Implementing change within your business

Henry Ford once said: “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got”. This famous phrase reveals a lot about the subject of business change.

This blog outlines a number of ways that change can be successfully implemented in a business.

What techniques can I use to implement change?

Make your team aware of changes. Get your team together and chat how the changes could affect them. Do not make the mistake of ‘keeping it all to yourself’ because this can create disruption amongst your staff. Instead, you may want to deliver a brief presentation to your staff to explain to them what to expect. This also gives you the ideal opportunity to address and reassure their concerns. Above all, ensure that your staff have takeaway actions so that they can begin to achieve your vision straight away.

Identify and remove obstacles to change. Make sure that new business strategies can be accommodated within your existing policies and procedures. If you feel there is a competent member of staff who could lead the change, give them the opportunity

Look at strategies that have already been successful. Particularly low-cost strategies that are easy to implement and could create significant impact. Conversely, try not to commit to strategies that are overly expensive and not guaranteed to deliver. Look at what has worked previously and duplicate what went well. And learn from what didn’t.

Ensure the change process involves all your staff. Inevitably, some staff will be hesitant to change. However, the contribution of all staff is vitally important. Make sure that proposed changes will not affect day to day operations and if they might, make appropriate changes to avoid this from occurring.

Create a written report summarising all change management processes. This can be useful reference for future changes. 

Do you want to implement change in your business