6 Tips to Achieving the Impossible in the Face of Change

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Niamh Madigan
Niamh Madigan
03/29/2012

Let’s face it, we live in a world that is constantly changing and nowhere is this more evident than in our working environments. From minor changes, like a new brand of coffee in the kitchen to bigger organisational changes, like the implementation of new a technical system, it can take a period of time to get key stakeholder buy-in, overcome internal resistance and iron out the creases before change is accepted.


So, how many times have you heard in your organisation –‘oh you can’t do that here, it’s impossible.’ Perhaps it’s something you’ve quietly thought yourself. While change is very often a great thing, bringing more good than bad to a team or organisation, many of us look at it as a time-consuming upheaval to our daily working lives and prefer to recoil into the comfortable space of the familiar.


But recoil no more! Pharma IQ has put the feelers out into the Biotech community and come up with some Top Tips which will help make what appears impossible in your organisation, possible! ( Do feel free to add more by emailing niamh.madigan@pharma-iq.co.uk)

Tip 1: Change the perception of those who believe that the intended goal is impossible by making them aware about the purpose and benefits of the change initiative suggests Diwakar Sharma, Manager at HAL.


Tip 2: ‘A plan well presented to achieve a heretofore impossible objective will convert the unbelievers.’ Kenneth Larson, Retired Aerospace Contracts Manager, MicroMentor Volunteer and Founder "Smalltofeds"


Tip 3: If your organisation is working on a project, communication and support from the top down is a necessity. ‘Organise a meeting with everyone and present the current situation. Provide a detailed timeline with the stages of change, describe costs and profits involved and anything else that may be affected, such as resources, accessibility or whatever,’ advices Diane Hatziioanou, Postdoc at Academia Sinica.

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Tip 4: Circulate an agenda beforehand. This will keep a meeting on track and to the time allocated. If people start complaining and going off-topic, you can always say that that topic is to be discussed later in the meeting and you would like to finish the current discussion first. This is a trick Christine Baines, Interim HR Professional and Consultant, uses as it also gives you time to think of counters to their arguments and there's a good chance interrupters will run out of steam on the first attempt and not bother to bring it up again.


Tip 5: Encourage feedback, communication isn’t a one-way stream. Hold a meeting with the key change Instigators, relay the percentage of people that support the idea and discuss the advantages moving forward.


Tip 6: Kevin Creechan, Internet Technology Developer at Aholattafun Creative Solutions suggests having clear definitions of objectives and goals with an outline of moving a plan forward,  define what the results will mean for the company in the long term.


Tip 7: However, sometimes it’s about putting the hard-work into a project yourself, but as Roy McCune, Owner, Service Analytical concludes, ‘you can accomplish the previously impossible when you are willing to let others take all the credit.’

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