Change Management

Change is inevitable and persistent in various aspects of our daily life. However, human soul has inherently tended to stabilize and resist any change. For example- as a pharmacist and according to pharmacological study-with essential hypertension (a case of unknown high blood pressure - heart is dealing with anti-hypertensive drug as a strange agent, resists for a time period, until it begins to adapt to the intruder element to current state, and blood pressure begins to respond to drug and start to decline gradually till reach normal pressure.

Therefore change -even if it appeared to be positive-is undesirable in its infancy and starts with normal resistance.

 And since change is motto of current phase in most organizations, let us try to delve into the nature of change, its types, objectives, stages, strategies used to deal with, and how to manage its resistance.

Generally Change-usually-may be one of two types:

1-Gradual and related to organizational structure adaptation.

2-Repetitive, but less impactful and occurs as part of the normal organization growth, and aims to restructure the current performance and operating methods to improve or expand them to new directions.  

Success of both types of change depends to a large extent on individuals whose lead and support change processes. They may be consultants outside the organization, managers, team leaders, and specialists within the organization.

Change may be spontaneous without the guidance of change mediators and may be associated with negative outcomes, or positive outcomes such as interpersonal conflict but ends up with new work procedures that streamline the workflow. 

A planned change occurs under the direction of a change agent in response to a prior realization of performance gaps. These gaps are not limited to issues within organization that require resolution, but perhaps to opportunities that must be invested. Planned or intended change is an effort that is planned and designed to address performance gaps in ways that benefit the organization and its employees 

Change objectives:

 Planned change can be directed towards a broad range of elements of the organization, including:

1.     Strategy: Clarify or create strategic and operational plans to achieve the objectives.

2.     Structure: Updating the Organization's design and coordination mechanisms and may include redefining.

3.     Culture: Clarify or create the beliefs and key values of the organization.

4.     Job Design: Updates job designs for individuals and groups.

5.     Technology: Improving equipment and facilities, improving workflows by changing work efficiency and ways of doing it.

6.     Individuals: To change attitudes, expectations, perceptions and behavior by updating the practices and applications of polarization, selection and recruitment, and improving training and development methods.

7.     The purpose of the organization: To clarify or create the mission and objectives of the organization.

8.     Authority relationships, changing centralization, changing oversight, policies, procedures and rules.

9.     Performance objectives and standards: Set new performance targets or modify existing ones.

Stages of the change process:

 They can be divided into three stages:

1. Dissolving (Unfreezing or defrosting )stage:

 Brings the situation to change or to create a sense of need to change towards something new.

2. Change or overlap:

At this stage, the developers identify the change that should take place in the current situation and determine the following:

·        Objectives or things to change: individuals, groups, and organization structure, functions, working methods and procedures.

·        Tools and means of change such as training formation of working groups, committees, participation in management, management by objectives, reduce employment.

3. Refreezing or stabilization

to support change with a view to ensuring that there are full and long-term benefits to change, to enhance its desired positive outcomes, to provide the additional support required to address the difficulties arising from it, and to assess progress in the outcome of this change (cost-benefit analysis).

 It has also begun to melt the situation. Several methods of freezing or preservation can be used as follows:

 Continuous follow-up of new working methods or practices.

·        Training staff on what has been reached.

·        Motivating those who maintain the new gains and honor them

·        Providing information continuously.

·        Continuous contacts through meetings and meetings.

·        Punishment of those who resist the new regime.

 Planned Change Strategies:

 Managers and change agents use different strategies to mobilize power and influence others to get staff to support planned change efforts. 

Consider the following three strategies:

1-     Force Strategy - Coercion: Official power, rewards and sanctions are used as key incentives to create change. Individuals respond for fear of penalties or a desire for rewards.

2-     Logical Persuasion Strategy: Facts, special knowledge, and logical arguments are used to effect change. The strategy assumes that a rational, rational individual will decide whether or not to support change based on the integrity of his thinking and self-interest. So a change agent must mobilize to convince others that change will make them better than before.

3-     Participatory Strength Strategy: Participatory methods are used in decision making and emphasis on shared values to create change. It requires empowering and engaging individuals who are affected by change honestly and effectively in planning and making key decisions about change. The implementation of this strategy requires the development of attitudes of support through change or empowerment, which in turn are based on building personal values, community standards, and shared goals in order to demonstrate support.

Change Resistance 

 A trend or behavior that shows the unwillingness to make change, not to support it.

 The causes are many, including:

·        Fear of the unknown.

·        Fear of loss of job security.

·        Lack of resources, and inappropriate timing of change. 

·        Lack of a sense of need for change.

·        Threats of interests, differing interpretations of change.

In the end, I repeat that change is inevitable that we must understand and understand its causes and motives in an attempt to adapt to it and to benefit from innovations that may be in our favor, even if it starts otherwise.

Regards,

Qubaisy