Change management
07/25/2019Successful companies with a pro-development attitude are organizations that change in accordance with the needs of the market, moreover - they are able to create these needs, creating a coherent strategy of operation, integrating their profile, structure and ways of functioning with the needs of the market and the requirements of the environment of which they are an integral part.
Recipe for achieving success in the process of change
The management of a successful change process depends mainly on whether all participants in the process of change understand their role in it and are personally committed to "playing" it in the right way. Experts in the field of change management believe that the key to success depends on top management and the role it will play in the process.
The role of top management (leaders) is to shape such an environment and create such conditions that will encourage and mobilize the effort to understand and implement change; moreover, it should foster the right attitudes among the workforce by providing employees with adequate training, encouraging data-driven action, supporting and encouraging innovation, delegating responsibility and by defining precise evaluation systems correlated with the degree of achievement of set goals. By analyzing numerous cases of change in organizations over the years, Coopers & Lybrand was able to identify a number of common characteristics that distinguished unsuccessful change attempts from those that succeeded. Based on this, the following equation for change success was developed, illustrating the most important factors for success and overcoming resistance to change:
SC = V + N + M + R + F
Success of change = Vision + Need + Means + Rewards + Evaluation
Success in implementing change will be achieved if:
V - a generally accepted vision for change is developed, carefully defined and communicated to employees by leaders
N - a mobilizing need for change will be created that all employees will identify with
M - practical measures to achieve the vision of change will be planned, designed and implemented
R - the organization's reward system will be standardized to encourage employees to represent attitudes consistent with the visions of change
F - employee evaluation will be used to monitor the progress of change at each stage of the process and provide information for continuous improvement.
To summarize:
Change has a continuous nature, as a process it occurs in every enterprise. Thinking of the company as a "successful organization", managers must weave elements of change management into the management process - the thought of transformation is a constant element of planning activities in the company. When designing changes, it is always necessary to clearly define objectives, clear stages and timeframes, and ensure systematic monitoring of the assumptions made. Changes should always be created and implemented on the basis of a vision of change. The vision is what triggers and justifies them, and its determination must always be based on a thorough knowledge of both the enterprise and the environment. Changes require the participation of all employees of the enterprise. In order for them to be successful, employees must get involved and participate actively in the process of creating and implementing them. In order to successfully guide a company through the transformation process, it is important to remember that achieving lasting change requires strong management commitment and visionary leadership.
Prepared on the basis of the book: K. Carr, K. L. Hard, W. J. Trahant "Managing the process of change", PWN Warsaw 1998
Implementing change: directive or reactive?
Thurley's (1979) model describes five methods of change management. The author distinguishes the directive method, which involves imposing change in a crisis situation, or when previous (other) methods have failed to produce a specific result. This is a directive method in the strict sense, since the decision to impose change is made authoritatively, without consultation, based on the use of managerial power.
Another, is the negotiated method, based on the assumption that the company has a participatory model of management, and that power is exercised jointly by the employer and employees. For efficient change management, it is essential in this method to negotiate, compromise and agree with employees before deciding to start the change process.
Thehearts and minds method is a normative method, its starting point is to determine what management believes is appropriate or normal. This method focuses on changing the attitudes, values and opinions of all employees, aims to engage and solidify in the minds of employees a common vision, but does not necessarily assume participation.
The analytical method is based on the three previous models of change. It assumes moving sequentially from the analysis and diagnosis of the situation, through the establishment of goals, the design of the change process, the evaluation of the results, to the setting of the goals of the next stage of the change process. It is a rational and logical method, however, it rarely follows smoothly (according to the model), instead it is an excellent starting point for the change process.
The last method in Thurley's model is the action-based method, which assumes that the behavior of managers in practice incredibly rarely resembles the analytical model. The starting point for this method is the belief that a problem exists, although it may not be well recognized. Identification of possible solutions, often using trial and error, leads to clarification of the nature of the problem and a common understanding of the best possible solution or the general structure within which this solution can be found.
Developed from: B. Grouard, F. Meston "Managing change in an enterprise", Poltext, Warsaw 1997