In a down economy, employers must be effective with organizational change management in order to keep their employees engaged.
There are have been so many layoffs and pay cuts going on, which makes it hard for employees to stay engaged because they are likely worried that they might lose their job or that their salary will be reduced. They may even be worrying about how they will make ends meet. The current economic situation makes it hard for employees to remain engaged.
The primary mistake employers make regarding organizational change management is not creating a sense of urgency. When problems are occurring, the employer needs to treat the problems like an emergency and make sure everyone knows what’s going on.
Employees need to be informed that it’s not “business as usual” and that the company has to confront the reality of where they are currently. This will help keep employees engaged.
Creating a sense of urgency will also help employees understand why things are happening, and to pick up the slack if necessary.
This may mean you need to ask your employees to step up and work outside of their comfort zones.
There are two important factors when considering organizational change management:
- Create a Sense of Urgency—As I mentioned above, this is important. You want to make sure your employees understand there is an emergency going on within the company that needs to be resolved.
You have to communicate to employees and make them feel confident in your leadership team. Employees need to know that your company will overcome this situation, as long as everyone is onboard to make things happen.
You want to make sure you communicate to employees every step of the way and let them know what your vision is going forward. Employees need to know if it’s the same as it has been, or if the emergency situation is causing the vision to shift.
Your management team needs to clearly communicate: “This is where we are now and this is where we’re going.”
This is key to keeping your employees engaged.
- Have Faith—In order to be effective with organizational change, you need to have faith that things are going to work out. You can’t be stuck in the mindset of, “The sky is falling.” You have to confront the reality of the situation you’re dealing with and have faith that everything will work out.
Of course, working things out is going to take some sacrifice, dedication and hard work.
That’s why the company needs to come first. You can’t be worried about each individual and his/her personal problems. You need to make decisions based on what’s best for the company.
Everyone in the organization needs to stand together and put the company first, because if you don’t, then no one will have a job left.
When dealing with organizational change, it’s important to keep an open mind.
For example, your core business today might be one thing, but due to the economy and other issues, you may have to think outside-the-box in order to keep your company going strong. That might mean taking a step away from your core business.
Overall, I think it’s important for everyone in the company to keep an open mind.
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