Do these things to drive change at work
Use the power of storytelling to get your point across
Pitching your ideas to others is essential when making changes at work.
Of course, you hope it’ll be easy, but sometimes it takes a while because instead of people immediately agreeing with you, you have to persuade them.
Why?
Well, let’s first talk about two different types of organizational changes:
Adaptive changes: incremental adjustments that organizations and managers make to adapt to daily, weekly, and monthly business challenges.
Transformational change: a shift in an organization’s strategy, culture, organization, physical structure, supply chain, or processes.
I wanted my department to rethink how we evaluated requests outside of our scope, which would change our strategy and culture.
Driving this change within my department was challenging. I had to provide enough data to persuade my department leaders it was the right decision. Here’s how I did it and how you can, too.
Disagreeing and committing to an idea
The need for change often arises from external factors such as design modifications, vendor availability, and customer demands.
In this case, another team asked us to own the implementation of a design change outside our scope.
We were already at capacity, so initially, I said no. However, my counterparts were okay with taking this work on. So, it got to a point where I had to disagree and commit.
When I presented this to my team, they expressed their frustration. They understood that this initiative would shift resources from our key job responsibilities. I empathized with their concerns and asked for their support in giving this a chance.
Stay connected to the details and audit frequently
As my team implemented the changes, I encouraged them to provide feedback on how it was going. I made it a recurring agenda item in my team meetings and asked follow-up questions in 1:1s.
After analyzing this data, I gained valuable insights into why this transformative change was necessary within my department. Instead of just saying it was necessary, I had the data to prove how this decision impacted our team.
To collect and analyze the data:
Ask for feedback or establish a tracking mechanism.
Understand your audience and align the data with your argument.
Putting it all together to tell a story
It’s now time to craft a story that will resonate with your department leaders.
Your story should have two key components: context and narrative. The context focuses on what is essential for the reader to know, and the narrative explains why the data collected is relevant and inspires action.
My story went something like this:
Context: Since our team has decided to take on [insert additional scope]
Narrative: X% of our team has been reassigned from [insert key area of responsibilities] to take on extra efforts requested by our partner teams. We’ll risk burning out our team if we don’t push back on these requests.
Embrace a collaborative approach
Initially, you might be the only person to recognize the need for this change, but driving change at work is not a one-time effort. It’s an ongoing process that can be messy and discouraging.
Instead of working alone, find someone to partner with you on this journey. You can keep each other motivated, refine the approach, and distribute the workload.
My partner was my manager. He listened to my story and did his investigation, which persuaded him this was the right move.
Share your story with your peers and manager. If they don’t immediately buy in on it, collect more data and share an update. Always remember that changing your mind based on new information shows intelligence and growth. So, don’t hesitate to update your stance or opinion when you come across new facts. It’s the best way to make informed decisions and stay on the path of progress.
And if the data no longer supports your idea, don’t feel bad about it; accept it and move on.
Conclusion
The ability to drive change is a key leadership skill. By being a team player, collecting and analyzing data, sharing a compelling story, and collaborating with others, you can implement adaptive and transformational changes within your department.