Keys to success

Trust is a key element for the success of a project. If employees see the project as a threat, they will put more effort into into maintaining their control or they may also become less active instead failing to work towards the common goal.

The following are the keys to gaining employees' trust and therefore success with a project:

• Sharing a strategical vision using effective management. The act of establishing common values and sharing a business culture replaces eventual fears with a relationship based on trust.
• Implementing a team approach. Employee participation enables employees to support the project as they are more motivated to implement ideas if they come up with those ideas themselves. Those same people may even promote these new ideas with their colleagues. On the contrary, however, a project conceived and developed without the help of employees risks causing a feeling of exclusion. One should therefore take into account the needs, advice and fears of employees and those who benefit from the project so as to define a performance resolution that suits all. This participation, however, has its limits and should be ideally applied to those who are motivated or impartial so there is mutual benefit from team synergies rather than uniting opposition to the project.
• Involve employees and give them responsibility. This involves making all company employees understand their role and importance in the new organization and also involves setting goals that motivate employees, while giving them responsibility at the same time. It is extremely important to put a training plan in place so each employee evolves in his profession. In such a context, each employee will be more inclined to improve his/her skills in order to achieve personal goals and consequently exchange his/her experience and knowledge with others.
• Defining short-term goals. Apart from the general project goals, one should set a certain number of mid-way milestones which on completion serve as a series of minor triumphs.