QUOTATION 59

PETER DRUCKER ON THE NEED FOR CONTINUITY IN A PERIOD OF CHANGE

Use this as the basis for your plan to reassure staff during a period of change.

Peter Drucker (1909–2005), the most influential of all management writers, was interested in all aspects of management, including change management. With his usual insight, he identified that, in many organisations, there is a disjunction between the organisation’s change agenda and people’s need for continuity and consistency, namely:

Organisations that are change leaders are designed for change. But people need continuity … they do not function well if the environment is not predictable, not understandable, not known.

Peter Drucker

WHAT TO DO

  • In any change situation, staff need to be reassured that after the upheaval they will still have a job and a future. As manager, you are responsible for providing that reassurance.
  • Aim to give staff as much information as possible about how the change will affect them and their work and what training they will be given to help them adjust to the new environment.
  • Provide all staff with the training they need to operate effectively in the post-change world. Knowing that they will be able to cope will reduce the levels of stress that staff feel. This means that they will be more willing to listen to you and others during the transition and are less likely to be seduced by claims that ‘We’re all doomed.’
  • Involve staff in the design of the change as early as possible. This will give them some reassurance that they have at least a modicum of control over events and that their voice is being listened to. It will also build trust between you and the staff so that, down the line, when you speak to them they are more likely to believe you.
  • Regular and continuous communication between you and staff is vital. Encourage staff to discuss their fears and concerns. Use every means you can to get your message and reassurances across, including formal and informal meetings, email, newsletters, casual conversations and management by walking about (MBWA) (see Quotation 54). Use these walks to discover what staff really think and feel about the change. Always answer people’s questions as fully as possible. If you can’t answer a question, say so and promise to get them an answer within the next 24 hours.
  • Never try to bamboozle people with management speak or technical jargon. Talk to them in plain, clear, simple English and always deliver on any promises you make.
  • Appoint change champions from front-line staff (see Quotation 57). One of their key tasks will be to show staff how, despite the changes, there will still be a role for them after the change and that, although relationships with colleagues and managers may alter, they will not disappear.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • How good am I at involving staff in planning and decision making?
  • Do staff think that I’m approachable or stand-offish?
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