A
Th e
Component Manufacturing dverti$er
Don’t Forget! You Saw it in the
Adverti$er
February 2020 #12247 Page #50
Are Your Managers Equipped for Change?
Ben Hershey 4Ward Consulting Group, LLC
sk yourself this question, true or false: The most resistant group of employees in many component and LBM companies is the frontline employees? If you answered true, like most people you guessed incorrectly. It’s not our frontline employees who resist change the most, it’s the managers, the ones who are expected to lead employees through change. And sometimes, the higher level the manager, the more resistant they are to change.
A
This fact should not surprise us, because managers and supervisors are often overlooked and not involved as much as they should be in the change process. As change management plans are developed and implemented, there’s a natural tendency to focus on the employees directly affected by the change, the ones who have to do something different. Because of their title and position, managers and supervisors are presumed to be on board and able to manage the change. This is problematic because, until recently, change leadership and change management skills have not been a prerequisite for management positions, nor has formal training been provided through traditional “Management 101” training channels. But especially now as our industry continues to evolve, we need our managers to be equipped with the tools for change, so they can be more proactive and more focused on change management in our companies. Two remedies are needed. First, managers are employees too and need to be helped through their own change transition. And second, managers need to be given the knowledge and tools to help them lead their employees through change. Ignoring the needs of managers complicates and compounds change resistance, which results in frustrated employees, delays, added cost, and missed returns. When manager resistance surfaces, adding to resistance from frontline employees, the result is disappointed stakeholders and sponsors of the change initiative. Positioning managers to successfully lead change isn’t complicated. But you need to know what to do and what not to do. Here are five do’s and don’ts for preparing managers and supervisors: 1. Do: Involve managers and frontline employees during the design and development phase of the initiative. Both roles will need to deal with the solution, whether performing it or knowing how to perform it. Plus, they need to understand how it relates to other business policies, practices, systems, and structures. Giving them a voice in the solution also promotes buy-in and ownership. Don’t: Assume managers don’t have time to participate because of their current duties or that training them later will suffice. Continued next page
PHONE: 800-289-5627
Read/Subscribe online at www.componentadvertiser.com
FAX: 800-524-4982