Organizations need to constantly adapt and change to be successful. Whether a new office building, new organizational structure, or the idea of putting a new work process in place, individual employees must be willing to accept this change in order for it to be successful. Understanding your employees’ mindset is key to successful corporate initiatives. Our brains are hardwired to do things in a certain way, and when we’re asked to change it often comes with resistance. This resistance can create unhappy employees who become stressed and angry, leading to a poor work culture. So are your employees ready to commit to change? You can start by determining where they are on the change spectrum, and then developing your talent to be more agile, resilient, and innovative.

Assess the Readiness of your Employees

Your employees may be highly resistant to change or extremely willing. But you won’t know until you ask. To get a better understanding of how receptive your employees are to change, you’ll need to spend time with them to ask about their challenges and concerns. Send out an email survey, or conduct meetings and focus groups with those the change will impact. Once you know where their readiness lies, you can start determining what needs to happen first before proceeding to the ultimate goal.

Getting Employees Onboard with Change

After assessing their readiness, you’ll need to start thinking how to get them onboard with change. If you want your changes to be accepted throughout the organization, you must involve your employees. Have them sit in on meetings, offer their suggestions, and keep them updated with progress. The more involved they become, the more comfortable they will be with change. Once a plan has been executed, continue to check in with your employees to reassess their concerns. This will help your employees become more agile and adapt to changes more quickly.

Our brains have an important job to keep us safe. And change isn’t always safe. Uncertainty due to change can create a stressful environment and lead to negative thoughts that can hinder memory, focus, and performance. By training the brain to think positive thoughts instead of negative ones, you can roll out a successful corporate initiative that your employees will happily welcome. Is your organization ready for change? See how the Total Brain Platform can assess your organization’s readiness to change and increase your chances of managing a successful change.