Managing Organizational Change
By the Staff of REACH
Nearly every organization faces challenges in managing communication and conflict. These issues are heightened in times of transition, when anxieties are most likely to surface. This edition of the Toolbox is compiled from conversations with the staff of REACH of Cherokee County, who shared the lessons they learned when they turned their own transition into a time of improvement and growth.
Remember what’s important. “For REACH, the most important thing is the clients that we serve. We have to keep them in our minds and our hearts, in whatever we do. So remember what’s important to you. Use that as your base.”
Have an outside facilitator. “Having someone from outside, a mediator, helps a great deal. To help you see the things you’re not seeing, or say the things you’re not saying directly. A facilitator can also help make issues more concrete, so you have to face them and deal with them. Good facilitation gives you tools you can work with, and having used those tools you’ll became more confident, to know that you can do it yourselves.”
Have a retreat. “What we do is stressful, so having that break for a day relaxes you and gets you back on track. Our staff retreat was really a triumph, a turnaround, that opened a lot of doors for us…Just the gesture alone, that you care enough to get away from the office to discuss things…That sets you in motion for other good things to follow.”
Be open and honest, even when it’s hard. “Sometimes you just have to put the fear to the side and say what needs to be said. Express your thoughts, but speak for yourself. Start with, ‘I think…’ or, ‘In my opinion,’ or, ‘This is how I’m feeling…’ Being able to say what you want to say, being able to speak your mind…that’s a huge help. Communication builds that bridge of trust.”
Build trust through commitment. “When you tell somebody you’re going to do something, you must carry through. You build trust by doing that.”
Leaders ask for involvement. “A good leader will put out ideas and say, ‘What do you think? Give me some feedback.’ A good leader walks hand-in-hand with her employees.”
Learn from your differences. “Learn to appreciate each other. Because you’re all special, and you’ve all got something to offer. Keep an open mind…And try walking in someone else’s shoes, by doing that person’s job for a day. You might realize it isn’t as easy as it looked from outside, and you also might have ideas to make things work better.”
Be flexible. “Realize everything’s not out of a book. People think that things have to happen like the book says. But things affect everyone differently. You just have to go with the flow!”
Be patient with yourself. “The hardest part for me was the chaos of changing positions, and thinking that I had to change it all in a day. But now I know better. The chaos...it’s to be expected for a while. It’s okay.”
Be patient with each other. “You need to have patience with one another in the organization. Change takes time. And even if you don’t see a change on the exterior, it may have changed something inside. And that’s important, because change took place; whether you saw it or not, it does take place within.”
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