Managing Organizational Change
From OrgChart.net
In the face of changing external and internal environments—be it social or political in nature, inspired by melting global boundaries, new management or governance practices, legal requirements or because of the need for cost cutting, innovation or gaining competitive edge—organizations have no other option but to embrace change themselves.
Experts agree that change should no longer be treated as a challenge and should in fact become ingrained as a core organizational value. Adaptability and readiness for change determines an organization’s and even an individual’s ability to survive. After all, it does not stop at one change—diverse needs inspire changes one after another.
Change as a Process
Change is a process that can evoke several negative emotions. In any organization the onus of change management lies with senior management and its executives. It is a process that needs in-depth understanding, planning and skillful handling by managers who desire the transition to be smooth and the change effective.
Senior management often uses diagnostic tools at the planning stage to develop a model of change based on sound understanding of the current situation and future requirements of the organization. Deep commitments to these strategies are vital for the success of any such plan. Managers handling the change need to use the right tools at the right stage.
Initiating Change
The introduction of the need for change must be done sensitively, considering the human nature and its natural reactions to change. Employees must be made aware that change is imminent and why the need for it has arisen. Each step must be thoughtfully planned and communicated. It is best to have interpersonal meetings rather than hide behind cold, impersonal mails or memos that preclude any scope for discussion and allaying of fears and doubts.
This is the learning stage when past ways of doing things must be unlearned. Managers need to explain clearly what changes will imply for the future and career of individuals and what the emerging relationships could possibly look like along with any additional skills or training required by them.
The best way to keep away fears and apprehensions about change is to involve and engage employees at the planning stage itself. This facilitates familiarity, and embracing change becomes easier when some of the suggestions given by employees themselves are incorporated. A good manager should be able to empathize with the individuals affected by change and help them get over the unsettling phase. The biggest challenge for a change manager is resistance in all its forms and dimensions. An understanding of human psychology can go a long way in handling related issues adeptly—be it through talks, allaying of fears and doubts or through pacing program implementation differently.
Change managers must organize workshops and promote and enable skill development at the change implementation stage so that requirements that have been outlined at the planning stage are met efficiently.
Enacting Change
When the time comes to consolidate the change, the novel should become the normal. Active efforts should be made to reinforce new behavior, so that it becomes the ‘way’. Rewards must be now tied anew to performance in the new scenario and mechanisms to measure change should be put in place. The old order has to be phased out. Statistical data indicates that nearly two thirds of change initiative fail—either due to lack of support from senior management, a change that has been implemented too fast, lack of requisite skill development or due to lack of a just reward system as a driver in place. Change must be monitored and managed consistently to yield any gains by the organization.
