Many of our clients have begun, are in the middle of, or just completed their change programme. If asked, many will say that if they had to do it over, they would do it differently. And the one major area they would do differently is mostly cited to be engaging more of their staff earlier on. So, in advising anyone just about to begin such a change programme, let us provide some tools and tips in how to do it with more of your people involved.

Firstly, do an audit of your peoples’ experience in change. Most often, those charged with initiating the change programme have no idea who in their organisation has ever been involved in a formal change programme, either within the same organisation or elsewhere. Don’t feel that you have to reinvent everything. So, ask your people what they know or have experienced in this area. Some of the questions you can ask are:

1. What is your experience in change management (please include any education, reading on change management, practical experience in managing change projects or other involvement in organisational change initiatives)?

2. Describe your perception of your current confidence in managing a change project.

3. Describe your perceived level of current competence in change management.

Also, gain some perspectives about their breadth of experience in the area and their openness to seeing the value of change in your organization. You are even at this stage looking for Champions of the Change and those who are going to be your spokespeople and supporters. By soliciting their views, you are engaging and committing them to what you may be asking of them later.

So you may ask:

4. Describe change in the organisational context? How would you practically define ‘change’? (consider what are some the change initiatives facing our organisation or things you might wish to change)

5. Why bother managing change in organisations? Or in other words, what do you consider to be the objectives of managing change.

6. How would you define change management? (what is your practical definition?)

7. f you were to be involved in a ‘work-based’ team project (that would develop your leadership capability) and that would be part of change project for the organisation, would that be of interest to you?

8. If yes, what change would you most wish to implement?

In asking your staff to answer these questions you are doing some very important things: finding out more about your people and the talents they have (which they would love to tell you); you are asking for their input on what needs doing (which they would love to tell you) and you are preparing a group of people to come and help you do it. You are sourcing the talents and expertise of those you already employ, and merely an extension of their work can be benefit enough.

Even if people are not experienced in the field, they will feel pleased that you asked. And, they will know that when you do start the change programme that you will be using people who have some expertise in the area and not just the leadership who they may suspect of not being experts and not knowing what they are doing.

If you want to engage people more, remember that Communication is a two way process, that if you ask and they answer, then give them feedback and engage them in further discussions to build loyalty and commitment.

William Wallace©

Business Coach and Development Manager, Corporate Alchemy