Your staff members resist new sustainable practices. How can you lead them towards embracing change?

In my experience listening is a key part of the journey here. Taking the time to actively listen to the concerns of those affected by changes is key to unlocking underlying concerns. Also explaining the why, in a way that people fully understand, is essential in getting buy in. We had a situation some time ago where we changed the pay frequency for staff (bear with me this is slightly off topic)... after initial resistance we listened to the teams. Some people had real issues but they all accepted the changes after we'd spent the time to listen to them. Some members of the group said that was the most important thing of all! They understood the why and we moved forward in a positive and more sustainable way.

In the conversation with your team, after explaining the why, is important to show them the pros and cons, so they can see that the changes were evaluated. Then discuss with them the added value that the changes will have for them, this will help to decrease the resistance and open the door to embrace them.

In our ten years of running a cleaning business the biggest root cause of failures (including customer complaints) is training! In over 90% of our failures, training and education were the biggest factors. Educating people in a way that's engaging and inspiring is really important. Using modern technology can help but never be afraid of showing people too! Show them how the new process works, guide them, ask them how it feels; ask them if it can be improved further. I personally like to get buy in from the team when we're training. I like to keep it light hearted where possible and I always revert back to the 'big picture' towards the end. I summarise the importance of change. After all.... we never step into the same river twice!

Consistency, if you want to make changes, is not just to say so, is also to be part of them, so by your team seeing you involved in the actions to make the changes, they will follow and support you.

One time when I worked for a large, international beverage company we were trying to 'push' world class manufacturing practices on to the production teams. When the head of manufacturing asked me why the teams weren't making progress I said "because you don't do it!!" I'd come from Toyota Motor Manufacturing where everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) in the business followed the same principles! The GM wore the same uniform, the GM had his office area audited each week, the GM, Senior Managers, Office Staff, Production Leaders, Production Workers and Support Teams all followed the same practices. If you seriously want change do it with the people and not to the people!!

I'm currently working on a project to improve levels of cleaning and 5S within a large corporation. As part of the project we're asking teams to clean routinely for a set period of time each shift. We're supporting the teams by bringing in additional contractors to help deep clean areas. In addition, we're providing a period of learning where the audit process is aligned with the gradual improvements we expect to see in the early stages of the project. Supporting people when making changes is really important, especially if the changes appear to be huge from the outset. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! During this learning time, management teams have been briefed to actively seek and praise even the smallest improvements.

Incentivizing change is a great way to adopt sustainable practices!! On my recent project we've been using reward and recognition! This means points that can be used towards a range of prizes. In addition we've organized lunches for teams that have made significant progress. I recently witnessed the GM of a large Paper Mill walk to the production area where he spent time saying thank you to individuals who've contributed to the new processes. That personal touch of shaking their hand, looking them in the eye and saying thank-you meant so much to teams and go buy-in from their colleagues.

Show as the changes are being implemented what has been accomplished, what has been brought so far, this will keep the flow of the changes, and not only that, if they really feel the added value for small it may be, they will be more involved to make it through.