Adapting to Change
It is helpful to be mindful of the potential impact of change on your staff, particularly if as a result of change they are developing new skills, performing new roles, being redeployed to new areas of work, working with new team members, systems or processes, etc.
There are different models available for understanding how people may cope with change, and the ‘adapting to change’ model may help you to support staff, by recognising what might be happening and why, and providing appropriate support and management skills. However, it should be noted that this is just one model for coping with change, and that all staff will be different and behave differently. Some staff will be more fragile, and their reactions may be much more extreme and prolonged, other staff may move much more quickly through each of the stages and may appear to adapt swiftly to the change.
Key activities and behaviours for managers supporting staff through change are around clear and regular communication, patience, empathy and positive leadership.
Adapting to Change Model/Curve
Survivor Syndrome
If some staff have left, or will be leaving the University, or have been redeployed as part of the change, it is worth ensuring that your remaining staff can recover as quickly as possible from the effects of the change process. Some ‘survivors’ may require attention and support to rebuild their morale and possibly their levels of engagement, which will thus help you to drive the changes forward in a productive way. The Post-Change Wellbeing Risk Assessment tool (see right-hand link) should help you identify whether you could take any further action to help support the wellbeing of remaining staff and help the change to take effect in a positive way. There is a variety of support available in the University for staff including:
Staff Wellbeing Webpages: www.shef.ac.uk/hr/wellbeing
Staff Counselling Service: www.shef.ac.uk/hr/wellbeing/staffcounselling
HelpU: 0800 068 6729 or www.shef.ac.uk/hr/wellbeing/info/helpu