Managing Change

 

According to Mullins (2010), “change is nothing new and a simple fact of life.” However, different people have different reactions to change. While some people can thrive on the new challenges that change brings, others may resist change due to their attachment to the status quo. The attitude of employees toward organizational change is understood as a psychological tendency employees develop based on their positive or negative evaluative assessment of the change (Lines, 2005). Different employees may have different change attitudes; thus, some may display readiness and openness toward change, while others may remain resistant and cynical.

It is widely agreed that people today live in a time of unprecedented change. Today, change in the external world is inevitable and constant. Businesses needs to be swift in adopting to various changes in order to survive in today’s market. Those that refuse to accept changes and undergo transformation on the organizational will not survive. Change is necessary for maintaining the existence and success of businesses. One example regarding the necessity for change is Netflix and Blockbuster (Voigt et al., 2017). Netflix prospered by adapting to the Interent and offer streaming services, while Blockbuster failed due to its inability to change.

However, not all organizational changes can be successful. One factor that often causes the failture of organizational change is the negative attitude of employees (Oreg, 2006). Employees are the actors of organizational change, as they are the ones to implement the new policies and procedures. It is common for employees to experience uncertainty during times of organizational change and develop fears about potential failure in coping with new organizational situations. Thus, it is important to manage employee attitudes toward organizational change. Organizations need to enhance employees’ acceptance and support for changes initiatives, especially through effective leadership.

Mullins (2010) also suggested that individuals’ response to change is mainly based on their personalities, and “there is little management can do about resistance to change.” However, management research has found that managers can actively assist organizational members to embrace change. Managers can play an important role in avoiding and overcoming resistance to change and facilitate the change process. To move an organization forward with change, it is important to gain the full support and cooperation of all change stakeholders. Change leadership can prepare everyone for the effects of change, and get them on board for organizational transition.

A number of change management models have been developed. One of the most prominent models for change management is the Kotter Change Model. John Kotter (2012) outlined four key principles to change management. The first is to “select few + diverse many.” This principle means to select representatives from across the representation throughout the change process, so to get everyone on board. The second principle is “have to + want to”. This means to move organizational change from having to change to wanting change, which is to understand the reasons behind the change initiative. The third principle is “head + heart,” which is to drive change by appealing to both logical and emotional sides. The last principle is “management + leadership,” which is to apply both technical skills and emotional skills to navigate change in the organization.

 Kotter’s model breaks down the process of leading organizational change into eight critical steps in three stages, which are creating the climate for change, enabling the organization to change, and implementing and sustaining change. In the first stage, the leader creates a sense of urgency for change, forms a powerful coalition to manage change, and creates a vision for change. These three steps allow for the creation of a change climate in the organization. Once a change climate is created, the leader can communicate the change vision to the organization, empower change actions, and create quick wins that further motivates organizational members. The aim of this stage is to engage the organization in the change process and enable it to change. The last stage focuses on implementing and sustaining change. The two steps in this stage are building on the change and making it stick in the organizational culture.

To conclude, change is necessary for the survival of organizations in today’s world. It is important to support change by managing the attitudes of organizational members that are involved. Leaders need to actively manage change by engaging employees and gaining their understanding and support.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard business press.

 

Lines, R. (2005). The structure and function of attitudes toward organizational change. Human resource development review, 4(1), 8-32.

 

Mullins, L. J. (2010). Management and organisational behaviour. Pearson education.

 

Oreg, S. (2006). Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change. European journal of work and organizational psychology, 15(1), 73-101.

 

Voigt, K. I., Buliga, O., & Michl, K. (2017). Entertainment on demand: The case of Netflix. In Business Model Pioneers (pp. 127-141). Springer, Cham.