Steering business through the inevitability of change - Kirsty Maynor

Any change strategist will tell you 70 per cent of initiatives fail in a corporate environment. I strongly believe the lack of success is due to change continuing to be done in a top-down, senior-led format that doesn’t effectively recognise the needs of post-pandemic employees.

There are two key factors which are really significant when successfully managing change.

First, putting change into context for employees.

Context has always played an important part in the success or failure of organisational change, and it is more important now than ever. Context is vital because employees are not in the same headspace as they were three years ago. We’re living in a very different social and economic environment. Organisations leading people through change need to take the new landscape into consideration by having open and involved conversations about what the change looks like for the individuals and teams involved.

To fully understand context, change needs to be discussed from the ground up instead of in a trickle-down format. What’s more, leaders need to stick with the questions before rushing to the answers.

Second, we need to leverage the skills and requirements employees developed during the pandemic to create the most effective change.

During the pandemic we were catapulted into an environment where change was happening incredibly quickly. For possibly the first time ever most of us were kept informed of – and involved with – organisational change and decision-making on a daily basis. This replaced the culture of monthly or quarterly updates, and employees adjusted to those new ways of working. For many it made them feel involved and engaged in their organisations in a way they were never before.

The transformation of our working lives in 2020-21 meant there were a lot more bottom-up, frontline staff-led change initiatives. High expectations were placed on employees and they were given more autonomy because the situation dictated it. We all had to adjust in order to make things work.

Post-pandemic employees have gained a greater understanding of their work preferences, whether it’s flexible working, a greater emphasis on wellbeing or a more inclusive attitude to business decisions. Many organisations that don’t understand their employees’ shift in perspective have faced high staff turnover, where staff are leaving for organisations that better suit their needs.

It worries me that instead of embracing these developments, many organisations are moving backwards towards a more traditional change management approach based around: setting out the corporate vision, laying down expectations and engaging stakeholders.

Although these elements still play an important role in change management, they’re no longer the most effective way organisations can engage people with change. Post-pandemic change leadership needs to be more about empowering, resourcing and engaging employees with organisational change. Get this right and leaders will see change as an opportunity rather than a threat.

Kirsty Maynor, Founder and CEO, Firefly Group