Organizational change in companies is defined as the methods and ways in which a company describes and implements the change in both your internal and external processes. This includes preparing and supporting employees, establishing the necessary steps for change, and monitoring pre- and post-change activities to ensure successful implementation.
The concept of change management dates back to the early and mid-20th century. Kurt Lewin's three-step model of change was developed in the 1940s; Everett Rogers 'Diffusion of Innovations was published in 1962, and Bridges' transition model was developed in 1979.
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However, it was not until the 1990s that change management became well known in the business environment and formal organizational processes became available in 2000.
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In this article you will find:
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A significant organizational change can be challenging. Often requires many levels of cooperation and it can involve different independent entities within an organization.
Developing a structured approach to change is critical to help ensure a beneficial transition while mitigating outages. Changes often fail for human reasons: The promoters of change did not heed the healthy, real and predictable reactions of normal people to the alteration of their routines.
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Effective communication is one of the most important success factors for effective change management. Everyone involved must understand the progress through the various stages and see the results as the change cascades.
The reasons why the management of organizational change in companies is so important is because:
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- Minimize resistance
- Increase commitment to achieve goals
- Improve worker performance
- Reduces production costs
- Improve innovation
How to manage organizational change
An organizational change in companies can support a smooth transition and ensure that employees are guided through the journey of change. The stark reality is that roughly 70 percent of change initiatives fail due to negative employee attitudes and unproductive managerial behavior.
Using the services of a professional organizational change consultant could ensure that you are in the winning 30 percent.
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To have a successful organizational change management, these steps should be followed:
Clearly define change and align it with business objectives
It may seem obvious, but many organizations miss this vital first step. It is one thing to articulate the change required and quite another to carry out a critical review of the objectives of the organization and performance goals to ensure that change takes a business in the right strategic, financial, and ethically.
This step can also help determine the value of the change, which will quantify the effort and inputs that must be invested.
Key questions:
- What do we need to change?
- Why is this change required?
Determine the impacts and those affected
Once you know exactly what you want to achieve and why, you must determine the impacts of change at various organizational levels. Review the effect on each business unit and how it spreads through the organizational structure to the individual.
This information will begin to model where more training and support is needed to mitigate impacts.
Key questions:
- What are the impacts of the change?
- Who will the change affect the most?
- How will the change be received?
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Develop
a communication strategy.
While all employees should be on the change journey, the first two steps will have highlighted those employees to whom it is absolutely necessary to communicate the change.
Determine the most effective means of communication for the group or individual that will engage them. The communication strategy should include a timeline of how the change will be communicated incrementally, the key messages, and the channels and means of communication that you plan to use.
Key questions:
- How will the change be communicated?
- How will feedback be managed?
Provide effective training
With the message of change in sight, it is important that your people know that they will receive training, structured or informal, to teach the skills and knowledge necessary to operate efficiently as the change.
The training could include a set of online microlearning modules or an approach to blended learning incorporating face-to-face training sessions or training and mentoring in the job.
Key questions:
- What behaviors and skills are required to achieve business results?
- What methods of training delivery will be most effective?
Implement a support structure.
Providing a support structure is essential to help employees adapt emotionally and practically to change and to develop the competency of the behaviors and technical skills necessary to achieve business results desired.
Some changes may result in layoffs or restructuring, so you might consider providing support, such as counseling services, to help people get through the situation. To help employees adapt to changes in the way a role is performed, one could establish a mentorship or open door policy with management to ask questions as arise.
Key questions:
- Where is more support needed?
- What types of support will be most effective?
Measure the process of change
Throughout the change management process, a structure should be established to measure the impact changes and ensure there are continual reinforcement opportunities to develop competencies. You should also evaluate your change management plan to determine its effectiveness and document the lessons learned.
Key questions:
- Did the change help you achieve your business goals?
- Was the change management process successful?
- What could have been done differently?
Celebrate success
Recognizing important achievements is an essential part of any project. When managing change throughout its lifecycle, it is important to recognize the success of the teams and individuals involved. This will aid in the adoption of both your change management process and the adoption of the change itself.
Although change is difficult and even painful, it is also it is a continuous process. Even change management strategies are often adjusted throughout a project. Like communication, this should be included in all steps to identify and remove obstacles.
