3 Tips To Streamline Change Management

Change is constantly occurring in our lives, and our workspaces are no exception. Colleagues join & leave our teams, programs are updated, and processes shift. Even though change is a recurring theme, for many individuals adapting to change remains a daunting task that can feel burdensome. Using a microchange management approach to instill change has been beneficial for numerous organizations around the Globe. Microchange management occurs when an organization implements small changes over an extended period of time, that together drive large scale change and a desired overall transformation. In the article below, we outline 3 steps within microchange management that will help you and your colleagues accept & adopt changes made within your organization, with less stress & greater long-term success. 

Make the Mega, Micro 

Large-scale change will take time. To reduce push-back, rejection, and the overall timeline of a desired change, we encourage you to deconstruct the large change(s) into small steps, or initiatives, that each have their own well defined purpose & outcome. Creating cross functional teams to deliver these updates is crucial, as it creates a sense of cohesiveness and buy-in from all levels within your organization. Employees often wonder why a change is being made, how valuable it will be, and what change to their personal behaviors it will require. Administering microchanges using a diversified team provides a familiar contact for many, if not all, teams within your organization. If questions or issues arise, specific to one area of business, representation on the diversified team provides a space for team specific concerns to be addressed. 

Modify Habits and Routines

To change the overall process a team or organization frequently uses, it is important to encourage changes to current habits & routines. Providing rewards and recognition to employees who complete the microchanges your team is administering, is a great way to ensure the overall goal is met. In the past, organizations would give one presentation, or require hours of training outlining an upcoming change in process. Many employees would multitask during the presentations, or put off the trainings, as they didn’t believe they had time during their already busy work days to listen to a speaker, or register, sign on, and complete a training series in its entirety. When we break training down into smaller, more frequent modules, they are easier for employees to consume and complete. For example, a 20 Minute training module, once a day for 10 business days is easier to complete, and remain engaged with, than a training session spanning more than 3 hours. Creating the new habit of completing short, informative, and direct training sessions as part of their daily routine, will lead to higher overall adoption rates from your employees. 

Confirming Understanding is Key! 

It is important to check in with your employees & colleagues after microchanges are deployed, to ensure that the information is being understood and implemented the way your organization intended. If information is being misunderstood, or adoption rates are low, it is important to reevaluate your deployment plans & processes. A good rule of thumb is to include 2.5% of your organization’s population in beta launches when testing microchange implementations. Once the changes are ready for large-scale deployment, you can measure adoption rates based on analytics that allow you to see usage patterns. Aim for an 80% adoption rate to ensure the new process(es) are assimilated across the entire organization & culture. 

Whether you are updating an internal software system, a customer-facing platform, or an organization-wide reporting process, it is important to ensure that all affected teams are comfortable with the change. Using a micro-change management approach when administering change, makes a daunting or complex process feel more manageable. When a set of small changes are adopted in full, the end goal is attained. We encourage you to try one, or each, of the steps outlined above if you are having trouble with the adoption of new processes from long-standing employees, or any headstrong teammates. Good luck!