Managing Change in Workplace #3

If there is a change happening in an organization, it is natural for the employees to feel unsafe & insecure. We all resist the unknown. As an employee, the following are the things that I would recommend to do when you see the change taking place in your organization.

• Believe in the management. They are doing this for the good of the company. Remember they are also stakeholders in the company as you are.
• Look at change from your manager's perspective. Does it help him in organizing his people and tasks better? Is he not becoming more efficient & effective?
• Find out the new tasks for you that you may have to do in your new role. Also contemplate as to how the change helps you to grow as a person (& not just career).
• Don’t draw conclusions on the first day itself. Wait till the system stabilizes after the change. The normal time for a system to stabilize after a change is considered to be three weeks.
• If you have been asked to get rid of some your responsibilities, find out the reason. Are you not good enough for it, or has somebody else has arrived who do the job better than you? In either case, do not blame the management.
• Finally, if you are not satisfied, leave with dignity. You don’t want people to curse you once you are gone. They should miss you.
• Keep in touch with your formal colleagues. Find out whether the change was successful in its objectives or not. This information may help you in case your current organization is planning the same change.

Remember, once you are through the initial tough period, most likely you will love the change.