Fear and Resistance

Fear of change is a fear of the unknown.  Do you or someone in your team resist change?

Change is: ‘an act or process through which something becomes different’.  If you don’t know what is going to happen after that act, or at the end of the process, then you will fear the change and may resist the change.

Information is Key

Change is a process.  If you make a change in your business without informing the team first, you are likely to get a negative response.

Let’s work through an example.  Your business is growing, and Xero by itself is not enough to manage your business.  You want to put in place some job management software.  You have talked to your Advisor who has suggested that WorkflowMax may be suitable for your business.

Prepare: Let your team know that you are starting a project to put implement some new software.  Tell them why you are doing it, and what the benefits to them will be.  Define when the project is likely to be completed and when they will be trained.

Involve: Invite key members into the project team.  They will provide key input into the project, and are more likely to find the answers to any perceived roadblocks early.

Update: As you work through the process of selecting the right software, defining the setup requirements, seeing a demo, and completing the implementation, update your whole team and let them know what is going on and where you are up to in the project.

Train: All staff affected will need to be trained on the new software.  By this stage they should be keen to see how it works, as you have already defined the benefits to them.

Implement and support: One the new software is in place, make sure there is someone to support you and your team to answer any questions in the first couple of months.  Some people take longer to learn than others.

Celebrate: Celebrate the success of the project and thank those that helped and got involved.

By telling the team what is going to happen before it happens, it gives the team time to process the information before the change is in place.  Being informed makes the process of change less scary.