Change management in organizations essay examples

Change management refers to the structured approach used by management to transition an organization in terms of systems, structures and employees from a current state to a desired future state that has numerous benefits and advantages. A learning organization desires to be competitive in the external dynamic environment. It therefore keeps transforming itself by learning and accepting change.

Change Management Approaches in Organizations

There are different change management approaches that managers can use to ensure a smooth transition for the employees. First of all, the managers should focus on getting a certain level of emotional commitment from the employees (Beer & Nohria, 2000). It is much better to have this kind of commitment than rely on compliance strategy. Compliance may work for short-term changes however in long-term change; the strategy usually brings a lot of resistance. The support of the employee is acquired by communicating to them involving them in the change process every step of the way.
The leadership style used by the management should be participative and based on a lot of dialogue. Participative change strategies demand high levels of involvement, dialogue and collaboration. Top-down approaches usually encounter difficult employees. The CEO has to use persuasive techniques to get the managers to agree to the change processes. Emphasis on hierarchical orders may not work as employees may distrust top management decisions especially where there was a badly managed process such as restructuring, acquisitions and retrenchments.
Differences in cultures and other areas of diversity should be encouraged. The leaders should learn to be listeners rather than the commanders. Solving complex problems becomes easier where there are varied opinions. There should be tolerance and people should be allowed to make errors and mistakes (Garvin, 2000). After all, it is a learning organization and change is a process. The higher the education levels, knowledge and skills of the workforce, the more contribution they can make to the overall and long-term strategy of the organization.
It is difficult to initiate change where the management does not analyse the culture of the organization. The culture refers to the values, norms and the acceptable behaviour in the organization. Does it support the direction that the management wants to take in the long-term? If it does not, the management should involve the employees in changing the culture. It is not enough to change the structures or the systems rather changing the culture is crucial as it triggers an emotional commitment from the staff and makes the change system legitimate.
There has to be awareness in all the staff in the organization that change cannot be accomplished in a single process or procedure. Neither is it the responsibility of one individual. It is a process that is collectively accomplished and it is a continuous process. The staffs therefore need to be motivated. The leaders should communicate a clear vision to the staff and cause them to see what they are already seeing in the future.
Change management strategies should not focus on the financial incentives. It is true that financial incentives are a great motivator to the staff in embracing change. When they understand the financial growth in terms of profit and sales that the company will achieve by embracing change, they will be more receptive to change. However, this is a basic motivator and the management should strive for incentives at a higher level such as employee’s ability to influence and participate in the decision making processes.

Conclusion

Change management is a critical process that should be handled well in a learning environment otherwise the process of change will be hindered. It is a process that involves tolerance, acceptance and dialogue.

References

Beer, M. & Nohria, N. (2000). Cracking the code of change. Harvard Business
Review, 133-141.
Garvin, David A. (2000). Learning in action: A guide to putting the learning organization to
work. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.