Category: Professional & Management

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Improving Communication helps Manage Change

Change is the one thing that has the greatest impact on our lives and careers and there is no doubt that communication is key to managing it. But how well do Organisations perform in this area?

change management - communication tips
How to manage change through better communication
When we lose the security of routine and the known boundaries in which we operate, change affects us on a fundamental level:
  • It weakens our self-confidence
  • It challenges our productivity at work
  • It creates baseless fears and concerns
  • It causes stress between individuals and teams
  • It makes acquiring new knowledge and learning new systems daunting.

Are there factors that can help guide us through the process of change? Is there a plan or blueprint that we can use to better support and implement change?

There is a clear 4-stage process to help you become more self-aware, and therefore navigate change more successfully:

 

  1. The initial shock. You are moving through the day and hear rumours of changes about to be implemented. Nothing has been confirmed and then suddenly it is announced, and changes will being implemented with immediate effect. At this stage we often experience shock, confusion, worry and concern. Questions are raised about your position, the impact on the business and as a result, the new knowledge that you may be challenged to learn.
  2. Defensive mode begins. The initial shock has weakened, and the news sinks in. You don’t know why it happened and you question the logic of it. The more you pull the decision apart the angrier you get. It doesn’t make sense and is when your defensive retaliation is at its highest. You band together with colleagues who agree with your position. All you can see are the difficulties.
  3. Just feels wrong. The ‘uncomfortable’ stage begins. You are unhappy and feel awkward and unsure what to do, or where the company is heading. You start to see the advantages yet remain unconvinced. Others are quick to point out faults in the logic and colleagues are often at their lowest point.
  4. Time passes and things begin to make sense. You see why change was implemented, and the advantages. The progress forward seems heavy and slow yet there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Could this have been easier? What was missing?

 

In each of these stages the key was the lack of communication.

  • A meeting of all those potentially affected could be held to present the change, the impact and the benefits. Reassurances should be given at this point, because it positively impacts confidence.
  • Team sessions should be organised to discuss issues, address individual concerns and  come up with possible solutions.
  • Implement 1-2-1 goal setting, action plans and define clear objectives, which results in a sense of control returning.

 

Change is inevitable and offers the greatest opportunity for growth, or the seeds of destruction. How it’s handled strongly dictates which outcome will prevail.

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4 Strategies for Better Decision Making

When our teams and departments need to make efficient decisions, it can be challenging. Decision-making is compounded by complexity, political interests and conflicting personalities.

With more at stake, productivity can slow down and consensus can seem a long way off. Positions harden, alliances form and people compete as discussions move in opposite directions.

Below are four essential strategies that STL has seen significantly improve decision-making within our own teams and delegate groups.

Select Relevant Criteria for Decision-Making

Decision criteria are the variables identified as vital to the team, department or organisation making the decision. Variables enable the people involved in the decision-making process to efficiently evaluate the alternatives. For example, if all of the vendors under consideration for a new outsourcing project offer the same basic service, then it makes sense to eliminate that criteria. Since there is no variation, we are not helped in our decision making.

Besides that, having measurable and relevant criteria helps a team to compare one option with another. For example, “reliable” product quality is only a useful criteria if it is qualified with measurable data such as, “zero product returns” or “98% of customers are satisfied with reliability of this product”.

more productive decision making
4 strategies for better decision making
List Pros and Cons

When discussions diverge and different groups favour particular ideas, a useful strategy for reaching a decision is visualising the pros and cons. It means that people can see the alternatives and consider different perspectives.

If clear options do not emerge, the decision-making team can score each idea. For example, +10 might indicate strong approval while -2 shows mild disapproval. When each option has been evaluated and scored, an overall positive score means your team can move forward with a proposal, while a negative one might suggest it should be modified, shelved or discarded altogether.

Clarify Assumptions

It’s crucial to identify any assumptions that may be guiding the team’s thinking. Some assumptions surface immediately. However, depending on the complexity of the issue, blind sports will likely exist. In order to pinpoint them, we need to seek unbiased help from people outside the team who can probe for any unspoken assumptions.

Unspoken assumptions can undermine many of the important decisions we make. Examples include: key talent will be engaged and on-hand; assumptions relating to customer needs or perceptions; market prices stay the same or competitors don’t have a product of their own in the pipeline.

Most importantly, once we know what our assumptions are, we can analyse each one for better informed decision-making.

Breakout with Buzz-groups

When a larger decision-making group hits a wall, it’s time to mobilise a subgroup to come up with fresh ideas. They can then return and discuss their ideas with the whole group.

Conclusion

Arriving at well informed decisions can be difficult. Deciding on your criteria to compare options, making a visual list of pros and cons for different options, being clear about your assumptions, and establishing subgroups to overcome barriers to the process can all help your teams to successfully reach an agreement.