Tag: change management

Managing Change in a Media Landscape That is Always Changing

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Media companies are prime examples of organizations that need to focus on positive change management strategies.

Why? Because they are constantly evolving, more than any other industry. This is in part because of changes to technology that are creating new digital platforms. These platforms are fundamentally changing not only the ways in which we communicate but how we receive news and information. And this, in turn, is changing the business models on which media was originally built.

So the challenge in the media landscape is this: How can they manage this constant evolution effectively?

The first step is to have solid leadership

Without clear and targeted leadership, the rest of the organization cannot hope to manage change effectively. Those leaders need to have extensive experience in the digital landscape to have credibility.

They need to be more than good leaders: they need to be knowledge banks, too — with the ability to communicate the path clearly. Leaders who prefer status quo won’t be effective. Leaders who embrace what’s new — think Elon Musk — will flourish, as will their organizations.

Accepting changes that are untested is difficult for leaders, too, but it starts and ends with them. If they can do it, more of the team will follow.

A culture of change is essential

Most workplace cultures have to establish processes to help people within the organization to accept change. Media companies are almost born to change, out of necessity. But that’s not to say that everyone is always on board.

As with all change management, it starts with the top levels of the organization. Ultimately, however, the branches below have to be on the same page too. Evolution is too fast and changes in technology are too frequent to have naysayers along for the ride. Hiring needs must always consider change and the ability of a candidate to embrace it.

An open culture, where different ideas and out of the box thinking are not only accepted but expected, is ideal. A culture where management trusts in the team they have put together is also ideal. A team that can move fast and be allowed to think on their feet will be more successful than one that cannot improvise. Fast change can meet resistance, so a team that is motivated to accept the challenge is essential.

Talent counts when speed is of the essence

In an environment where change is almost the norm, talent counts. A team with a particular ability for morphing their skills to meet demands will be a positive influence. Those teams need to be highlighted as the standard. Other teams need to see what they are meant to be achieving themselves.

It’s not about fostering competition so much as setting a positive example. Fast changes in technology and business models means a lot of upheaval. Having a successful team that can share their abilities for others to copy creates more success all around.

The speed of change in media is much faster than with other industries but it’s a question of starting out on the right foot. If the organization is built for change, it will withstand and even embrace it. If not, it will fail. This begins and ends with the leadership of the organization. If they are ready for change, they can create the vision to bring their teams with them.

How to Get Your Team to Embrace Change

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The key is to remember that people aren’t robots.

This may seem like a trite phrase but organizations often forget, as they proceed at high speed to implement big changes (and small ones too), that people cannot be programmed to accept a change. They need to embrace change and be brought on board — a process that takes time and effort.

“But we’re paying them to do their job? They should just do it!”

Right. And kids will just clean their rooms because you tell them to. Unless you want to be labeled the ‘Chief Executive of Fantasy Land’, you need to think through changes that you want to bring to a team, or an organization as a whole, before you run headlong into it.

You need a change management process.

Before you make a change, understand the ramifications fully

Whatever change you want to make, whether it’s the addition of technology or a change in business structure, you need to understand the effects this change will have.

Look at it from the point of view of the person who is going to have to deal with the results of the change. How can you communicate the changes in such a way as they see it as a short-term learning curve that creates a long-term benefit?

  • Involve the people who will be affected. If you’re thinking about buying new software, for example, include key members of the team in the evaluation process. This will help ensure that it, in fact, does meet their needs. Just dumping it on them without consultation won’t get you the buy-in you’re looking for.
  • Ensure you have the support you need for change from the highest levels. If the CEO doesn’t support and even promote the change, there’s little chance that downstream team members will get on board easily.
  • Look at the possible effects on customers and outside parties. Why? Because your team will be dealing with whatever negative effects might occur, at least in the short term, they are prepared. As the saying goes: forewarned is forearmed.

Involve your team in the changes

Change management is a process meant to ease your team into changes being made. It’s not about moving them into a new environment without warning. This can be difficult for a lot of people, especially longer-term employees who are used to doing things a certain way.

Change management can help you to not only make the evolution less tension-filled but, in fact, can help your team not only accept the change but in fact embrace it.

How can you get that buy-in? You can do this by involving them and:

  • Listening to their concerns
  • Dealing with the issues that your team is worried about
  • Creating an environment where communication can take place openly and without judgment

Communicate constantly

Figuring out how to make the changes resonate with your team is the key to any change management process. Even with the best of intentions and communication, you’re likely to end up with three groups in your team. You will have team members who will:

  • Embrace the change
  • Go along, but not enthusiastically
  • Oppose the change

Realistically, unless your team is super cohesive and coordinated, you’ll find the bulk of people in the middle group, with a few at either of the two extremes.

Those who embrace the change can help be your biggest advocates. And, those who resist it can really throw a wrench into the process. So, you need to take the time to find out what their concerns are and why they are resisting. Then, focus on what you can do to help ease the transition for them.

Creating comfort in the process is a huge part of getting people to accept, if not embrace, the changes.

Ultimately, you can’t ram in change and expect it to work.  Take it slowly, perhaps incrementally so that your team can get used to things. That way, they may come to see the change as a positive enhancement, rather than something to be endured.

As they come on board, continue with the evolution you have in mind. And, be sure to limit disruption, tension and fear.

tumultuous times leadership

Leading Through Tumultuous Times

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Whether changes are occurring inside the organization, or outside forces are creating conflict, the key is to accept and encourage change, rather than deflect it.

Change is hard, whether in personal or work lives. There’s no other way to phrase that. It’s just hard. Change management is a discipline, in and of itself, within the realm of human resources because the impact to morale, to say nothing of the bottom line, can be intense when changes aren’t introduced properly.

It is not the strongest or the most intelligent who will survive but those who can best manage change. ~ Charles Darwin

People want to guard what they know, their little piece of the business pie, for fear that they will become expendable if they share it with others. Any changes in an organization often lead to people hoarding their pie slices even more closely than in normal times.

There is one key to effective change management within an organization and that’s the attitude of the leaders. If they don’t buy into the changes, or they’re discomfited by conflict, allowing their agitation to show to the rest of the team, they won’t be able to lead their team through whatever upheaval they need to manage.

All leaders deal with turbulence or conflict, within the organization but they must also deal with influences from without. In fact, a good leader will have a nose for what’s coming and be ahead of the game, where they can.

Strategic, long-term thinking, which is a major focus for most leaders, has to be done in the context of the real world: the current economic climate, the international market, the political realities of the day and so on.

So how can you lead through tumultuous times?

Lead by example

This one should be obvious to most any leader worth their salt but, perhaps in these days more than ever, it’s worth repeating. If you expect your team to work through change or conflict, you have to show them how.

That’s what leadership is, at its most distilled level. Your team is looking to you to show them the way and will be scrutinizing every move you make. Don’t make them guess at what to do next: communicate your vision and goals at every step!

Adapt with positivity

Look at change as an opportunity. The evolution of digital is a great example of how massive and very fast changes can be upsetting but if you alter your frame of mind and see them as opportunities for growth or to capture new business, you can ride the wave with more confidence and success. Example? Banks could have balked at changes in the digital sphere.

After all, there is far less call for tellers when everything can be done via a smartphone. Rather than lose their collective minds, they adapted and built apps and online resources. It’s what customers were asking for, so they embraced it.

Embrace differences of opinion

It’s important not only to acknowledge conflict or change but in fact to embrace it. Through conflict, new ideas are often born.

You’ll never find a better sparring partner than adversity. ~ Golda Meir

It doesn’t need to become toxic or overwhelming to be effective, but a little adversity can create a new vision. This goes back to the previous point about adapting: it’s often from places of difference that these new and interesting opportunities develop.

It’s a question of having an open mind, in order to be able to see the possibilities. Within a team, within an organization or even within an industry, or a country, adversity can lead to interesting changes so long as the leaders acknowledge it in the spirit of growth, as opposed to destruction.

Doing things the way they’ve always been done isn’t an open door to growth, but endless conflict isn’t either. A good leader will weave a path between these two extremes and inspire their team towards change. It’s not always an easy sell but worthwhile for the company, and leader, that can get it right.

It’s not always an easy sell but worthwhile for the company, and leader, that can get it right.

Can Change Management Help My Company by Shannon Cassidy

Can Change Management Help My Company?

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

You’ve heard the buzz word before. Change management. According to Prosci Solutions, change management is defined as “the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive organizational success and outcomes.”

For the past few decades, individuals have researched this relatively new skill set. Associations have formed to provide support and training.

The first State of the Change Management Industry report was published in the Consultants News in February 1995.

In 2013, The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) also included Change Management as a core competence in their Standards..

The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) was created in 2011 and announced that in 2016 that, to enhance the profession, a new certification will be introduced: Certified Change Management Professional.

So how can change management help your company or career?

According to Prosci Solutions:

“Realizing the benefits of your strategy depends on people changing how they do their work. Change management is a structured approach to drive these individual transitions.”

If a company adapts change management, it will:

  1. Increase the likelihood projects will succeed. Projects where changing practices, techniques or attitudes are important need extra attention. Left to just “adapt” to new requirements, employees often become frustrated or discouraged. Change management gives these individuals the leadership and training they need to feel confident.
  2. Manage employee resistance to change. We are all resistant to change. Humans get comfortable in their set patterns. To upset that comfort is to experience pain. Peter Benge, an American systems scientist said, “People don’t resist change. They resist being changed.” Change management gives an employee a safe way to experience change without feeling they are “being” changed.
  3. Build change competency in the organization. In using change management, a company acquires experience in helping individuals and groups change. By first identifying those who will need to change and defining what ways they will need to change, the process is broken down into manageable tasks that build competency in change management. After using this process the first time, the “change” techniques become easier and easier.

Your company’s individuals will embrace change more quickly and effectively when they are equipped to handle change. You team will more easily embrace new strategic initiatives and they will adopt new technology quicker.

Change management is more than a buzz word. It is a tool that every company can adopt to help employees navigate the ever-changing business environment.

Sources:

http://www.prosci.com/change-management/what-is-change-management

http://www.acmpglobal.org/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Change_management

https://www.prosci.com/

Are You Ready for a Big Change in Your Life? Shannon Cassidy photo

Are You Ready for a Big Change in Your Life?

Shannon Cassidy Leave a comment

“Change is the end result of all true learning.”—Leo Buscaglia

Many of us made New Year’s resolutions a few weeks ago. So many of us have been tempted by now to throw in the towel and quit. Many of us have.

It’s easy to make resolutions when the calendar says we should think about doing that. But how do we know we are truly ready to make a significant change?

Are You Ready for a Big Change in Your Life? Answer These Questions to Find Out.

Are You Going Through a Life Upheaval?

If you are experiencing an upheaval in your life, be it professional or personal, it is an opportunity for you to learn more about yourself. You can capitalize on the upheaval in one of two ways: learn while doing more of the same or take a new path. If you are having inklings that your need to find a new way, it is good to trust those instincts. A major life upheaval is nothing more than an invitation for growth while setting new strategies into place to make life what you want it to be.

Are You Tired of Merely Surviving?

Going to work, paying the bills and living day-to-day can get extremely frustrating, especially if you think there is more waiting for you. If you think this is you, you are probably ready for a change in your life.

Are You Bored?

We all get bored from time to time. But if you are experiencing boredom on a regular basis, it might be your heart and your mind begging you for a change in your life.

Lynn A. Robinson, M.Ed., is one of America’s leading experts on the topic of intuition. She has said, “Boredom is one of those messages from your intuition that change is needed. It’s a signal that your energy is being drained and that something new needs to happen.”

Do You Have Specific Goals?

A sign that says you are probably ready to change your life is that you have clearly identified your goals. You’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and you know you have goals.

So what are they? Do you have a personal interest you’d like to pursue? Are you looking to start a new career? Are you hoping to gain more skills? Are you wanting to start a small business? If you know what you want to achieve, then half the battle is already won.

Get some advice, research online, or choose a short course to introduce yourself to a network of people who might be able to inspire you and help you. If you have already identified your goals, then this is a sure sign that you are ready for a big change in your life.

Sources:

http://liveboldandbloom.com/06/lifestyle/are-you-ready-to-change-your-life-10-ways-to-know-for-sure

http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/6-signs-youre-ready-to-change-your-life-for-the-better/

http://blog.opencolleges.edu.au/2014/01/08/5-signs-you-are-ready-to-change-your-life/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/lamisha-serfwalls/7-signs-youre-ready-for-a-major-life-change_b_7225108.html