How Do You Develop A Team To Adapt To Change?

Let’s be honest, many corporate teams do not cope well with change. Change may come in the form of a new team member leaving or joining, a change in leadership, or even the impact of a new project, technology, – or an organisation wide change, such as a merger. Even the best-oiled teams,  dynamics and processes have the potential to come unravelled when a team is destabilised by change.

So, how can you, as a leader, develop your team with the resilience and agility to adapt to change without it impacting productivity, culture, or efficiency?

Encourage a culture of continuous learning: Human beings are naturally creatures of habit, and it is easy to fall into a rut of doing things in the same way time and again. This mindset makes it easy for routines to be seriously disrupted by change, with wide-ranging implications for teams. A good way of countering this tendency is to foster a culture of continuous learning, through which team members are encouraged to challenge established ways of acting, and actively seek better and more effective solutions. Promoting an environment in which team members are encouraged to ask questions of themselves and others, and seek out new knowledge through regular training sessions, is an effective way of making change a part of your team’s daily life, allowing them to explore the benefits of change in a safe environment.

Learn from mistakes: The individuals and teams that adapt the best to change are those with the confidence and self-awareness to leave their egos at the door, and learn lessons from previous mistakes. Encourage an open dialogue about changes and the challenges that come from them, and cultivate a business culture in which mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities, and not failures. Colleagues are sometimes reluctant to discuss mistakes in a team setting, especially if there is a ‘blame culture’ in the organisation, or if managers are seen to be passing the buck onto their colleagues or subordinates. Genuinely learning from mistakes will only happen when leaders and managers are candid and capable of leading by example, actively participating in discussions, training, development activities, and being willing to take on feedback.

Communicate purpose: Team members are more receptive to change if they understand the ‘why’ behind the changes. When individuals understand the reasons for change and the potential benefits, they’ll be more likely to embrace it. Agile change management methodologies, with their emphasis on rapid iteration, flexibility, and responsiveness to change, can be very effective at preparing your team for changes, whether planned or unexpected. Define clear and achievable objectives in advance that align with the proposed changes, and incorporate regular retrospectives and feedback sessions into your change management strategy, to enable your leadership team to continually adapt and improve their processes.

Laying The Foundations For Effective Change Management

The best way to build resilience into your teams in the face of change is to create a change-positive culture throughout your organisation, which – while not shying away from the challenges change brings – actively embraces the opportunities it brings for growth and development. This process starts at the top, and is a continuous process that affects your organisation at all levels, including your business culture and processes.

If your teams are struggling to adapt to change or you’d like to discover new approaches to change management, please get in touch with Centre For Teams today by clicking here.

Image source: “Canva

Team Development