Change Management Plan
Change is essential to today's business environment. If a company is to survive and succeed on a macro level, they should analyze and adopt the best overall plan for change on an enterprise level. When examining the best way to make changes in a company that will globally affect the company, it is usually best to look at the total picture before acting, lest the plan fail. This paper will briefly summarize four key areas that leaders and managers must understand in order to successfully make a change, or in the case of our model company CrysTel, manage change dynamically throughout the life of the company. In order to understand completely the change it wants to make, the company must understand the implications of the change and the human variables of change implementation. The company should also strive to understand how to monitor the progress of the change, and how to ensure the continued success of the change. The following paragraphs are an explanation of what CrysTel is, why it needs to change, and how these four key areas can be manipulated to help it succeed in its dynamic need for change in the ever-changing environment it lives in.
Implications of Organizational Change
CrysTel is a telecommunications company that exists in a very dynamic environment, and it has the need for all aspects of itself to be dynamic and able to change relatively quickly. The upper management recently realized that CrysTel has the need to bring more products and services into its portfolio. That means that everybody who works for the company needs to be good at analyzing the best way to change, implementing a change, and sustaining the change. It also means that CrysTel employees need to change with the organization. In order for all of the employees to be good at the constant change that will be happening and be as dynamic as they need to be, they have to have good and dynamic leaders and managers to aid in the effort. Without the support from above, the employees will probably lose focus and the desire to see the company succeed (Miller et al, 2004). If the company does not prepare well, it might experience a high turnover rate as well. A study conducted by Lester Coch and John R.P. French showed that if a group of workers was not prepared for a change properly, that group exhibited a high turnover rate (Krietner & Kinicki, 2003).
Leading Change was named the top management book of the year by Management General. There are three major sections in this book. The first section is ¡§the change of problem and its solution¡¨ ; which discusses why firms fail. The second one is ¡§the eight-stage process¡¨ that deals with methods of performing changes. Lastly, ¡§implications for the twenty-first century¡¨ is discussed as the conclusion. The eight stages of process are as followed: (1) Establishing a sense of urgency. (2) Creating the guiding coalition. (3) Developing a vision and a strategy. (4) Communicating the change of vision. (5) Empowering employees for broad-based action. (6) Generating short-term wins. (7) Consolidating gains and producing more changes. (8) Anchoring new approaches in the culture.
In the first stage, unfreeze, the organization must overcome the status quo, including individual resistance and group compliance. An organization may bring about this change by increasing the forces behind the change, decreasing the resistance influences, or a combination of the aforementioned methods (Lewin, 1948). The second step of Lewin’s Change Model is the change. This step transitions the group from the current system to the new condition. Baum states, “At some basic level, we are all resistant to change” (Baum, 2000). This resistance necessitates the continued promotion of the change and the allaying of fears. Lewin encourages leaders to continue the efforts initiated in step one (Lewin, 1948). The third step of Lewin’s Change Model is to refreeze in the new equilibrium (Lewin, 1948). In this step leaders must endeavor to prevent the organization from reverting to old ways. Individuals and organizations have a tendency to relapse into what is comfortable instead of sticking with the change (Behavioral Change Theory, 2007). Reinforcing the new patterns and rewarding those who use the new model help cement the new behaviors.
This paper will be broken down into six sections profiling each critical part of implementing and managing change in an organization. The sections included are; outline for plan creating urgency, the approach to attracting a guiding team, a critique of the organizational profile, the components of change, and how to empower the organization.
Change is inevitable and bound to happen in all aspects of life including business. Although change is important in an organization, it can also be seen as a strength and weakness. Effective leadership is about mastering change. One must be willing to change in order to grow and be successful. This paper will compare and contrast Kotter and Kurt Lewin step in their change management models. Furthermore, it will elaborate on the concepts and explain whether these methods can be used at the same time. In addition, this paper will include a Christian worldview of the information discussed and how it relates to the change management models.
Change usually comes with resistance in any workplace because change disrupts the employees’ sense of safety and control (Lewis, 2012). Kurt Lewin (1951) created a three step process for assisting employees with organizational Change (Lewis, 2012). The three stages are Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze. These are the steps to a smooth transition for change within organizations. Further, these steps are not possible without good communication from upper Management through line staff. Communication was consistently listed as an issue in surveys conducted by the department.
Change is a fundamental element of individuals, groups and all sorts of organizations. As it is the case for individuals, groups and societies, where change is a continuous process, composed of an indefinite amount of smaller sub-changes that vary in effect and length, and is affected by all sorts of aspects and events, many of which cyclic are anticipated ones. It is also the case for organizations, where change occurs repeatedly during the life cycle of organizations. Yet change in organizations is not as anticipated nor as predictable, with unexpected internal and external variables and political forces that can further complicate the management of change (Andriopoulos, C. and P. Dawson, 2009), which is by itself, the focus of many scholars in their pursuit to shed light on and facilitate the change process (Kotter 1996; Levin 1947; et al).
Changing situations throughout the world affect all organizations in business today. Therefore, most organizations acknowledge the need to experience change and transformation in order to survive. The key challenges companies face are due to the advancements in technology, the social environment caused by globalization, the pace of competition, and the demands regarding customer expectations. It is difficult to overcome the obstacles involved with change despite all the articles, books, and publications devoted to the topic. People are naturally resistant to fundamental changes and often intimidated by the process; the old traditional patterns and methods are no longer effective.
Change is never predictable, and does not follow specific steps in the models of change management. One needs to explore all models of change management, and find pieces useful to the organization allowing flexibility and not rigidly following a change model. The levels chosen are motivated by the approach to change, and the implementation of change will depend on the model used; however, basic steps are essential to both organizational and personal change.
No matter which type of industry is discussed change management is an essential component in today's ever-changing business environment. To better understand this concept it should be recognized that change management is not just a task to be checked off and considered finished instead, it is a constant process that should be undertaken with a sense of urgency, implemented swiftly, and monitored continuously to ensure a successful transformation. To illustrate the knowledge of the change management process throughout the simulation, the learner is assigned the task of providing the information necessary to build a culture in which to sustain change. Using the key concepts identified throughout the course is essential in the accomplishment of the assigned task.
Organisational change has been defined as ‘the process of continually renewing an organization’s direction, structure, and capabilities to serve the ever-changing needs of external and internal customers’ (Moran and Brightman, 2001: 111). In order to survive in the era of rapid economic, companies will need to change. Instead of being simple and explicit, organisational change is complex, conceptual and continuous. As Pettigrew mentioned, “Empirically and theoretically, change and continuity need one another” (Pettigrew, 1987). Furthermore, based on Pettigrew’s research, change is best viewed as an emergent process (Pettigrew, 1985). There are many evidences throughout the years in which organizations implement changes as an ongoing process, rather than a one-time transformation.
McNay I (2006) Beyond Mass Higher Education: Building on Experience. The society for research into higher education and Open University Press.
The change process within any organization can prove to be difficult and very stressful, not only for the employees but also for the management team. Hayes (2014), highlights seven core activities that must take place in order for change to be effective: recognizing the need for change, diagnosing the change and formulating a future state, planning the desired change, implementing the strategies, sustaining the implemented change, managing all those involved and learning from the change. Individually, these steps are comprised of key actions and decisions that must be properly addressed in order to move on to the next step. This paper is going to examine how change managers manage the implementation of change and strategies used
The idea of change is the most constant factor in business today and organisational change therefore plays a crucial role in this highly dynamic environment. It is defined as a company that is going through a transformation and is in a progressive step towards improving their existing capabilities. Organisational change is important as managers need to continue to commit and deliver today but must also think of changes that lie ahead tomorrow. This is a difficult task because management systems are design, and people are rewarded for stability. These two main factors will be discussed with reasons as to why organisational change is necessary for survival, but on the other hand why it is difficult to accomplish.
The world is constantly changing in many different ways. Whether it is technological or cultural change is present and inevitable. Organizations are not exempt from change. As a matter of fact, organizations have to change with the world and society in order to be successful. Organizations have to constantly incorporate change in order to have a competitive advantage and satisfy their customers. Organizations use change in order to learn and grow. However, change is not something that can happen in an organization overnight. It has to be thought through and planned. The General Model of Planned Change focuses on what processes are used by the organization to implement change. In the General Model of Planned Change, four steps are used in order to complete the process of change. Entering and Contracting, Diagnosing, Planning and Implementing, and Evaluating and Institutionalizing are the four steps used in order to complete the process of change in an organization. The diagnostic process is one of the most important activities in OD(Cummings, 2009, p. 30).
Change is personal management philosophy which has served me well as it entails focusing on how staffs are affected by organization transition. Companies deal with different change disciplines mostly fuelled by the introduction of information technology. However, since business environment is constantly evolving rapidly, employees must then learn to adapt to variations in the workplaces. Companies that are resistance to change are usually left behind regarding technology and modern management styles which result in severe losses (Raineri, 2011).