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https://empowill.com/blog/manager-les-transformations-du-travail
The question of managing work transformations, or change management, is a highly topical one. Indeed, while the whole world has gone through a major crisis, and although there has been much talk of the world after, few major changes have taken place. This shows that, while the pandemic forced us to adapt (= temporarily confine ourselves), we didn't change much, and our daily lives quickly returned to normal.
This example illustrates the difficulty of profound change: despite crises and organization-wide evolutions, real transformation of individuals can be difficult and time-consuming to achieve. This is also true in companies where the pace of change has accelerated: change is becoming the norm, and agility is the order of the day. The role of the manager has thus become key in supporting individuals and long-term organizational change.
1. The issues at stake: bringing about and supporting transformations in the workplace
For a manager, the stakes are twofold. First of all, they have to bring about change on a global scale, i.e. ensure that work transformations are made possible. But secondly, they must also act on an individual level. Each member of the company must be supported in accepting the context and the changes to come.
A. Bringing about change
To fully understand the challenges of change, we need to delve into the workings of individuals and organizations. Change is inherently difficult. Organizations are first and foremost made up of individuals. Individuals are influenced by status quo bias and loss aversion. They tend to perceive anything new as bringing more risks than benefits. As a result, many companies and groups suffer from homeostasis, the absence of transformation.
History and sociological studies show us that the greatest transformations in the workplace are often associated with crises. Our natural tendency towards homeostasis is such that we need strong disruptive elements - crises- to give impetus to a dynamic of transformation.
At company level, this can be translated in a number of ways:
- The departure or arrival of an employee
- Launching a new product
- The opening of a new subsidiary
- Office relocation
- The forced introduction of teleworking
- ...
It's important to note, then, that not every crisis leads to transformation. The systemic study of organizations shows us that, despite a crisis, the natural tendency of companies is to return to the status quo. The role of leaders, coaches and managers is therefore twofold: to ensure that a dynamic of change is created during a crisis, but even more importantly, to know how to generate a "crisis" situation, when necessary, to create the possibility of transformation.
B. Supporting transformations in the workplace
We have seen that it is sometimes difficult to trigger profound transformations. The second challenge is, once a transformation is underway, to ensure that it is "successful". In other words, to ensure that the various members converge in a common transformation dynamic.
In fact, just because a company or a team is transforming, doesn't mean that every member is doing the same. And even if this were the case, there's no guarantee that the different individuals in an organization will transform at the same pace, in the same direction, with the same desires.
The manager plays a key role: catalyzing and organizing the collective of individual transformations. It's all about sharing a common vision, giving meaning, but also accompanying, guiding and sometimes orienting, to guarantee the coherence of individualities. Imagine a company acquiring a competitor. But others will see it as a career opportunity, while others will find their routine frustrating. The manager's role here is to ensure that these different individual situations converge. This will serve the company's vision (to develop synergies through this acquisition).
To support this process, it's important to understand that, on anindividual level, each major transformation takes place in several stages: mourning for the previous situation, acceptance of the change, and the ability to project oneself into a future situation. But these stages can be facilitated and accelerated. Preparing for transformations, encouraging communication, proposing substitute objects, empowering and relieving guilt are all levers available to managers to facilitate the mourning phases and accelerate transformations.
It's also interesting to note that these phases of transformation are often accompanied by learning. However, the learning process also takes individuals through stages that can be uncomfortable. Indeed, learning implies questioning and modifying existing knowledge, which can be uncomfortable or unpleasant.
2. The startuper's convictions
Managers are a key element in the success of transformations. He or she is the indispensable link between a strategic vision and the individuality that underpins every organization. He or she must accompany individuals through the various phases of acceptance and commitment to a transformation, and guarantee team cohesion during radical work transformations.
The manager's role is complex. It's all about adopting the right posture at the right time, so you have to be a manager-coach, manager-mentor/tutor, manager-trainer, and so on. This metamorphic act requires knowledge of these different postures, situational management skills, and the ability to delegate when necessary.
To succeed, a manager must also be aware of his or her limits. Faced with major transformations, a manager cannot wear all the hats and assume all the responsibilities. Similarly, assuming the role of manager-coach without the necessary training can be dangerous, both for the individual and for the organization as a whole. Managers must therefore be carefully supported and trained to know when their prerogatives end.
As we have seen, managers can be catalysts for transformation, but this means they can also block these transformations if they are not the driving force, particularly if they lack understanding, preparation or training.
3. How to improve your professional practice as a transformation manager
Taking a step back: grasping the meta-significance of this work. The manager who best practices transformation is the one who is aware that he or she must transform him- or herself and his or her practice. You have to start by accepting that there are no instructions for use, no comfort zones, and that you have to be willing to constantly question yourself and evolve through transformation.
Understand the benefits of change: it's often said that managing change means insisting on the benefits. It's a question of not trying to force the issue, and of using pedagogy to get people on board with a shared vision. However, it is possible and necessary to go even further: to put yourself in the other person's shoes, to the point of seeking not the benefits of change, but the benefits of non-change. This is the best way to understand blockages and find the keys to bringing about the desired transformation.
Paradoxically, the best way to support change is not to show why change is necessary, but to understand the benefits of not changing. Only then will the manager be able to act effectively: it's easier to argue for the benefits of change if you know the benefits of not changing that you oppose.
4. The systems approach: an excellent way to catalyze transformations in the workplace
By studying relationships within human groups, systemic analysis enables us to analyze the company through the prism of the systems that make it up, and the interactions between these systems. This enables us to understand the dynamics at play, and how these may or may not clash, thus accelerating or slowing down transformations.
Who are the "champions" who will serve as ambassadors for the transformation? And who are the detractors of these transformations, flamboyant though they may be? And finally, who are the people who could influence the dynamic through practice, but who are not as visible as those who are taking up the subject? These are just some of the questions to which systemic analysis can provide answers.
The systemic approach enables us to better understand the conditions of change, at the level of individuals and therefore of the company. It involves studying the various parameters that influence the life of the organization: relationships and power plays, unspoken words and secrets, substitute objects, feelings of jealousy or guilt, and so on. By influencing these parameters, it is possible to influence the way an organization transforms itself.
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