Forward-Looking Change Management Strategies for Frontline Supervisors

Forward-Looking Change Management Strategies

Abstract

Frontline supervisors can significantly impact change. Supervisors on the frontlines who anticipate and address the root causes behind change resistance can increase employee change adoption. There is an expectation that top managers can lead change successfully, yet the immediate leaders of employees have the actual responsibility for overseeing change implementation tasks. Only 14% of frontline supervisors report playing an essential role in leading organizational change. Yet, a supervisor's ability to provide personalized and meaningful information about a change can influence employee acceptance over resistance. Frontline supervisors of hourly workers lack the most effective forward-looking practices to address change-related employee concerns and increase employee acceptance of changes. This modified Delphi project identified ten forward-looking practices for frontline supervisors during an organizational change, as viewed by 15 expert panelists.