For many years now, my morning ritual included buying a coffee. Recently one of my client offices installed a fancy coffee machine. They even had a barista come in to show the staff how to use it. I watched on saying to myself, I was never going to learn how to make my own. My belief was that it would take a long time and never really taste good anyway. I told myself that I was happy to pay for a decent coffee.

Then one day, I was near the machine and someone offered to make me one. Although I politely declined, not wanting to put them out, they insisted. While they made my coffee, I chatted with them and watched on. They talked through the steps as they went. I was surprised at how quick the process was.

I was then handed this office made coffee and, to my surprise, it was as good as what I buy. I realised it wasn’t that hard to make. So, the next time I was in the office, I saved my pennies and made my own coffee. And guess what? It tasted really good.

No longer walking to get a coffee has saved me time and money.

This anecdote is a great example of why change can be challenging in organisations when teams are used to a process they have been doing for a long time and do not believing they should change.

To help a team or individual understand why they should change a process, the following 5 steps can help:

💡 Clear articulate the pain points or inefficiencies in the current process and how the existing process is holding them back in terms of time, cost, quality or customer satisfaction

💡 Show how the change will lead to improvements and ensure these benefits are what matters most to the team

💡 Involve the teams in brainstorming and discussing the new process. A collaborative approach ensures they feel ownership of the change and helps address concerns

💡 Help the team see the change is manageable and they won’t be left to figure it out themselves by providing a step by step plan on how the transition will occur i.e. timeline, resources and support.

💡 Provide training and ongoing support to help them adapt to the new process

When someone is happy with their current process and don't see a reason to change, they won't change. How often do you see change attempted without bringing the team on the change journey? Change doesn't have to hard.