CHANGE IS CERTAIN

 CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Change is all around us, in our personal lives as well as at work.  How we handle and manage change differs between individuals and very often depends on our emotions as well as the facts surrounding the actual change.

Change in itself is neither a good nor a bad thing, it is often the attitude of the person implementing and receiving the change which can dictate its success or otherwise.

The management of change, or 'Change Management' as it has become known, is often seen as something that is for the exclusive use of senior professionals or consultants.  But increasingly more and more employees at supervisor or middle management level are getting involved with implementing changes in the way things are done.  It is therefore crucial that all managers have the opportunity to understand how to handle change effectively.

With a basic understanding of the key building blocks of managing change, individuals at all levels of the organisation can face change with more confidence.

IMPORTANT - Successful Change Management means recognising all the forces at play in a change situation, identifying the key groups affected by the change and building a communication process which involves these groups in the change initiative

By splitting a change programme into a series of building blocks and short-term objectives, a long-term vision becomes both more manageable and more motivating.

The key building blocks are:

• Identify the Vision (ie. what the change is).
• Where Are We Now?
• Where Do We Want To Be?
• Gap Analysis
• Training Needs Analysis
• Transition Plan
• Implementation
• Post Implementation Review

This basic structure can be used in varying degrees depending on the size and complexity of the change.

In addition to the building block structure, following some basic principles should also help ensure the change is not doomed to failure from the start:

Be clear on what kind of change is required.

• Plan, plan, plan
• Pre-empt resistance
• Set short-term goals
• Prepare employees
• Communicate
• All hands on deck
• Avoid complacency
• Prepare for the unpredictable

However it is also helpful to be aware of some of the reasons why change fails:

• Misunderstanding of what change is
• Lack of planning and preparation
• Change programme has no clear vision
• Goals are set, but too far in the future.
• The quick-fix option
• Poor communication
• Lack of involvement
• The history of previous change
• The way we do things around here'
• Employee resistance
• Lack of leadership alignment
• Fear of failure