“I’m leading an organisational change programme and am faced with users and employees who oppose it. What can I do to persuade them that this is in their best interest?”

It is true that large change initiatives have a tendency to make employees anxious to the point where they oppose the initiative. They may resist because they believe they will lose something of value (such as status, belonging or competence), or because they fear they will not be able to adapt to the new ways.

Simply trying to communicate more and persuade staff that the change will benefit them is not likely to address their fundamental concerns. People don’t want to be sold to or manipulated. They want honest communication and are able to see through messages that are disingenuous.

Address people’s emotional upset

To make people’s concerns disappear, you will need to address their doubt and fear at an emotional level and make them feel safe. People worry because the organisational change makes them feel uncertain – consciously or unconsciously.

From an evolutionary perspective, our brains are wired to keep us safe and to respond to potential danger. When we are faced with a change, such as a new process or a new office layout, our instinctive reaction kicks in. We know what we have, but we don’t know what we will get. We would rather stick with what we know because it appears safer.

Unfortunately, many managers are focused on the technical aspects of getting the job done, rather than working with the human impact of the change. As a result, projects may deliver a successful output, such as a new process, system or office, but fail to deliver any benefit, because the users weren’t ready to adopt the output.

If people don’t buy into the change, their work ethic and productivity will drop, which undermines the change process. The better you are able to work at a deeper psychological level, the better you will be able to bring people with you and ensure that everyone benefits.

One of the best ways to engage people emotionally is to enter into a dialogue where you listen to each person’s concerns. In a way, this is the opposite of ‘selling’ and ‘persuading’ someone about an idea.

Having a dialogue is about asking people how they are feeling and taking the time to really listen to the answer. Facilitating workshops where thoughts and ideas can be debated in a wider group can help. You can also send out surveys to elicit views and opinions from staff and set up discussion forums. But it’s important that the initiatives don’t become mechanical processes. There needs to be a real recognition of how people are feeling.

Make the status quo less appealing

As much as you have to listen to people and recognise how they feel, you will also need to explain why the change is required and why the status quo is not an option. People crave certainty, clarity and information, and they want to understand why the change is happening and why they can’t continue to operate like they have always done.

What is the project trying to achieve? Why is the process, system or office facility required? How will the end product or service look? What new opportunities will arise as a result and how will it affect staff?

Try to share a vision that’s inspiring and that makes people feel ignited and motivated. Engage staff emotionally and show them how they fit in without making them feel that they are being sold to. If senior management or yourself don’t yet have all the answers, then it’s better to be honest and say so, rather than saying nothing – or pretending that you know how everything will unfold.

Susanne Madsen is an internationally recognised project leadership coach, trainer and consultant. She is the author of The Project Management Coaching Workbook and The Power of Project Leadership. For more information, see www.susannemadsen.com