At this stage, you need to begin to remove obstacles to change and change systems or structures that seriously undermine the vision.
Encourage people to take action towards the first steps to change and ensure that everyone is aware of the action plan. As soon as you see someone taking a positive step towards the change - recognise them for it.
Recognising (and therefore ‘stroking’ them for it) will encourage more of the desired behaviour.
If you are interested in understanding more about the power of Strokes, then search for Transactional Analysis - Strokes on Google, or better still buy the book 'TA Today' by Ian Stewart and Vann Joinnes.
Once again, the L&D team can help ensure that behaviours during this time are appropriate and relevant in the context of the change. The last thing you need is a customer-facing agent telling a customer that ‘we’re sorry for the delay in answering your query. Our systems are rubbish so we’re changing them at the moment’. Although, on the face of it, that’s a positive message for the agent it’s not something that you would want to be discussed in that way with a customer!
When implementing system and process changes, ensure that the learning is part of an integrated programme rather than stand-alone. Too often, learning is broken down into, for example, behavioural ‘Customer Service’ skills and then system and process ‘CRM’ skills separately. We don’t work in silos; we integrate what we do, how we do it and the systems we use to support us in doing it. In addition, we integrate how we behave whilst we’re doing it and we usually understand how what we do fits into the big picture for our organisation.
It’s better; therefore, to break down the learning into smaller system, process and behaviour integrated elements, such ‘Managing a Customer Query’. A great tool for integrating is to deliver Ways of Working workshops - also known as WoW workshops. Linking processes, systems and behaviours into ways of working will make sense of the new world in real terms for those impacted by the change.
