History
Pre-1960s
1960s
Many change management models and processes are based with their roots in grief studies. As consultants saw a correlation between grieving from health-related issues and grieving among employees in an organization due to loss of jobs and departments, many early change models captured the full range of human emotions as employees mourned job-related transitions. In his work on1980s
McKinsey & Company consultant Julien Phillips published a change management model in 1982 in the journal ''Human Resource Management''. Robert Marshak has since credited the big six accounting and consulting firms with adopting the work of early organizational change pioneers, such as Daryl Conner and Don Harrison, thereby contributing to the legitimization of a whole ''change management industry'' when they branded their re-engineering services as ''change management'' in the 1980s.1990s
In his 1993 book, ''Managing at the Speed of Change'', Daryl Conner coined the term burning platform''2000s
Linda Ackerman Anderson states in ''Beyond Change Management'' that in the late 1980s and early 1990s, top leaders, growing dissatisfied with the failures of creating and implementing changes in a top-down fashion, created the role of the change leader to take responsibility for the human side of change.2010s
In response to lack of understanding in how to manage change in large projects and programs of work, Christina Dean (author of RIMER Managing Successful Change Professional Edition), established the Australian Government National Competency Standards at Diploma Level, and RIMER as the Australian National Competency Standard Certification. RIMER is a Project Based approach to managing change, which introduced the concept of Enterprise Change Management. Christina also influenced the Human Resource Management Institute and Project Management Institute Industry Associations to include Change Management in their Academic programmes to Masters Level. By 2016, all Australian Universities offered programs that provided a formal vocational pathway, through a HRM or Project Management. In response to continuing reports of the failure of large-scale top-down plan-driven change programmes, innovative change practitioners have been reporting success with applying Lean and Agile principles to the field of change management. The Lean Change Management Association became the world's first global organization to offer trainings designed to apply Lean Startup, Agile, and Design Thinking principles to change. The Association of Change Management Professionals (ACMP) announced a new certification to enhance the profession: Certified Change Management Professional (CCMP) in 2016.Approach
Organizational change management employs a structured approach to ensure that changes are documented and implemented smoothly and successfully to achieve lasting benefits.Reasons for change
Change models
There are several models of change management: ; Lean Change Management : Lean Change Management is an ecosystem of modern change management ideas created by Jason Little. Inspired by Lean Startup, Agile, and Design Thinking, Lean Change Management is designed to help change agents create an adaptable, and contextual approach to change * focus on creating shared purpose over creating false urgency * focus on enabling meaningful dialogue over broadcasting change communications * focus on experimentation over executing tasks in the plan * focus on understanding the response to change over blaming people for resisting * focus on co-creation of change over getting buy-in Jason began developing Lean Change Management in 2009 as a response to outdated traditional change management approaches designed in a pre-digital world. ; Kurt Lewin's 3-Step Change Model :The Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, and choosing which changes to implement
The Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle, created byManaging the change process
Although there are many types of organizational changes, the critical aspect is a company's ability to win the buy-in of their organization's employees on the change. Effectively managing organizational change is a four-step process: * Recognizing the changes in the broader business environment * Developing the necessary adjustments for their company's needs * Training their employees on the appropriate changes * Winning the support of the employees with the persuasiveness of the appropriate adjustments As a multi-disciplinary practice that has evolved as a result of scholarly research, organizational change management should begin with a systematic diagnosis of the current situation in order to determine both the need for change and the capability to change. The objectives, content, and process of change should all be specified as part of a change management plan. Change management processes should include creative marketing to enable communication between changing audiences, as well as deep social understanding about leadership styles and group dynamics. As a visible track on transformation projects, organizational change management aligns groups' expectations, integrates teams, and manages employee training. It makes use of performance metrics, such as financial results, operational efficiency, leadership commitment, communication effectiveness, and the perceived need for change in order to design appropriate strategies, resolve troubled change projects, and avoid change failures.Factors of successful change management
Successful change management is more likely to occur if the following are included: * Define measurable stakeholder aims and create a business case for their achievement (which should be continuously updated) * Monitor assumptions, risks, dependencies, costs, return on investment, dis-benefits and cultural issues * Effective communication that informs various stakeholders of the reasons for the change (why?), the benefits of successful implementation (what is in it for us, and you) as well as the details of the change (when? where? who is involved? how much will it cost? etc.) * Devise an effective education, training and/or skills upgrading scheme for the organization * Counter resistance from the employees of companies and align them to overall strategic direction of the organization * Provide personal counseling (if required) to alleviate any change-related fears * Monitoring implementation and fine-tuning as and when requiredReasons for failure
Research across many different lists of reasons has resulted in the following: * Don't get the sponsor right * Start on a solution before the underlying problem hat requires the changeis fully understood * Don't spend time on systematically analyzing the people and styles that are involved * Jump to a solution to the problem(s) * Don't validate the proposed solutions * Don't plan for certainty * Don't communicate what is happening and why * Don't define measurable outcomes and way-points * Don't put strong governance in place, particularly around dependencies * Don't deal properly with Risk and Contingency *Lack of a clear sense of urgency when warning signs are clear *Lack of shared commitment and leadership *Lack of ability to recognize obstacles to the vision *Lack of planning for and creating short-term wins *Poor anchoring of changes in the corporation's culture.Challenges
Change management is faced with the fundamental difficulties of integration and navigation, and human factors. Change management must also take into account the human aspect where emotions and how they are handled play a significant role in implementing change successfully.Integration
Traditionally, organizational development (OD) departments overlooked the role of infrastructure and the possibility of carrying out change through technology. Now, managers almost exclusively focus on the structural and technical components of change. Alignment and integration between strategic, social, and technical components requires collaboration between people with different skill-sets.Navigation
Managing change over time, referred to as navigation, requires continuous adaptation. It requires managing projects over time against a changing context, from interorganizational factors to marketplace volatility. It also requires a balance in bureaucratic organizations between top-down and bottom-up management, ensuring employee empowerment and flexibility.Human factors
One of the major factors which hinders the change management process is people's natural tendency for inertia. Just as in Newton's first law of motion, people are resistant to change in organizations because it can be uncomfortable. The notion of doing things this way, because 'this is the way we have always done them', can be particularly hard to overcome. Furthermore, in cases where a company has seen declining fortunes, for a manager or executive to view themselves as a key part of the problem can be very humbling. This issue can be exacerbated in countries where "saving face" plays a large role in inter-personal relations. As mentioned above, there are some groups that prioritize their own benefits above organizations' benefits, and involving such groups into organizational change will naturally create obstacles, and some departments may directly or indirectly resist organizational change due to the conflicts of their interests. To assist with this, a number of models have been developed which help identify their readiness for change and then to recommend the steps through which they could move. A common example is ADKAR, anSolutions to overcoming challenges and avoiding failure
When going through change, many organizations and individuals fail and are faced with challenges when implementing change. There are many measures organizations and individuals can take to avoid failure and overcome challenges.Human factors
When faced with a resistance to change by individuals, there are many strategies to get individuals to change. Morten T. Hansen proposed the following ten methods to induce personal change. * Embrace the power of one – Focus on one behavior to change at a time. This is because people are not good at multi-tasking. * Make it sticky – With the goal to change behavior, to do this effectively the goal must be measurable and concrete. * Paint a vivid picture – To be effective in getting change for people, tap into their emotions and paint them a picture of where they currently are and offer up the vision of where they should want to get to. * Activate peer pressure – As individuals we look to others in our immediate circle for approval. These peers in our circle can set the expectations to what is acceptable behavior. Leaders can implore these people to apply pressure and get the change that is desired. * Mobilize the crowd – When individuals embrace a new behavior it typically follows a pattern – early adopters, safe followers, and late-comers. To get change in the a group it is imperative that a leader gets a few early adopters on board with a changed behavior. Then have them influence and convince the rest of the group to come and adopt said behavior. * Tweak the situation – People tend to go with the default option. To influence change, an organization can nudge them an indirectly shape their choices. This can be done by changing the default option to which in turn shapes individuals behavior. * Subtract, not just add – Instead of trying to add something in to solve the problems, rather removing the enablers, triggers, and barriers that cause these problems. * Dare to link carrots and sticks (and follow through) – To motivate individuals to change behavior, offer incentives for both performance related objectives and behavior related objectives. * Teach and coach well – Developing certain behaviors have a skill dimension. Time is needed for people to develop desired behaviors. As a leader it is important to guide individuals to the desired end result. * Hire and fire based on behaviors – Some people may or may not be able to or want to adopt these new behaviors and change. Instead leaders should look to bring in people that embody these desired behaviors and are able change These tactics can be helpful when faced with resistance from individuals with implementing change into a group. The tactics can be helpful with either implementing a behavioral change among the group or a procedural or managerial change in the group.On an organizational level
When trying to change at an organizational level, these tactics developed by Irving Calish and Donald Gamache help companies in trying to enter into new markets and with creating new products. * Welcome the opportunity for change * Creating an environment that does not punish mistakes * Clearly define a growth plan that will enable management to zero in company resources on meaningful targets *Set realistic criteria for new opportunities *Avoid trying for short-term financial success *Remember that a good idea can be identified only after the fact. An idea is "good" only when it is the right fit for your company, its resources, and its goals *Have a fund of ideas; a choice of opportunities fosters objectivity and helps prevent falling hopelessly in love with one *Make sure the rewards for success are far greater than the penalties for failure These tactics implored on an organizational level aid in overcoming resistance and challenges when it comes to change. These tactics are more optimal for when an organization is trying to implement change at an organizational level or trying to enter into a new product space, but still work for other avenues.Avoiding failure
Based upon the reasons for failure, there are many actions a leader can take to avoid these failures when it comes to change. They can: * Create a clearly defined and organized plan * Communicate this plan effectively to the group *Define measurable goals *Create a solid management structure *Properly manage risk The antithesis for this is doing the opposite of what causes failure in the first place. Following these steps in combination with the other suggestions will aid in avoiding failure and overcoming challenges. Additionally to be successful with change it is imperative to follow the change models to get actions right and avoid failure in the first place.Case studies
There are many situations in which we have seen the change models being implemented and ultimately result success. Two of the following case studies below highlight these examples.Lewin's change-theory example
At a Vietnamese University there was a desire to use Lewin's change theory to create a more "effective working environment where lecturers collaborate in a constructive spirit to improve their teaching practices and learning outcomes." To start this process of implementing change, they began by observing how the teachers at this university taught their class, and by giving questionnaires and interviews about how the teachers conducted their jobs. After receiving the feedback about how the teachers conducted their lectures and where they needed to improve, the administration communicated to the teachers how to fix these problems. They began by offering professional seminars as a way for the teachers to improve and refine their knowledge. Additionally the university also brought in professionals that introduced them to alternative ways of teaching. After the teachers had learned this new information they then implemented this into the classes they teach. To monitor the transition and the implementation of these new tactics, the classes were once again observed and feedback was provided through questionnaires and interviews. This data was sent to the administration after the second review and later was organized to show the feedback before and after the changes were implemented in the class room. The data ultimately revealed that after this change was conducted, satisfaction among the students was far greatly improved. This university followed Lewin's model when trying to implement change at their university and the end result was a success.Kotter's change-theory example
The CDC conducted an analysis at a federally qualified health center in Kentucky and looked to "improve its delivery of preventive care services, close care gaps, and reduce health disparities among its patient population." With understanding the goal in mind, they utilized Kotter's change theory as a model to attain this goal and implement the change needed at this facility. They began this process to change, by creating a climate for change within the health center. To do this they interviewed employees on how well this facility implemented certain protocols, how high these standards were held, and how well these standards were being enforced. This was done to gain insight on where the organization currently is and where it should be going. Once this knowledge was attained, the organization then implemented the change into the care facility with higher quality standards. After this was complete, the employees were interviewed again and this time the questions shifted to how leadership engaged and enabled the whole organization. This was done to look at how well the organization was implementing the new standards at the care facility. The final phase of questioning was about how the implementation of these standards could have gone better and if there were any unanticipated challenges that came with implementing these standards. These interviews gave the CDC a read on how well the implementation of new health standards at this care facility went well and where they could have improved. This example is one of many of how organizations can use Kotter's change model to correctly implement change.See also
* * Business process reengineering *References
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