Any change to 'business as usual' in the workplace, such as rolling out a new office hoteling program, require careful and deliberate communication to educate workers and encourage adoption. It takes more than just technology and rhetoric to transform an organization and its work culture. Having a defined process in place is critical for workers to accept and adapt to physical and cultural workplace changes.
Change management is crucial in evolving the workplace from its current state to a desired future state. A change management program is even more important when rolling out workplace changes that constitute a cultural transformation where a majority of workers will experience a 'new way of working,' as is the case with office hoteling.
Change management in workplace design centralizes communication for the project, which is of great value to executives and staff. Senior leadership can be alerted to important issues more readily for early resolution. Change management also maintains high productivity levels because it involves staff in identifying issues and solutions, empowering them to gain a more holistic perspective on the changes taking place. This focus on communication promotes good will and eases emotional transition to a different workplace culture.
An effective change management initiative during a new, system-wide roll-out requires a clear vision and goals set for what change management can accomplish. It takes a top-down/bottom-up approach, is aligned with the project roll-out schedule and emphasizes communication. Desired outcomes from a positive cultural shift come by involving stakeholders, communicating often via different media and reinforcing new behavior through workplace education.
