CPA Practice Advisor - 13

LEAN SIGMA SIX ADVISOR

4 Strategies for Overcoming Change Fatigue
By Arianna Campbell

EYE ROLLS, SHORT tempers, disengagement during group discussions and team meetings,
and an increase in complaints. When your firm is working hard to transform and remain
relevant in an ever-evolving profession, these signs of change fatigue can cause your
initiatives to suffer.
With all of the transformation
efforts going on these days, firms
seem to be in the middle of one
continual change initiative. Your
team members are understandably
fatigued for several reasons:
■ Change is hard. Change always
requires work, especially at first.
Whet her you implement new
technology or new processes, until
your people learn new ways to
complete tasks, it takes more work
and time.
■ P roblems occur. Some of t he
changes you implement won't
work as planned. Your team will
be tasked with the challenge of
figuring out what went wrong and
how to solve the issues.
■ Change is continuous. Evolving
economic demands, professional
requirements and client expectations mean change is never going
to stop. That fact alone can cause
people to become discouraged.
Recently, I had a conversation
with a firm leader who wanted to
discuss opportunities that could
be leveraged in the coming year.
However, their firm just finished
implementing new tax prep software, and the team wants to take a
break from change for a year or two.
As understandable as this feeling is,
we need to push back against the
instinct to pare down the number
of initiatives or slow down the pace
of change. Firms who wait a year
or two between projects will fall
behind the firms that push through
the discomfort. Here are four ways
to overcome change fatigue in your
firm.

RECOGNIZE AND
ADDRESS CHANGE
1.
FATIGUE

I am sure you have heard the William Pollard quote, "To change is
difficult. Not to change is fatal." This
is especially true in a rapidly changing
environment. We need to get to the
point where change is the expectation
instead of the exception. We must
challenge change fatigue in a way
that helps people to see the benefits
that outweigh the perceived pain of
constant change.
Tune into WIIFM (what's in it for
me?) and help your people see what
they stand to gain from the proposed
changes. We need to empower people
to be change agents who are participating and driving the change in the
firm instead of just being impacted and
disrupted by it.
Also, identify whether everyone in
the firm really has change fatigue or if
it is just a handful of people who are
more vocal about their discomfort. If
it's just a handful of people, address
them directly. In most cases, change
fatigue is not a firm-wide feeling. Pausing change efforts to accommodate a
small group of people who are averse
to change is a costly mistake. Find
your change supporters and let their
momentum drive change forward.

HAVE A PLAN

Without a plan that allows
you to pace yourself, there is no
method to the madness, and you have
no true vision of what you want to do.
With a plan, you know what your end
goal is, and you know when you're off
course. This prevents you from spin-

ning your wheels and wasting time
on efforts that aren't actually pushing
you forward.
Every change you initiate, regardless of size, needs to begin with a plan
and intended outcome. Document
and communicate a clear, concise,
and concrete end goal that can be
understood by everyone on your team.

COMMUNICATION
3.IMPROVE

During intense change, communication is essential. Take time to address
why change is necessary, how your
team's priorities might shift, what
actions people can take to prepare, and
project goals and progress. Remember,
sometimes the same information
needs to be communicated several
times before it can be absorbed, so
share your message multiple times
and in multiple ways.
Communication involves listening,
not just telling. So discuss initiatives
with employees - not at them. Then,
check for understanding. Make sure
people can answer why the firm is
changing and where the transformation will lead them. If employees don't
have realistic expectations, you'll have
a difficult time getting - and keeping
- them on board.

TRACK PROGRESS
AND CELEBRATE
4.
MILESTONES

Once everyone on the team is crystal
clear on the goals, you need to monitor progress toward achieving those
goals. Employees need to know how
their work and efforts are contributing
to the company's future, especially in

MAY 2019 ■

times of change.
Build in successes early in the
process by identifying and solving
less difficult challenges early on,
highlighting and celebrating those
milestones. This keeps the momentum
going. Recognize the people and team
who contributed to implementation
throughout the process.
Everyone knows change is hard,
but it's also necessary. Change fatigue
is a mindset, rather than an actual
physical roadblock that holds you back.
In a time when client needs and wants
are evolving faster and faster, your
firm cannot survive without people
who are enthusiastically transforming
at the same speed. You cannot afford
to hit the pause button.
Keep your eye on the ball and keep
moving forward. We understand it's
scary. Be afraid, be unsure, but do it
anyway. ■
As a director for Boomer Consulting, Inc.,
Arianna Campbell helps
accounting firms challenge
the status quo by leading
process improvement
initiatives that result in
increased profitability and
client satisfaction. She also
facilitates the development
and cultivation of future firm
leaders in The P3 Leadership
Academy™. Internally,
she blends concepts from Lean Six Sigma and
leadership development to drive innovation and
continuous improvement within the company.
Arianna also enjoys the opportunity to share
knowledge through regular contributions to the
Boomer Bulletin and other industry wide publications, as well as public speaking at industry
conferences.

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