Today the utterance of the word change can strike fear into the hearts of even the most confident of professionals. Perhaps this is because, in recent times, this word seems to arise simultaneously within the context of adjustments to major economic or market drivers that have presented challenges to business. Such drivers have required that businesses, both large and small, respond quickly in order to remain competitive. In many cases these responses take businesses and their employees into new and unfamiliar waters. It is the sailing into to uncharted waters that can cause high anxiety levels and result in the word change taking on a negative connotation. So how can businesses effectively address change and reduce the anxiety levels that these adjustments have on employees? The answer is simple enough, yet often overlooked in the push to identify and implement the required adjustments.

Communication is one of the keys to unlocking a change initiative that will quickly fill the sails and swing the company ship onto a new course. The issue of communication is as important no matter what the size of the company. Business is business, but businesses are created and maintained by people. Businesses are comprised of employees who, regardless of where they fit into the companys infrastructure, have a vested interest in the future of the company. Whether a company has five employees or five hundred, it is important to remember that each one has some skin in it relating to the ongoing existence and success levels of the company.

When the rumblings of change begin, it is human nature for an individual to wonder how this change will impact on his or her role within an organzation.The extent to which these rumblings will shake an organization can be controlled through effective communication by senior management.

One of the most damaging things that can happen at the start of any change initiative is for the captain and senior crew to scurry below and batten the hatches, in order to isolate themselves from the rest of the crew whilst they formulate a plan of attack. While this may seem like the prudent way to proceed, it is important to remember that the catalysts for this change initiative have not occurred within a realm only inhabited by the senior management team. In most cases the majority of employees will have noticed many of these conditions and will be sensitive to the fact that they will somehow impact on the company. The problem arises when this impact awareness is not addressed by management. Remember fiction becomes fact very quickly when there is nothing to counteract it. So if management does not provide facts regarding the reason and approach for a change initiative, employees will begin to draw their own conclusions. This can result in a great deal of time and energy being utilized in quashing the rumour mil facts and replacing them with the real facts of the situation.

It is important to keep in mind that each individual has a different tolerance level for change, which directly correlates to the level of anxiety that they will experience during a change initiative. It is important for employees to understand why these changes are required and how they will help to facilitate the success of the companys business goals and consequently that of the employees. Without such comprehension, there may be great resistance by individuals or groups of employees to assist and align with these changes thereby causing impediments to effectively making the required changes. It is up to senior management to set the tone and techniques for effective communication to all levels of the company.
Another key factor that facilitates effective change is that of change commitment. It is imperative that management is fully committed to planning and executing the change initiative. If there is not full commitment, this will quickly become evident to the employees and they will be less inclined to have faith in this change, thereby making the likelihood of any progress very difficult.

The final factor that can negatively impact the effectiveness of change is a lack of planning. In a perfect world, everything would always proceed according to plan. However, the world is not perfect and there may arise situations that require a realignment of approaches to effectively implement change. By carefully planning out an approach to a change initiative, management can scope out potential barriers and create contingency approaches. Being proactive and addressing the issue of alternate approaches allows management to maintain the momentum of the initiative. Without this planning, the initiative could stall and the crew could get very uneasy as they sit on the decks in the hot sun, while the senior management runs below to work out a new course. If this happens they might just loose faith in the validity of the initiative and conclude that the ultimate destination of the ship is not worth the effort or risk. And when the captain and senior crew present this new course they may experience a change mutiny, which basically can shipwreck any future initiatives.

So with a little proactive planning it is possible for any captain to guide his ship and crew through new waters that lead to exciting new lands.

Copyright - Kelly Melanson, Certified Management Accountant