The Management of Change - Essay Example

Change Management xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Name xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Course xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Lecturer xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Date Introduction Change, quality, innovation, expertise and creativity are proverbial concepts in organization changes. In the past decades, numerous concepts and theories have been developed to counter the challenges of multifaceted societies and essentially to improve the organizational structures. Most organizations have continued to see the need progressively to introduce novel organizational changes thus, exposing themselves to various changes so that they are able to meet the ever-growing challenges that are posed by new competitors and markets. In the current business world, a phase, which is defined, as “learning organization”, the only feasible solution to adjust to the increasingly globalized and competitive markets is resulting to be more obvious that change management is necessary. Change management is being seen as the driving force behind organizational development and new economies. Change management is a process through which an organization facilitates the journey to make the needed changes to meet its objectives. This change is on the rise, and it is seen to be related to knowledge management. Indeed, organizations need to lay the required objectives in order to successful maintain the changes. Change Management Currently, managing change is one of the most challenges facing not only the organizations but also people who have to keep up with the organization as it is undergoing the process of changes. Still, the individuals may be in charge of enacting the changes by coordinating and implementing processes of innovation and change within the different structures of the organizations. It may get to a point where it is necessary to systemize and develop various concepts of change management and to consider basic things that are necessary to bring in to an organization a change management system (Hughes 2006). Beerel (2009) asserts the introduction and implementation of these changes in a company or an organization requires that basic fulfillment have to be met. These include; management policy, which cultivate dialog, and communication and a particular structure at various individual levels. Ultimately, transformation or change cannot be imposed from the highest management, there is a need to the change need to be adapted and understood by every individual. This is necessary in order to avoid or minimize any resistance that may arise during the implementation of the changes in the organization or company. Of importance to note is that changes may be slow processes and are crucial and sensitive in order to meet the urgent and unforeseen needs (Beer 2003). Most economists have come up with variables of changes. These variables are indeed necessary to any organization adapting management changes. An organization need to take into account the variables that are related to change when carrying out a particular strategy involving change. This will obviously enable any organization interested in a change to adapt to any technical innovations such as novel information and communication technologies, decrease expenses and advance international cooperation that will assist in meeting the challenges of globalization, all while working in an environment that is complex and interdependent. It definitely requires the staff member of any organization to develop a new completely set of competencies and skills. This will pave the way for adaptation of these changes in a constant and rapid way (Kirkpatrick 2001). It is beyond doubt that it will help to maintain these changes successfully and make it easier to face the challenges that of the changing infrastructure (Goncalves 2007). It is observed that any organization implementing changes need to have the objectives that it needs to achieve when introducing the innovations and changes in its structures. Most authors have identified two concepts: economic approach, which aimed at, improving an organization’s competitive advantage. For instance, the Kraft Food is said to be losing its competitive edge, therefore, to counter this, it had to have a change in the management and an a basic approach in reforming the company culture, that is, a great focus on the human resources. According to Barnes (2002) an organization may initiate various ways to increase its ability to compete in the current business world. It may opt for changes directed to pursuing a different structure in the organization. Such changes may include relocation or reduction of operative units, and mergers. In the group case, Kraft Foods Company resulted to mergers and acquisition in order to improve its performance in the market. The company believed that in acquiring Cadbury, one of the main competitors, it would be at a better position to increase its market shares and access the emerging market. The move was well rewarded as the company was profitable and successful. However, Kraft Company did absorb some debts that were in the Cadbury Company. Basically, any company opting for acquisitions and mergers must be ready to absorb the weaknesses of the other companies. Indeed, the company has to ensure the merging does bear positive results in order to upset previous underperformance of the other company. It is observed from a change management perspective that acquisition did to some extent add pressure to Kraft Food Company. The two companies had dissimilar cultures. It is obvious that when two companies are merging, culture differences may arise. Geographical differentiation is seen to be one of the most domineering factors. One cannot ignore the fact that cultural fit and people factor are critical building block for any strategy growth that is related to acquisitions and mergers. It is, therefore, evident that for any organization to have positive management changes, it cannot ignore the importance of culture fit. It is not a surprise to discover that this is one of the areas that have been neglected during analysis prior to an acquisition or merge (McCalma &Paton 2008). Failure to combine two cultures between the company and its subsidiary carries a great risk of losses creating an off-putting balance sheet. Such balance sheets will dissatisfy the companies stakeholders especially the shareholders. In addition, there is a need to create an environment that will allow employees from different companies to come together. Still, acquisitions, mergers, market regulations and global competitive pressures are excellent examples that show the need to engage in regular organization management changes. This is common when acquiring large companies in the same segment of the industry. An organization needs to embrace strategies that will definitely lead to development of a successful management change in order to thrive in the present business world.. The practice and theory of organizational change does contain elements of both cognitive learning and behaviorist theories. In organizational change setting, there are three stages that have been relieved; change, freezing and unfreezing (Senge 2000). Unfreezing being the first stage consists mainly of unlearning the past behavior. This change process commences when an organization does experience disconfirmation. This may be as a result of persuasive data or external pressures within the organization. External pressure, from example, might occur as a result of pressure applied to the management by the shareholders in order to augment the return on investment. In-house benchmarking research, may reveal various areas in the in an organization that do require attention. This also may lead to strategies to enhance changes. When a potential problem does surface, information search starts to determine the exact action required to resolve the particular issue. Creative solutions are created when an existing problem is identified. Support may be developed for unlearning when the systems that are challenged. Basically, unfreezing does involve dismantling the past learning. The second level of the management change process involves incorporating novel behaviors into the organizational processes. Ideas and behavior that are rooted in corporate culture need to be replaced. One of the essential parts of changes is redirecting individuals’ attention. It is very necessary to develop the skills of the employees to perform differently. This calls for training to the staff to help the employees to understand their new roles in creating the changes. People and processes need to be aligned to promote change. Competencies and skills to assist people to work differently need to be developed. All employees should understand the various dynamics of changing process and the practical necessities of the job (McCalma &Paton 2008). New policies and rules that continue to enforce the preferred ways of operating should be created and subsequently documented. Old norms and customs that strengthen the old style need to be replaced with customs that strengthen the novel styles. For instance, if an organization is creating teams and changing the old functional department, team work in the departmental boundaries should then be emphasized. All the rewards must be specified according the change objectives that an organization has set (Barnes 2002). The refreezing stage is the final level in the changing processes. It is composed of measuring and reinforcing behavior change. Initially, all the training requirements are first defined; reporting relationships and rewards systems can then be designed to strengthen the new behavior. Of importance to note is the fact promotions, performance appraisal and bonuses can be based in accordance to the performance outcomes. This is necessary if the change processes require specific behavior from the staff. In fact, creating goals dealings for performance will definitely demonstrate the commitment of the management to the change initiative (Senge 2000). Organizational change is characterized by an aspect of loss inherent during the processes. This is mostly evident among the employees who were used to doing same things for a long time. Various models have risen over the same. The Kubler-Ross Grief Model is one of the models that do address the emotional issue faced by an organization. The four major emotional states that are experienced in the processes of changes can be expressed by the employees in their behaviors and may result to being obstacles to change. Therefore, there is need to understand the emotions that the employees encounter throughout the changing process in order to avoid unnecessary obstacles. Still, the employees will be a position to facilitate these changes. According to the model, the first emotional state is denial. At this stage, the employees may have unresolved fears towards the change initiative and they need to be addressed by the management. Mistrust and fear should be replaced by acceptance. Trust-building may be introduced in order to encourage the acceptance to change (McCalma &Paton 2008). Resistance to change is the second emotional state. It is not uncommon for the employees to resist change at the initial stage. This phase is characterized by the employees attempt to derail or slow down the change initiative. The management should be able to observe any form of resistance and be at a position to formulate excellent strategies to overcome the resistance. It is obvious that resistance is a basic natural reaction and may take different forms. One of the easiest ways to recognize resistance is by recognizing the individuals who are indicating their dissatisfaction the loudest to the changes that the organization is carrying out. It is very necessary to solicitor feedback from such individuals in order to know their stand, thus, overcome with the changes objectives. The staff may also resist change via denial. The employees do not acknowledge that there is a problem that exists. Therefore, there is need to fully explain to the employees the need for these changes (Kneer 2009). Some individuals may also be willing to embrace the changes but the realization that the changes calls for additional efforts and time, may lead to resistance. The organization need to slow down and allow the employees to gradually absorb the changes before moving ahead. Some changes may also be postponed as a result of confusion among the employees. The employees may be seen to ask same questions over and over (Beer 2003). Malicious compliance is perceived to be one of the most risky forms of resistance. The employees may gladly support the change but secretly undermine the efforts. However, the most vital things at this point are how the management respond to the resistance. Forcing the employees to accept changes is not the way to go. The employees affected by resistance should be provided with detailed information of what is required and their input in the changes. In fact, the degree of the employees’ support for the changes largely depends on the reaction to their recommendations. Comprise is seen to accelerate the processes of these changes (Senge 2000). Some employees may also start to explore their new roles during the changing process. At this stage, the unresolved issues should be addressed once they surface. This will eventually lead to commitment which is a great boost to the implementation of changes in the organization. Research has it that almost half of the organizational changes do fail. This of course has a tremendous cost to the organization in resources, time and money. Several reasons have been raised to explain failures in organizational changes; poor training, lack or insufficient incentives to motivate the staff, change overload and little commitment from the top management. Commitment from the top management is very important if the program will have to succeed. In addition, the employees will also react to changes in accordance to the response of the management. Incentives are basic in order to trigger the desire to new behaviors among the employees. In fact, the old behavior should also be rewarded to recognize the efforts of the employees in the past organization flow. The employees will then be able to embrace change (Beerel 2009). There are various implications for an organization that is planning on having changes in the future. First, the organization should realize that the success for these changes lies in the level of motivation, efforts and commitment of management and employees. In addition, the capacity of the employees to generate novel knowledge and incorporate it in the services and products is also important. The organization should be able to deal with the implications that may result from changes. They include; personal loss, the employees may loss their role that enjoyed and they may not be comforted to change; difference in organizational cultures in case of acquisition and mergers and financial issues (Kneer 2009). In conclusion, it is evident that organization change is on the increase in the present business world. Various reasons have been raised concerning these changes. These include; competition, poor performances, emerged new markets and increased in technology. Consequently, change management is very important in order to allow effective and efficient ways to implement the changes in the organization. Different types of changes have been observed ranging from acquisitions, mergers, structure changes and human resources. In addition, challenges are present in an organization that is introducing and implementing changes. Resistance from the employees is a major challenge that an organization faces. Therefore, the organization should allow employees to adjust to changes in order to create an environment whereby the employees are ready to work differently from the previous flow. Basically, it is very healthy for an organization to adapt changes given the current flow in the business. However, the organization should also be able to handle the incoming challenges and create an excellent environment to perform the new roles and business activities. References Barnes, S. 2002, Knowledge management systems. London: Thomson Publishing Service Beer, M. 2003, Managing change and transition. London: Harvard Business School Press Beerel, A. 2009, Leadership and change management. London: Sage Publications Goncalves, M. 2007, Change management: concepts and practice. New York: ASME Press Hughes, M. 2006, Change management: a critical perspective. London: Chartered Institute of Personal and Development Kirkpatrick, D 2001, Managing change effectively. Boston: Butterworth Heinemann Kneer, C. 2009, Change management: enhance the ability to survive. London: GRIN Verlag McCalma, J &Paton, R. 2008, Change management: a guide to effective implementation. London: sage Publishers Senge, P. 2000, The Dance of Change: The Challenges of Sustaining Momentum in Learning Organizations. New York: Wiley & Sons, Inc. Read More