Our world changed in an instant. We went from conference rooms to kitchen tables; from business as usual to wondering if we’ve stumbled into a new normal. Over the past few weeks, you’ve been contemplating your company’s new market position, how to bounce back, and, perhaps, an emerging remote workplace culture.

In a nutshell: You’re thinking about change.

Now more than ever, companies must adapt to forces changing their businesses. New missions, goals, and strategies are likely in the works or recently launched. Without a solid plan for implementing these new initiatives, including tactics to inform and inspire your workforce to invest their effort and careers on a new direction, success will be limited.

Successful change is both an art and a science. How people perceive change and whether they adopt it is rooted in social science; making change stick requires marrying science with experience and creativity. Understanding what it takes get your employees to join you on a journey requires knowledge beyond templated methodologies. You need change practitioners who are well versed in defining motivational triggers and knocking down barriers to clear the way for staff to be successful, whether it be a new strategy, culture, or technology.

At Collective Insights, we use our experience and knowledge to create a customized plan that address challenges specific to achieving your company goals and objectives. We don’t dwell on methodology. Instead, we focus on outcomes and impact. We believe all successful change management plans include these core elements – a clear vision of what’s changing, why it’s needed, who will be impacted; enlisting a coalition of leaders and influencers who will drive change, identifying key behaviors that employees must adopt in order to be successful, and designing communications and training strategies to boost behavior change.

That’s where the art comes in.

Change starts with a vision, knowing where you want to take your company. We help you plot the course starting with sharing your vision with others and then making a compelling case for change that conveys urgency, purpose, and invites others to join you in championing change. For example, as employees grow more accustomed to remote and flexible work arrangements, the vision for a post-COVID-19 workforce might be one that calls for less time in the office and higher productivity. How you present your vision to other leaders and influencers can mean the difference between a company transformed into an innovative workplace and one that simply has more virtual meetings.

Enlisting other leaders and influencers throughout the company who will both champion your vision and be models of how the change will be carried out provides a powerful coalition that must be armed with information and messaging that clearly communicates the new vision, key benefits, and expected behavior. For your innovative workplace to take hold, for instance, your coalition must be part of creating your communication and training plans. Each member of the coalition is uniquely aware of your employees’ needs, concerns, and obstacles that must be removed. Your coalition is the paint to your change canvas. They are in the best position to identify key behaviors, help create effective messaging, and identify knowledge and skill gaps that must be overcome through education and training.

We approach each company seeking change as an opportunity to marshal leaders and change champions and work collaboratively to design a change management plan that become your company’s roadmap to sustained and meaningful change. To ensure you have a plan that addresses the specific needs of your organization, you need a partner that acknowledges your need to move fast and make decisions quickly. Our consultants employ elements from different change methodologies to build a customized strategy for your businesses to accomplish your goals.

Learn more about how Collective Insights can be your partner in change.