We can write a lot about change management. There are many books describing theory and practice of making changes in an organisation. Below there are some valuable examples:

• Leading Change, John P. Kotter
• HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Change Management, John P. Kotter
• Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, Esther Cameron, Mike Green

The exact description of this topic is much more extended than I’ll write in this post, that is why I present you practical tips of making changes in your company.

1. Some people react in a negative way to  imposed solutions – involve people into a process of decision making and let them feel they are the part of this process. Then you will implement the change easier.

2. Ignorance is the main enemy of changes – communicate not only the change itself, but also its reasons, chances and threats. Show that you made a decision consciously with all its potential consequences.

3.Generate short-term wins – appreciate even the smallest success on the way to achieving goal. Every success builds team morale. Hold a 15-minute team meeting and praise your employees.

4.Show how to achieve goal– the fear of change is caused by the lack of knowledge or ability to make a change (real fear or imaginery one). That is why you must show your employee an exact way to achieving goal and provide him with proper system and decision tools.

5.Change the surroundings – when we implement huge changes in our organisation, we should consider changing our surroundings. It’s easier then to get rid of old habits. Examples of changes: our office, computer system, organisational structure and so on.

6.Be open to remarks – create an easy way to making remarks and such work atmosphere, where employees won’t be afraid to make remarks. When you already get a remark, answer to it patiently (even if it’s a nonsense :)) An interesting practice is to collect remarks and publish the answers for all team members.