Change can come in a variety of forms. It could show up as a slow and steady incremental change, like an adjustment your team makes to a product made over time. Or it could present itself as a hard-hitting, unexpected change, like a widespread security breach.
No matter how change materializes in your company, if your team is left unprepared, your entire organization could be at risk. The key to coming out of it unscathed (and possibly even better than before) is to accept and embrace change altogether. For leaders, this means developing strong change preparedness in your teams.
What Is Change Preparedness?
Change preparedness is a high-level measurement of your team’s potential to actively engage with a specific change. In other words, change preparedness asks the question, “How open is your team to change?”
The Importance of Being Open to Change
If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that change has the power to completely disrupt and dismantle your organization. But it’s important to remember you’re not powerless.
You may not always know when change will hit or what it’ll look like when it does, but you do know one thing for certain: Change is inevitable. It will happen.
Acknowledging and accepting that is the key to being properly prepared for change.
Because when change hits, it’s ultimately our reactions and responses to it that will determine how it’ll impact us.
If we panic or resist, the change will only hit us that much harder. We’ll lack the stability in our teams to divide and conquer. We’ll lack the clarity to find solutions or identify next steps. We’ll always be one step behind, stuck and struggling in the chaos.
But if we’re open to change, we won’t waste as much time, energy or resources fighting against it. We’ll be able to remain calm, think strategically and focus on ways to adapt. We’ll be free to work within the change and find ways to make it work for us.
By building change preparedness and ensuring our teams remain open to the possibility of change, we can stay one step ahead of the curve. Our teams will maintain a positive attitude and willingness to accept change, which will equip them to navigate change effectively when it inevitably comes.
Measuring Your Team’s Change Preparedness
To get an idea of your team’s openness to change, you can start by taking a look at their history. A few warning signs to look out for:
· Resistance to New Tools or Technology
Think back to a time when your organization implemented a new software or introduced a new tool to the team. Did they respond poorly or express dissatisfaction with the tool or software? Were they reluctant to complete training?
· Passion for Tradition
Have you noticed your team advocates heavily for upholding certain traditions? Have team members insisted that new practices or policies were unnecessary? You may have heard the phrase “That’s always how we’ve done it.”
· High Anxiety Around Unknowns
When faced with uncertainty in previous situations, has your team shown signs of stress, fear or frustration? Did any team members express that the lack of clear answers caused them to experience significant anxiety or discomfort?
· Inflexibility
Have you found that certain team members follow their roles and responsibilities strictly? Have they shown any signs of hesitancy or defensiveness when asked to explore new methods than those they’re comfortable with?
Change happens whether we like it or not. All we can do is try to be ready for it when it comes. Measuring change preparedness is the first step leaders can take towards building a more resilient workforce capable of handling any change, big or small, and thriving in it.