Change Management

Abstract:

No organisation solely operates on its own, without the existence or consideration of its environment - regardless of its size, characteristics or culture. Since the need for change is often unpredictable and unavoidable, organisations tend to be reactive, ad hoc and often triggered by a situation of organisational crisis (Grigorescu, 2013). With the highly demanding, competitive and evolving environment - organisations that are slow to change or are resistant to change, are destined to fail or find it hard to survive. This could be due to the fact that organisations do not have strategies or measures in place to move with the change and serve the market demand.

The objective of the following assignment is to discuss the know-how of continually managing change through renewing the direction of an organisation faced with an ever changing business environment - with the leadership of organisational change being the primary key.

Keywords:

Change management, competitive environment, organisational culture, resistance to change

Introduction and Background:

Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change both from the perspective of an organization and individuals within the organisation - influenced by the internal and external environment of the organisation’s existence. Organisations require a proactive approach to dealing with change that occurs in the environment, which means they need to continually renew an organisation’s culture, direction, structure and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers and consumers (Moran & Brightman, 2001).

Furthermore, it is the practice that guides people how to prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adapt to change in order to achieve organisational success. Change management is the procedure of constantly renewing an organisation’s technique, structure, and competences to function in the ever changing needs of external and internal customers (Moran & Brightman, 2011). Change is an ever present feature of organizational life, organised at a functioning and strategic level. As a result, there should be no uncertainty concerning the significance to any association of its ability to identify where it needs to be in the future of organizational life together at operative and strategic level. Consequently, organizational change cannot be disconnected from organizational strategy.

Change management is an organised method aimed at ensuring that changes are efficiently executed, and the long-term benefits of change are accomplished. (Paton and McCalman, 2008) states that managing change is about handling the complexities of travel, it is about evaluating, planning and implementing operational, tactical and strategic journeys. The emphasis on managing the broader effects of change is mainly on people and how they, as entities and teams, move from the current condition in the direction of the new one. The business sphere has developed better at managing changes and the irregular important alteration. But change is diverse in the present day, it’s more similar to an overflow of continuous, overlapping and accelerating changes that have downcast many organizations.

Managing people through that kind of change requires complete communication and management approaches learned in the past. According to author and leadership expert (John. P Kotter, 2012) “you must change more than just the structure and operations of an organization, you need to change people’s behaviour and that is never easy”. This focus on connecting with people’s emotions is what will spark the behaviour change and actions that lead to success. Kotter and Cohen argue that change initiatives often fail because leaders rely too exclusively on data and analysis to get buy in from their teams instead of creatively showing or doing something that appeals to their emotions and inspires them to spring into action. They call this the see feel change dynamic, and it is crucial for the success of any true organizational transformation.

According to (William & Susan Bridges, 2009) the job of managing workplace change can be difficult; managed poorly, the result can be disastrous to the morale and stability of the staff. As veteran business consultant William Bridges explains, successful organizational change takes place when employees have a clear purpose, a plan for, and a part to play in their changing surroundings. Directed at managers on all rungs of the proverbial corporate ladder, this expanded edition of the classic bestseller provides practical, step-by-step strategies for minimizing the disruptions caused by workplace change. It is therefore a useful managerial tool for navigating these tumultuous, uncertain times.

Maximum people and procedures are developed for continuousness, not confusion. The shift from "a change" to "constant change" has disappointed the existing state of affairs we are by nature motivated to secure and outcomes.

THREE LEVELS OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Individual Change Management

Individual change management needs understanding of how people experience change and what they need to change successfully. It also needs you to know what will help people make a successful transformation: what messages do people need to hear when and from whom, when is the best time to teach someone a new skill , how to coach people to demonstrate new behaviors, and what makes changes “stick” in someone’s work. Individual change management draws on practices like psychology to apply actionable structures to individual change.

The Level of individual change management delivers the response to the problem: What organizations are trying to accomplish, when trying to manage the individual’s side of change. The values and outcomes of change are related to employees adapting to the alteration. An individual change management provides direction and without it, we really don't know why we create a communications plan or training plan.

The reason why we need individual change in organisations is for the success of the organizational change, which only results when individuals are successful at change.

Organisational/Initiative Change Management

Organisational change management involves first identifying the groups and people who will need to change as the result of the project, and in what ways they will need to change. It then involves creating a customised plan for ensuring impacted employees receive the awareness, leadership, coaching, and training they need in order to change successfully. Achieving successful individual transformations should be the central focus of the activities in organisational change management.