Managing Change, Creating Opportunities

Steve Burrows, Managing Director of idg talks change management and utilising the tools that will support success.  

Today’s environment is particularly changeable and many organisations are seeing unprecedented ‘shake-ups’ – both for the positive and the negative. 

As the CIPD warns of wavering employer confidence and the latest unemployment and growth statistics point to continued turbulence and stunted growth, organisations across the country will be bracing themselves for further change and upheaval in the year ahead. 

But approaching change in a proactive way can bring its own opportunities. 

The key to success during periods of flux is to take an open approach and look at managing the changes as effectively and innovatively as possible. By exploring different options and making them relevant to your organisation’s needs and priorities, you will be working to gain maximum value as well as creating a stronger and more resilient culture that will provide additional support when further challenges arise. 

Change is like a constant companion that has especially made itself known over the last few years, and although it presents challenges, it can also push us forward and open up new opportunities too. At idg, we are passionate about making a difference and want to actively help organisations to access the tools and techniques they need to manage change. In a nutshell, our aim is to get them in the best possible position to identify and capitalise on opportunities now and in the future. 

At the end of the day, change will happen whether you want it to or not. The trick is to be proactive and prepared, laying foundations that will help your organisation to succeed whatever comes. With the right support in place, managing change will create opportunities for your organisation to seize.

Top tips for managing change 

• People – Without your people, you don’t have an organisation. Ensure that they are kept informed, engaged and prepared for change. They have the best insight into your organisation and customers, ask them for their thoughts – it will spark innovation and continued improvement.
• Health & Wellbeing – Is your organisation fit and healthy? One of health and wellbeing’s most powerful benefits is the contribution it makes towards securing the employee engagement needed to deliver change successfully. 
• Leaders & Managers – Develop your people – especially your leaders and managers as they play a crucial role in helping your organisation and people to meet challenges and improve performance. Continued development will hone their skills and experience, helping to positively manage change.
• Customers – Keep your customers and service-users close. Dwindling consumer confidence is a key indicator of a tough environment and the choices customers make will naturally be much more discerning. Make sure you gather and consider customer feedback closely and take note of key trends and ideas for further development. It will give you the edge over the competition and support success during changeable times. 

If you would like to explore change, what it looks like for your organisation and how you can manage it successfully to improve performance now and for the future, contact idg to arrange a free initial meeting.

The Managing Change Series – at idg we understand that change is something many organisations are managing in the current climate. To help, we have developed a series of useful articles and resources to help you manage change, improve, develop and grow. Click here to download the latest resources including our special edition newsletter.