Protect morale
When you change your business, the worst thing you can do is keep employees in the dark with regard to the decisions that are being made. When uncertainty is freely flowing throughout your organization, people tend to assume the worst.
When Paul and his team made the decision to divest Compuware of some business segments that no longer fit the company’s long-term plans, Paul was upfront about the changes that would be occurring. Many of those employees were either retrained by Compuware or moved on with the company that purchased the business segment.
But going through the divesting process reinforced a core communication principle to Paul: Don’t let employees think you’re making change simply for the sake of change. No employee wants to feel like they’re a yo-yo on the end of management’s string.
“You have to be sensitive to a person’s predisposition to change,” Paul says. “We have some very brilliant people that by nature don’t like change. You have to bring those kinds of people along slowly.
“You can have them articulate answers to questions that you form for them, so they can come up with the reasoning for the change on their own. It’s a matter of leading questions so they can realize for themselves why these tough decisions have to be done.”
Some people will be gung-ho for change. Those are the people who can become your change agents throughout the organization. But even though you might be enthusiastic about your plan for change, don’t assume that enthusiasm is automatically shared by everyone. Don’t allow yourself to become quickly impatient with stragglers.
“It’s upon the leadership to make sure that you’re taking the time to describe why it’s best for the business and best for the employees, best for the customers and shareholders overall, to make these changes.”
How to reach: Compuware Corp., (800) 266-7892 or www.compuware.com