Many of our public and private sector clients are undergoing changes in the Workplace driven by technology innovation, evolving customer demands that impact business operations, shifts in employee desires for flexibility and work-life balance, aging infrastructure, and evolving thinking related to how space is designed for optimal performance. What is more, federal mandates for agencies to reduce the physical footprint is driving our federal government clients to drastically shift the way they think about space usage and allocation.

With these shifts, many organizations are feeling the pain of change. Why is change in the workplace particularly hard? Most people spend eight or more hours a day in the office and get attached to “their space.” Space is often used as a status symbol, and the idea of reducing or taking away space is jarring on a personal level. People also often feel a loss of control and uncertainty or fear of losing their jobs in the midst of any organizational change – especially with changes to physical space, which are always incredibly tangible and often disruptive.

Feelings of anxiety are heightened when communication is poor and employees feel that they have no outlet for input during workplace change. Often, changes are announced and implemented with poor communications about the benefits for employees or return on investment for the organization and its stakeholders.

Overcoming the Obstacles to Change

Change in any setting is easier if you understand what drives and motivates people. As economist Everett Rogers taught, people adopt change along a natural bell curve. If you’re embarking on a workplace change, it is critical that you understand the signs and motivations of:

• People who are natural innovators – first on the curve – who identify and/or are first to move out on the ideas for change
• The early majority who are always first to adopt ideas of the innovators and who will pull the late majority along with them
• And very importantly, the staunch resistors, or laggards, who will fight you along the way, throw up roadblocks, and in the end, will never fully get on board

Rather than waste time and resources on people who will never come along, it is actually best to identify and acknowledge these people, mitigate any risks or roadblocks they present, and instead turn your attention and resources to the early majority. Focus on early majority members, share your workplace Vision with them, answer their questions, and it will propel them into that future vision.

Strategies for Managing Change

So how do you manage workplace change at a social and cultural level to ensure continuity of operations, alignment with enterprise strategy, and maintained organizational performance and morale throughout? Here are six strategies for managing workplace change:

1. Start with a common vision and ground changes in business goals: Don’t assume everyone is automatically on the same page at all levels related to workplace changes. Bring leadership together at the start and routinely throughout the change process to get aligned around a shared vision for the future workplace. In these discussions, identify specifically how the future workplace supports overarching organizational or business goals. Communicate the vision and business drivers and goals to managers, employees, and stakeholders early and often so that they can begin seeing their part or stake in the change.
2. Have a clear process for governance: At the start of the workplace change project, decide with the leadership team how decisions will be made and who should be involved in decision-making throughout the course of the project. Communicate this decision-making process to stakeholders and employees so that they understand how decisions will be made. If the organization has a labor union, board, or unique stakeholder group, understand how and when these groups should be informed or engaged. Skipping this step can derail the project or delay decisions down the road.
3. Identify places for employee engagement: To keep employees informed, motivated, and engaged, identify some opportunities to engage employees. Employees often provide excellent ideas – so give them the opportunity. Perhaps include them in the up front visioning about their ideal workplace, or later on ask them to provide more specific areas for input like the “identity” of their space – such as an art feature, conference room names, or even one or two finishing choices or color selections. Identifying a few areas for employee input will give employees a place to share their voice in the process and will build feelings of ownership and excitement about the space.
4. Test or pilot things that feel radically different: If leadership’s vision for the space is radically different from the space employees sit in and use today, allow people to experience and test the change first. For example, if the future space will include new collaboration space, lower walls between workstations, or new technology, provide tours or demos to allow employees to get hands on with the new features. Gather feedback and comments during this testing period to incorporate into the final design.
5. Have a targeted, consistent communication strategy: The key to any successful change effort is effective communications. Consider your entire stakeholder landscape, and develop a tailored messaging strategy for each distinct stakeholder group. Identify your strongest allies and recruit them for change champion roles. Ask them to spread the message among their colleagues about the benefits of the workplace change. Strategically “place” champions inside different departments, and bring them together periodically to share insights and gain energy from each other.
6. Finally – make it fun and celebrate successes! Remember to incorporate a little fun to the change process – both in engagement activities with employees and stakeholders and within the workplace planning team itself. Remember to acknowledge team, employee, and vendor contributions, and celebrate milestones and successes with reflections and acknowledgements. This will help maintain momentum, boost morale and excitement, and reduce change fatigue.

For vendors, designers, A/E firms, and facilities managers, understanding the dynamics of change adoption and resistance – or partnering with someone who does – will go a long way in helping your client buy into and adopt changes that will benefit their organization and drive business successes!

Have a question about how to manage workplace change? Subscribe to The Clearing’s newsletter or contact us to learn more about successfully navigating change.

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