How to get a grip on the emotional aspects of a transformation?

During a recently completed project we have been asked to support the fundamental realignment of an internal service provider. The change was intense – from the introduction of more efficient structures and changed responsibilities to a new, service-oriented mindset, a lot was required of the approximately 1,200 employees and managers.

Our experience with such fundamental and long-term projects is often that those responsible lose the feeling of where the project is sooner or later – less in terms of schedule and more regarding the emotional and mood-related side.

In order to counteract this from the start, we have been relying on regular ‘mood monitoring & management’ in our transformation projects for several years. At short intervals, we address all employees directly or indirectly affected by the change to ‘perceived progress’ and their personal perception of the changes. Thanks to highly efficient technologies and appropriate key questions on the psychological-emotional aspects of the transformation, we are able to draw a continuous mood curve and respond to fluctuations early and in a target-group-related manner.

In the project mentioned, it was one of the success factors to permanently keep an eye on the employees’ mood & mindset and to derive suitable change measures, leadership impulses and communication content. As a result, we were able to ensure that all aspects developed positively over a period of 9 months.

Especially the agreement to the question “Our unit has developed positively in the past few months” has improved significantly throughout the 9 months project phase. Has it been one of the bottom lights on the first pulse with 48% approval, the value has increased over the course of the project despite profound changes and cuts extremely positive.

If you like to learn more about our mood monitoring approach please visit our CO/MM/A microsite.