Change management is an essential aspect in any firm that aims at achieving its objectives and maintain the optimum level of operations. Due to the competitive nature of the economy, firms need to employ the right strategies to counter the effects of economic and operational changes among others. Therefore, change management is paramount in identifying opportunities and timely responses to threats.
To manage these fluctuations, managers should devise appropriate change process that that meets the companies’ needs (Takeuchi et al., 1986). In the face of dynamic external and internal factors such as financial, environmental, social among others, companies should restructure the organizational processes that fail to put them into a competitive advantage. Besides, these firms ought to continually adjust their operations to be at par with the world competition pace. These approaches would help a company to avoid the risks of redundancy, discontinuities, and other competitive threats.
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The major challenge organizations face results from failure to do SWOT analysis that would identify hazards and significant opportunities and react quickly for their advantages. The existing structures and operating systems are not sufficient to cope up with the current and future competition. Therefore, firms should invest in technology that designs strategies to that regularly assesses the whole industry and respond with relevant agility than its competitors. This move complements the traditional hierarchy and enhances the effective running and implementation of strategic processes.
Change management entails guiding, supporting and prepare individuals to effectively adapt to changes and bring about the success of the organizations ( Kotter 2012). Individuals are responsible for transitions; hence, managers should influence them to support the required strategies. Change management mechanisms are established to help firms plan in advance for change as opposed to reacting to it. Therefore to achieve this objective, the change management process is essential. Dr. Kotter researched and devised an eight-step process that leads to change. It is evident that if this process is applied to an organization, it creates a competitive advantage and copes with the changes.
The eight-step process starts by creating a sense of acting urgently. This step is achieved by helping and encouraging others to see the implementing a change. A clear opportunity statement is used to communicate and emphasize the essence of acting immediately. This step creates the organizational awareness to support strategic adjustments associated with the opportunity. It is the role of the top management to initiate the change and communicate down the hierarchy as they encourage teamwork. Therefore, any change strategy needs to be understood by all employees for its success.
Building and sustaining a guiding coalition is the second step which comprises of workers from all levels of the organization who have volunteered to lead the change process. This coalition is used to assess the whole organization and gather information necessary to make decisions. Members of this group are equal and would reason together and identify the right strategic initiative that suits their organization (Nyasha 2011).
Thirdly, a strategic goal and initiatives are formed that clarifies the impacts of the change to the future by aligning the efforts to the vision. This step aims at showing workers the opportunity that exists and the need to work hard to make it a reality. The vision statements motivate all members to work as a team to achieve the objectives. This step entails forming a volunteer army by adding to the list of the guiding coalition. The army is attracted by a well-formulated vision as well as the strategy generated by the alliance. The communication by the coalition would impact many employees and entice them to join the endeavor. This step reduces resistance as it gives employees to be part of the change.
Removing hurdles to enable action, is the fifth step in which the team works to identify the root cause of the problems facing the firm and thing of the approach to solving it. The challenge might be technical, economic or any other type. This process is essential in providing feedback to the management about the existing problems and the appropriate measure. The sixth step involves generating short-term wins aligned with the vision. A credible strategy would yield some positive changes to the organization as it acts as proof that the actions taken are benefiting the organization. Conversely, many other employees would feel motivated to join the change process. Failure to achieve short-term wins may also provide the team with feedback and rethink about their decisions.
After short-term wins, the acceleration is maintained by learning from the experiences and remaining on the course. The small victories should not be an indicator of success; hence the organization establishes more strategic initiatives to cope with the competitive environment. At this stage, political and cultural factors may be experienced through resistance. Therefore the organization should be keen on the coordination of all the team members.
The last step in change management is the creation of organizational culture by institutionalizing the permanent strategic changes. Incorporating the strategic initiatives into the culture of a firm would cement it and make it part of the organization. This culture should be applied in the day-to-day activities to enable the company to create an advantage over its competitors.
In the light of change management, incorporating an aspect of evolutionary leadership is essential in adapting to the dynamic nature of the environment ( Laszlo 2012) . The world has changed from the traditional way of thinking and the mode of operations that left all the decision- making role to the managers. The corporate world has evolved into a complex scenario that requires a collaborative approach to remain in the markets. The success of any firm as attested by the eight steps of change management depends on the involvement of all stakeholders in the management and change process. It is only through effective coalitions that the change initiatives can bear fruits. Besides, almost all the operations involves consulting with others to get solutions to various problems imminent to the company.
People are unique beings with different capabilities and skills. Therefore, there is the need to create an enabling environment to enhance their participation in the organizations. This inclusion would ensure the success of strategies established in the firm and produces the required values. Making sure that the changes in employed have resulted in excellent results motivates employees to appreciate their efforts. Therefore, firms need to embrace the style of collaborative leadership to have better results. Also, restructuring of the institutions is vital in the change process. Adopting a new leadership style would open an opportunity where workers can identify challenges and be the source of the remedies. The information they provide would help the management in decision making and management process.
Good leadership inspires and encourages others within the working environment to work as a team to achieve the intended results. So managers should offer a leadership role by bringing their colleagues on board to support the change approaches. Besides, communication is paramount in explaining the firm’s vision to the other players. It reduces the chances of rebellion among members and enhancing cooperation. Therefore, change management is a broad aspect that should apply holistic approaches for its success.
References
Kotter, J. P. (2012). THE BIG IDEA-Accelerate! A new system that allows the traditional hierarchy to operate in concert with a companywide" strategy network" holds the key to nimble change. Harvard Business Review , 44.
Laszlo, K. C. (2012). From systems thinking to systems being: The embodiment of evolutionary leadership. Journal of Organisational Transformation & Social Change , 9 (2), 95-108.
Nyasha, T. (2011). The impact of organisational change: a study of the Gauteng Provincial Department of Infrastructure Development (Doctoral dissertation).
Takeuchi, H., & Nonaka, I. (1986). The new new product development game. Harvard business review , 64 (1), 137-146.
