A Guide To Challenging the Status Quo at Work (With Steps)

The status quo is a set of accepted business processes and procedures. You may challenge the status quo if you feel that a company procedure is not working well or you have better ideas. You can improve your leadership skills and your company’s performance by understanding the steps and strategies that you can use in order to change processes within your organisation.

This article will explain what it means and why leaders in businesses need to challenge the status-quo. We also discuss how to challenge the status-quo at work.

WHAT DOES CHALLENGING THE STATUS QUO MEAN?

Leaders of companies need to challenge the status quo and offer alternative ways for the company to operate. You may find a problem that needs to be solved in some cases. You may also see an opportunity for the company to improve its processes. 

Here are some examples of challenging the status quo in business:

Changing Culture

You can challenge the status-quo at work by suggesting changes to the company’s culture. To promote a positive work environment, you might suggest flexible scheduling and remote work options.

Propose new ways of working

You can also challenge the status quo by proposing new ways to perform tasks that improve efficiency or solve problems for the company. It is possible to change workflows within a department or make large-scale changes to the company’s operations.

Engage new markets

Another example of challenging the status-quo is suggesting that a company allocate marketing resources to a new market segment.

If you are a working for a company with a primary demographic of men aged 25-45, and you have evidence that you could target younger audiences, you can present your idea and challenge the status quo to the management.

Identify problems and provide solutions

If you can identify a solution that will require a company’s processes to change, it is possible to challenge the status-quo. 

Find and promote more efficient ways

You can also challenge the status quo in your job by finding more efficient ways to do tasks than is generally accepted. A journalist professional might find a better way to manage social media in a newsroom that does not involve automatic posting.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO CHALLENGE THE STSTUS QUO AS A LEADER

It is important to challenge the status quo because it allows leaders of companies to assess the company’s operations and look for new ideas. This can encourage creativity and inspire others to come up with new ideas. If someone challenges the status-quo at work, it can help companies achieve their goals and streamline processes.

You can improve your leadership skills by challenging the status quo in a company and show management that you are able to be a good employee. This can help you grow in your career and earn promotions, or a reputation for solving problems with creativity at work.

HOW TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO IN A COMPANY

These are the steps you can take in order to challenge the status-quo at work.

1. Find an opportunity to make a difference

To challenge the status quo at work, you must first decide what you want to do differently. Although there may be many avenues for improvement in a company’s operations, it is best to concentrate on one task at a time.

It doesn’t matter if you are trying to solve a problem, or improve the company’s processes. You should frame your idea as a positive improvement. This will help you create a plan to implement the changes in your company.

2. Do your research

After you have identified the process or practice that you wish to change, you can start research. You can research the potential of your idea to help you make a compelling pitch to management. These are some areas you should research if you want to challenge the status quo in your company.

Research other organisations

You might find similar procedures in other companies, which could be a good starting point for your presentation.

Industry research

To find out how other companies handle a specific process, you can look at how they approach it in your industry.

Data research

Data can be gathered about the potential effects of your idea being pursued. If your idea is a positive change, you may be able to convince management to accept your proposal.

3. Ask for feedback about your idea

You can also ask your team members for their opinion on the idea. To understand the perspectives and concerns of humans whose jobs could be affected by your idea, you can ask them for their input. This will help you to identify and fix any flaws in your current idea.

When you challenge the status quo, there are many benefits to asking for opinions from colleagues, including:

Buy-in

Asking other team members for their input can help you determine how popular your idea is with others within the company. This will help you determine if your idea is likely to be supported by people who work in the same industry as you.

Collaboration

Sometimes, employees may be able to hear your ideas and offer a better solution. This situation can be a way to work with other employees in your company and challenge the status quo.

Validation

You can get opinions from other employees to help you determine how important your idea really is. This will help you feel more confident when pitching your idea to the management.

4. Implementation strategy

Think about how you would implement your idea in the company before you present it to the leaders of the company. Next, create a plan that outlines how you will implement your idea in the company. You can convince others by using your research to develop a plan to change a company’s process.

This stage is also a good time to create a pitch for your idea. You can present a convincing case to management by creating a polished pitch that is supported by research and has a plan for implementation. This will help you feel more confident in your meetings with management.

5. Share your ideas with company leaders

Use your research, employee opinions, and an implementation plan to pitch your idea for change within the company. You can increase your chances of success by being prepared to answer any questions management might have about your idea. Also, ensure that your presentation is confident.

6. Keep calm, and be persistent

Don’t give up if you don’t succeed immediately. Take the lessons learned and work to turn negative emotions around. It can take time for some ideas to become reality.

Creative types can sometimes struggle with self-regulation and persistence. Do you feel like this? Do you agree? You will be motivated if you have clear goals and a timeline.

Key Learning Points:

• It can be scary to challenge the status quo at work, but it can also help you build your influence and help a company succeed.
• You can create a list of all your fears and rank how likely it is that they will come true. This will help you to see your fears clearly and allow you to present your ideas confidently.
• You can approach any challenge you face with positivity, even if you are challenging the status quo in your company.
• Positive attitude will help you show confidence in your idea, and can help you see the positive side of things.
• If you are researching an idea that would challenge the status quo in a company, you should look for data that includes numbers.
• Numbers will help you to describe the effect of your proposed change.
• Leadership at a company is more likely to accept ideas that increase revenue or reduce costs.
• Frame your pitch so that it conveys the value of the idea to the entire company.