Change management - a pill

Change, and people

From a change management perspective, it is much simpler to implement operational changes, related to new systems, procedures, structures or technologies that will have an immediate impact on working arrangements within parts of the organization. Barriers to implementing operational change, however, can prove just as difficult as strategic change because of its impact on people. Operational change focuses mainly on lower-level employees, where redesigning the existing way of working and changing the status quo can directly result in resistance and defensive attitudes.

Types of change

Strategic change and operational change have been characterized according to three measures - depth, speed and how they are initiated. They also function in the literature as deep changes and superficial changes. Deep (strategic) changes strongly transform the reality of the enterprise. They are necessary, but should occur infrequently, because their implementation is costly for the company (in addition to direct investment, they require mobilization of all resources). They should be carried out when superficial (operational) changes are not enough, when there is a need for different rules of the game.

Sanctions

The introduction of ad hoc changes can take the form of sanation (when the scope of the changes covers the entire enterprise and is oriented in a new direction), consisting of a rapid modification of the company's operations to improve profitability on an ad hoc basis. If ad hoc changes involve a department and focus primarily on efficiency, they may lead to a reduction in the scope of operations, consisting of drastic cost cutting by reducing the workforce and outsourcing some of the business. Ad hoc changes can also be in the nature of a cost-saving program (when their scope is on people and aimed at changing attitudes), boiling down to integration in selected areas focused on quick results.

Change as continuity

Treating change as a continuous process, which is a permanent part of an organization's operations, we can distinguish the following types: transformation, reengineering and management focused on comprehensive quality.
Transformation (encompassing the entire enterprise) is understood as a carefully planned complete reconstruction of the enterprise to ensure its existence in the long run.
Reengineering is a change in business methods involving the orientation of key processes to customer needs under the slogan faster, better, simpler, cheaper.
Comprehensivequality-oriented management involves systematically setting new directions in the thinking and actions of all employees.

Implementing change versus ongoing operability

Assuming that change is an immanent feature affecting the operation of an organization, it is crucial for the success of a company to work out how to implement it, so that it does not cause unnecessary confusion and disappointment, but brings the expected benefits and is least disruptive to its community. There is no doubt that "successful organizations" must foster innovation and master the art of implementing change, otherwise they will become candidates for liquidation. Victory will be shared by those organizations that maintain their flexibility, continue to improve quality and defeat the competition in the battle for markets by continually introducing innovative products and services.