Are changes always welcome? Not always. When it comes to getting people out of their routine, promoting change can become a big challenge for the company. Especially when it's represented by an external consultant, a “stranger” who comes to take everyone out of their comfort zone and dictate how things will be done from now on.
How should a consultant behave in the face of resistance? Confront the company's team, generating even more apprehension and insecurity, or deal with the situation calmly and with peace of mind, showing that changing can be much better than staying stuck where they are?
In this article, we'll show you that dealing with these situations can be much less painful than you imagine, as long as you make the right choices. Ready?
Strengthen communication
Before you even start working, check with the company you're consulting for to understand how internal communication works and how you can use it to start building a relationship with the team. What communication channels can you use? Is it possible to recommend articles, interviews, and other content to start planting the idea within the company?
Show the benefits of change
Resistance to change is a natural reaction, but you can reduce the team's level of insecurity by explaining the benefits that can result from it. Gather people and explain the company's objective, your role as a consultant, and what these changes will bring in terms of improvements, such as reduced rework, increased productivity, greater production efficiency, better customer service, and updated company technology, etc.
Calm the nerves
One of the factors that most impacts times of change is the fear of layoffs, organizational realignments, changes in management, or any other consequence that affects relationships. When explaining the benefits of the change, take the opportunity to reassure people. State that the consultancy's focus is to improve everyone's daily work and that, if any kind of staff reduction is necessary, it will be the company's board of directors who will make the announcement. After all, consultancy is an organizational guidance service.
Involve people in the process
A sense of belonging is fundamental for people to support changes and stop resisting them. Therefore, involve them in the entire process, ask, listen, question, observe, and invite employees to get involved and commit to this new vision. Make sure each person knows their role in this new organization and believes they are crucial for the change to be a success.
Train
You don't have to provide the training yourself, but at least indicate the necessary training for the team to be ready for the change. If the company is going to switch to project management, employees must know how to behave; if it is going to undergo a process change, employees also need to know how it works. Empowered people find it easier to adopt new habits, which can make the change much smoother.
Help with adaptation
Changes don't happen overnight, and you'll inevitably see resistance here and there. It could be due to stubbornness, lack of knowledge, or insecurity about new processes. What can you do in this situation? Help with adaptation, talk to people, ask about their difficulties, and be willing to teach again. When everyone truly feels ready, the change will already be complete.
How do you deal with resistance to change? Do you have any other tips that could complement our post? Leave your comment!
