- This chapter of the course
is more directed towards the people
who are in charge of building
the collaborative modern workplace at their organizations,
but I think there are things of value here for everyone.
So, it's not enough to one day declare,
we are now a collaborative workforce.
As I alluded to earlier in the course,
there's some work that needs to be done in advance
to make it possible to achieve a culture and environment
where collaboration can thrive.
I mean, we're talking about
some pretty substantial changes, right?
The reality is that most people have at least
a little resistance to change.
Letting them know what's changing, when,
and how it will affect them
goes a long way towards decreasing resistance.
This is why I think
that a robust transition plan is critical.
I'd start with the idea of engaged communications
about the coming transition.
Start telling people early what's going to happen,
why it's happening, and how it will change
the way they work.
Of course, concentrate on the positives.
You'll have more freedom,
you'll be able to do your work easier,
it'll be easier to find and connect with resources,
etc., etc.
But it's not a bad thing to acknowledge
that there will be some bumps.
Painting things in an overly rosy light
will most likely result in disillusionment
on the part of the audiences.
I advocate honesty.
If you're having a hard time
giving people the straight story,
tell me exactly why you think
this is a good idea, seriously.
Now another part of communications that's important
is that it continues.
There should be a steady flow
of information about the change.
It's not a one-time event, it's a process.
Make sure you're using channels
that your audiences already use for gathering information.
I've seen a few transitions that went poorly
because all changes were announced
in a new program newsletter
which unfortunately no one
who was affected by the change knew about.
I'd also vary up the different communication channels used.
You have an intranet?
Great.
Do people look at it?
Great, use it.
You have walls?
Great, put up posters.
Use those to refer people back to a central source of info.
You can also use them to announce
informal drop-in sessions or lunch and learn sessions
where people can get more information
in a relaxed setting.
I've seen these go really well.
And, you should probably include
an email communication track as well,
especially if you can target the communication
to specific audiences.
Keep the information flowing.
This will not only help the audience
get ready for the change,
but it might also give you some extra benefits
in terms of employee feedback.
We'll talk more about that in the next video.