As leaders well know, constant change is the new normal in today's workplaces.
As a result, organizational agility is increasingly evasive. It's no longer enough to react to disruption -- or to delegate change management to HR or other internal functions.
To get ahead of the competition, organizations need to flip the script on change and enable employees to lead change themselves.
To prepare their people to help lead change, leaders need a workplace culture that lives and breathes adaptability -- a culture with agility in its DNA.
A truly agile workplace culture empowers employees to think on their feet and spearhead innovation with ease.
Leaders must fundamentally alter their approach to change management to create an adaptable work culture. Modern change realities require modern change strategies that prioritize the human capacity to thrive in a state of continuous change.
Involve, trust and empower your people.
Leaders can motivate employees to accelerate change when they cultivate and integrate employees' ideas. To source these insights, leaders should broaden their internal networks, give employees and managers a voice, and develop employees at all levels.
Leaders also need to entrust employees with autonomy. Employees need far more than information to guide change locally -- they need authority, coaching and accountability. For example, leaders should involve managers and employees who are affected by change as early as possible and ensure employees understand the importance of their role in the change.
Prioritize manager development.
Managers wield tremendous influence over how well employees adopt and sustain desired behaviors. In fact, Gallup data show that managers account for 70% of the variance in team engagement -- a critical driver of discretionary effort.
When managers serve as coaches, not bosses, they fuel engagement and inspire employees to move away from their routines and adopt new mindsets and behaviors. To position managers as coaches, leaders should invest in ongoing manager development -- and most importantly, give managers the freedom to coach their team members.
Use analytics to get ahead of employees' perceptions and emotions.
Emotions primarily drive decision-making, not rational thinking. In fact, 70% of decision-making is based on emotion and 30% on rational thought. This can be problematic because change can cause mixed emotions among employees -- from fear and uncertainty to anticipation and excitement.
Leaders should use multiple channels to understand employees' emotions and perspectives, including ongoing dialogue, employee analytics and feedback mechanisms. With in-depth insights, leaders can adjust their strategies, grow employee buy-in and disseminate best practices.
Create a culture of learning.
A disruption-ready organization never stops learning and growing. To lead change, employees must repeatedly adapt to new discoveries and shifting demands.
Leaders should create processes and cultural norms that propagate rapid experimentation, adaptation and collaboration. Siloed learning won't create a culture of change leaders; leaders must ensure their people are aligned and working together to drive success.
Source: Gallup, December 2019