10 Crucial Skills for Supervisors to Hone
Editor's note: This article was originally published in February 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Read this article...Editor's note: This article was originally published in February 2016 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
Read this article...Organizational change often takes place for the overall betterment of the organization but that doesn’t mean it comes without challenges. Change can be perceived negatively so it is important to skillfully manage these transitions. Here are a few tips for change management:
Read this article...Change is inevitable. But it’s how you lead and manage change that makes the difference. Companies that accept and embrace change are healthier, more dynamic, and faster growing than those companies that fear change.
Tom Ault, Director of Technical Training at ERC and Senior Consultant, talks about leading and managing change.
When faced with change, we typically put our own negative spin on it, often without knowing all the facts. Our natural tendency is to see change as a threat—our brains are hardwired to be risk averse—rather than seeing the positives.
Change in organizations happen at three levels: How you manage yourself, how you relate to others, and how to lead across the organization.
It is important to get those feelings out in the open; so it's best to address them.
Self |
Others |
Organizationally |
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Every person within an organization has a roll when it comes to organizational change. In order to have effective change, there must be involvement and action displayed by many within the organization.
The image above helps to visualize that change occurs along two main paths: a project management path that focuses on the system or process changes, and a change management path that focuses on the people side of the change. Many organizations focus on the project path and are then surprised when there is no buy-in from their people.
Change Management |
This group can be made up of one or more change agents who monitor the people side of change by checking for resistance and ensuring the other roles are in alignment and are focused on their roles. |
Senior Leader |
This group is the top contributor to the overall project success according to Prosci, Inc. benchmarking studies. Senior leaders are one of two preferred senders of messages about change. The role of this group is to participate actively and visibly throughout the project. They build the needed coalition of sponsorship with peers and other managers. They also communicate the business message about effective change with employees. |
Managers & Supervisors |
Managers and supervisors are the other preferred sender of messages about change. This group has a unique and well-developed relationship with the employees being impacted by the change. But what is this group’s role? They communicate the personal messages about the change with their direct reports, conduct group and individual coaching sessions and identify, analyze and manage resistance. They also provide feedback to the appropriate levels in the organization. |
Employees |
This group makes changes to how they do their day-to-day work. Their acceptance and use of the solution determines the success of the project and the ongoing benefit derived from the change. This group’s role is to seek out information related to the business reasons for change and the personal impact of the change. They provide feedback and reaction to the change and the change management efforts. A key role is for this group to be proactive when dealing with change, rather than being “victims” of a change. |
Project Team |
This group designs and develops the ‘change’—they are the ones who introduce new processes, systems, tools, job roles and responsibilities. They also provide much of the specific information about the change to the other stakeholders. This group’s role is to provide timely, accurate and succinct information about the change (or project). They also integrate change management activities into project management plans and activities. |
Managers and employees resist change for different reasons. Managers may fear losing control and authority, comfort with the status quo, have no involvement in solution design, or have an answer for what’s in it for them.
Employees resist change due to lack of awareness, fear of the unknown, lack of job security and sponsorship.
Whatever the reason for resistance, change is inevitable. It’s how you deal with it yourself, with others and with your organization that will depend on if your company will spiral out of control or grow and conquer.
In ERC's Change Management training, participants will learn strategies for helping themselves, as well as others, through change. They will acquire the confidence and skills needed to face change.
The challenge in project success rests in the ability to deliver to the desired business goal in the desired time frame and within the available budget. These three forces: time, cost, and quality, are often in conflict with each other. The Project Management Institute (PMI) has defined nine body of knowledge areas that when followed, would increase probability of project success. However, if you are not a full-time project manager and still want to increase your project results, follow these three project management principles:
The project plan will tell you, your team, and your customers the:
Goals: Define the business reason for the project and how you will know it was successful at the end.
Scope: Determine the boundaries of what your project will address, and just as important, what it won’t address.
Milestones: Work backgrounds to identify important dates for deliverables, reviews, etc. This is a very easy way to do a reality check on what it will take to meet the due dates.
The communication plan is not only how you will communicate at the end of the project, but who should be informed and engaged throughout the project. At the minimum you should be able to identify the:
Who: Identify the key stakeholders, the departments, customers, or processes that will be impacted by your project
What: Create the message, which could be different for each audience – some want to be updated while others require more detail.
When and How: Identify the best time and format. The rule of thumb is to communicate your message at least three times, and I would add, in at least two different formats (email, phone, in-person). Leverage communication channels that are already in place like staff meetings, monthly newsletters, weekly email blasts, websites, etc.
Change is a constant. On any project the scope will alter as more information is gathered. Define a process and procedure for identifying project changes, approvals, and documentation requirements. The more complex the work, the more important this becomes.
These are just a few principles to keep in mind to ensure success on your projects. The more you can learn about project management and the underlying principles, the better equipped you will be to lead your organization in the future.