Over the years, various Change Management models have been highlighted as key to adopting change in contingent workforce environments. You might be familiar with the ADKAR Change Management model. In the weeks to come, Tracz Consulting will share a series of blogs on each of the components of this Change Management model, and a few weeks ago we shared our blog: Awareness – The first step in communicating change in your extended workforce program. Today we move on to “D” - the Desire,” and how to get others in your organization also to want the change.
The Desire to change is the most challenging part of the ADKAR model. The key is to appeal to both the logical and emotional sides of those involved. Specifically for change associated with your workforce, the emotion can run high. Gaining the personal Desire from those impacted to adopt the change and getting the resources on board. To achieve the Desire for change, you have to address what’s in it for them, how it will benefit and impact the organization, and the payoff of the change. What is going to motivate your constitutes to adopt this change?
An influence to build the Desire is to proactively ensure that nothing will change for your coworkers and that they will still work with you, whether the individual workers themselves or the supplier is vital. Before your intended change interrupts long or short-term personal relationships, include assurances that will quell any concern into your communications. Then, to address the logical side be sure to outline the benefits of these changes. It is the efficiency, visibility, compliance, and controls for a contingent workforce program in most cases. Tailoring the communications to those components and maybe even to the groups who have varied concerns will go a long way in gaining the logical element for the Desire to change.
The approaches for fabricating Desire to your audience include an active and visible change agent. Someone who trusts their peers, often for contingent workforce these change agents are Human Resources Business Partners. Additionally, a strong team backing these changes. This team is usually a cross-functional group of key stakeholders. These stakeholders often include Information Technology as the highest users of contingent workers, Legal, Human Resources and Procurement. Furthermore, anticipate objections. Assure there is no impact on their workers, the vendors, and the relationships they have built.
Awareness and Desire, the first two elements of ADKAR, are often weaved into the change management approaches. They are approached in different methods of communications with diverse audiences. For example, meeting with executives yet sending emails to managers. Sometimes, you will decide that you no longer need to reinforce these two components once they have created awareness and Desire. However, awareness and Desire can go away as quickly as they were created. It requires reinforcement and continued communication to maintain the awareness and Desire necessary to make changes successful. Clear, consistent re-enforcement of the benefits of these changes through the various stages of change management ensure the awareness and Desire stay top of mind.