Approaches to change management are as different and as varied as the organizations facing changes. A tactic that works for one company, may not work for another. In order to create your own process for managing change that helps reduce resistance and ensure success, you will need to consider as many perspectives as possible. Here are four articles from around the web to help get you thinking about how your company manages change:
The Most Difficult Change of Them All
Of all of the types of changes that organizations face, the most difficult is changing the organizational culture. On the Talent Culture blog, the article “How Do You Embrace Culture Change In Your Company” looks at this very issue. Author Nancy Rubin looks at the role leaders play in managing cultural change. She writes, “A successful shift in organizational culture begins with leadership tools, including a vision or story of the future. It includes cementing the change in place with management tools, such as role definitions, measurement and control systems, and it requires the pure power tools of coercion and punishments as a last resort, when all else fails.” Her article looks at the role that employee input can have on this change, and she offers six success factors to help impart positive cultural change.
You can follow Talent Culture on Twitter @TalentCulture
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The Marathon Model of Change
When it comes to managing change, leaders must remember that they have had a much longer time to accept and adjust than their workforce has. Typically, executives are the first wave, managers are the second wave, and then finally employees are brought on board. In his article, “Leading Change: Remember the Marathon Model,” leadership expert Dan McCarthy reminds us of this important fact. He writes, “It is important for leaders of organizations going through change to realize the ‘lag time’ between where they are in the process and where others in the organizations are in the process.
You can follow Dan McCarthy on Twitter @greatleadership
Becoming the Eye of the Hurricane
Chris Ruisi, the founder of The Coach’s Zone recently wrote a piece for Entrepreneur.com that addresses the upheaval that change can cause in an organization. In, “When Change Overtakes Your Company, Become the Eye of the Hurricane,” Ruisi writes, “Change comes with a number of moving parts that involve process and people, as well as productivity and profitability. All of this will test a leader’s ability to think on their feet, make decisions based on incomplete data, stay focused and maintain a healthy sense of urgency.” He stressed the fact that leaders must be calm, even while change is causing upheaval all around. He also outlines five actionable steps that leaders cat take to calmly and effectively manage their teams successfully through times of change.
You can follow Chris Riusi on Twitter @ChrisRuisi
Millennials: The Secret Ingredient in Change Management?
On the Society for Human Resources Management Blog, they recently published a secret: Millennials can help HR teams manage change in the workplace. Why? Because the Millennial Generation grew up with change. They experienced some of the fastest technological advancements we’ve ever seen and they came of age in the Post 9/11 era, when it seemed the entire world changed in a single day. They know with certainty that nothing is certain. When employees resist change, SHRM invites HR teams to get Millennial employees involved. They walk through the six stages of change, and outline the ways in which younger employees can help manage those stages for others.
You can follow the Society for Human Resource Management on Twitter @SHRM
