Part 7: Complexity, change and turbulence

This article is the seventh and last in a series about the problems of change management in organizations. In the previous articles, we addressed the issue of complexity on several occasions, explaining that it renders change management more difficult. This time, we offer some ideas on management practices that are liable to increase complexity artificially along with adverse effects on change management. Read On »

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Part 6: Managing the Transition

This article is the sixth in a series on managing organizational change. In the previous two, we concetrated on the phase of awakening to the need for change and on the dynamics of communication. In this article, we examine problems associated to the transition phase and suggest a number of measures for dealing with them. Read On »

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Part 5: Communication and change

This article is the fifth in a series dealing with the issue of managing change in organizations. The previous one,  showed that communication has a major influence on the process of organizational change. Therefore, before going on to the transition and ritualization stages, we shall deal in this article with communication since understanding the issues at stake in this connection will prove very useful in the following phases. Read On »

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Part 4: Adapting to change

This article is the fourth in a series dealing with the issue of managing change in organizations. In this article, we examine in general how adaptation to change is experienced by the members of an organization and focus in particular on the awakening stage. Read On »

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Part 3: Implementation of IT - from the laboratory to practice

This article is the third in a series dealing with the issue of managing change in organizations. This article deals with a number of classic problems arising in the implementation of information technology and, more specifically, the decision-making process. Read On »

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Part 2: Choosing a strategy for change

This article is the second in a series dealing with the issue of managing change in organizations. The first article dealt with the turbulence that organizations have been facing for some time; this second article addresses the choice of a strategy for change among those available to management. Read On »

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Managing organizational change: Part One - Change in turbulent times

Is change changing? Is it becoming more complex or are organizations less capable of implementing change?

This is the first article, of a seven part series, that deals with the critical issue of managing change. In this article the authors describe the general context in which today’s organizations operate and explain how these new conditions that have made change apparently more difficult to manage. Excellent Read! Read On »

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Painting the Picture of Change

In my previous article I discussed outlining three simple, yet powerful steps to bring humanity back into the change equation. This article expands on the first of these concepts, Painting the Picture of Change.

Gather materials

I recently completed an engagement with a client that wished to reverse a low employee morale situation. I start such engagements with a review session with the sponsoring executives to determine their specific issues and needs. In this case, my sponsor wished to validate his assumptions that low morale existed, why it existed, and what to do about.

I scheduled focus group sessions with staff to understand their perspective. It soon became apparent that the employees believed they possessed great motivation toward their jobs and the organization. However, they felt that management (my client) caused the low morale. To the employees, management displayed this attitude through minimal to no group communication, no status update meetings, strong adherence to assigned roles, and limited recognition for creativity or extra effort. The employees felt powerless to make changes, which generated an employee malaise, viewed by management as low morale.

I observed the organizational interactions over time to validate this assessment. I also checked with colleagues who had similar engagements with other clients. These served to validate the findings.

I now had the core materials from which to craft recommendations and paint a change picture.

When considering a change announcement, start by gathering the materials required to paint the change picture. Tap into the “hard” data available within and outside the organization. This may include historical experience, current market trends, organizational performance, emerging technology, new laws or regulations, supplier adjustments, researched strategies, etc. Collectively these provide the grounding and rationale for change.

People outside your organization, including recognized industry or market experts, can be tapped to provide additional, unbiased information. Incorporate their data with that internally generated.

Also include your own personal thoughts and feelings. This “softer” information has just as much validity as any metric or factual data. It places your personal emotion and drive, your humanity, directly into the change picture.

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A CFO’s Strategy for the Human Side of Change

This is the story of Tom Hastings, a recently promoted executive with new ideas on how to improve his organization. Read along, and learn how Tom led his staff on “A Journey Into the Heroic Environment.”

Read On »

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