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Newsday, Melville, N.Y., Change@work column(Newsday (Melville, NY) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) May 13--It's a fast-paced work world out there, one in which change seems to be the one thing we can count on. In business, success requires adapting to the changing marketplace -- and even, in some instances, leading that very change. Just look at the evidence of change locally: The sign on the former Symbol Technologies building in Holtsville now says Motorola. Some area employers may be growing, but resources -- and jobs -- are being added globally, not locally. And in the past few years, the number of publicly traded companies based on Long Island has dipped to just 93 from 100-plus. Add to that the continual shifts within workplaces -- new ways of evaluating and compensating employees, new skills they're asked to develop, new technology they're asked to master. Even the arrival of a new generation brings with it new approaches that have their own impact. In a competitive marketplace, employers are "trying to run faster and execute better," says Neil Carfagna, chief human resources officer at National Medical Health Card Systems Inc., in Port Washington. Against such a landscape, you would think that employees are becoming old hands at change. Instead, they are becoming "change-weary," says Christopher Rice, chief executive of BlessingWhite, a Princeton, N.J.-based consulting firm. And employers need to take note of such weariness -- even address it head-on -- because the success of any workplace proposal ultimately lies with the employees. Their reaction -- whether they resist, adapt or actively embrace change -- can make or break an initiative. Indeed, employee resistance was ranked as the No. 1 obstacle to change initiatives in a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management, which received 403 responses from human resources professionals. Yet the very people leading the change are not always effective at bringing it about. Leadership assessment research has found that executives at the vice president level and above are lacking in the skills necessary to oversee major shifts. Just 38 percent of 2,180 respondents in research by BlessingWhite say those executives are effective at managing change. Senior managers can be highly skilled in business acumen, says Rice -- adept at determining focus, setting goals and even in some cases communicating needed information. But many fall down in the very "connection skills" necessary in times of change, when they're called on to provide context, not just information, as well as display empathy. A certain breed of executives, especially those at larger, constantly shifting organizations, may have mastered Change Management 101, including ongoing communication with employees, asking for their input, providing training. But they may not have mastered the ability to inspire, to get people to be willing to hop on board with change in the face of uncertainty and discomfort. One factor that stimulates employees to accept change, says Carfagna, is having seen the boss demonstrate a genuine caring for staffers. As an example, he points to a couple of senior managers he's known over the years who would take the time to leave voice-mail messages for employees when their loved ones had died. Word travels about such seemingly small gestures, Carfagna says, so when the boss has to make a tough corporate decision, employees have the sense that it wasn't made lightly. Still, it's hard to motivate people who are asking at least one of those million-dollar questions: Is my job secure? To help with that, here are what experts say are some best practices and pitfalls: The full picture Employees today have excellent "spin meters," says Susan Battley, chief executive of Battley Performance Consulting Inc., a coaching and change management consulting firm in Stony Brook. And while it may be tempting to position the change as a positive move for everyone, such a "one big happy family" script can engender cynicism and distrust. Executives would be wise to acknowledge the discomfort that comes with change, even as they make the case for its necessity -- that not changing may lead to losing customers, revenues, competitiveness, and, ultimately, paychecks. And though it may be tempting, leaders should refrain from turning all internal communications over to an overly chipper marketing team, says Mary Ann Masarech, director of research and marketing at BlessingWhite. Even as the message to the workforce is crafted, she recommends hearkening back to school days, when the teacher asked you to share not just the answer to a math problem, but also the steps that led to that solution. Senior managers may have the answer -- after all, they've been living in the planning stage for months before a change is announced. But if they neglect to share with the staff the decision-making process, industry dynamics and business needs, they've missed a valuable opportunity. Providing such context, says Masarech, can help employees appreciate the bigger picture. Delegating the vision One thing effective leaders do is create an energy that can be contagious, says Carol Frohlinger, a Manhattan-based consultant who works with employers on strategy, leadership and change. But they're likely mistaken if they think that, just because they give regular pep talks to managers who report to them, the same message gets passed down the food chain. "Unless you have people who are inspirational at every level of the hierarchy," says Rice, that message is going to get garbled -- if not completely lost. To keep that message alive, workplaces should rely on senior people who have a combination of workplace credibility and skills at championing an issue. Get those people out and about as much as possible, so they can carry the message to forums large and small. And look beyond management to employees who are seen as opinion leaders in the organization, says Donna Anselmo of St. James, who, before starting her own business, was an executive at three organizations that underwent major change. Get these potential evangelists involved in visible projects. "It's not only top-down," says Anselmo, president of Comvergence Marketing Group. Expect resistance Don't worry if you hear of staff resistance, says Frohlinger. Instead, worry if you don't because it's an indication that resistance is likely festering and employees are worried about bringing it to your attention. Battley advises her business-owner clients to be prepared for 20 percent of employees to fight change, 20 percent to embrace it and 60 percent to take a "wait-and-see" attitude. Some of that 60 percent can be won over as specifics are shared about the future and their role in it, she says. Just giving employees the chance to openly vent their worries and frustrations can help diminish that anxiety and improve engagement, says Jody Ordioni of Huntington, president of Manhattan-based BRANDEMiX, a communications and brand consulting firm. She runs focus groups for employees of clients undergoing change -- groups in which workers can "vocalize their concerns anonymously." If employers want to melt resistance, they should shy away from using threats and undue pressure. Nancy Witter, an administrative assistant from Floral Park, says one former employer used such tactics in trying to get the staff to learn a new software program. She remembers his telling the staff: "It isn't that hard. My third-grader could learn this in an hour, so are you telling me you can't learn what my third- grader could learn? Should my third-grader come in and do your job, because if she can I'll hire her and get rid of you." A more motivating approach, says Ordioni, is for bosses to remind people that they are appreciated and already have valuable skills -- that they'll get help learning the new skills needed. Employee input By all means ask for employees to share their ideas as a change is rolled out. But whatever you do, don't let those ideas go into the ozone. Here's an illustration of how not to do it: Wendy B. Helmkamp, a partner with The Clarion Group Ltd., a consulting firm in West Hartford, Conn., tells of one client who told employees they would get to help design a new organizational structure. But it turned out to be already 80 percent complete. Needless to say, employees were disgruntled to find they were to have such little influence over the outcome. And be transparent about the kinds of ideas most needed and what will happen to them when employees contribute them, says Manuel London, associate dean of the business school at Stony Brook University. People want to know that the review process is fair and that the ideas "are not just going into a black box." Providing such information helps employees develop realistic expectations, says Ordioni, which is important so their enthusiasm doesn't wane. Rice warns bosses against dismissing ideas from employees who are not the most articulate or collegial. He tells of coaching one executive to listen to the suggestions shared in a town hall meeting by "a smart woman making a good point but in an irritating way." Share stories Executives may find that opening up a little about themselves and their values can make a powerful impact on their staffs, Rice says. He points to Howard Schultz, founder of Starbucks, who, in his book, "Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time," tells of the early experiences that influenced him to do things such as provide medical benefits to part-time employees. Rice says that, in coaching executives, he's found that many have "driving incidents in their lives, challenges they have faced" that they cover up -- and those very stories could help employees see them as more human. For instance, he says, if an executive ever lost a job -- or even feared it happening -- that experience could resonate with the staff. And he tells of one executive who, during times of change, told his staff how he grew up in a poor family in which the oldest child was sent to college and then went to work -- to pay for the next in line to do the same. With their stock options and high salaries, executives certainly should not try to play the sympathy card. But appropriate stories can help bosses seem less stiff and oblivious to the employees' worries in the face of uncertainty. When all is said and done, says Rice, it will be those stories -- not the PowerPoint presentations about the company's financials -- that employees will remember. Staying relevant in the workplace We can all hope to have employers who are savvy in change management basics. But employees carry responsibility, too, to keep up with shifts in their industries and develop new skills. It's just too risky to turn your career's well-being over to a boss who may be in the Dark Ages at identifying hot new trends and responding to them. Here's a quick guide to how we all can stay relevant in a changing world. At the root of change is fear. We fear we won't be able to develop new skills or be successful using them. And that can lead us to trick ourselves into seeing change as inferior to the status quo. It's important to reflect and get honest with ourselves about this, says Carol Frohlinger, a Manhattan-based consultant who works with employers on strategy, leadership and change. If inadequacy is at the root of our resistance, we can look for mentors to help and encourage us. For baby boomers, those mentors may be half our age. And, yes, we may need to muster some humility. We can look for free or low-cost training through libraries, continuing-education programs and New York State's one-stop career centers at WorkforceNewYork.com. Professional associations also often offer educational and skills-building sessions. Look, too, for people in your industry who are like Bill Sobel, principal of Sobel Media in Old Bethpage. He's one of those people who, if there's something new, wants to know about it. And he's delighted to pass new developments on to others -- he calls it creating an "idea virus." To help do that, he's set up a networking group for media/entertainment executives at nymieg.org. And for those just sticking their toes in the waters of change, he advises: Start by subscribing to online e-letters that detail the major shifts in your business or function. It's an easy, nonthreatening way to get up to speed with controversies, terminology and major players. 82 percent Human resources professionals who said their organizations had undergone initiatives to manage change in previous two years. They cited these ... MAJOR OBSTACLES TO CHANGE 76 percent -- Employee resistance 72 percent -- Communication breakdown 44 percent- Not enough time for training 36 percent- Staff turnover 32 percent- Costs over budget 31 percen t- Timeline not realistic 24 percent -- Employees not participating in voluntary training 23 percent -- Software/hardware glitches 12 percent -- Market/ economic downturn Source: Society for Human Resource Management, 403 responses Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc. Copyright (c) 2007, Newsday, Melville, N.Y. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |