When it comes to change, don’t use the ‘Nike’ approach

When change becomes necessary, avoid the ‘Nike’ approach of simply telling your employees, “Just do it!” This often leads to the most resistance from your team when it comes to change management.

In reality, there are several effective strategies that can help managers gain buy-in from their teams—strategies that encourage support rather than resistance. We cover these techniques in our change management training programme.

Here are two key tips for managing change:

Clarify the Need for Change

The first question employees typically ask is: “Why is this change happening, and why is it necessary?” Be sure to answer this question clearly.

Highlight the Benefits

Next, focus on selling the benefits of the change—whatever they may be. Help your team understand how the change will positively impact them.

Even better than selling the change is involving your team from the start in the change management process. When you identify a need for change, share it with your team and ask for their input on potential solutions. This collaborative approach ensures you gain buy-in right from the beginning.

For example, at a university where I worked, they decided to change their logo. Instead of involving the student community, they spent thousands of dollars hiring a company for a design that nobody was bothered about. What if they had held a competition for students to design the logo, with a worthwhile prize for the winner? Not only would it have sparked more excitement, but the buy-in would have been much stronger, and at a fraction of the cost.

The bottom line: either involve your team in the change process, or if the decision has already been made, explain the reasons behind it and the benefits it brings.

It’s a much better approach than simply saying, “Just do it!”