The idea of organizational change in terms of structure, processes, style of working, and infrastructure (amidst digitization) can make your team feel uncertain. Maybe even anxious. On your part, and even for the team, there’s a sense of loss of control.
In this blog, we look at how you can maintain—or take back—control when bringing about change. We talk about how you can create some level of predictability, and help your team feel the same way.
By the end, you should feel primed to efficiently plan successful change and minimize the stress of the whole team as you lead them through the process.
Understanding Leading Through Change
So, what does leading people through change really mean?
Your first thought may be about communicating your vision for the planned organizational change and then getting the team to align their actions to meet the new way of doing things.
And you’re right.
But people resist change. And this is why change management also involves acknowledging and understanding the reasons for resistance, overcoming push-back, and getting employee buy-in.
People don’t resist change. They resist being changed!
Peter Senge, Scientist and Author
It helps to be strategic about how you lead your organization or team through this period. Here’s how:
- With the right balance of strength, firmness, confidence, and empathy, you can focus on what your team needs for them to benefit rather than burnout from the change
- When you lead change management successfully, you maintain productivity levels, loyalty, and trust. You turn change into a growth opportunity
- The best leaders use change to develop deeper bonds between the team and the organization
On the flip side, what happens if you fail to think critically about leading through change? The opposite of what we described above—low morale, damaged loyalty, diminished productivity, and the stress that comes from uncertainty and unmet adjustment needs.
The 3 Cs of Effective Leadership Through Change
Leading through change is all about communicating the ‘what’—that is, what needs to change—and what this means for your employees’ daily routine and their overall KPIs. But the ‘why’ is just as important. And that brings us to the three Cs of effective change leadership .
The three Cs of leading through change may be read as ‘clear-compelling-credible,’ ‘communication-collaboration-commitment,’ or ‘clarity-courage-commitment.’ While all of these are important, we’d say you need clarity, consensus, and consultation.
Clarity
You’re more likely to get employee buy-in when your team understands the rationale behind organizational change. You’re asking them to deal with all the struggles of a different routine, evolving systems, or a brand-new set of goals—the least you can do is tell them why. If possible (and true), tell them how successful change will benefit them.
Let’s understand this better with an example.
Imagine you’re leading a retail company and are switching to another e-commerce platform. Naturally, teams ranging from procurement and marketing to finance and customer service would need to acquaint themselves with the platform. It sounds like a lot of hassle over nothing.
But what if you explained how the move would benefit every team?
The promise of improved inventory management would help your procurement team view the change positively, welcoming the platform instead of resisting it.
Similarly, marketers will be less resistant to tools that help them do their jobs with greater speed and efficiency. And which customer service team won’t be buoyed at the prospect of fewer check-in glitches and reduced customer complaints after the initial flurry of customer queries around things like, “Where can I find my purchase history in your new store layout?”
Be sure to share KPIs and actionable roadmaps with teams and individuals in order to make your expectations clear. This not only formalizes your expectations but also offers the team a resource that they can reference daily.
Consensus
All this talk about people resisting change, but surely you’ve had your team approach you requesting change (like “let’s get this automation tool,” for instance).
The moral of the story? People embrace the changes that they propose. So why not lean into this notion as you lead your team through change?
Where possible, invite teams and individuals to guide, inform, and be part of the change process in whatever capacity is feasible. Start talking to them early in the ideation stage rather than after the fact.
In the example above, for instance, what if the e-commerce company’s leaders held a meeting before choosing a new platform? Imagine them asking teams what their top concerns were and then coming back, citing the platform as a solution to employee struggles.
Suddenly, the team feels a sense of accountability and investment in organizational change. They asked for improvements, and the organization has acted to alleviate their struggles.
Of course, you may not always have the option of including the whole team in some decisions. For example, what if you simply need teams to complete specific actions because it is crucial to compliance? There’s no question of involving the team in such a decision. Well, in such situations, you rely on the first C, that is, clarity.
💡Pro Tip: Showcasing “what if we didn’t do this” scenarios can create consensus, even around unilateral decisions guided by regulation or compulsion.
For example, you could highlight examples of how non-compliance can result in fines or loss of reputation. This way, even if your team wasn’t part of the decision, you’re all in agreement on the way ahead.
Consultation
Be available to your team for consultation during the change control process .
Depending on the size of your organization, you may also want to empower capable in-house ‘change champions’ (use any similar term) to assist when teams and individuals have questions or find themselves stuck.
In our e-commerce platform migration example from above, leaders may want to appoint a team of people who have worked with the platform you intend to switch to, in prior jobs. Alternatively, these may be people who are more confident with the platform because they were chosen for a special induction with the vendor or for whatever other reason.
Taking this to the larger context, if the organization finds itself out of its depth while navigating the change, working with an external consultant may help you avoid the pitfalls of going about it incorrectly.
If you’re worried about incremental spending, consider the cost of hiring a consultant against the price of not getting things right.
You may also want to consider how these optimizations will impact costs, revenue, and profitability. Suddenly, paying a fraction of those potential savings or earnings to get the job done right may not seem like such a bad idea. That said, do the math and know your tradeoffs.
There’s no overstressing the importance of the 3 Cs of leading through change. When you lead change with clarity and consensus and remain available for consultation, you lead change effectively—it becomes easy to transfer the leadership’s vision to those who actually execute it.
💡Pro Tip: While you may need to delegate consultation duties, remain open and approachable—making time and helping your team feel seen and valued at this time. You may not have all the answers all the time, but it helps when your team sees that you’re committed to finding answers together. The mark of a true leader is the ability to hold your own even amidst dissent. Besides, you’re doing this with the organization’s best interests in mind. Never lose sight of that.
Key Steps, Skills, and Strategies for Leading Through Change
The previous section geared you with the mindset you need to approach change successfully. In this section, we talk about exactly what you need to do. Let’s start by looking at the five steps of leading successful change initiatives, guided by the mindset pointers we covered in the previous section.
Step 1: Announce a clear vision for organizational change
You can start your announcement with an email and follow it up with a meeting (or adopt the reverse approach). Either way, offer the details of the change along with an explanation. Look to establish all that clarity and consensus we talked about as you communicate.
This communication should sound strong, confident, and firm. But don’t forget to read back your email (or planned speech) to ensure it has enough feeling. Bring enthusiasm and empathy to the conversation, depending on the context.
💡Pro Tip: Use ClickUp Brain’s AI writing assistant as your brainstorming partner in creating this communication and ensuring you get the message—and the tone—just right!
Step 2: Open the floor for questions and comments
“So, how are we feeling about this?” is a good way to start if you have made your announcement in a meeting.
Polls and questionnaires can follow up email and other forms of text communication (these can be anonymous). Send out verbal feelers to trusted parties and encourage them to do the same in their own teams and departments.
This feels daunting and is admittedly not going to be easy when met with dissent. But consider it an opportunity for open dialogue, a chance for you to put doubts to rest.
This is a forum for you to hear about adjustment needs so that you can make provisions. It’s a chance to understand the reason for resistance and find ways to overcome it. This is also when you obtain consensus by showcasing the less-than-desirable outcomes of not transforming.
💡Pro Tip: Want to help folks give you their honest feedback? Create anonymous surveys so that employees can voice their fears and doubts without hesitation. ClickUp Forms helps you create custom surveys and efficiently gather inputs.
Step 3: Outline what happens next
Walk into the change announcement meeting or message with a detailed plan of what happens next.
Sure, it’s possible that in some types of transformation, every department will experience the change uniquely and have a correspondingly unique action plan.
Nevertheless, most of the action items of individuals, teams, and departments are likely to impact and play off one another. Take time to figure out which parts of the plan need to be discussed in the org-level meetings and which can be delegated to department and team-level communication.
This is an opportunity for you to build confidence and allay the doubts and fears that accompany change. When your plan looks rock-solid and doable, your team is likely to feel less stressed.
Remember to outline timelines. Keep these realistic as much as possible to avoid creating unnecessary friction. Maintain a margin for delays.
Step 4: Address sustained resistance
Not everyone will speak up at the org-level meeting. You may get some reliable feedback from polls and surveys, but a lot of the team’s genuine sentiment will probably emerge in conversations.
That’s where your ‘change champions,’ department heads, and team managers come into the picture. They should not only outline team and individual-level expectations, action items, and resources around the change but also simply chat.
Ask people how they’re feeling over coffee (or a pizza treat?) with the team. Welcome candid remarks. Invite people to ask for time alone if they have questions they’re shy to ask or opinions they’re worried about expressing.
As you encourage your team to engage in post-announcement dialogue, underscore the need for mutual respect and empathy in these conversations.
Step 5: Count every win
In the flurry of checking off action items on the massive transformation plan you presented in step 3, it’s natural to keep your eye on the prize (and your foot on the accelerator). That said, take time to recognize—and celebrate—milestones. Applaud accomplishments. Express appreciation. Buy them cake.
Read more: Tips to motivate your team
What about remote teams?
If you have a remote or hybrid team, follow all of the above steps but insist on individual, friendly check-in phone calls. You can learn a lot from someone’s tone of voice and even more from a one-on-one interaction. Encourage people to turn on cameras for online meetings or at least put your own face out there to share the genuineness of the feelings we described in step one.
Before You Go Out There, Prepare Well
Leading through change is daunting, and this is where being prepared can help.
It’s a good idea for change leaders to spend time planning communication (right down to every word in an email or speech), focusing on listening (and not just hearing), putting themselves in their team’s shoes, and getting organized.
Communication
Transparent communication strategies are critical to leading through change. Plan the series of emails, speeches, and key messages that you intend to send out. Keep things honest, simple, and to the point. Offer a clear vision and facts related to proposed change initiatives instead of rhetoric.
Also read: Books to help brush up on your communication skills
Listening skills
As a leader, you’re probably already a good listener. Now’s the time to tap into this ability more than ever. This is what step two of the change process (and the consensus component of the 3 C’s) is all about.
Emotional intelligence
A high EQ is increasingly relevant to sound leadership, even when it’s business as usual. Read up online and subscribe to free resources that can help you sharpen these skills. Emotional intelligence helps you perceive emotions that aren’t expressed and respond accordingly.
Read more: Emotional intelligence at work
Task organization
Use a change management tool to streamline the process, track progress, and enable collaboration during change initiatives.
Here, change management software like ClickUp can help consolidate all your change management tasks on a single platform.
ClickUp Docs
It’s easy to make change planning collaborative with ClickUp Docs
With ClickUp Docs , you and your team can create, share, and collaborate on documents in real time. This streamlines the process of compiling and updating project briefs, meeting notes, strategy documents, and other documents that might contribute to your transition project.
You can centralize tasks, links, and comments by adding them directly to these documents.
Change leaders love ClickUp Docs because it allows them to:
- Create new resources with ease using ready-made templates
- Share instructions, ideas, and comments and circle back to them when needed
- Invite everyone to share their thoughts
ClickUp Whiteboards
ClickUp’s Whiteboards offer a platform to funnel ideas into action
With ClickUp Whiteboards , you can track your change management sprints and invite the team’s inputs on the path forward, thanks to its collaboration features. You can create multiple whiteboards and even invite guest users from vendor or client teams to access whiteboards when necessary.
People love ClickUp’s Whiteboards because they allow you to:
- Exchange ideas right where the work happens
- Involve external teams
- Turn ideas into action with ease
ClickUp Clips
End confusion and errors with video instructions using ClickUp Clips
Collaborating is less time-consuming and much faster with ClickUp Clips , which lets you record your screen, clip key information, and share these clips with your team. You can share instructions and new ways of doing things with complete clarity for teams to access at their convenience.
ClickUp’s users love this feature because it allows them to:
- Show, rather than tell, eliminating confusion and “lost in translation” errors
- Save clips for reuse, reducing the need for repetition (and more meetings!)
- Share automated transcripts for team members who prefer written instructions
Also helpful: The 3 Phases of Smooth Change Management
Start well with pre-built templates
ClickUp also supports you with useful resources, including helpful change management templates that help you plan and get the process underway.
ClickUp’s Change Management Checklist Template
ClickUp’s Change Management Checklist template
A great way to kickstart change initiatives is with a checklist, which is where ClickUp’s Change Management Checklist Template can come in handy.
This planning template allows you to identify your change objectives, outline relevant processes and protocols, prepare your teams for the transition, and track progress through each step of the change management process.
ClickUp’s Change Proposal Template
Drive structure to your change approval process with ClickUp’s Change Proposal Template
Another useful resource is ClickUp’s Change Proposal Template , which you can use when suggesting changes that need buy-in from decision-makers and business partners.
This planner helps you outline all the necessary steps and resources you need for successful change, create an actionable timeline and budget with confidence, and keep everyone in the loop about what’s happening and why.
ClickUp’s Change Management Simple Plan Template
ClickUp Change Management Checklist Template
If you’re a small business and want to keep things straightforward, ClickUp’s Change Management Simple Plan Template is where you want to get started.
This template helps you get started with an actionable plan even if you’ve never used a project planning and management tool before, create a plan, track changes, and identify issues effectively, and create and edit subcategories to suit your project’s unique context.
Get Ready to Manage Change Like a Leader
Leading through change need not be a painful exercise for you and your team, even if it comes with challenges and temporary adjustment issues.
A calculated approach, consistent communication, earnest listening, and showing your team the big picture can help you navigate the change with minimal friction.
In addition, prepare yourself to meet resistance with empathy and openness and account for the fact that you may need to meet naysayers individually, answer questions, and obtain alignment.
More than anything, dive into change armed with a plan and a platform, like ClickUp, that helps you implement that plan to perfection. Embarking on change in the near future? Sign up for ClickUp’s change management platform for free, and start lining up things to get off to a great start.