A recurring challenge for many leaders I’ve worked with is how they deal with and manage the responses and reactions that employees have to change. Although I do encourage leaders to speak regularly to their teams to find out what’s happening and how people are feeling, it’s impractical and impossible for a leader to address every individual’s feelings. Each of us experience change very differently, depending on our own circumstances, job role and individual resilience.
But, by considering the sentiments (the collective moods and attitudes) of departments, teams or other demographic groups, leaders can assess the collective emotions of those groups and work out strategies that will help them build an environment that’s more supportive of change. In the long-term, it’s likely to make change delivery more successful.
Here are six ideas to help you understand and manage sentiments at a group level:
Get feedback
Walk about and talk to people (or hold virtual check-ins), conduct surveys and run feedback sessions –all ways to gauge and understand group sentiments and are particularly useful if your teams are involved in a long-term change or series of changes. Anonymous surveys run regularly can help to unearth common attitudes and concerns within different groups. Feedback sessions, either in-person or virtual, give employees the opportunity to share their views and feelings. All of this can give leaders an insight into the collective mood of different teams and help them shape their approach.
Run focus groups
Although another form of feedback, focus groups that include representatives from different teams and levels across the organisation, can give you a more nuanced understanding of group sentiment. You can ask these groups to consider specific aspects of the change and offer feedback and suggestions that reflect the collective view of their peers.
Work with your middle management team
Middle managers have a key role in bridging the gap between senior leadership and your wider employee base. They often have a closer relationship with their teams and greater insight into that collective sentiment. Talking with them will give you insights that will help you understand and so be able to address their teams’ concerns.
Get independent support
Running structured, facilitated sessions between groups can often unearth common sentiments and themes that need addressing. If you get support from an external provider to design and run these sessions, people will be more open in their feedback and it’s much easier for them to remain impartial in the discussions, particularly if tensions arise.
Communicate frequently and transparently
This is all about having leaders very visible, explaining the ‘why’ for the change, what the benefits will be and the impact it will have on different groups. Regular progress updates can help to alleviate fears and reduce uncertainty. It can also help to develop a greater sense of trust and inclusion across teams.
Demonstrating empathy and support
Although leaders can’t address every individual emotion, they can still demonstrate empathy at a group level. This looks like… acknowledging the fears and challenges that change brings, sharing support resources and showing appreciation for people’s work and efforts. Although these might feel like small things they, they can actually make a big difference to morale and co-operation.
Why do this?
There are real benefits from focusing on group sentiment that also align with the individual benefits of an empathetic approach in times of change.
By having a greater understanding of the sentiments of different groups, leaders can tailor their strategies to support more collaboration between groups and keep friction down.
And this approach can lead to a smoother transition through change. When people feel that their concerns are being heard, valued and addressed, there are fewer disruptions and resistance is lowered. Groups are also more likely to get positively engaged in change and encourage others to do the same.
There is always a fine balance between delivering a change that supports a strategic objective and demonstrating the right amount of empathy. Although leaders can’t account for the feelings of every individual, they can talk to and work with groups. In the long-term, this approach can help to build a foundation of trust which is key to any successful change both now and in the future.
If you’d like to find out more about balancing empathy and strategy or understanding group sentiment in change, get in touch.