5 Change Management Strategies for SMBs

Change management strategies are critical to the success of any change initiative in a
company, whether it’s a specific, targeted transition within a department or significant
digital transformation across the organization. Here are five best practices for your
change management steps within small and medium businesses:

1. Start from the top

Changes which affect the fundamental operation of the business will affect the
company’s culture. Therefore, such changes must start from the C-suite.

The role of leadership during periods of change is well documented in management

research. For example, research around leadership during mergers has found that
when leaders took a more active role in change management, the merger process itself
produced a more positive work environment.

The leader’s presence, guidance, and support signaled to their employees that they
knew about and supported what was happening. It allayed fears, reduced anxiety, and
helped employees feel more confident about the future.

Change which starts at the top reflects a committed, invested, unified leadership that’s
on the same page about the future of the company. It’s the only way you will be able
to elicit and promote the culture needed to encourage the rest of the company to
embrace change.
 2. Make sure the change is necessary and desirable

Introducing too much too soon can often be a huge problem down the line if a
business doesn’t have a solid strategy in place.

It’s no secret that many digital transformation efforts end in failure or fail to meet
expectations, often to a concerning degree.
One of the primary reasons for this is that decision makers are unsure of how to
correctly approach a digital transformation and the impact it will have on their
business.

A lack of a comprehensive audit can lead to the implementation of solutions which are
unnecessary for an organization’s needs, meaning added costs, additional training, and
increased—often unrealistic—expectations

Related Post: Managed Service Providers: What to Look for in a Partnership

It is all the more pertinent for SMBs that are pursing digital transformation to be
conscious of the effects that the introduction of new solutions will have on the
company.

Will the proposed solutions be an overall benefit to the operational capacity of the
organization, accounting for staff onboarding and familiarity issues? And this leads us
to the next point.

3. Minimize disruption

What employees feel is necessary or desirable change may vary from department,
level, or performance record. The main indicator? How much a change disrupts their
daily role.

As many executives will know, having to change existing processes within an

organization can be a headache. Mitigating the effects of changes on employees is
vital.

All too often, employee anxiety around change stems from the introduction of new
strategies or technologies designed to make management and business operations
more efficient.

For instance, whereas leadership may see the introduction of automation into core
business functions as a way to save time and money, employees who were previously
tasked with these roles may feel replaced, threatened with obsolescence, or lacking a
direction.

In addition, organizational restructuring may cause employees who are moved to

another position to feel indignant, confused, or wondering what was wrong with the
previous structure.

The result in both cases is lower morale, more unsatisfactory performance, and a brain
drain as your best performers flee. Therefore, disruption among the workforce can be
minimized by:

 Planning for some disruption and getting the word out early.
 Providing employees with the training and resources to adapt to changes.
 Fostering a culture which supports change or transformation.
 Empowering champions such as project managers or team leaders to provide
clarity and context for changes.
 Making sure your IT department is in the loop and ready to support
technological or infrastructural changes.

4. Promote communication

We’ve alluded to the need for proper communication during organizational change, as
it seems to be one of the underlying factors which determine the success or failure of a
transition or transformation.

Excellent communication keeps everyone on the same page and assures the people
who will feel the brunt of these changes that they’re not in any danger.

Talking about change candidly and openly is one of the most powerful things you can
do to help your company embrace change.

MIT conducted a study on the effects of communication by leadership to employees

during digital transformation. While 93% of employees supported digital
transformation once it was discussed, only about 36% of CEOs communicated their
vision sufficiently to their organization’s employees.
Likewise, encourage communication not just from leadership to employee, but also
from employee to leadership.

Create channels for employees to reach out with questions or concerns. Support cross-
department communication to help ideas and innovation spread as new processes take
hold. Like your vision, communication drives efficiency and has the potential to shape
culture.

5. Recognize that change is the norm, not the exception

Are you treating change as a project with a defined beginning and ending? You may
run into difficulties because change is not a project but rather an ongoing process.

Today’s world moves exceptionally fast—technology, markets, consumer preferences,

even environmental conditions are all rising and dissipating in the blink of an eye.

Businesses not only need to transform their operations to be able to keep pace with
their customers. They need to anticipate change and be ready for it when it occurs.

Harvard Business Review defines change readiness as “the ability to continuously

initiate and respond to change in ways that create advantage, minimize risk, and
sustain performance.”

Sound familiar? That’s nothing less than the goals of change management outlined
earlier. You can only be change ready if you recognize that change is the norm, not
the exception to the rule.

Bottom Line

 Organizations are unique—change affects them in different ways. Change

management strategies will look different across a constellation of
organizations.
 Successful change—whether large or small—requires a committed, active
leadership which fosters good communication, a culture of learning, and a clear
vision of what that change entails.
 Change is an inevitable, vital element of running a business in today’s world.
However, by embracing change readiness, businesses can turn change into an
opportunity rather than a challenge.
 All change brings some disruption to the workplace, but you can mitigate
harmful disruption while allowing it to breathe innovation into your operations.

Advanced technology solutions help companies achieve and maintain a competitive

advantage in their industry. Through leveraging the tools available, you can
increase staff productivity and decrease costs—your business can enjoy higher
operating capacity and deliver a superior customer experience.
For more information about how tech solutions can help your SMB, download our
free eBook, “Fast-Tracking Your Digital Transformation,” featuring information
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