Posted on on September 18, 2024 | by XLNC Team
In the movie "The Social Network" there's a
notable scene that touches on the theme of change management. This scene occurs
when Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, makes significant changes to the
platform without consulting his business partner, Eduardo Saverin. In the
scene, Zuckerberg launched a feature called "Facebook," which allows
users to connect with each other and share information within exclusive
networks. However, instead of informing Saverin about this change, Zuckerberg
implements it unilaterally. This decision creates tension between the two
partners and leads to a breakdown in their relationship.
This scene highlights the importance of effective communication and collaboration in managing change within an organization. Zuckerberg's failure to involve Saverin in the decision-making process ultimately results in conflict and discord, underscoring the need for transparent and inclusive change management practices.
Introduction
Change is inevitable in today's fast-paced business
environment. Organizations that can adapt to change are more likely to succeed
and thrive. Change management is a structured approach to transitioning
individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future
state. This white paper explores the importance of change management and
provides a comprehensive guide to implementing effective change management
strategies.
Theories
& Methodologies
In today’s dynamic business environment, organizational
changes and methods of addressing them are prevalent as we seek to stabilize
and sustain transformation across locations. The way businesses manage change
and how successful they are at it, depends largely on the nature of business,
the change and the people involved. It is also dependent on how well the
organization and people understand the need for the change and the process
involved. Applying change management activities can be instrumental in
realizing goals for planned and unplanned changes both internally and
externally. It also helps diagnose problems associated with the transition
before they become a crisis. Therefore, it is essential to first understand
some of the theories and methodologies pertaining to change management.
This paper primarily focuses on:
Defining
Change management
Change Management is a common buzzword in today’s
businesses. With constantly evolving business goals and strategies, change is
inevitable and managing change is essential. Change management is also used as
a catch-all for project activities that may otherwise be overlooked. It is thus
important to understand what it is and how to use it to be effective in the
discipline.
Change management is a structured approach for
ensuring that changes are thoroughly and smoothly implemented and for achieving
lasting benefits of change. The change management focus is on the wider impacts
of change, particularly on people and how they, as individuals and teams, move
from the current state to the future state. The change could range from a
simple process change to a major system change to achieve the organization’s
potential.
Both these programs use similar tools but have
different goals and priorities. They are equally important for the
organization’s success.
Organizational changes happen naturally in projects.
By definition, projects are changing the state of things and will, most likely,
include processes and procedures.
Change management differs from project management in
its ultimate objective. Project management is restricted to the application of
a set of tools and processes by a small group of professionals to achieve
project goals. On the other hand, change management emphasizes the people side
of change and targets leadership at all levels of an organization including
executives, senior leaders, middle managers, supervisors, and staff.
Understanding
Change Management
Change management represents a large and rapidly
growing discipline that is being increasingly deployed on a global scale by all
types of organizations. It refers to a structured approach that facilitates the
adoption of change by groups and individuals within an organization.
The process of how organizations change draws on many
disciplines from psychology and behavioral science to engineering and systems
thinking. The underlying principle is that change does not happen in isolation.
It impacts the whole organization and each individual associated with it.
Change
Management Prespective
It is important to note that ‘organizations’ are not
the ones that change; it is the people within organizations that change.
Therefore, the success of the project ultimately is measured by the difference
in work done by each individual multiplied by the number of employees impacted
by the change. Consequently, effective change management requires an
understanding for and appreciation of how one person makes a change
successfully.
Without an individual perspective, change management
amounts to activities performed without goals or outcomes achieved.
ADKAR Model
Managing organizational change starts with understanding how to manage change with a single person. Among the tools available to drive individual change, the ADKAR model developed by Prosci, the world leader in change management research and content creation, is commonly used. ADKAR is an acronym for Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement. In principle, to make a change successfully an individual needs:
ADKAR describes successful change at the individual
level and outlines the goals or outcomes of successful change.
It is an effective tool for planning change
management activities, diagnosing gaps, developing corrective action, and supporting
managers and supervisors.
Change
Theorist
The theory of change defines the building blocks required to achieve long-term goals. There are many theories on how to conduct change. Many of these theories originate from leadership and change management guru, John P. Kotter. Nevertheless, according to Entrepreneur magazine, all process models are derived from the model of organizational change by Kurt P. Lewin. Another popular and powerful model used to understand the stages of personal transition and organizational change is The Change Curve, attributed to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
Kotter introduced his eight-step change process in
his 1996 book, ‘Leading Change’. He suggests that for change to be successful,
75 percent of a company's management needs to buy into the change, and he
introduces an actionable eight-step process for implementing successful
transformations.
Kotter’s steps are based on a solid foundation of communication, empowerment, and focus. Following the change, it is important to embed new approaches so that people do not revert to old habits. Monitoring, feedback, and intervention are necessary for a period after the changes have occurred.
One of the cornerstone models for understanding organizational change was developed in 1947 by Kurt Lewin, a physicist and social scientist. His model, which still holds true even today, is known as Unfreeze– Change–Refreeze and refers to the three-stage process of change. He described organizational change using the analogy of the changing shape of a block of ice.
Lewin's change model is a simple and easily understood framework for managing change through three distinct stages. It starts with creating the motivation to change (unfreeze) and moves through the change process by promoting effective communication and empowering people to embrace new ways of working (change). The process ends when the organization returns to a sense of stability (refreeze), which is necessary for creating the confidence to embark on the next, inevitable change. Each of the three phases also proposes specific activities that address motivation, implementation, and adherence to organizational changes.
The Change Curve is based on a model originally developed in the 1960s by Elisabeth Kübler-Ross to explain the grieving process. It is a powerful model to describe the stages of personal transition involved in most organizational changes. It helps understand how people will react to change, provide assistance for their own personal transitions, and make sure they have the help and support they need. The table lists the behaviours and change actions at every stage of the change curve.
References
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