Making Change Last - How to Get beyond Change Fatigue by Beaudin - Article Example

Combating Change Fatigue in Modern Organisations: Critical Evaluation of Beaudan (2006) Introduction In his article “Making change last: How to get beyond change fatigue”, Beaudan (2006) argues that leaders have a major role in combating change fatigue in modern organisations. This essay will critically evaluate Beaudan’s arguments by reviewing literature on change management and evaluating the argument that leaders should provide the initiative, momentum and support to overcome change fatigue. The essay will evaluate to what extent other literatures support Beaudan’s arguments and conclude by concurring with Beaudan that contemporary leaders need flexibility and openness to ingenuity for transformative change and to combat change fatigue. Review of Literature Beaudan (2006) observes that change is a difficult task nevertheless, it is inevitable and crucial for the success of an organisation. Similarly, Abrahamson (2000) notes that change is an inevitable aspect of an organisation’s life cycle. In today’s competitive business environment, many organisations are faced with circumstances in which they have to change or perish (Abrahamson 2000). Kaminski (2000) supports the fact that change is inevitable in any organisation seeking success in the industry and adds that change is something that all organisations have to learn to live with, to structure and to manage. He adds that only those who can cope with change will survive the ultra-competitive contemporary environment. According to By (2005), the primary objective for management in contemporary times is to manage change due to its unpredictability and its tendency to draw crisis. Similar to the sentiments of Beaudan (2006), By also argues that whereas change in organisations was traditionally seen to bring inconsistencies and break the routine way of doing things, change has become necessary for organisations to keep pace with trends. Consequently, change management is increasingly becoming a routine in itself within organisations. Both Beaudan (2006) and By (2005) observe that contemporary organisations are increasingly being faced with difficulty in adoption, implementation and management of transformational programs. This trend can be attributed to the increasingly changing trends in the kind of leadership that drives change especially in light of resistance to such change. Change is inevitable in the organisational setup and so is the resistance that would arise to combat it. In his article, Beaudan (2006) highlights various issues that should be taken into count in the process of implementing change. Firstly, Beaudan notes that it is crucial for leaders to take into account the change goals and expectations. According to ELS (2004), managers and leaders of organisations have a central role to play as they are primarily tasked with the role of overseeing the implementation of the change initiatives to success. Therefore, in change management, leadership is instrumental - it is more than a just position held in organisational hierarchy or status conferred as in itself resides values that people relate to and associate or live by. ELS (2004) concur with Beaudan (2006) that enlightened leadership solutions to change management start with setting goals, expectations, principles, values and practices that create the right conditions for change. Secondly, Beaudan (2006) notes that it is crucial for leaders to take into account the change speed. Leaders should evaluate what is working and not working and ensure that they develop clear milestones. Martin (2007) supports Beaudan’s suggestions by noting that the role of leadership in contemporary times is setting direction, building commitment and creating alignment. He further notes that in order to realise these outcomes, it is crucial for leadership to be present-oriented by dealing with challenges that are currently facing the organisation. He observes that organisations are moving away from the traditional ways of combating change such as focus on making big figures, maximisation of individual performance and performance contracting. Instead, organisations are shifting focus to teamwork, long term objectives and innovation. Basically, moving away from short term, individual-oriented reward systems towards more interdependent rewards systems that are long term oriented keeps an organisation in pace with the change speed (Martin 2007). Moreover Beaudan (2006) postulates that in order for leaders to effectively deal with change fatigue, they should change the mix of people. In essence they should, ensure that they have the right team, incorporate the right expertise in the change process and consult with external parties. Fernandez & Rainey (2006) concur with Beaudan by arguing that leaders in organisations today cannot work independently without consultation and succeed in the contemporary market. Therefore, leaders must coordinate with their subordinates, stakeholders and external parties in decision making and implementation. Ultimately, the involvement and participation of subordinates and external parties can play a central role in combating change fatigue. Fernandez & Rainey (2006) also discuss various functions that leaders are mandated with in their endeavor to carry out their managerial functions in the organisation. Among these is building internal support for change and overcoming resistance to change. Fernandez and Rainey (2006) further recognise that the participation of the employees in the process of combating the resistance to change is inevitable and that the internal structures should be devised such that subordinates have a stake and a role to play in developing and maintaining the internal support system for change. Lastly, Beaudan (2006) proposes that in order to avert change fatigue, it crucial for managers to add excitement to the change process. In order to realise this, he suggests that the change leaders should make known the change effort to the organisation’s board or management, provide incentive and create a crisis by evoking people’s sense of responsibility towards creative solution for the change process. Rock (2008) presents a brain – based model for collaborating with and influencing others, he argues that people are mentally oriented to think about the rewards vis-à-vis the threats that their action poses for them. Simply put, they weigh the consequences of their actions and make a conscious choice as to whether to pursue it or not. In the work place, the staff is motivated or otherwise with respect to the benefit or loss that a certain behavior may accord them. Therefore, parties will act to avoid or approach certain behaviors based on their judgment of whether the resultant outcome is a reward or a loss (Rock 2008). A practical example would be an employee afraid of his boss who undermines his professionalism and credibility. Such an employee is more likely to exhibit difficulty in solving complex problems and more likely to make mistakes. Consequently, when faced with a challenge the employee would shy away from tackling it bearing in mind the repercussions of ridicule and or discontentedness from his boss. The table below illustrates more on the reward versus threat that in turn causes one to approach or avoid certain situations. This model supports Beaudan (2006) notion that incentives are necessary motivating people to take responsibility towards creative solution for the change process. Response Synonyms in literature Which traditional primary factors activate the response What social factors/situations activate the response Approach Advance, attack, reward, resource, expand, solution, strength, construct, engage. Rewards in form of money, food, water, sex, shelter, physical assets for survival. Happy, attractive faces. Rewards in the form of increasing status, certainty, Avoid Withdraw, retreat, danger, threat, contract, problem, weakness, deconstruct. Punishment in the form of removal of money or other resources or threats like a large hungry predator or a gun. Fearful, unattractive, unfamiliar faces. Threats in the form of decreasing status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness, fairness. Table 1. The effects of approaching verses avoiding; Adopted from Rock (2008, p. 2). According to Rock (2008) understanding and collaboration with others will help an individual understand the drivers that lead to approaching and or avoiding of issues in the work place. Consequently, understanding these can enable organisations function most effectively reducing conflicts and resistance to change. Managers can strive to understand several environmental factors that increase the approach of its employees to issues and identifies those that lead to avoiding of issues and subdue them where necessary. One of the issues that Beaudan (2006) identifies as hindrance to effective change management is resistance to change. Sun (2009) acknowledges that new ways of combating resistance to change is an increasingly popular topic of discussion among leaders of organisations who are concerned with the current trends posing hurdles along the process of change implementation. Consequently, new ways of combating change fatigue are being sought and leaders are becoming increasingly engaged in the process of developing such initiatives. Similarly, Appelbaum (1998) acknowledges that managers today are faced with opposition from the most unlikely quarters such as mid-level management who are expected to implement the mandate of top management. This makes it difficult to implement change initiatives in the organisation. It is therefore crucial for managers to have the skill to identify the inert potential of those they choose to head various departments such that the spirit of the entire organization is in synchrony with its desired goals and objectives (Kavanagh 2006). Moreover, Appelbaum (1998) suggests that it is crucial for change managers to be skilled in identifying the orientation of the persons tasked with the responsibility of various projects and be able to combat resistance to change by minimising the chances of its occurrence. Employees are driven by either inert or external influences to achieve a certain goals related to a change that management is in attempts to implement. According to Appelbaum (1998) there exist individuals in two locus of control those of internal locus of control who majorly believe that their actions determine outcomes and therefore put effort in improving or changing one’s self to achieve certain goals and adopt to change. On the contrary, the external locus individuals are those who do not feel obligated to impact the change in any way and would rather assume a passive role. It is therefore the responsibility of the organisation’s leaders to motivate their employees to work towards the development of desired change by looking into reward factors that appease them. Some employees may be driven by recognition, independence and responsibilities whereas others may be more concerned with better pay, job security, fringe benefits, working conditions, and explicit working rules. A transformational leader must recognise the motivational factors that would serve to drive acceptance of change best and work with it (Appelbaum 1998). One of the recurring themes in Beaudan’s article is the role of leadership in the process of managing change fatigue and the overall change process. In his article Beaudan (2006) suggests that the process of change has numerous implications on leadership. Palmer, Dunford and Akin (2006) also agree that change management has different implications for managers. Beaudan (2006) argues that it is crucial for leaders to realise that the initial change platform that they develop is short-term. Therefore, it is important for leaders to conserve their energy so as to address challenges that may originate from passive resistance or the unpredictable side-effects arising from the change process. ELS (2004) concurs that leadership that drives change must be enlightened such that it creates favorable conditions for the adoption of such change. Ashkanasy (2006) acknowledges that leaders need to be trained in the process of transformation of organisations with the aim of ensuring that individuals within the organisation accept the changes brought about by a merger. He further asserts that leadership is responsible for the exhibition of compassion, communication and transparency in steering the change objectives in the organisation (Ashkanasy 2006). The mandate therefore to ensure that change is implemented rests in the leadership and as such must be such that coordination of major factors that are geared toward the employees’ acceptance of the change initiative is met. The leader is tasked with the role of harmonising the environment in which the organisation change is taking place and as Martin (2007) concludes, leaders in the 21st century should move away from the traditional methods of governing where one-size fits all to a more analysis of knowledge into the cultural, economic, political and geographical needs of those they lead. By consciously concentrating on the impact of the change on the workforce the leader is in a position to identify change fatigue in its early stages of development and thus devise the best remedy that would sustain the change to succeed. Beaudan (2006) also recommends that it is crucial for effective change leaders to take into account the symptoms of change fatigue and evade falling into a permanent stall soon after the initial support and enthusiasm for change ceases. He further asserts that leaders should monitor their emotional state as they deal with challenges and resistance. It is crucial for leaders to develop an action plan for steering change and avoid the blaming themselves and others in case they do not realise the expected results (Beaudan 2006). Appelbaum (1998) notes that, in the process of change management there are conflicts that inevitably arise. These conflicts, whether in management or by subordinates, act as stumbling blocks to the transformation or change process. Whereas these form the basis on which resistance to change may sprout it is the duty of the team leader to manage internal conflicts lest competitors exaggerate the state of the conflict disproportionately and use it to gain advantage. Leaders should be steadfast and prompt in reacting to conflicting interests among its management, employees, and clientele (Kavanagh 2006). Appelbaum (1998) further points out that, internal conflicts between individuals and groups only serve to subordinate the goals of the organisation with personal ones. Keeping the focus on the goals of the organisation is crucial in ensuring its success. Furthermore, leaders are tasked with the mandate of ensuring that all stakeholders are working harmoniously for coordination between departments. This would ensure that all work towards achieving common goals and objectives. Managers as leaders should step up and settle conflicts on its onset way before they are out of control (Appelbaum 1998). Conclusion Basically, this essay has examined various literatures that support Beaudan’s arguments that leaders should provide the initiative, momentum and support to overcome change fatigue. The findings depicted in this essay show that various literature on change management support Beaudan’s arguments that change is a difficult task nevertheless, it is inevitable and crucial for the success of an organisation (Abrahamson 2000; Kaminski 2000; By 2005). In his article, Beaudan (2006) highlights various issues that should be taken into count in the process of implementing change. Some of these issues include; change goals and expectations, change speed, mix of people and adding excitement to the change process. Fernandez and Rainey (2006), ELS (2004), Martin (2007), Rock (2008) supports Beaudan’s arguments on these issues. One of the recurring themes in Beaudan’s article is the role of leadership in the process of managing change fatigue and the overall change process. He suggests that the process of change has numerous implications on leadership. Similarly, Appelbaum (1998), Ashkanasy (2006), Palmer et al (2006) and ELS (2004) agree with regards to combating change fatigue, change leaders have a demanding role to play since they are primarily tasked with the role of overseeing the implementation of the change initiatives to success. Change leaders also have the responsibility of steering the change and addressing challenges and resistance that they might encounter in the course of the change process. References Abrahamson, E 2000, “Change without Pain”. Harvard Business Review, July-August 2000, pp. 75-79. Appelbaum, HS 1998, ‘Strategic Organizational Change: the role of Leadership, learning, motivation and productivity’, Journal of Management Decision Vol.36, No. 5, pp 289–301. Beaudan, E 2006, ‘Making change last: How to get beyond change fatigue’, Ivey Business Journal, Vol.22, No.7, pp 1-7. By, R.T 2005, ‘Organizational Change Management: A Critical Review’, Journal of Change Management Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 369–380. Enlightened leadership Solutions (ELS) 2004, Change Management; Simple solutions to complex problems, viewed 23 April 2013 Fernandez, S & Rainey, HG, 2006, “Managing Successful Organizational Change in the Public Sector” Public Administration Review, March-April, pp. 168-176 Kaminski, J 2000, Leadership and Change Management Navigating the Turbulent Frontier, viewed 23 April 2013, Kavanagh, MH, 2006, ‘The Impact of Leadership and Change Management Strategy on Organizational Culture and Individual Acceptance of Change during a merger’, British Journal of Management, Vol. 17, No.1, pp. 81 –103. Martin, A, 2007, The Changing Nature of Leadership, viewed 23 April 2013 Palmer, I. Dunford, R & Akin, G. 2006, Managing organizational change: a multiple perspectives approach, 2nd Ed, McGraw-Hill, New York. Rock, D, 2008, ‘SCARF: A brain-based model for collaborating with and influencing others’, Neuro Leadership Journal Issue, Vol.1, viewed 23 April 2013 Sun, TQ, 2009, ‘From Change Management to Change Leadership: A strategic perspective of inspiration’, viewed 23 April 2013< http://executive-balance.com/ChangeLeadershipPaper.pdf> www.NeuroLeadership. Read More