Make changes but not upset everyone

We don’t like it, we try to fight it, but change is one of the few constants in life.

Craig Mitchelmore, the head of digital company Intervate North, says change fatigue can sometimes be the biggest hurdle to change. This happens when employees “almost zone out at the thought of yet another disruption. The consequence of change fatigue is that people tend to default to a prior mode of working as it is a preference they already know.“Mitchelmore has the following advice on change:

It can be tempting to make the requisite changes with minimal communication to avoid a backlash about the process. “If a change is sprung on employees without their understanding of knowing why it is required, what the benefits are and what the impact is, they will likely reject it,” says Mitchelmore:

Do not try to cut corners and leave out training. “Users who are explicitly enlightened about how a new technology or update works, and how to achieve the best results from it, will be more inclined to adopt it,” he says; and

Do not make changes just for the sake of it. There must be a strategic business reason for introducing new technology.