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A report published by ProSci Learning Centers (www.prosci.com) revealed that more than 50 per cent of survey participants had implemented dramatic process change, more than 90 per cent implemented process changes that crossed departmental boundaries and almost 50 per cent expect the change to impact their entire enterprise.
Definitions of organizational change are aplenty. However, this definition provided by ODR®, a consulting firm with more than 23 years of experience in helping organizations successfully implement change, is a good starting point:
"Organizational change is the implementation of new procedures or technologies intended to realign an organization with the changing demands of its business environment, or to capitalize on business opportunities."
Change usually involves the introduction of new procedures, people or ways of working which have a direct impact on the various stakeholders within an organization. The key to successful change management lies in understanding the potential effects of a change initiative on these stakeholders. Will employees be scared, resistant, pessimistic or enthusiastic about your proposed changes? How can each possible reaction be anticipated and managed?
With such widespread change occurring, handling all of the various issues that arise becomes a priority for a manager and naturally some are better at it than others. But keeping pace with the rate of change is fast becoming a necessity of modern management. If a change program is not handled appropriately - despite the best of intentions - an organization is unlikely to achieve any of its desired goals or objectives.
A classic example of success through effective change management involves the global communications giant Motorola. The Space and System Technology Group at Motorola gradually introduced self-managing teams as a work change initiative. This came about from listening to employees and from a pressing need to improve quality of output and cycle times. As a result of a well-communicated and carefully implemented change, Motorola was able to boast a figure of 22 defects per million, as compared to 750 defects per million before the change - a considerable improvement by any standards!
Wanting to follow in Motorola's steps? Then access our Managing Change Briefing. It will help you get to grips with the importance of change in modern business, techniques for going about it and case studies to show how large organizations have handled their change programs.
Articles:
Managing change at Sears: a sideways look at a tale of corporate transformation
This paper offers a reanalysis or “re-view” of a celebrated tale of corporate transformation – the turnaround of Sears, Roebuck and Company – which was discussed in the Harvard Business Review.
Originally published in the Journal of Organizational Change Management
Volume 18 Number 1, 2005
Managing change and innovation in IT implementation process
After the prophetic messages about the contributions of information technologies (IT) on firms, we face warning signals on the unavoidable need for change management, and the perverse side effects of IT improvements when they are not integrated within a strategic and managerial framework.
Originally published in the Journal of Manufacturing Technology Management
Volume 15 Number 5, 2004
Managing change and changing managers from ABC to XYZ
In an age where effective leaders are at a premium and where continuous change appears to be the order of the day, this article argues that organisations need to align organisational change and management development strategically and operationally in order to maintain and increase their competitiveness.
Originally published in the Journal of Management Development
Volume 22 Number 7, 2003
Change management: the role of internal communication and employee development
Introducing change into an organisation usually raises resistance from those who have the most to lose because of the introduction of the envisaged change. This article looks at the introduction of change in the management structure produced in a large public organisation.
Originally published in Corporate Communications: An International Journal
Volume 8 Number 4, 2003
Change management at Mobil Oil Australia
To remain competitive many businesses in the 1990s have undertaken business process reengineering projects reorganising one or more parts of their operations. This paper results from a case study of the enterprise-wide review of Mobil Oil Australia Limited to increase profitability and change the culture of the organisation.
Originally published in Business Process Management Journal
Volume 8 Number 5, 2002
Attitudes towards organizational change: What is the role of employees’ stress and commitment?
Occupational stress and organizational change are now widely accepted as two major issues in organizational life. This study explores the linkage between employees’ attitudes towards organizational change and two of the most significant constructs in organizational behaviour; occupational stress and organizational commitment.
Originally published in Employee Relations
Volume 27 Number 2, 2005
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