How to Thrive in the Face of Change

The technological changes a company must adapt to seem to be growing in scope each year. Digitization—the trend of technology becoming more important in business—continues to change the way enterprises function. Mobile, cloud services, fiber, and virtualization are just a few stops along the tech-trend railway, and it isn't stopping anytime soon.

Too often, change is managed as a "project" rather than a constant. This approach suggests that a business's aim is to develop to a point of stasis. That should never be the case. Change is necessary for growth, which is one reason we prefer to engage in 5-year budget models rather than quick IT fixes. We're more interested in a long-term plan that proactively deals with maintenance and growth. An intermittent IT approach only exacerbates the chaos of change. We'd rather help build structural capabilities that allow companies to continuously adapt to planned and unplanned changes.

Maybe you are currently implementing new technology practices or making changes in the coming year. These two guidelines will bring grace and confidence to your enterprise's change management models.

Employee buy-in is good, but it's not enough. Encouragement and performance objectives are helpful, but aren't going to do the trick. Employees need information and a clear goal to function within a changing tech environment.

Change-induced stress can lower employees' performance levels significantly, no matter how dedicated they are. Help your work force cope with change by providing access to task-related training. Provide the support your work force needs through clear communication, tutorials, internal forums, publicizing e-modules, or connecting them to others who understand the tasks at hand. Don't leave employees out of the loop, especially in the face of technological shifts.

IT teams, now more than ever, need to be able to act as more than network administrators. They will find themselves in the roles of consultants, data analysts, and legal advisors. They will need to broker relationships with vendors and instigate use of new development tools. CEB's post on how to foster an adaptive workforce claims "94% of IT employees are risk adverse…too narrowly focused on their own area of expertise." We're proud to be an IT provider that falls in the other 6%. We are digital opportunists, actively planning for growth and guiding future developments.

We are an IT team that is ready for the coming years of big changes. We are ready to offer advice and build structural frameworks capable of growth. We are excited to coach leaders and employees on the newest and most effective ways to stay at the forefront of technology.