Mike Ross
This level of change can create significant uncertainty and stress. It is important that packaging professionals understand how leadership can help smooth the transition toward the final destination. In this environment, leadership is not defined by a specific level or position in an organization; rather, it comes from the individuals and teams affected by change. Here are five practical ways to approach and navigate such change.
1. Emotional intelligence and empathy are key. Teams and individuals will understandably experience tension between logic and emotion during major organizational change. While a merger, acquisition, divestiture, or similar change may have strong strategic reasons behind it, the emotional impact can still be significant. As leaders, it is important first to acknowledge that the reactions of those affected will vary. Emotions may alternate between denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and, ultimately, acceptance. Maintaining active engagement with individuals on the team is essential, including regularly monitoring morale and emotional well-being, both for others and yourself. Sharing your feelings and experiences can help the team find common ground and avoid feeling isolated. It is equally important not to frame change only in positive terms. While optimism can help explain the rationale for change, if it is too one-sided it may appear inauthentic and minimize people’s emotional stress. Communication, transparency, and acknowledgment of situational stress are fundamental to keeping people engaged and supporting their well-being.
2. Focus on what matters. On the logical side of the situation, keeping clear goals and objectives at the forefront can help provide a sense of purpose, value, and motivation. After all, being a packaging professional naturally comes with a sense of discovery and a desire to create. During organizational change, individuals naturally question their place in the organization or wonder whether their skills and experience still matter. Clear goals, deliverables, and deadlines reinforce that people are valued and have an important contribution to make to the new organization.
3. Put your best foot forward. With significant change, especially in a merger, team composition will undoubtedly shift. Projects may be affected as people, along with their talent and experience, move into and out of different roles. This creates another level of stress, as individuals remain accountable for their deliverables even while the environment is still in flux. However, it also creates an opportunity to showcase talent, experience, motivation, and best practice. After all, new relationships are being formed. Being clear about what the team and its individuals bring to the situation in a positive way can quickly establish a sense of esprit de corps, a focus on goals and deliverables, and a continued sense of value and purpose.
4. Have a voice. As leaders, it is important to express both the concerns and the opportunities that emerge during times of change. The packaging function plays a critical role in product development, as packaging is often the first point of contact with the end user or consumer. It also conveys, transports, protects, and informs about the product within. It is therefore critical that packaging professionals highlight the requirements of the new organization, from team structure and physical capabilities, such as test labs or pilot plant capability, to ways of working and best practice. While budgets and staffing will be challenging in these situations, the packaging team is uniquely placed to comment on what the end state should be for the packaging function. This is where practicing leadership truly gains traction, as the organization moves toward its future reality.
5. Have courage. Times of significant change will likely remain part of the foreseeable future. Trust in your ability, experience, and value to the new organization. Stay focused, remain emotionally connected to yourself and your team, and look for ways to help create the reality you want to experience. In moments of uncertainty, leadership is shown not only by providing answers, but by creating confidence, direction, and belief in what is possible. By leading with empathy, clarity, and courage, packaging professionals can help turn change from a source of disruption into a platform for growth, resilience, and shared success.
The author, Mike Ross, is Global R&D Packaging Lead at Unilever Food Solutions in Wageningen, The Netherlands. He is a member of IoPP’s Sustainable Packaging Technical Committee and an IoPP Certified Packaging Professional Lifetime. For information on IoPP membership, educational offerings and networking opportunities, visit www.iopp.org.
