Multifamily leaders share their keys to empowering property staff when launching new systems and technology 

By some estimates, 70% of change initiatives fail to meet their objectives. According to Multifamily Solutions president Dennis Smillie, it’s a staggering figure illustrating common barriers when launching any sort of change at an apartment organization.

“Change management starts long before implementation begins,” says Smillie, “And effective change management survives and thrives long after implementation is done.” Beyond the standpoint of multifamily software, he explains that change confronts all departmental areas and disciplines. “It can be something as simple as asking your offices to stay open an extra half hour during the summer to capture more opportunities in the leasing center,” Smilie says. “Whether it’s technology, or whether it’s simple business processes, change is change.”

“You need a good change management plan. That’s the key component,” agrees Scott Pechersky, Vice President of Technology and Ancillary Services at Alliance Residential, who outlines four specific questions his team asks right from the get-go when implementing change:

1) What are the behaviors we want to get out of our staff?

2) Which employee positions will we primarily use to communicate the change?

3) How will we communicate that message?

4) What new costs or budgeting measures will be impacted?

“Success is important,” explains Smillie. “But failure is even more important because failure creates barriers to future change. Every time a change effort fails it generates greater resistance to any subsequent new initiatives, related or unrelated.”

To help ward off those unintended consequences, Waterton Residential’s Vice President of Leasing and Marketing Virginia Love tries to consider how all groups will be affected. “Look at the weak points,” Love advises. “Question what may happen, what might go wrong, and what’s required of everybody to make something happen. Look at the facts from all angles. Consider all departments.”

Beyond simply announcing the change itself, Love emphasizes the importance of communicating the benefit to all involved. “One of the things we always look at is WIIFM: What’s in it for me? We have to make sure we’re communicating that to everybody,” she explains.

In terms of actual communication channels, Forest City Residential Vice President of Strategic Business Services Lori Reeves specifies several used by her teams. “We have our main internal web center where we post most of our messages. We have a YouTube channel, and our CEO does a newsletter.” Reeves also identified communications that are unique to the site level, including communications through regional managers and hosting roadshow tours.

“Video has also been a fantastic tool for us,” adds Love. “Anything that makes them laugh and puts the bigwigs of your company in an uncomfortable situation is hugely popular.”

To that end, Alliance has developed a “Playbook” video series to educate team members about new policies and procedures through sports-themed programs. The idea was created by company president James Krohn, who Pechersky credits as a prime example of executive involvement in change management. “Your executive team is the key driver of change,” he says. “If [they] aren’t buying in, then don’t even make the change.”