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BPO companies and various business organizations are not immune to changes. Before the age of computers, most service outsourcing businesses continued with traditional practices and strategies that yielded the best results in terms of performance and finance.
Today, the global market is a competitive space that forces organizations to adapt to technological advancements and the overall digital atmosphere. The pressuring demands of organizational change make or break the company and result in discontinuation.
The service industry goes through more rapid changes than other business sectors, and about 34% find success with a change management strategy. Most BPO companies struggle to follow through with this strategy due to poor organization, but the implementation has given them a competitive edge.
This article will discuss what change management is and how you can incorporate the business model into your company strategy.
What is Change Management?
Change management is a process that prepares for, and controls actions followed by notable changes. Change within a company or organization involves new hires, technology infrastructure, or implemented policies from a change in leadership.
There are various levels of change ranging from minor to grand, but the process of organizational change repeats the same steps of preparation, implementation, and follow-through. There is no telling how people will react to change so the management system exists to control emotions as the situation arises.
The primary goal of change management is to perfect time and resources to secure profits throughout the changing period. The unpredictability factor to change can be expensive and lead the company into complications that could be avoided with a planned strategy.
The Challenges of Change Management
Changes within the workplace can be a complicated process because it involves altering habits and work patterns BPO employees understand well enough. Some organizational changes could affect specific schedules for workers or certain procedures caused by one individual, ruining benefits for the entire group.
A lack of organization also makes change complicated if everyone is not on the same page. If there is a change in the company’s CEO, the remaining members will have to discuss the possible changes that will follow, allowing more opinions to flow into the discussion and create differences. With no clear focus or sense of urgency, BPO companies could adopt unpleasant habits that dip in quality and have no care for customer satisfaction.
Changes in the way people do business would need some assurance or tests that the implemented training would help the company. Experimental methods or workflows that promise a “quicker” way towards efficiency could hinder the traditional pacing of the work and waste tremendous time if it fails.
Change is never easy. Whether it is the managers who make the changes or the workers who are expected to follow them, the process will always be messy at first before they become more organized.
How to Effectively Manage Change
When your company expects change soon, it is important to never delay the situation. Workers will not acknowledge the change or begin the transitional process if there is a period between its announcement and execution.
The following strategies can provide any company with a basic idea of where to start with change management.
Communicate the Change
Making a general announcement about upcoming changes would not be enough to satisfy the staff and earn their cooperation. The interpretations usually end with the change not being taken seriously due to the lack of specificity.
Significant company changes are more effective when the organizer communicates the entire plan with specific goals and procedures. Change communication involves the reason for the change, who will be affected by the change, the date of the change, and how the company plans to move forward with the change.
Most people are afraid of the uncertainty that comes with change and worry about how it will affect their lives. Clarity and assurance are important qualities to consider when communicating change and will ease the transition process because everyone is on the same page.
Formulate a Roadmap
Initiating change implies that the company has a planned-out vision with detailed steps and a structured roadmap. Not all plans are followed through 100%, but the probabilities of success are more secure than changes without a plan.
The best way to structure a clear roadmap is to start with small goals that accumulate into the bigger picture. Manageable goals are favorable in these transitional periods because workers can still move forward with the change without feeling pressured or overwhelmed.
You also want to make sure that you stick to the plan and avoid added changes to the process. The workers have accepted the original change, but with each added alteration to the plan, doubt begins to form, and people will suspect that the change was not properly thought-out and has the chance of failing.
Address Change Resistance
Not everyone will be on agreeable terms with the changes, and some might even express passive-aggressive behavior in their work performance. Negativity has a chance to breed skepticism and spread rumors and reluctance among workers.
You can find a worker’s response to organizational change through mood shifts, procrastination, and a drop in performance levels. Resistance is rarely vocal and requires a deep understanding of body language to see which employees have been affected by the changes.
A systematic feedback system can provide workers with a voice to express their concerns and their input about the change. A workplace that openly communicates its suggestions and troubles can work together to find a solution that meets everyone’s expectations.
Conclusion
Change management should work at everyone’s pace and rhythm. Understanding your workers and how they function can personalize a strategy with the least resistance. A growing company will always change, good or bad, and our approach to it will decide the outcome of a functioning team and organization.
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