Supporting Change is a Crucial Skill

So how do you compete in the face of constant change? Let’s face it; change has become a constant in business. You know your marketplace is rife with wrinkles due to an ever-changing economy and other variables that may be out of your control.

Some Perspective

As a manager you are doing well each day if you can cross one thing off your list. But what about your employees, are they fairing as well? There is an old adage that it all rolls down hill. As the pressure of constant change rolls, often the changes become more complicated and difficult to control.

Your managers need to deal with the emotions, fear and anxiety that come with change as they interact with their team members.

I’ve often experienced organizations where strategies seem to change with the way the wind blows. At least that is how it is perceived by employees. My friend Dennis was a manager of a telemarketing firm a few years ago. Changes in the "No Call" listing and a shift from outbound to inbound marketing strategies caused a major disruption in the way the company was doing business. Employees lived in fear of losing their jobs and wondering whether or not they would fit in. Turnover was an immediate problem and the "survivors" were left with more fear and oppression of re-training and new rules.

Dennis came to me with this fundamental problem: How could he give his team leaders the skills to lead call center teams through the change, with minimal turnover and maximum productivity? I told him that my experience has been that if team leaders can develop their skills to support and manage change, they can have a direct impact on the success of the organization.

To make this kind of impact, team leaders need to:

• Understand why change happens and how people react to it.
• Learn how to support the team member’s as they struggle with change.
• Involve team members in a change initiative by promoting their understanding and ownership of the change and its benefits.
• Plan for individual or group follow-up sessions that support the change process and reinforce personal and organizational goals.


Managers need to understand and interpret change to prepare them to more successfully manage their team through it. By working to support change and at the same time addressing the team’s comfort level with that change, the manager can more effectively facilitate acceptance of a new way of doing things.

Change can be good! New initiatives can gain acceptance more quickly. Lost productivity, turnover and decreased performance can be minimized...if managers are trained to "manage change".

How effective are your managers at supporting change? Contact Mindy Seiffert to see how you can help your managers improve.