Integrating Elements of Engagement

In order to tilt the balance away from presentation towards participation during the implementation process, it consists of providing opportunities for the people involved to enable their participation through discussion on various ways the change is going to affect them. An effective engagement program entails creation of urgency, formation of coalitions, creation of visions for change, communicating the vision, removing possible obstacles, creating short term wins, building on the change and anchoring on the changes in the corporate culture. In order to successfully promote increased participation from individuals, it is essential that their behavior change is put into consideration. 

A process of change can either involve overt or covert experience and activities that they engage in an attempt to foster behavior modification. Increased individual participation is attained through increased consciousness, counter conditioning, dramatic relief, environmental reevaluation, helping of relationships, reinforcement management,  self-liberal, self reevaluation, social liberation and stimulus control (Scarlett, 2010). For change to happen there is need to develop a sense of urgency helping in sparking motivation required to initiate change. This is often achieved by initiating a convincing dialogue between those involved in the process. This process includes identification of the potential threats to the process, examination of opportunities to be exploited and by initiating honest discussions that help gather support from all the stakeholders involved in the implementation process.

Also, participation is increased through the formation of a powerful coalition by convincing people to appreciate the necessity of the change. This involves use of strong leadership skills to bring various teams together into teams and by making coalitions with those who have great influence. This process involves identification of true leaders, requesting for their emotional commitment and by creating a strategy to execute the plan (Kahn, 2000).  Moreover, to tilt the balance from presentation towards participation, there is a need to create short-term wins that will play a significant role in encouraging people to participate in the implementation process. Success is a key element that motivates people to be part of a process and limit the negative effects resulting from critics and negative thinkers of the process. Initial success is attained through creation of short term targets that can be implemented without seeking help from strong critics of the process. 

In addition, participation can be increased through empowerment of people to influence their decision making at a local operating level where they are able to delegate power and responsibility. Empowerment can be achieved through the use of properly established communication methods essential in making immediate reviews and decision making. These increase their level of input into the process through their approval, emotional commitment and further communication of the process’s expectations and actions. Finally, it is important that individuals undergo training, adjust their recruitment to help in the acceleration of their contributions to the culture of empowered dynamism in the process.

Managing change is the responsibility of the management and the organization executives. Change must be managed in such a way that others can be able to cope with it. It must be facilitated and enabled such that it is understood by those affected from an objective point of view. It is very important that those subjected to change are helped to understand the reasons, aims as well as the ways in which they are able to positively respond to the intended change according to their own capabilities and situations. Change is not supposed to be imposed on people, instead, the intended change is expected to be interpreted, communicated and enabled to facilitate proper response. Change ought to involve those affected as they have the right to get an explanation. Implementing change creates new environments that need to be explained to those affected to foster their involvement in validation and refining of the change. When change is imposed on people, difficulties relating to their participation are inevitable. 

Therefore, it is important that factors including participation, involvement and early full communication of the intended engagement are facilitated. When people know that they are involved in the implementation they are likely to offer limited resistance to the intended change. On the other hand, failing to involve them reduces their level of participation, and this is attributed to their fear for the unknown to expected loss that would come with the change. Their resistance stems from the way the affected individuals perceive the change and is often influenced by how well they are equipped to handle the expected change. The level of resistance offered by individuals on an impending change is often determined by the way one views the change as bad or good as well as the expected impact of the change. Thus, ultimate individual acceptance of a change is a factor of their coping skills and the availability of a support system. This implies that involving individuals in a change implementation process is essential in reducing their resistance life while giving them an opportunity to participate in the process.

Implementing processes that will enable people to abandon same old conversations and begin new ones is not an easy task, hence, requires a well thought plan of adoption of change. Change does not take place naturally and results from handwork, trial and error. It is essential that concise and readable information is developed and passed to the people targeted to adopt the intended change. Integrating elements of engagement requires a broad spectrum of skills that promotes the effectiveness of the process of innovation and change.  

Getting to make people leave old ways and adopt new ideas requires use of multiple channels of communication. In order to accomplish everything, the idea of expecting one telephone call, one presentation, one conference should be done away with. The process of adopting change mandates use successful programs of change that are carefully thought out and well conceived. Thus, to get individuals to implement new ideas, human contacts constitute critical ingredients to be used alongside visual and good written materials.

Also, successful implementation of change in individuals requires that the programs implemented take into consideration the needs, limitations as well as the problems of the user. The change in ideas of an individual through adoption of the agents of change helps in bringing innovation. This is attained through careful examination of their preconceived notions regarding the new ways things should be done. Therefore, adoption of innovative ideas by people needs alteration of their human behavior and thief ability to accept change.  It is critical that they become receptive to change and be able to objectively evaluate new ideas and see things not as they used to be but how they might be in the future. The designing of each event in the implementation process to foster change in individuals requires sufficient time and place that facilitates diffusion of emotions created by the change.  It also mandates taking of decisive actions, making of intensive consultation and continued monitoring of the entire process to ensure that stakeholders are fully involved leading to attainment of the intended objectives.

References

Kahn, W. A. (December, 2000). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. The Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 690–720

Scarlett, K. (2010). Quality employee engagement measurement.  Oxford: Oxford University Press.