Managing People And The Process Of Change Part 3 Managing The People

Managing change in your business, or in turnaround management consulting, is not just an abstract process, it is one which affects real people. This article looks at some of the techniques turnaround firms use in managing people while implementing change management.

When managing staff it is important to recognise that your staff are all individuals with their own personalities. They will each be motivated by, and fear, different things.

To illustrate what I mean, for a moment please imagine there are only two types of people in the world. We will call these square and round pegs respectively.

You as an entrepreneur may be driven by success (and fear failure). Some of your staff may be motivated by receiving praise and recognition, and conversely may fear rejection. Both you and these types of employees may often be quick to take decisions, and are restless, active, and open for change (let's call you the 'square pegs').

Most of your staff are unlikely to be like this however. Many will simply value security and structured policies within which to work ('so they know where they stand') and fear change, uncertainty or conflict (let's call them the 'round pegs').

In normal times it therefore makes sense to manage your staff in a way that is appropriate to them.

So for example, your production staff are likely to be 'round pegs'. They will work best in the round holes of structured work when they are managed in a round peg way, for example with detailed instructions and procedures on how to do their particular job.

Your sales staff may well tend to be 'square pegs', in square holes, who need to be managed in a square peg way with clear targets of sales to achieve and lots of praise when they succeed.

So, to be effective at making change happen, you need to manage the way you go about changing things to match the needs of your staff.

If your pace of change is fast, while square peg staff may well be comfortable with this, your rush to change things can frighten your round peg staff. You and your other square peg staff may therefore need to slow the pace of change and provide more support to the round pegs if these staff are to feel secure in their ability to handle change.

If however your speed of change is slow, then while you will be moving at a pace that your round peg staff may be more comfortable, your square peg staff may well be frustrated by the rate of change and you may need to quicken the tempo to keep them with you.

Particularly with 'round peg' staff, managing change can often be about building their confidence in their ability to change and this is helped by:

• providing support through training and information

• building trust through two-way communication, avoidance of criticisms of the past, allowing failures and demonstrating that you appreciate that success may take time.

So, to decide the best approach to helping your staff make the changes happen that you want, think about who your staff are, what will motivate them, and what speed they will most comfortable moving at.

About the Author

Mark Blayney is an accredited business rescue expert and business author. For more information on turnaround management consulting, a free copy of his 13 Key Steps Guide to managing a turnaround, or a free referral to a local expert, contact him at: http://www.gpsuk.biz

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