Is your company rolling out a major change? Restructures, mergers, new systems and new business lines are the norm as companies move to respond to a more challenging and increasingly fast-moving, unpredictable business environment.

When launching a significant change initiative, one of the biggest mistakes business owners and managers make is to view the change as an event that happens at a single point in time. Accepting and then embracing change is a process, not an event. No matter how well you craft your announcement to employees, it should be just one of many conversations to generate employee buy-in, not the end. People naturally have resistance to change; for many, buy-in is a process that may take days, weeks or even months to achieve. Don’t expect it to happen immediately.

Here are five tips that can help you increase your odds of success by focusing on the people side of change:

1. Don’t judge individuals by their initial reaction.

Give people time to get on board and process the change before judging their willingness to accept it and be a team player. When making a big announcement on a major change, recognize the shock of the news will instantly start minds spinning over how it will affect them. It’s only natural for a person to immediately focus on the fear of loss or loss of control rather than to appreciate the potential benefits of a change. Don’t be surprised if some initial reactions are negative. Some individuals may need several weeks before going through the stages of grief: shock and denial, anger, depression, bargaining and acceptance. If you observe employees’ first reactions, you may falsely judge that an employee won’t come on board with the change. Keep in mind that this does not mean they will not eventually accept the change once they are able to process it.

2. Realize that much of what you say when making the announcement may not be heard.

The shock of learning about a major change can start people’s minds spinning. Lost in their own thoughts, employees may not clearly hear and absorb important details you are communicating. Leaders are always surprised to learn, after making a major announcement loaded with helpful and important information, how little was actually heard. Keep in mind that, as the leader planning the major change, you have had weeks or perhaps months to process the change yourself.

3. Ask your staff how they feel about the change.

When you ask employees what they think about the change, you are asking, “Is the change logical from a business perspective?” You may get a very positive response, which may fool you into believing the staff member is emotionally on board. However, an employee can think the change is rational and yet personally feel threatened. Asking staff members how they feel about the change may elicit a different answer regarding their emotions, allowing you to better understand and address concerns.

4. Give key managers time to process and accept the change before they meet with their employees.

Change needs to be cascaded down the organization, even in a small-business setting. Owners need to bring supervisors on board and then supervisors need to bring the rest of the team on board. Because of legitimate fears about controlling news about change, supervisors often talk with the crew before they have had a chance to process and accept the change themselves. If they’re working to convince employees that the change is good but they are not fully committed themselves, their messages will be perceived as disingenuous.

5. Identify and bring key people on board first.

In every team there are leaders outside the ranks of management whom other employees take their cues from. There are also staff members who more quickly accept change or perhaps even embrace it. If early on you can enlist these key people, they can help set the tone for the group’s reaction to change.

TAKE YOUR TIME

Moving too fast can actually make your change initiative take longer. When you don’t take the time to build commitment, people act out of self-interest and fear. This can result in decisions and actions that can slow down or even sabotage your change efforts. By recognizing change is a process, you will be in a better position to manage the “people” side of change, significantly increasing the odds of creating successful transition.