Fostering Change Culture

If 2020 taught us anything, change, however radical or minute, is an inevitable part of the human condition. In less than a month, humans went from congregating by the thousands in tightly packed subway cars, nightclubs, houses of worship, and sporting arenas to only interacting with a select amount of people through a screen. Practices that were once commonplace, like shaking hands with strangers or eating inside a restaurant, now seem almost utopian. Seriously, I keep finding myself cringing while watching cinematic scenes made before March 2020, back when people didn’t have a care in the world about the spread of germs (Adrianne Monk may have been the normal one all along). 

While change may be deeply ingrained into our society and our way of life, it certainly is not always easy or comfortable. 

As an employer, we are responsible for guiding ALL of our employees through change, both the innovators who are excited by the prospects of new processes and technologies and the creatures of habit who cling to the comfort of the status quo. With the below tips in mind, you can help ensure that all your employees feel valued and tied to the organization’s future while still pushing forward with organizational revisions: 

1. Reinforce the Organizational Mission and Vision: As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink it.  Well, it’s sort of true. If employees don’t feel emotionally connected to the firm’s end goal and don’t understand how their individual roles contribute to the overall success of the firm, change, even when it is implemented to get your firm closer to its strategic goals, will more likely than not result in failure. When a firm’s mission and vindicated visions are reinforced in the company’s daily activities, it leads its employees to have a greater understanding of the “why” behind the change. It allows them to feel more connected to it. Every leader should ask themselves in 2021: does everyone at my organization know what we are working towards on the micro and macro level? 
2. Promote Transparency: Change, for many, is uncomfortable and stress-inducing. It requires one to sacrifice routine, comfort, and control. However, this doesn’t always have to be the case. When it comes to change, information is power. The pieces of change that are the most terrifying are the parts that we can’t foresee; the unexpected. As a leader, it is our responsibility to promote open, and consistent two-way dialogue around changes affecting the business and employees. When the only piece of communication people hear regarding a monumental shift to their organization is a formal, prepared statement or email, employees tend to feel like they have been left in the dark and ignored. This feeling that your employer may be holding back important information can quickly be transmitted throughout the organization, causing panic and fear. 
3. Engage Your Employees:  If everyone knows where the firm is headed and believes in what values your firm stands for, they will be willing to participate and even mayor some of these change initiatives on behalf of the firm.  Getting your employees to emotionally and logically invest in your mission by engaging them and communicating the importance of their role, they will surprise you on how much they will go out of their way to help. By cultivating high employee engagement levels during times of change, leaders can engender a surprising amount of commitment and effort as they go out of their way to help.  
4. Promote Recognition: Recognize that change isn’t comfortable, that it can be intimidating, and requires a shift in thinking and practice. By understanding this, you will be in a position to make your employees feel more at ease and understood. When employees feel isolated by their fear of change that they can become overwhelmed with the pressure of the unknown. By taking the time to sit down with your people, screen to screen, so to speak, you will allow them the opportunity to communicate their opinions, feelings, and emotions. This also shows them that you are invested in their wellbeing. In addition, it is important to praise them publicly. These actions foster an emotional acceptance of change across your workforce that will inspire your people to continue to take individual measures to help foster it. 
5. Enable your People:  You can’t expect to evolve and elevate your firm without providing your team a clear path forward; make it easy for them. Give them the tools,  resources, platforms, training, and time needed to adapt to the change being brought forth effectively. 
6. Establish a Culture of Positive Transformation: As members of the built environment, change is a part of our DNA. We transform empty plots of land into bustling communities composed of vivacious structures and people and turn run-down buildings into grandiose skyscrapers. Our industry is dependent on continuous change and transformation. This culture of constant improvement and revision shouldn’t be confined to just our end product, but rather it should be integrated into our everyday work culture. When we as leaders encourage our people to propose new solutions, ideas and innovations, not only will they be more engaged with their work, but they also will be more mentally prepared for change as it is built into the culture.

Change, whether personal, political, or professional, isn’t easy. But with communicative, empathetic leadership, we can build a professional atmosphere that not only embraces change but encourages it.