Building Trust in Transformation Projects

HOW TO RECOGNIZE SOMEONE WE CAN TRUST

Let us reason conversely. If you entrust someone with confidential information, or even a part of personal vulnerability, and that person abuses it to your detriment, you will immediately know that they are not trustworthy! Trust is the non-exploitation of another’s vulnerability.

WHEN THE COMPANY IS TRANSFORMING, HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU CAN TRUST?

Today, one of the primary concerns of employees is: “And me, what becomes of me in all this?” We have supported numerous transformations and it is clear that employees are often informed about the future of their job only very late… For employees, the period of uncertainty is long.

In these moments of doubt, we quickly create stories in our minds! The scenario is well-rehearsed: I do not know what fate awaits me, I judge that there is nothing left for me here, and I react by disengaging, resigning, or updating my CV… This scenario, at Grant Alexander, we call IJR – for Ignore / Judge / React.

Employees “Ignore” the impact of the transformation project on them, they “Judge” sometimes automatically that they have more to lose than to gain… and they may “React” by opposing or deserting. What erodes trust in institutions? IJR. What undermines employee engagement and fuels the great resignation? IJR! What feeds divisions and undermines the success of transformation projects? IJR!

Unfortunately, leaders are often powerless in the face of IJR. How can a leader ensure that their intentions will not be distorted and that their project will not be misinterpreted? Thirty years of supporting transformation projects have forged in us a conviction: neutralizing IJR-type reactions should be one of the first priorities of political leaders, company executives, and HR directors.

But how to do it in practice?

By starting to build a vision of the transformation project in which each employee also finds their personal interest! We are generally very strong at explaining to teams “What is the Interest for the Company – QIPE.”

But ask yourself, for yourself and for others: “What is the Interest for Me – QIPM?”

Part of our support work is to help managers concretely break down the macro vision, entity by entity, so that everyone in the company becomes capable of answering these two questions: QIPE and QIPM. It is then necessary to realign the organization to serve the vision and strategy. Very often, the success of the transformation passes through the redefinition of certain roles.

This work must be anticipated. The earlier the new roles are defined in the transformation process, the better the teams will be engaged, and the more trust and performance will develop.