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2005 ã weLEAD, Inc.
Change Management – A Biological
Approach
By Ravi Kumar Dasari
Accomplishing the desired
organizational goals, in the context of environmental contingencies and
turbulence, takes time. This axiom is based on the experience of those
organizations that have successfully embarked and indoctrinated the change
management process into their corporate cultures. Change Management from an
individual perspective is a major transition process which might challenge the
beliefs and values of an individual.
Individual Change Management is the management of change from the perspective of
that individual who ultimately must implement the change. The focus here is to
present the human anatomical model which actually guides an individual through
the change management process. One of the principle concerns is the
communication, training and mentoring that is required to inform, guide and
assist individuals in understanding each one’s role and the decisions that each
one must make in the change process.
In
today's economy, the only constant is change and the challenges imposed by
these changes. Changes happen continuously, and often at a dazzling pace. Since
changes have become an inevitable part of organizational dynamics, individuals
who resist change can actually cripple an organization. Hence, organizations
built to last must be built to change.
Organizations
need to swiftly respond to changes in the environment in order to ensure their
survival, stability and steady growth. For organizations to respond quickly,
the employees of the organization should readily embark on the required changes
to achieve the desired results. The biggest challenge for any organization is
to get its employees full support in implementing the required changes in order
to face ever-growing global competition. Most of the Change Management
strategies collapse at the implementation stage because of the resistance
offered by the employees. In order to embark on a smooth Change Management
process, organizations need to understand what makes people tick, and for this
they need to understand why people, in general, resist changes and how this can
be surpassed.
Individual’s response to change(s)
In order to
accept and adjust to change, every individual needs to pass through the
following basic stages:
Denial
phase: Individuals refuse to acknowledge that change is important and
necessary.
Resistance
phase: Individuals’ active/inactive opposition to change.
Exploration
phase: Individuals tend to explore the benefits of the change(s).
Commitment
and Broadcasting phase: Individuals
fully embark on the change(s) and even might not hesitate to broadcast the
benefits of the change(s).
Most individuals have to go through these stages
as they seek to rationalize what they are being required to do. All this takes
‘time’ and there are no short-cuts
in this process. Individuals need to be convinced of the benefits of going
through the change(s) again and again. Allan Hooper & John Potter (2001,
82-84)
Anatomy of Individual in the
Organizational and Environmental Context
Human Anatomy
Self Identity:
Self
Identity, the core of every individual, is an absolute term and is more of a
perception.
Beliefs / Values:
Individual beliefs and values make all the
difference. The way an individual looks at him/herself is different from what
others consider him/her to be.
Self identity, beliefs and values form the
core of an individual (opinion of one’s self).
Capability:
Includes
an individual’s intellectuality, knowledge, skills, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
Behavior:
Is
influenced by the individual’s physical and mental state which is, in turn,
influenced by the individual needs, interpersonal relations, involvement, physical
maturity, psychological maturity, job maturity, emotional intelligence, etc.
Style:
The
self-identity, beliefs, values, capabilities acting from within an individual
governs his/her behavior, which determines their particular style. The
individual’s style is also influenced by the organizational and environmental
factors acting upon them externally.
Allan
Hooper & John Potter (2001, 104-106)
Organizational
Anatomy
The following organizational factors
tremendously influence the individual’s behavior within the organizational
context:
Nature and Size
Structure
Strategy
System
Staff
Technology
(Skills)
Style
Shared
values
Culture,
mission, vision and goals
Job
freedom, growth perspective
Career
development opportunities
Organizational
behavior, in its environment, is influenced by the 7S framework (Structure,
Strategy, Systems, Shared Values, Staff, Style and Skills) and other factors
acting from within the organization and the environmental factors acting on
organizations externally.
Environmental
Anatomy
Political, economical, socio-cultural,
technological and legal are some of the environmental factors that influence
the behavior of an organization in its field/industry. This, in turn, affects
the individual’s behavior in an organization.
Common reasons for resistance
Individuals' inherent
aversion to change
Surprise and uncertainty
factor
Fear of failure factor
Peer pressure factor
Ambiance of mistrust factor
Persona conflicts factor
Unable to see the benefits
– ‘what’s-in-it-for-me?’ factor
Loss of status quo and/or
job security
Upheaval
of corporate norms and/or team relationships.
Ground Rules for Successful Change
Management
Pre-Change Implementation meetings to manage anticipated or expected
behavioral distortion
Multi-stage
planning with a mix of top-down and bottom-up planning approaches.
Change
Management as an integral component of strategic planning
Change
Management structure and team roles
Executive
sponsorship
Diagnosing
resistance to change
Engaging
external consultants, if required
Outsourcing
the Change Management process to alleviate ‘positional power-politics’
Identification
and removal of critical barriers for implementing change
Assuring
and reassuring employees
Understanding
individual beliefs, values and needs
Proper
communication and training plans
Motivation
& empowerment
Value creation as a measurement for Change Management and conflict
resolution
Timing,
incentives and recognition programs
Conclusion:
Since skeptical
employees can educe reactions that can range from passive resistance to active
disruption, organizations need to convince their employees to buy the idea of
continual change. Very often, the Change Management process principally focuses
on human behavior, as this is the easily reckonable aspect of human
performance, and seeks to change ‘behavior’ without influencing ‘core values
and beliefs’ that support an individual’s behavior. As a result, individuals
under pressure tend to revert to those behaviors that support their true
beliefs and values, thereby restricting the benefits of the process to very
short-term. A successful Change Management process tends to influence the
individual at the core (identity, beliefs and values), rather than to simply
try to change one’s behavior momentarily.
References:
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About
the author:
Dasari. Ravi
Kumar, a MBA Graduate from University of Hull, is currently working in Emerio Corporation as a Chief Quality Officer and AVP –
Corporate Planning. His principal responsibilities include identifying, planning,
achieving and maintaining the quality accreditations for the Emerio group. In this capacity he steered three ISO
9001:2000 certifications for the Emerio group of
companies. Currently he is spearheading Emerio’s
ITIL, Business Continuity Management (BCM), e-SCM and SEI CMM Certifications. Ravi’s white papers on BPO were published in DMreview,
and Ebiq.net. His Paper on Lean Software development is published in ProjectPerfect.com.au.