Sustainable Excellence Xtras #109 - Consulting Others When Implementing Change

If you are responsible for implementing a new product or service, how often do you consult EVERYONE impacted by the change?

Is it really necessary to inform and seek feedback from the people most affected by something new?

The more people who can review a new product or service before it is implemented, the more perspectives you will get about the best ways to make the idea successful.

According to a March 5, 2020 article by Lauren Landry titled, Why Managers Should Involve Their Team In The Decision-Making Process, which was published in the Harvard Business School Online, there are five benefits to involving others:

1. Overcoming Consensus - While it would be great if everyone would agree on every aspect of a new idea, consensus is likely to lead to a lower evaluation of a problem and fewer creative solutions.

2. Increased Staff Engagement - By involving your team in the decision-making process, you are demonstrating that you trust them and they are valuable to the process. This leads to increased employee engagement.

3. Enabling Collaboration and Communication - In a Queens University of Charlotte study, almost 75% of employers rate teamwork and collaboration as very important, yet 39% of employees say their organization doesn't collaborate enough. By involving others in the decision-making process, you foster collaboration and break down corporate silos.

4. Surfacing Your Own Blind Spots - While 95% of people think they are self-aware and know their blind spots, research shows that only about 10 - 15% are. Involving your team in decision-making can help uncover your blind spots.

5. Getting Buy-In From People Involved In The Implementation Process -  Trying to implement an idea without input from the people implementing the idea, is a recipe for disaster. 

Even the most obvious products and services that should be implemented will have an enormous impact on the people involved in making that happen. Consulting them and making them part of the decision process will make it easier to bring a new idea to life.

Please watch the video below about other benefits for consulting staff when implementing a new idea and leave me your comments about how you would go about putting a new idea into place.