Cloud Requires More Than Just Retraining
When it comes to cloud, retraining is a given. However, managers do not always
do the proper amount of retraining, and they seldom prepare their employees
for it. To make any training effective, you have to engage the employee’s will-
ingness before you teach the new skills. Say you are going to train someone on
DevOps. That person needs to have the internal motivation to learn what
DevOps is, and why it is important to them. Unless you can communicate what
it means for them, what is in it for their department, and how it is going to ben-
efit the company as a whole, they may not be motivated to develop DevOps
skills quickly enough to meet the expectations of the business.
It costs a lot to hire someone new and upskill them. So if you already have a
team, make sure you are managing that talent to the best of your ability. Focus
on building confidence and motivating the individuals to want to do this new job.
Managing the Process
How can managers manage employees through their transition journeys?
There are steps they should take throughout the process, and best practices to
employ in specific phases.
The overall recommendation is to communicate, communicate, communicate.
Be clear about what is changing and what is not. Never underestimate the
number of times employees need to hear the same consistent message before
it really sinks in. For each phase of William Bridges’ Transition Model, here are
some specific recommendations to help manage people through the
transition.
For managing Endings:
• Specify what is and what is not over.
• Talk about how the change will impact the entire team.
• Create an open-door communication practice and actively seek feedback
from all parts of the organization.
For those in the Neutral Zone:
• Establish temporary rules of engagement. Allow people to experiment.
Projects have cutover dates; people do not.
• Be clear about performance expectations.
• Be compassionate and empathetic.
For people ready to start New Beginnings:
• Be open to shifts and corrections.
• Highlight quick wins.
• Clearly articulate the new identity and the new world for your people.
Make sure they know what it means for them and the organization.
70 | THE DOPPLER | FALL 2018