Go M.A.D. Thinking shares 7 change-navigating people management tips

Andy Gilbert, Founding Director of the business improvement consultancy, recently shared his main methods for bringing employees successfully through periods of organisational change.

The Go M.A.D. Thinking team, Andy included, understands that everyone is different, and that everyone reacts differently to changes in the way that things are done at work. Some people, for instance, don’t react well. But the business coaching franchise also knows that when change needs to happen for a business to grow, there are seven key things that can be done to make the process as smooth and simple as possible. Andy’s tips for supervisors, bosses and managers leading employees through major organisational change were as follows:

1. Come to terms with how the change will impact you, first and foremost - “If you are reacting adversely to the change or finding it difficult to accept, this message will be passed onto people that you work with or manage.” Even tone or body language can reveal your true feelings and have a negative impact.
2. Recognise that some reactions happen internally - Allow for “an internal process of adjustment” and understand that “the internal adjustment may not happen at the same pace [at which] the external changes are put in place”.
3. Help others to adapt - This can be done by “encouraging them to recognise what has ended and what is now different”, and by “asking questions about the effects of the change on them as an individual”. Talking it through equals processing it more quickly and moving forward more efficiently.
4. Emphasise things that will remain the same, too - “Recognising what will be the same throughout change helps people to understand the impact and extent of the change. It also provides some stability by identifying what will remain familiar to them.”
5. Communicate as fully and as often as you can - According to Andy, “communication about the change [should give] as much information as possible, including explanations for the reasons [that something is happening].”
6. Involve people in actively making the change - When people feel involved, they have “a feeling of control” and “feelings of powerlessness that [could] lead to negative reactions” are lessened.
7. Give additional individual attention where it’s needed - Finally, Andy expressed, “To fully understand the reasons why people resist the need to adapt to change you will have to give some time and attention on an individual basis.”

If these informative tips have shown you just a little of what Go M.A.D. Thinking can do and you’re now strongly considering getting involved, know that you can become a franchisee for a minimum initial investment of £21,000. Find out more about franchising with this consultancy via its profile page, which is linked above.