Managing Continual Change

How did you feel when your alarm clock sounded on your first day back at work in January? Were you alert and raring to go, optimistic about the challenges that lie ahead? Or did you wake up with a sinking feeling and think ‘here we go again!’? As leaders, managing change and continuous challenge is part of our remit. We are responsible for helping and supporting our teams to navigate change and its wide-ranging impacts whilst maintaining morale, productivity and employee satisfaction. This is not an easy task, but it isn’t impossible. In order to do this effectively you first need to find yourself in a positive mindset.

Whether you are motivated or apprehensive about what changes 2025 will bring to your workplace, this blog offers useful insight and helpful tips on managing the continual change we expect during the year ahead. 

Change is inevitable

Organisational change will be inevitable in 2025 as leadership teams continue to find themselves under pressure to optimise resources, identify efficiencies and explore ways of doing more with less. Evolving AI and automation technologies will impact how we lead and manage people. Hybrid working requires continual adjustments to leadership styles and culture. Recruiting new talent remains a challenge and both people and organisations will be impacted by changes in the much-anticipated Employment Rights Bill - the full extent of which is not yet known.

In this constant drive for efficiency a leader has two options. You can choose to feel uncertain, burnt out and overwhelmed or you can choose a positive outlook and feel excited about the possibilities that change can bring. One key thing to bear in mind when making your decision is that the mindset you adopt will impact on your team.

Managers have a responsibility to set the tone for organisational change by leading by example. A positive attitude towards change will help your team feel positive and optimistic about the opportunities change can bring. Enthusiasm is infectious - as is uncertainty.

Are you feeling more ‘Here we go again’ than ‘Let’s go!’ this year? Call 0161 941 2426 to book a chat with one of our friendly HR Consultants and rediscover your leadership mojo!

Be a positive presence in times of change

Imagine you are stuck in a lift. Would you rather be in there with panicky Polly or calming Catherine? We know which person we’d prefer to be trapped in a confined space with! When you find yourself in a scary, uncertain or changing situation, it is comforting to have a positive presence around you. It’s no secret that when employees feel their manager is supportive and invested in their success, they are more likely to feel engaged at work and able to cope with change.    

There are several techniques leaders use to reduce the fear and uncertainty of workplace change. Here are our top six:

1. Clear communication - Communicating messages of change with clarity and honesty will reduce feelings of fear and unease within your team. If your team senses that you are comfortable with the situation, they are more likely to feel the same. Prepare for Q&As in advance so you respond with confidence and keep your door and inbox open for further questions about the changes and their impacts after your initial communication has landed.

1. Make change manageable - Don’t be too fast to implement changes. You may have known about them for a while, but your team will still be processing this new information and what it means for them. Everyone deals with change at their own pace. Change needs to be planned and implemented at a manageable pace to allow for initial resistance and avoid burnout through ‘too much too soon’.

1. Involve employees in decisions - One way to increase ownership of the change process is to invite employees to get involved in the planning and decision-making process. Allowing your team to have some control in changes that will affect them can feel empowering and less like the change is happening to them. Offer a variety of open (public) and closed (anonymous) channels to cater for different preferences.

1. Learn through failure - Fear of failure creates an emotional barrier to change that is hard to overcome. By refusing to try new things or alternative approaches to solving problems, we think we are protecting ourselves when in fact we are refusing a valuable opportunity to learn. When you create a culture of experimentation and encourage your team to do things differently, you will develop open-minded individuals who are comfortable with learning from mistakes and, as a result, are more open to change.

If you are looking to enhance your change management leadership skills, we would love to hear from you. Book a free advisory call and ask how we can help.

1. Develop confidence through training - Growing our skillset equips us to be more adaptable and can increase our ability and capacity to cope with change. In preparation for a programme of change, you might devote time to growing and developing the skills your team needs to adapt to new processes or technologies. So, when change arises, your team should feel more confident going through it. Read more about Upskilling and Reskilling your People.

1. Build a healthy, resilient team - Good physical and mental health supports us to navigate stressful and emotional situations. Teams with solid, healthy foundations will be more resilient when faced with change in the workplace. As a leader you can support your team to develop their resilience by learning stress management techniques and explaining what a healthy work-life balance looks like. Don’t forget this applies to you as well as your team. It’s not up to you to bear the burden of change or protect your team from the inevitable, but you can encourage them to be in the best possible position to navigate it.

Strategies for leading through change

There you have our top six strategies for leading your team through continual workplace change. We anticipate plenty of changes ahead. Proper planning preparation, clear communication and robust training will support both you and your team to navigate times of change and transform it from something that feels done to us and uncertain, to something achievable that we are in control of.

Further reading

For more advice on leading and managing change, take a look at our free eBook Leadership Communications in the Digital Age, and our blogs on Change Management and Being a Good Leader.

How we can help

If you’d like to discuss any of the issues covered in this blog, get in touch with us today on 0161 941 2426. We’re here to help.