By Elizabeth Long, Prosci, CSM
Most people don’t resist change just to resist change. Most people resist change because of fear.
Fear of:
- No longer being the knowledge holder or subject matter expert (SME)
- Not being capable of performing the new work
- Not being comfortable with or slow to learn the new job/technology
- Having to do things differently—maybe they have been performing the same function the same way for a long period of time and they want to keep the status quo
- Losing their job—in some cases, people choose to leave on their own; the truth is, sometimes jobs may need to be altered to keep up with changing technology
If your organization is going through a period of change—whether an update in technology or a corporate reorganization—it’s important to know how to address the fears and help users transition smoothly.
Here are a few actions you can take to make this happen:
- Get users involved by leveraging them to help document as-is business processes and create to-be business processes.
- Provide opportunities for people to have hands-on practice with the new system. If testing a new software system, consider which users are appropriate to participate in User Acceptance Testing.
- Address concerns about job loss—are they really losing their job or are they just going to perform a new job function?
- Empower SMEs to provide input on communications to the larger group.
- Leverage SMEs to help develop and review training material and assist with/support training.
- Provide honest and direct communication regarding job impacts and information about the project.
If you need help in managing a large change in your organization, we can help! Our change management experts can help you determine who your users and SMEs are, conduct a stakeholder analysis, determine the best approach for engagement, and more!
About the Author: Elizabeth Long is a professional Organization Development Consultant and Curriculum Developer/Trainer. She received her Certification in Organizational Change Management from Prosci and is certified in e-learning development from Langevine Learning Center. Elizabeth has worked in many industries: High tech, healthcare, and state and local government. Currently, Elizabeth works as an Executive Consultant with KAI Partners, Inc. as a contractor working in a variety of California State Departments. Elizabeth has lived in Sacramento for the past 20 years and appreciates the history of Sacramento as well as its convenience to many well-known destinations like San Francisco, Tahoe, and Reno.