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Hi Folks -
I am looking for an upbeat way to introduce some new processes for some very unwilling 1st line (and Managers) trainees. Short story: very small company w/ avg. emp. tenure of 15 years gets taken over by larger corp. People from small corp must learn new processes, yet are extremely hostile toward new ways of doing things. I know that this is very vague, and any ideas on presentations that may have been successful to you in the past, or any tips & ideas to soften the blow will be greatly appreciated. |
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I think the hardest blow has already occurred - their cozy company has been swallowed up by a corporation. That is the issue to be dealt with more directly and immediately - ensuring that people understand that change and how great it's going to be. Are benefits better? Better management? More customers? More money? People will buy into new processes more readily if they are first okay with the whole new company thing. They're obviously not - you said that they are "hostile."
Sometimes, if people are not yet okay with the new company, trying to be upbeat about their processes might come across as a bit fake. Bottom line just like selling anything else -- you have to sell the change by demonstrating how it will benefit them. You demonstrate the benefits by tying the changes directly to their emotional hot buttons. Another basic selling tip - you already know the objection, so you can work to prevent further objections by *beginning* with acknowledgement of their feelings about the whole thing. Still, if there's still a lot of hostility about the takeover, that will need to be calmed before more positive things can happen. Find out why these folks are so hostile. It usually stems from fear. Your company needs to address that. |
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Hi TrainLeasy,
I managed something a bit different from your problem recently, but I think it could spark some ideas for you. We rolled-out a CRM about 2 years ago and users’ acceptance was close or below 0… We had them trained twice by the vendor, without much success. Training was then brought back in house. Now for the interesting part, when designing the course, we included as part of the course, some change management “labs” or period for discussion. Each participant was given, prior to training, some mandatory readings on change management and how people deal/react to it. First part of the training was focused on change management, where participants were encouraged to talk about what they were living. We also used a 7 stage scale on preoccupation about change and each one was to “grade” themselves on that scale. As the training progressed, participants would spontaneously state they passed stage X or Y. I was fortunate enough to have them for several days and they always sat on the same spot on the second day, which gave me the opportunity to “confront” them about how they dealt with change… Needless to say, third day came around and they all chose a different chair in the room. It always stirred some laughter and it helped to lighten up the atmosphere. I guess small things made the difference with this project. Common sense paired with a lot of proactive listening and giving them the rights tools they could readily use to help them help themselves went a long way. Point is, they made the effort to accept the change. We just supported and facilitated the process. I found the 7 stage scale approach to change to be very positive, as opposed to the more traditional approaches (denial, anger & resistance, exploration & acceptance, commitment) which are more tied to a loss or a grieving process (which it is, in some aspects). But change is good. Change is positive. Anyway, let me know if you want a summarized version of this scale for this book is only published in French. Hope this helps a bit ! Vireo |
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I'd be interested in having a look at the 7 stages doc! that would be great. Meantime, I am doing a bit with QBQ (The Question behind the question - personal accountability)As one of the big issues I am faced with is that the "taken over" company is blaming the takeover company for any and all errors. Even if the error is firmly "here".
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Hi,
I love this quote..... "In a backhanded way, resistance defends the organization, born of honest attempts to maintain the organization's integrity. Since quality improvement constitutes a real change for the organization at many levels, we should expect fierce resistance. Resistance is the litmus test for harmfulness, a test of whether the proposed changes will help or harm the organization. Once we work through and address the fears that spawned the resistance, our organizations can truly be open to adopting a new philosophy." William H. Braswell, Jr. The Politics of Change in Quality ------------------------ Sounds like the system's auto immune system has kicked in.....fighting off a foreign body. Keep in mind it doesn't matter how good or healthy something new may be (new heart, new kidney, new work process)our sytem will attempt to reject it. Sometimes we rush into the new without closing out the old. Spending time to say goodbye to an old friend is a wise choice. We really can't sell anything to anyone. They must experience it first hand. I encourage my clients to constantly seek out ways to actively involve the members of the organization in the new work and the change process itself. Find the influentials in the organization, at all levels. Invite them to participate in small successes. Focus on and publicise those successes. People aren't resistant to change...they are resistant to being changed. Help them gracefully let go of that resistance. Jeff |
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Linking People, Learning and Performance
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Linking People, Learning and Performance
Terms and Conditions
1640 King Street, Box 1443 . Alexandria, Virginia, 22313-2043, USA
Phone: 703.683.8100 . Fax: 703.683.8103