Right now it's all change, all the time. These worries may or may not be expressed directly, but you can bet they'll be the subject of lunch time conversations. And the manager is the key to addressing those 'me' questions that get in the way of successfully implementing change. But, those methods rarely allay anxieties. For that to happen, say experienced change consultants, you need a different approach entirely.
Hot buttons can be different for different people.
Techies get excited about the feeling that they're out on the bleeding edge doing cool stuff. Sales people and other competitors like the idea of winning in the market place. Depending on the context, you may be able to get people fired up about a chance to earn a fat bonus or learn new skills. For example, many companies conduct employees surveys when change is afoot. Charles Schwab, however, not only published the results of one such survey, it also trained managers to analyse individual responses, says Tom Davenport, a principal with Towers Perrin's San Francisco office.