Challenges for Organizations in Managing Change - Essay Example

Challenges for organisations in managing change, and how they might overcome resistance to it by employees. Change management is planning, initiating, apprehending, controlling and stabilizing change processes in the organization. Change occurs when corporate structures and strategies to external changing conditions are continuously adopted. There is organizational development change and reengineering change (Julian, 2004). Organization development occurs when an organization tries to align its corporate objectives with those of the individual employees, something that becomes rare to achieve. Reengineering is the most common action of the organization where radical form of change management takes place and challenges all the structures that have been there before. This paper will explore challenges faced by organizations in managing change and how they might overcome employees resistance (Jane, 2009). IA manager will serve subordinates better if he or she plans in anticipation of change. A smooth transition to the new change process that is important to the success of the manager is promoted when causes of change have been diagnosed and a change program structured (Richard, 2003). Change process impacts on the whole organization as well as the employees. It will influence what the organization does, how it does things and the way organization departments communicate and share information. It is also a challenge to an organization if it cannot have a chance to take things back to the way they were before in case a mistake is made; in that an organization will not be able to motivate employees again they failed the first time to make them participate in the change process. The management thus has to make sure it gets it right the first time (Drucker, 1995). Failure of involving employee in the change process is also another challenge. This is what leads to fear of change by those employees when they are asked to assume other responsibilities in some of the strategic organizational changes (Richard, 2003). Lack of efficient communication strategies is also a challenge towards management change. The type of message, the delivery methods, the timing and information that is important is part of the ideal communication strategies. Employees should not be expected by the management to understand the change that is going to happen instead of explaining to them the need for that change and how it will affect them. Inadequate culture-shift planning is also another challenge to change management. Organizations will need change planning in the structure, replacement of work area, job responsibilities, organization charts revision, set benchmarks, establishment of time, appointment of transition teams and so on. However, with all the planning, there is failure to foresee and plan for change in organization culture results. This happens when the planning team focuses on the objective of the change without thinking or planning on how it will affect employees (Drucker, 1995). Technology continues to advance daily even as applications become complicated. Computer basic awareness alone doesn’t allow an employee to have capability to the new application. If management fails to make employees aware of this by training them, the entire change process can be sabotaged and control measures damaged. Lack of a strong guiding team is also a challenge (Richard, 2003). When there is failure to create urgency among change agents and stakeholders leads to failure of change initiatives. A strong guiding team is the one that possesses reputations, skills, connections, and formal authority. The team uplifts visions and set change strategies and communicate to all stakeholders in the best way possible. The organization structure is also a challenge to change management in the organization. This depends with whether the organization structure is bureaucratic, stiff or flexible. The importance of policies, rules and procedures implementations also matters. Some organizations may undergo change problems due to lack of organization structure. Change programs differ according to the functional areas in which that change is targeted or the level of organization hierarchy. Changes may be initiated to either influence the top managers or a particular department for employees at the lower level. The extent to which members of the organization are involved in learning how to plan and execute change to solve a problem will determine if that will pose as a challenge or not (Julian, 2004). One of the most change management challenges is managing employee resistance to change. In many organizations, most employees resit change because they believe change is rarely for the better and it is because of this notion that many of the best change ideas and plans manager had failed. Uncertainty grows when there is new technology, downsizing, mergers, acquisitions and restructuring. Productivity and profitability can be jeopardized by placing marriages, health and jobs at risk. Normally, employees have deep attachment to the way things are in the organization, the way the work is done and the way their work groups are. The individual and organization survival depends on the ability to adapt to the changing work conditions (Julian, 2004). There are stressors that are common as a way people react to change. Stress can be created from not knowing what lies ahead because of the anxiety and confusion. Employees can resort to withdrawal, distrust and self protection (Jane, 2009). Employees resist change for so many reasons which may vary from one individual to another. Employees may resist change if they don’t understand its need due to lack of information and plans given. Fear of something bad happening like losing jobs, self-respect, status, and opportunities to achieve a special thing will make employees resist change. During the introduction of computers in organizations, employees felt that they were going to loose their job because computers were to replace them. Of course that was not true because computers were to make work easier and provide effectiveness and efficiency in the organizations. Sometimes employees foresee change risk to be greater than their current situation. This is because they are trying to apply faith in moving towards a direction they are not sure how things will turn out to be though expecting things to get better. Employees avoid taking active steps towards the unknown. Employee may also resist change because they lack competence to effect the change since the it may need new skills which some people may feel the transition to be very hard on them (Jane, 2009). They feel they may not have ability to be effective after the change. A change effort may be killed by employees if they feel overloaded and overwhelmed. This happens if they are involved in very many change projects which bring fatigue to people and keeps them from moving forward. Some employees believe that the change is all a bad idea. They only perceive the negative side of the change and would not stop a minute to evaluate the positive side of the change. Some employees resist change for their own self-interest. They are only concerned about the effects of change on themselves than the effects for the business success (Mercer, 2008). Employees sometimes are afraid of leaving their comfort zone and would rather maintain the status quo. People don’t like if they are stretched by a change and it would be easier to do away with those things that scare them or steps that will require them to leave their comfort zone. They would rather things remain the way they have been regardless of problems they encounter with the old situation. To overcome employee resistance to change, the management must use certain approaches. The management must ensure education and communication in the organization. Employees must be educated about the change that is due to happen before the change time. The employees are able to see the sense in the change effort which reduces rumors that is not correct concerning the change effects in the organization. People don’t like taking a course they are not sure about the end result. To avoid excess uncertainty, the management should bring change scenarios step by step by providing timetables. The big change should be divided into small steps in order to make it less threatening. The leaders’ of change should appear convinced about the change in order for the rest of employees to buy the change. They should do this by showing their commitment so that others can follow suit. Information combined actions of change leaders can make resistors commit. There should also be employee participation and involvement in the change program especially when employees have fear of loosing control. Change done by employees is exciting but change done to them is threatening. Most employees want to feel in control of what is happening around them. Employee participation brings a sense of ownership to individuals who may commit easily towards the change. When they resist change because of adjustments problems, the management must spearhead facilitation and support. Managers can support their employees in time of difficulties. They may also help them deal with anxiety and fear in the transition period. Special training, time of work or counseling approaches can also be provided to employees to have a certain perception towards change (Mercer, 2008). Negotiation and agreement can also be used where people or groups are likely to loose due to the proposed change and have resisted. Incentives can be offered to employees to back away from the change resistance. Incentives can be offered for employees to leave the company or have an early retirement to protect them from undergoing the change effort. Another way of managing employee resistance to change is manipulation and co-option where a resistor is brought in the change management group just for appearance but not to get so much involved. These resistors are normally the leaders of other resistors. Implicit and explicit coercion is the sixth approach which is used in case of emergency or as a last resort. Employees here are forced to cooperate or loose jobs, be fired, demoted or transferred. Sometimes employees may resist change because they perceive it to come with more work as it requires mental preoccupation, time and energy. The management should therefore give employees their support and other compensation for any extra work done towards change in order to allow employee commitment. They should be rewarded for working harder than before and be given credit for any extra effort put in the change. Rewards could be in form of celebrations, breakfast, luncheons, cinema tickets and bonuses. The management can use change agents who are key players sitting between the resistors and the management in order to foster change. A two-way communication should be available to foster openness among the resistors. If employees feel they are in control of the change situation, they will accept it because they know their suggestions are valued. The management should be transparent about all change details. This will prevent employees from spreading gossips and assuming that the management has a different motive for keeping details as a secret. To deal with the fear of employees feeling incompetent after the change, the management should provide training and support that is sufficient so that employees can know what how everything is done and can be able to do what is needed. Employees should also be given a chance to try out the new skills they have learnt without being judged. They should not feel stupid when they ask questions and so the management should provide a comfortable environment for them (Jane, 2009). Change management is concerned with planning, initiating, controlling and stabilizing organization change processes (Mercer, 2008). Change takes place to provide solutions to the problems in the organizations or individual problems in the organization. In managing change management, organizations face challenges of failure to involve employee in the change process, lack of efficient communication strategies, inadequate culture-shift planning, continuous computer advancement and failure to foresee and plan for change in the organization culture. Employees react to change in form fear, curiosity, anxiety and reluctance. Depending on how the management has managed the change, employees may resist it due to fear of loosing control, jobs, comfort zone, uncertainty or incompetence to embrace the change (Stephen and Kerry, 2005). The management can manage employee resistance by involving them in the change, communicating effectively to employees about change, providing special training and education and using change agents. Reference Ducker, P. F. (1995). Managing in a time of great change. New York: Truman Talley Books/Dutton. Jane E. 2009. 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