If you want to implement changes that will improve your organizational culture, simply putting policies and procedures in place won’t be enough. What’s more important is getting your employees to be on board and start practicing it in their day-to-day lives.

The hardest part of making changes in your company culture is ensuring that the changes actually stick. You need to have a plan to maintain the momentum. It could mean re-wiring your teams and fostering a more motivated environment for them to work.

How can you ensure that your cultural changes become a movement at work? Here are four tips to help you achieve it.

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Explain the why

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Your team members need to know what issues you are addressing and why making changes to the culture is important. But it will take more than just being transparent with them about it.

Why are these changes being implemented? It’s to achieve certain results that will help the team and the organization grow and move forward. Showing your employees what the “why” is will make it easier for them to embrace the change.

Your team members might be thinking: why should we care? Show them how it will affect their daily life at work and how the issues ties with their current situation, so that they can adapt.

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Invest in their skills

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You can’t expect your employees to follow your lead if they feel that they’re not being supported. If the issues you are trying to address affect them directly, make an effort to help them solve it.

If you want them to embrace change, you have to shoulder some responsibility. This will entail some focus on additional resources as well as skill development. Show your employees that you know their worth, too.

Besides addressing the gaps in their skills, you should also back it up with feedback and guidance. Always make sure their suggestions are heard, so that they’ll be more receptive to changes in which they had some input on.

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Always listen

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In order to manage change, communication should always be clear and continuous. Listen to your employees and find out if you can improve your approach based on what they have to say.

When implementing cultural changes, don’t expect everything to go your way. Your team members will be involved; therefore, it will be dynamic. Make sure you don’t leave them behind.

In order to make sure the changes stick, you need to be flexible. Adjusting according to your employees’ needs and being responsive to their suggestions will pave the way toward lasting changes.

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Recognition is key

Lastly, if you want your employees to feel like they’re part of the change, make it a point to reward them. This will help set an example for other team members that embracing change will yield positive effects.

Encourage them to learn from each other. They’ll most likely be more receptive to their peers. Besides, they will be the ones dealing with the changes at the outset, so it’s better for them to learn from their teammates.

Making culture changes is not just about having a vision. It all boils down to how it’s sustained. Making sure you get everyone to have the right mindset for change will enable you to see it happen.