Change is inevitable. Gone are the days when companies could keep using the same strategies for decades. The rapid advancements in technology and culture have forced companies to evolve and become better.
However change is also notoriously hard for companies. Organizations work hard to create business processes and work culture. When they are tasked with changing everything because of a technological or cultural change it becomes a daunting task.
Bigger organizations have a much harder time managing time coping with change because they have to ensure that thousands of employees are on the same page. That is why change management training is necessary for all the key stakeholders in the organization.
Why Managing Change is Hard for Companies
Change is difficult for companies because over time a company’s work practices become standardized. When you try to change them it causes a panic in employees.
Employees who have been doing well in the old way of working are scared because they don’t know if they will still be able to perform just as well in the new way of doing things. This is often seen in companies that have been acquired by another company or when two companies merge.
Employees that are the best performers know that they are appreciated by management and rewarded accordingly. They have no idea if the new management or the new management structure will be similarly beneficial for them. Change management training focuses on ensuring that the employees do not panic by highlighting their key concerns and discussing methods to tackle these concerns.
Training Allows People to Embrace Change
Change isn’t just hard for organizations; it is just as hard to change something in our life. Anyone who has tried to change their behavior or break a habit (such as going on a diet or trying to quit smoking) will know how hard it is.
When you apply this to an organization the same feeling is amplified by every employee sharing their insecurity with everyone else. However training manages to overcome this hurdle completely.
When you provide change management training to the people they know what they are in for. It familiarizes change and allows people to understand how it can be brought. Think of it as a river going one way. If it starts going the other way then there will be 3 kinds of people. Some people will still try to swim against the current and fail.
Some others will try to stay right where they are and fail as well. The third group will simply start swimming with the new current and succeed. Training helps convert people from the first two groups into the third group.
Change management training is especially important now thanks to rapidly changing technology requirements. Cloud computing, business analytics, and other information technology developments have made change a necessity for companies that want to compete in today’s market. Proper training will ensure that companies can shift from antiquated ways of working to new ones with an increase in productivity instead of a drop.
