The only constant in life is change.
Change management is something every L&D professional faces and let’s face it, even dreads, but it doesn’t have to be that way. With businesses seemingly in a constant state of flux, one hat we wear is to help steer change, even when the waters get choppy.
In our recent Learning Rebels Coffee Chat, we had a great discussion. As always, the Coffee Chat group was full of honest insights about their challenges. (Curious about how your peers are navigating these changes? You can view the video of our coffee chat here: Change Management Coffee Chat). The conversation was so good that I thought I would share the top 7 takeaways. I hope with these nuggets, you find an idea or two that can help you help your organization in times of change. While you’re at it – be sure to download the Emerging Stronger Change Journey Planner to help with your change initiatives!
1. Understanding Emotions in Change Management
Any change can trigger a wide range of emotions—from fear and frustration to exhaustion and excitement. These emotions can be large barriers to the success of a change initiative. During our chat, the group discussed the importance of acknowledging these emotions, both in ourselves and others. Recognizing these feelings helps us manage the human side of change more effectively, ensuring we’re prepared to address concerns and build support. We must take the time to identify these emotions early on to allow time to discuss fears and uncertainties. Ignoring these feelings will backfire and the next thing you know, groups are resisting and miscommunication is everywhere. Acknowledging those feelings, creates empathy and that resonates with everyone going through the change process. HBR wrote an excellent article about “How to Embrace Change Using Emotional Intelligence.
Pro-Tip: Understanding emotions across the organization is key during change. Consider conducting informal conversations during breaks or lunch with impacted groups to capture concerns. Then, share those insights with team leads or leadership.
2. The Role of Business Acumen in Change
One of our participants shared how earning an MBA helped them understand the broader business context, enabling them to support change initiatives more effectively. As I have shared on multiple occasions, L&D professionals need to better understand business objectives, financial drivers, and key performance indicators to support change in a meaningful way. When we connect to the larger business context, we’ll find that we can contribute in helpful and useful ways and that our efforts are seen as integral to achieving any change goals.
Pro-Tip: Strengthen your business acumen, review financial reports to understand business performance, and interview stakeholders to gain deeper insights into business priorities.
3. The Power of Communication in Change Management
Change often comes with discomfort. For example, a group member shared the story of her company moving from desk phones to headsets. Despite clear communication, there was still resistance and grumbling. The company knew that there would be resistance, so rather than drag it out, they took the “rip the band-aid off” approach, and after sharing the goals and the process, they implemented the change all at once. The lesson here is that transparency in communication is vital for trust, and discomfort is a natural part of the change journey. Clear and transparent communication, using a variety of communication streams, helps keep questions answered and fears addressed. Effective communication is key to reducing uncertainty and building trust, whether you opt for a “rip the band-aid off” approach or incremental steps.
Pro-Tip: Clear communication is everything. Create a SharePoint site that outlines the progress, goals and expectations of the change initiative.
4. Building Relationships when You’re Not at the table
A common challenge is that L&D isn’t always invited to the table when big changes occur. To overcome this, we must proactively build relationships with stakeholders within the company so that when the time comes, they can become L&D champions. Those are the people who will help leadership realize the importance of L&D in driving change initiatives. Think about how you can proactively offer assistance, even if we aren’t formally asked, to work closely with internal champions who are already part of the change process.
Pro-Tip: Take actionable steps to connect with stakeholders—set up regular check-ins, attend cross-departmental meetings, and offer your support for their projects. These proactive efforts will help build trust, positioning stakeholders as future L&D champions who will ask for help when the time comes.
5. Communication Strategies: Drip Campaigns and Guerrilla Marketing
We talked about using a “drip campaign” to remind people why a change is happening and to provide updates on progress. Another idea discussed was using guerrilla marketing tactics (low-cost, high-impact strategies that create buzz and visibility) as guerrilla ‘change management’—finding creative ways to keep the change visible without overwhelming people. In change management, guerrilla marketing might use unexpected and engaging tactics to capture attention, such as – placing eye-catching posters in common areas or creating quick and humorous videos to share via internal channels to make key messages memorable. The key is balance; it’s easy to over-communicate and cause fatigue, but with thoughtful timing, these approaches can be very effective.
Pro-Tip: Use drip campaigns wisely and thoughtfully. Other ideas are: Shared testimonials or gamifying with challenges. Share other ideas you may have in the comments.
6. Creating Buy-In Through Informal Gatherings
Informal “lunch and learn” or demo sessions can be a powerful way to help people see the benefits of new tools from their peers rather than always hearing it from L&D. The casual setting makes change more accessible, reducing the intimidation factor and encouraging engagement. Other informal gatherings that can be effective include “coffee corner” chats, where teams can discuss new changes over a casual coffee break, and “learning huddles”—quick, impromptu meetings where small groups gather to discuss pressing issues or share insights. These types of gatherings take the mystery away from change and could make changes more acceptable.
Pro-Tip: Create informal spaces for learning. Peer-to-peer sharing in relaxed settings often resonates more than formal presentations. Try a Creative Update Wall. Set up a physical or virtual wall where you can post updates and employees can post questions about the change initiative.
7. Action Steps You Can Take Today:
Here are five things you can do now to help your organization through a change initiative, even if you don’t have a seat at the table:
- Strengthen Relationships: Make an effort to connect with key stakeholders across departments. Share milestones across departments and give credit to others that may have helped. Schedule informal check-ins with stakeholders and grab a quick meeting over coffee.
- Offer Your Help: Proactively offer your expertise whenever you hear about changes or new projects, even if you aren’t formally asked. It can be as simple as sharing relevant resources or suggesting training initiatives that might help the team adjust.
- Stay Visible: Attend cross-departmental meetings or informal gatherings whenever possible. Your consistent presence will help position you as someone invested in the broader organizational success.
- Leverage Informal Learning Opportunities: Create and participate in informal learning opportunities, like “coffee corner” chats or “lunch and learn” sessions. These help you build rapport and establish yourself as an advocate for employee growth and well-being.
- Listen and Adapt: Spend a day shadowing employees in different roles to help you understand their everyday challenges. Alternatively, designate a few team members as “Change Ambassadors.” Have them act as intermediaries to gather feedback about how others feel, especially in teams you may not interact with daily.
Let’s Wrap This Up
Change management takes empathy, strategy, and persistence. And let’s be honest—empathy isn’t just some fluffy ‘nice-to-have.’ It’s the glue that makes everything else stick. You’ve got to get a grip on the emotional side of change, dig into the business context, and use creative strategies like drip campaigns or even guerrilla marketing to get the message across. But here’s the kicker: it’s not just about communication. It’s about making people feel heard and understood. Without empathy, even the slickest communication plans won’t cut it. Empathy moves the needle—people are way more likely to jump on board when they feel genuinely understood.
Your Turn!
We’d love to hear from you! How have you managed to insert yourself into the change process at your organization, even when you weren’t invited at first? What techniques have worked for you?
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