ongoing process. It should not stop with training.
In my next Insight, I’ll give steps to take to develop an effective change management program for your organization.
Legal Disclaimer
The information contained in this document is for general, informational purposes only and is not intended to be legal advice. This information is not a substitute for the guidance of a professional and should not be relied upon in reference to any specific situation without first seeking the advice of a qualified HR professional and/or legal counsel regarding applicable federal, state or local laws. HRTools, Insperity and their respective employees make no warranties, express or implied, and make no judgments regarding the accuracy of this content and/or its applicability to a specific situation. A reference or link to another website is not an endorsement of that site or service.