Managing change within your team: The Good, the bad and the awkward
As Practice Managers or someone managing a dental team, we have the pleasure of generally being the person/people that have to implement the changes to systems within our practices or teams.
To grow, we often need to change; and quite often it’s not always the managers that bear the brunt of this change. So, how do we ensure that our team not only embrace the change but go on to then promote a high-performance culture and continuous improvement?
Recognising personality types and politics within your team and presenting changes accordingly is a massive help. Not all of us react in the same way but will often get there in the end dependent upon good leadership techniques. It may be that you need to adapt your style of leadership to get the required response.
Our teams are made up of usually 4 types:
- Persons who will initiate the change process
- Persons who will accept the proposed change
- Persons who will be indifferent to the proposed change
- Persons who will not accept the proposed change
Lisa’s Top Tips for change Management within your teams…
- Encourage and Promote Positivity and Flexibility – if you aren’t positive, why should others be?! Also be flexible to help and suggestions from your team when discussing the changes
- Enlist positive members of your team and help them to influence others that are maybe a little more resistant to the change
- Be open – encourage your team to talk to you about their concerns or obstacles; it might even be something you haven’t considered and could be valid
- Look at your organization chart and roles. Try to consider how the changes will affect different team members and be active in reflecting on what their resistance may be and why. Are your team going to be affected financially, physically (is their job harder?) or will the changes touch them from a “hierarchy” prospective?
Embrace reality with productive actions and behaviours – ensure your team realise the benefits of the change – not just to the practice but for them individually too
Most Importantly!!!
Remove obstacles and eliminate “well poisoners” or “Dementors” (for the HP fans)
Sounds harsh I know, but after 20 years of building and growing 2 successful practices and now a team of 42, I haven’t been without my fair share of these types of employees….(much more dangerous than the Greater spotted “Matildas” (They waltz in, do their job and waltz out again type) who are generally harmless and will sometimes be spotted using initiative and surprising you with their attitude towards changes, when nurtured and guided properly, and quietly warned about the well poisoners who will often try their best to prevent change and ensure that others are not embracing change positively.
Recognising that type of team member is crucial, and one to one management may be required to get them on board. In my opinion, it’s sometimes a case of “they are either on board for the journey or they need to get off the bus”
Most of the team will be able to identify a well poisoner but often new or younger team members aren’t so lucky and could be easily influenced to resist change. Again, recognition and removal of these negative barriers will help the wonderful changes happen.
Click here to see my original article published in The Probe