Management
Change Management
Theoreticians’ various approaches on change management has determined the development of several change management models that are differentiated in terms of number of steps, sequence of steps, phases included, or activities involved in the process. For example, Kanter’s, Stein’s, and Jick’s Ten Commandments has 10 steps, Taffinder’s Transformation Trajectory has only 5 steps, Kirkpatrick’s has 7 steps, while Mento, Jones and Dirndorfer have developed a 12 Step Framework.
The Step-by-step Change Model and the 12 Step Framework have to be taken, while the Transformation Trajectory model provides a more abstract approach to the subject. This model only provides a starting point for developing a more complex change management model. Although the Ten more complex guidelines, it fails to bring specificity to the subject.
These change management models seems to lack a stage of internalization. This stage can be described as people adopting change, making it more personal, in order to fit their own personal needs of change, and developing their own mechanisms of integrating change management in their activities.
Also, constant feedback is important for implementing a successful change process. The process must be continuously monitored, and feedback must be analyzed in order to identify potential problems and to correct them before their produce significant effects.
2. In my opinion, the ideal change management model should be a flexible, but complex one. The stages of the model should be the following: identifying the need or desire for change, identifying and evaluating effects of change, evaluating the climate for change, identifying a change leader and his team, developing strategies and translating them into specific plans, establishing the timeline required for the change process, implementing internalization, implementing change, analyzing feedback, measuring the effects of the change process, integrating the effects and the lessons derived from the change process.
Communication must be integrated within the change process, from the beginning and after the implementation of change has been completed.
3. The most suitable sequence of steps that could be applied for any type of organizational situation was presented above. Any change management process should start by clearly identifying and communicating the need or the desire for change. If this need is not understood, the change process will not be accepted by employees and other stakeholders involved.
Next, it is preferable to assess the possible effects of change and the climate in which change is expected to produce, in order to identify and counteract any possible problems that might emerge during the process.
One of the most important steps of the process consists in developing the actual strategies and plans that will be implemented. This is why the leader and his team must be selected before this step. Establishing the timeline of the process is in direct connection with the previous step.
4. Identifying the need or desire for change requires management skills like analyzing and organizing. Identifying and evaluating the effects of change require strong analysis skills, combined with the ability to forecast the development of business processes. Evaluating the climate for change requires observation abilities and control. The step consisting in developing strategies requires for the people involved in the process to be able to plan, to organize, to direct, and to control. Establishing the timeline of the process requires time management skills and the ability to organize.
The leader of change must possess a series of other management skills, like leadership, motivation, and self-management (Drucker, 1999). The most important skills that ensure the success of implementing a change management process are leadership, the ability to organize, and the ability to control.
Also, the manager must make proof of understanding the emotional side of change and the way it affects his subordinates. As a consequence, the manager must be aware of the emotional stages of change in order to control them and to turn them into the organization’s advantage. These stages include: disbelief and denial, anger and blame, reluctant acceptance, and the final stage in which employees accept change, they commit to it, and start focusing on it (Riches, 2010).
5. In general, during a change management process the steps handled best refer to determining the need or desire for change, establishing the timeline, and monitoring the results. This is because most of the times the necessity for change is quite visible, it is felt by the stakeholders involved, it is not absolutely necessary to make efforts to identify this necessity.
The steps that are not handled as well include internalization, communication, and building consensus for the change. This is because not everyone in the organization in case identifies with the need for change. Also, managers are sometimes unable to communicate correctly the need for change. They can also fail to properly motivate employees for adopting change and integrating it within their activity. This way, consensus for change cannot be achieved, jeopardizing the success of the change management process.
Reference list:
1. Riches, A. (2010). The Four Emotional Stages of Change. Anne Riches Leadership and Change. Retrieved February 3, 2010 from http://www.anneriches.com..html.
2. Drucker, P.F. (1999). Change Leaders. Inc. Magazine. Retrieved February 3, 2010 from http://www.inc.com/magazine/19990601/804.html.
