The global economy is currently experiencing an unprecedented era of uncertainty and disruption. Starting with the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by the US-China trade tensions, the war in Ukraine and the associated cost-of-living crisis- these shocks have shaken the global economy in recent years resulting in a new normal for market uncertainty. Just take Australia’s construction industry as an example which has endured extreme periods of volatility as a result of the pandemic with Western Australia experiencing a 7.9% increase in costs in 2022- the quickest escalation of prices in more than two decades.
For businesses to navigate change successfully, it is vital they implement a change management plan. When doing so, however, ‘top-down’ practices are no longer proving to be effective in gaining employee buy-in and businesses that adapt traditional practices to be more inclusive will be rewarded with improved performance and employee retention.
Inclusive change management has become the new norm
As businesses have attempted to navigate the multitude of changes in recent years, studies have shown that employees’ disposition to change has altered and that they are no longer responding to traditional change management practices. Previously employees were willing to act on a top-down change management approach however this is no longer the case and inclusive change management has become the new norm amongst successful businesses. The revised practices accommodate enhanced employee engagement resulting in improved business results as well as employee retention.
How can businesses make change management more inclusive?
Using Cubility’s Change Management Framework, the graph below highlights three key areas to focus on when making a change management process inclusive.
1. Include employees in the development of the change management strategy.
When framing the business opportunity, ensure that employees are engaged from the start and proceed to involve them in the stakeholder engagement method. By inviting employees to co-create the change management plan, rather than merely dictating this from the top down, an enhanced sense of transparency is established resulting in an improved adoption-rate of the change management plan. What is more, this inclusive approach makes employees feel more valued resulting in a higher employee satisfaction and retention rate.
2. Engage in conversation rather than one-directional communication.
A crucial step in ensuring the success of a change management plan is to consistently keep employees informed throughout the process with regular communication. Rather than adopting a one-directional communication strategy, transform all communication into a two-way conversation allowing employees to feel engaged, ask questions and fully understand and support the change management plan.
3. Finesse the feedback loop.
Finally, to ensure that the change is adopted by the workforce and sustained, the feedback loop should also be adapted to move away from top-down communication and rather share information with the workforce by involving middle management to deliver results and get their teams onboard.
As businesses navigate the era of uncertainty and face multiple changes in the workplace, change management is more important than ever as it assists in facilitating organisational change. Businesses that implement a more inclusive change management process gain higher employee buy-in and an improvement in its overall performance.
Cubility is a management and technology consultancy that works with businesses to solve operational problems, improve compliance and manage change well. To speak to one of our consultants about Change Management for your business please get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you.
