A) List four examples of barriers to change and four strategies that can be used to address them.

B. Identify and explain five of the steps used in a communication strategy when communicating and embedding change.

 

Answers:

A. List four examples of barriers to change

1. Lack of Employee Involvement

• This is perhaps the most common barrier to change management. Employees always have the fear of change, and unless they are involved in the change process, it is highly likely that even the most loyal member of your employees will resist the change.

2. Lack of Effective Communication Strategy

• Some organizations have no effective communication strategy. In fact, some top leaders always assume that once they announce the change, people will adjust and be ready to get started with the new development. This is the silliest way to introduce change, hence forceful resistance to the change.

3. A Bad Culture Shift Planning

• Sometimes the planning team totally has no idea that the change will affect people. Of course, the team at this state will only concentrate on planning administrative structure, work area responsibilities, job responsibilities as well as work reporting structure.

4. Unknown Current State

• Change is always difficult for organizations that lack the idea of their current state. Trying to introduce and implement change without conducting an assessment and understanding the current blueprint of the organization is a common habit by many entities.

four strategies that can be used to address them:

1. Plan Carefully

• Before you bring proposed change to your team, make sure you have a clear plan in place that covers, at a minimum, when, how, and why the change is taking place. Ideally, you'll have documented the tasks needed to get you to where you want to be, outlined new or changing responsibilities for anyone affected, crafted a fully-developed timeline, and come up with responses to address potential concerns.

2. Be as Transparent as Possible

• One of the tricky parts about organizational change is that it will often arrive in phases, or will involve a level of confidentiality on the part of the management team or certain individuals. However, especially when the change will be a major one, it's helpful to be as transparent as possible with your employees - even if you can't give them all of the details, being upfront about the pieces you can share (and clearly explaining their impact) will go a long way towards helping your staff feel more comfortable.

3. Tell the Truth

• This is an easy rule to follow when the change in question is positive; when the change is in response to challenging circumstances or will result in short-term negative outcomes, this becomes trickier. However, being honest with your staff to the extent that you're able to is usually the best route: sugarcoating, presenting things in an overly optimistic way, and promising unrealistic outcomes will just make your staff suspicious and distrustful of your motives. While it's important, as a manager, to present an optimistic front to your team, do so in a way that acknowledges potential challenges and drawbacks.

4. Communicate

• Keep the lines of communication open between you and your employees. Take the time to explain why the change is happening, and what it will look like in practice. Make yourself open to questions, hold team meetings, and invite your reports to come see you and talk through their concerns or thoughts in a neutral atmosphere.

B. Identify and explain five of the steps used in a communication strategy when communicating and embedding change.

1. Create Momentum

• For change to occur effectively, you'll need company support. But people can't support what they don't understand, which is why open communication is key to building momentum. Explain the change proposed. Push its merits and benefits, and outline what would happen if it doesn't occur.

2. Form a Powerful Coalition

• Convincing coworkers that change is necessary can often be a difficult undertaking. It will take strong leadership and visible support from key people within your organisation. To lead the change, you need to find and bring together effective change leaders throughout your company. They don't necessarily have to be in the upper echelons of the company hierarchy, and could come from any area of the business.

3. Create a Vision for Change

• A clear vision helps everyone understand why you're asking them to do something. When people can see for themselves what you're trying to achieve, the directives you give become logical.

4. Communicate the Vision

• How you communicate your vision will determine your success. You will find your message may conflict with other day-to-day communications to begin with. To ensure it stays top-of-mind, make sure you communicate it frequently and powerfully, and embed it within everything that you do.

• 5. Remove Obstacles
• So you've been communicating your vision and getting buy-in for the change from the organisation. But is anyone resisting it? Are there any processes or structures that are throwing up obstacles? Continually checking for difficulties that may arise and then removing them can empower the people you need to execute your vision, and can help the change move forward.

6. Create Short-Term Wins

• Nothing motivates more than success. Create short-term targets, not just one long-term goal. You want each smaller target to be achievable, with little room for failure. Each win that you produce will keep staff motivated, and help keep them on task.

7. Build on the Change

• Making one change to your company's processes, systems, or vision is fantastic. But for each change made, there will be lessons learned, and these lessons can help with the next change. Growth and improvement should be constant—there will always be something that can be made better. Each success provides an opportunity to build on what went right, and identify what you can improve.

8. Anchor the Change in Your Culture

• Finally, to make any change stick, it should become part of the core of your organisation. Make continuous efforts to ensure that the change is present across all aspects, giving it a solid place in your company. It's also important that your company's leaders continue to support the change. This includes existing staff and new leaders who are brought in.