3 Signs That It’s Time To Implement Organizational Change

The New Year is a time for change. Invigorated by the opportunity of a blank slate, we start thinking of ways to change ourselves for the better, especially when it comes to our health and well-being.

We should apply this same thinking to our organizations and evaluate the health of the company. It’s out with the old and in with the new—so in 2015, take a look and see if it’s time to tackle a change.

Some changes are obvious, such as the acquisition of a new company or a long-term leader stepping down. But when it comes to issues that affect the well-being of your organization, it’s best to be proactive. Failing to plan is planning to fail, after all. So keep an eye out for more subtle potential challenges. If you take initiative and meet them on your terms, these obstacles can turn into opportunities.

Here are a few examples of situations that can act as an opening for organizational change:

1. Company performance: Are your organization’s goals or productivity quotas not being met? Take charge to close these gaps. Maybe reorganizing teams and reallocating personnel can win more efficiency. You can take a look at the distribution of budget and resources to make sure everyone has the tools they need. You might also work with individual employees during performance evaluations to align each person’s goals with the big-picture vision.

2. New technology: Has your organization kept up with the innovations in your industry? Or what about social media? From finding job candidates on LinkedIn to engaging with customers on Facebook, the rules of recruiting and marketing have been rewritten. Make sure you stay relevant, whether that means training your employees, hiring new personnel to bring in expertise, or restructuring some of your existing processes.

3. High turnover: If you’re not keeping as many employees for as long as you’d expect, reach out and find out why. Exit interviews are vital, but don’t wait until someone quits to react. Reach out to see if the members of your company are happy—and if not, why not. Do managers need additional training? Is the company culture in need of an overhaul? Engagement surveys let your employees tell you how your organization is doing now, before they decide to leave.

It isn’t always possible to predict when organizational change needs to happen, but you can keep an eye out for the signs that the time of need is approaching. Being proactive gives you more time to prepare for success, so make sure that one of your New Year’s resolutions is to meet your company’s challenges head-on.

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