According to Harvard Business School professor emeritus John P. Kotter, 70% of change initiatives in the corporate world fail. That’s a truly astonishing and, honestly, quite depressing failure rate. But we’re not bringing it to your attention to make you feel hopeless. In fact, our motivations are quite the opposite.
This sobering statistic reveals just how powerful of a competitive edge you can have if you develop a culture of adaptability and change readiness in your workplace. The future belongs to organisations that embrace a culture of continuous evolution. This means your structures, your policies, your employees, and your IT environment must all be primed for continuous change, growth, and course correction. As you can imagine, this is no mean feat. Technology ages quickly, business growth is rarely perfectly linear, and employees often get stuck in their ways and attached to certain methods for getting their jobs done.
As a business owner, you really are up against it when trying to promote a change-ready culture at work. However, the good news is that your IT department can help. Whether you work with an in-house team or outsource to a managed services provider (MSP) like Invotec, your IT consultants can give you a strong yet adaptable foundation upon which to create a culture that’s ready for anything.
Below, we cover seven IT strategies that are central to this sturdy foundation. Put them in action, and you’ll set your organisation up to thrive in the face of change.
1. Embrace Continuous Change
Change should not be viewed as intermittent points of disruption but as an unending process. This requires a shift in thinking about the nature of change and building enterprise-level change capability within your organisation.
How can IT help?
Your IT team can help you develop systems and processes that are flexible and capable of quickly responding to new challenges and opportunities. In doing so, your organisation will be equipped with the tools, technologies, and processes required to be resilient, agile, and prepared for whatever the future holds.
Managed Service Providers are the ideal partners for this task. With customisable plans that can be adjusted as required, MSPs like Invotec can adapt instantly to your organisation’s evolving needs. Whether you need to upgrade or downgrade your IT support, an MSP ensures your level of IT support always floats perfectly with your business requirements, promoting agility and resilience.
2. Encourage a Culture of Innovation and Experimentation
As a business owner, you need to continuously respond and adapt to the needs of your workforce and your customers. This means embedding the right tools and processes to measure and manage the impacts of change.
How can IT help?
Working with the latest technologies, IT can provide the tools and platforms that enable your workforce to collaborate, experiment, and innovate. This includes cloud-based collaboration tools, data analytics platforms, and digital workspaces that allow employees to work from anywhere.
Moreover, IT can help in understanding and prioritising changes by providing data-driven insights. Through the use of analytics and AI, IT can measure the impact of changes, identify areas for improvement, and help guide strategic decision-making.
Finally, IT can manage the impacts of change by ensuring systems and processes are robust, secure, and scalable. This allows your organisation to adapt quickly to new challenges and opportunities while minimising disruptions.
3. Prioritise Employee Engagement and Communication
A mid-pandemic IBM report found that 80% of respondents wanted to continue working remotely at least occasionally. Meanwhile, Queens University of Charlotte researchers found that while nearly 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration as “very important,” 39% of employees say their organisation doesn’t collaborate enough.
These are just two of many significant business decisions your team should have some say in. Thus, it’s important to involve employees early on in the planning process and create an environment where people feel safe to ask questions, raise concerns, and make suggestions about the change.
How can IT help?
IT can provide the necessary tools and platforms for effective communication and collaboration. This includes video conferencing tools, instant messaging apps, project management software, and collaborative workspaces. These tools can help keep employees connected, cultivate a sense of community, and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Your MSP or in-house IT team can also create a safe and secure digital environment where employees feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and ideas. This involves implementing robust security measures, providing training on digital etiquette and online safety, and ensuring all communication tools are user-friendly and accessible.
With skilled IT experts on your side, you’ll also have access to data and analytics to help measure employee engagement and the effectiveness of communication strategies. This can provide valuable insights you can use to further improve engagement and communication within your business.
4. Provide Training and Support
If you want your employees to be agile and adaptable to change, you must equip them with the requisite skills and resources. Training minimises anxiety, increases confidence, and empowers people to be creative and decisive in their roles.
How can IT help?
Your IT team can develop and implement training programs tailored to the specific needs of your organisation. This could include training on new software or technologies, cybersecurity best practices, or how to use collaboration tools effectively. A quality IT services provider will also offer ongoing support to employees as they navigate through changes. This could involve setting up a helpdesk or support system where employees can ask questions, report issues, or seek advice.
5. Recognise Efforts
Recognising and rewarding efforts is a powerful way to reinforce the behaviours you want to see in your organisation. According to a study by Bersin & Associates, business leaders who excel at employee recognition are 12 times more likely to generate profitable results. Therefore, acknowledging individuals who demonstrate flexibility, cooperation, and initiative during the transition is crucial. This positive reinforcement boosts morale while encouraging others to get on board and embrace change too.
How can IT help?
Your IT company can implement systems that track and highlight employees’ contributions during the transition. This could include project management tools that showcase completed tasks or collaboration platforms that allow for public recognition. Additionally, IT can help set up digital rewards systems or gamification elements that provide tangible recognition for employees’ efforts. This could range from digital badges to points that can be redeemed for rewards.
IT can also provide the tools for transparent and timely communication, ensuring recognition is always given promptly and publicly. This can significantly enhance the impact of positive reinforcement. In essence, IT can provide the infrastructure that facilitates recognition, making it an integral part of your change management strategy.
6. Manage Resistance to Change
Change is often met with resistance. This is true in all areas of life but seems especially prevalent in business. According to a survey by the Katzenbach Center, 65% of workplace change initiatives fail due to employee resistance. Managing this resistance is, therefore, crucial if you want to successfully implement new initiatives.
How can IT help?
It’s a natural human reaction to pull away from the unfamiliar and uncertain. Thankfully, your IT team can play a key role in managing this resistance to change. Firstly, IT can help you provide clear and timely communication about the changes, using digital platforms to ensure everyone is informed. This includes explaining the reasons for the change, the benefits it will bring, and how it will affect individual roles and responsibilities.
A skilled IT company can also provide training and support to help employees adapt to new tools or processes. This includes offering resources to learn new skills, providing one-on-one support, and setting up a help desk to answer any questions or concerns. Your IT team should also monitor the adoption of new tools or processes, using analytics to identify any issues or areas of resistance. This allows for timely intervention and support, ensuring that changes are adopted effectively.
7. Commit to Continuous Improvement
Continuous improvement is not about creating an environment where every process, every strategy, and every action is put under the microscope. Instead, it arises naturally when resilience and agility are as common as breathing in your workplace. In such an environment, your team will naturally seek to examine and improve the processes they use every day. McKinsey reports that when organisations reach this hallowed state of continuous improvement, they are more likely to sustain performance improvements long-term.
How can IT help?
A talented IT team can arm you with the tools and technologies needed to monitor performance, gather feedback, and identify areas for improvement. This could include data analytics tools, feedback platforms, and performance management systems. They can also help you update systems, processes, and technologies as needed. This could involve upgrading software, streamlining workflows, or introducing new tools that enhance productivity and efficiency.
Developing a change-ready culture
Embracing change isn’t a one-off project but a journey of continuous evolution. It demands commitment, open communication, and a readiness to adapt. By adopting these strategies, you can ensure your business stays resilient and competitive, no matter what the future throws at you.
If you have any questions or if you’re ready to lay a robust foundation for change readiness and sustainable growth, reach out to our IT experts today.
