Change is the new normal

In an era of unprecedented technological disruption, change is the new normal. It means that leading change is a fundamental requirement of today’s people leaders.

It’s a fact Niamh O’Beirne sees on a daily basis in her role as a partner in EY’s People Advisory Services.

A large part of her work is about helping clients identify, introduce and manage change in their organisations.

While technology can be both a cause of change, and a solution to it, people play a central role. “You can develop new systems and processes, but unless you bring your people along with you, it’s unlikely to have the desired impact,” says O’Beirne.

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The key to managing change is to ensure your people are part of the process. “It’s about engaging people right from the point where the change is being developed, and getting buy-in from them for it.”

By its nature, change is hard. “Many of us are not entirely comfortable with change, even when it’s for the better. We are more comfortable with what we know and change is an unknown,” she says.

For it to work, the groundwork should be laid well in advance. “It’s about having the right organisational culture, and leaders have a huge impact on that. If, for example, they appear agile, flexible and comfortable with change, that’s the tone they set for the organisation.”

It’s about building “change capability.” Change capability is about helping staff to acquire the tools and techniques needed to manage through change. “The key question now is do you change your people or do you change the way your people work? In a world where the retention of talent is so important, it’s about changing the way your people work,” she says.

Many organisations find this a challenge. “The bigger they are and the longer they are established, the more difficult it can be to change mindsets,” says O’Beirne. Having worked with well-known organisations in both the public and private sector, she believes it’s equally a challenge across both sectors.

Part of what prevents people from being comfortable with change is that they often view it as a risk. “They need to know they have a voice, that the change is not something that is coming to them as an end product to be imposed on them.”

Communication is key, including choosing people who are good communicators to participate in change-related meetings, so they can go back and inform colleagues about what is going on, so that they can be brought along too,” she says.

The biggest enemy to change is the fear that arises from feeling in the dark. “You can never over-communicate. Don’t try to tailor the message to what you think people want to hear.”

The design phase of large transformation programmes is where you develop an understanding of what the change will look like. “The design process is very important. From a communications perspective, it’s about being upfront during the design phase, and outlining what we know and what we don’t know at any given time. People’s anxieties often stem from a sense that they don’t know the answers. People want honesty.”

It’s important to co-create, O’Beirne says. Organisations should encourage their people to participate in the big transformation programmes going on. “We advise our clients to offer the opportunity to their people to participate in the design of any large-scale change. We find this has a very positive impact on change adoption.”

Happy employees lead to happy customers, which makes for better business

However, not all change is structural. Even the way we work is changing. “Whether you call it the gig or the flex economy, the way people work will become increasingly flexible, so it’s important to figure out what that means for organisational culture, and how best to manage it,” she says.

Another driver of change is the way in which employees increasingly expect the same experience as customers in terms of interacting with their employer. It makes sense to provide that. “After all, happy employees lead to happy customers, which makes for better business,” she says.

“Wellness programmes can play a huge part in that, whether it’s yoga at work or support for physical or mental health. Employees increasingly look for purpose too, and being clear on your organisational purpose can help with engagement and retention. Purpose is also equally important for leading large transformation programmes and we encourage our clients to leverage purpose in solving their most complex organisational challenges.”

Salary alone is no longer enough. In a seller’s market, it’s a given. If leaders can provide an environment with a sense of wellbeing and purpose, listening to and supporting their staff through major change, their organisations will benefit greatly. Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people.

People want to do well and do good. They want to understand how they’re making a difference in the world. Things change all the time, but your organisation’s purpose transcends any individual product or service.

At the very least, “it should mean that if someone is offered an extra 10 per cent from another employer, they are unlikely to make the move.”