A reorganization
A reorganization raises questions: what changes about your work, and where you fit in the new setup. Some of it is clear from the announcement, other parts take shape over time.
In this phase it helps to sort out what you already know and what is still open. That includes asking what you can help shape yourself.
Which situation are you in?
You are working out where you stand
What the change means for your role and your next steps.
I don't know where I stand in the new structure
What do you actually know so far, and what are you only guessing?
My old team was split up, my new manager hasn't described my role yet, and some of my tasks moved to another team...
ExampleI am wondering whether to stay or go
This decision is better made with all the facts than in the first days after the announcement.
Since the reorganization my role feels unclear, and I'm wondering whether I still belong here...
Example
Your team is changing
Teams are being merged, split or given a new remit.
My team has been merged with another
Two teams becoming one. How far along is that so far?
Since the merger, both former teams still hold separate meetings and mostly ask their old colleagues for help...
ExampleIt's unclear who owns what now
What the old structure handled quietly now needs a clear owner.
Customer escalations used to go to the old team lead. Since the reorg nobody feels responsible, and they sit for days...
Example
There is friction
The new setup leads to disagreement between people or teams.
I keep clashing with someone over the new setup
New responsibilities are unfamiliar for everyone. What does the other person need from the new setup, and what do you need?
Since the reorg, Jonas and I share the release planning. In the last meeting he changed the plan I had prepared without talking to me first...
ExampleTwo teams see the new split differently
Behind “that's ours” there may be a worry about workload or visibility, and worries can be negotiated.
Since the new split, both teams claim the same app features, and every sync ends in the same discussion...
Example
Something else around the reorganization?
Find a fitting method with a few questions.
If the reorganization affects your contract or your role, get advice before you sign anything, for example from the works council or HR.
What helps during the transition
Ask directly.
What is decided and what is still open can simply be asked. That brings more clarity than guessing.
Name what is still open.
If you lead people, also say what you don't know yet. It gives your team orientation while the details take shape.
Say what you miss, notice what works.
The old way had its reasons. Saying what you miss, and noticing what already works in the new setup, helps both sides.
Sort the problems.
Some problems come from the change, others were there before and are only more visible now. Both belong on the table.
Take goodbyes seriously.
Missing a team you liked is not resistance. Acknowledging it makes the fresh start easier for everyone.
“Involve the people affected.”
I've been through a reorganization myself as one of the people affected. Everyone sat in one room, and a slide showed the new projects with our names on them. For me it meant a project in Munich instead of Berlin, with personal consequences. I would have wished to hear that beforehand in a conversation of my own, instead of being presented with a done deal in front of everyone.
What I would do differently today
I would tell each person affected first, one to one, the way I wished it had been done for me. And I'd follow clear principles and keep the bigger picture in view, even when not everything is settled yet, and work out the open details together with the people affected.