How to adapt your management in a context of change ?

In a changing, globalised and digital world, new challenges and territories to explore are presented to managers and company directors. Change is now an integral part of a company's daily life.

At the heart of these transformations, the operational manager positions himself as a true relay of the Directorate's strategic vision to his teams but also to other internal or external actors. He must implement change and obtain the commitment of his employees by empowering them.

Understand the challenges of change

In the business world, changes are generally poorly perceived, but also poorly presented and supported. In addition, the various technical aspects are often favoured over human issues. Generally speaking, change is frightening, this fear can come from the fact that individuals do not want to change their habits, from not feeling up to the task or from losing an acquired situation.

It is important to consider the human in social relationships and not only individually. Nor should we deny the individual impact that change can have, but the social image and place in a group are extremely important.

Be an actor and facilitate change

The manager must play a role in the company as a driver and coach in change. To do this, he must take into consideration that change can have an effect on his employees. This can be done through a meeting through active listening, to hear his employees express themselves on the change and on what they feel. The aim is for them to feel listened to and to be able to establish a situation of trust. The manager must then change his behaviour by being more in a leadership position.

Change in the company must be de-dramatized and seen as an opportunity.

The manager's main mission is to ensure that his teams are aware of the project in which this change is taking place, but above all that his teams are committed to it. "Explain" and "convince" are therefore the two key concepts of the manager in managing change. It is therefore essential to rely on communication throughout the project (before, during and after).

The best way to engage employees in change is not to make them feel that they are undergoing change, but rather that they are the actors of change. Employees must be aware of the challenges of this change in order to make them understand that they must see it as a challenge, a source of gratitude and not a fear.

The manager must therefore implement different skills:

• Deal with problems independently.
• Have a medium- and long-term vision.
• Develop communication and argumentation so that employees understand why it is necessary to change.
• Find relays in the teams to have levers to rely on. 

The success of a project involving change requires taking into account the human factor, this is the role of the manager. To manage these changes and face possible reticence, the manager must demonstrate a sense of listening and leadership. Its objective is to facilitate the understanding of the project but above all the adherence to it through methods that accompany change and support the motivation of teams.

 

Faced with these challenges, emlyon business school's mission is to develop the skills of all managers to enable them to manage their company's economic and social performance in a context of change. The General Management Program allows those who follow it to optimize their effectiveness but also to ensure their legitimacy on the managerial position they exercise, or their ability to progress on this professional aspect.

In commercial partnership with Ecommerce-Nation