Having your employees onboard can help them to accept change
Before wide-format print shops or traditional printing businesses rebrand their firms as “marketing services providers” or “visual communications companies” they often struggle to overcome employee resistance to change. Long-time employees may be reluctant to adopt the new work routines and training requirements that come with automated, data-driven workflows and expanded services.
For example, some employees of a well-established label-printing business complained, “Our ownership team seems to love change just for the fun of it. They are always trying some new program that requires us to measure something, tattle on each other, or make drastic adjustments to how we do things.”
When change causes too much upheaval in the workplace, business managers tend to give up and revert to the “normal” way of doing things. This disastrous, time-wasting cycle restricts the company’s ability to compete and grow.
Print business owners who are considering selling their businesses within the next few years must become particularly adept at managing change.
Here are 3 strategies to consider before introducing major changes in the workplace:
Help employees understand your perspective.Clearly explain some of the bigger outcomes you are trying to achieve when you ask employees to change everyday processes, learn new software, acquire new skills, or use new types of equipment. Don’t be afraid to admit that you’re not perfect and might not know everything about transforming the business for the realities of the future. If they feel threatened by automation, help them acquire higher-level skills such as creative problem-solving or the development of innovative new products.
Encourage production employees to get involved in committees that are researching potential solutions to problems in your business. Admit that you aren’t always sure how to solve a problem that is costing money or causing disruptions. Employees who don’t want to get involved in plant-wide initiatives can focus on creating better practices within their departments.
Ask employees to create and implement their own departmental plans for excellence. Remind them that it’s hard for others to find fault with departments that have zero defects, speedy and accurate throughput, excellent quality controls, and an atmosphere of teamwork and positivity.
Meaningful change doesn’t happen overnight. It requires a clear vision, thorough communications, and consistent leadership.
Many print business owners know their organizations must change if they want to get a good price when it’s time to sell the business. Most buyers aren’t interested in shops that are stuck in the past. Instead, many actively seek businesses that have already started to adapt to the business opportunities of the future.
If you have started to think about selling your business, print-industry experts at the LaManna Consulting Group can help you create a roadmap for success. Read the blog, listen to our podcast, and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Better yet, just give us a call.