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Change Management - What are some tips to handling change?

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What are some tips to handling change?

Preparation is key, the experts say. In order to properly make a change�or respond to a change that�s out of your control�you need to think about how your company, including individual executives and employees, handle change. Think through specific office dynamics, company features, organizational structures, and other factors that will affect the way the change takes place.

Then you have to manage the change, by developing specific plans. These plans must address communication of the change to stakeholders, employees, customers, clients, vendors�anyone the change will affect; coaching and training, if the change will require employees to do anything different or new; and plans to handle resistance. And let�s face it, there�s always resistance to change!

Next, you�re at the point of assessing the effectiveness of your changes. What obstacles still stand in your way? How have you succeeded? What do you need to further evaluate?

Other tips to get through it, culled from people who�ve been there:

Understand that change is inevitable.

Make sure you�re changing for a good reason. Change is hard enough; don�t do it just for the sake of change.

Keep the lines of communication open, direct, and clear. Change brings about confusion, mistrust, misunderstanding, assumptions, and hurt feelings, among other things. Talking about the hows, whys, and whats of change will help everyone feel in on the changes, and they won�t be quite so skeptical of the process.

Be patient. Effectively managing change takes time, and it must follow a well-thought-out process that can�t happen in a day.

Make your mission clear. When people understand the reasons behind a change, they�re much more likely to respond favorably.

Create a Change Management team to help implement all factions of the plan. Now isn�t the time to be a hero and do it all yourself.

Keep an open mind. Change is the time to do just that: change. Following what you�ve always done won�t lead to fresh thinking, better systems, new ideas, and whatever else it is you�re looking for.

Stay flexible. Creating and implementing a plan from start to finish rarely happens, and when it does, it�s usually not the best for everyone. Instead, experts suggest creating a plan, implementing a little at a time, then adjusting as needed.

Next Page: How are employees involved in Change Management?

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