Change Management and Issues

The process of change management is generally used by the various organizations for the implementation of some innovative ideas or strategies within the framework of their organizations which are something new and at the same time have not been followed within the mould of the particular organization in the earlier times (Carnall, 2018). These ideas can be something as simple as the reallocation of the job roles to the integration of some new innovative technologies within the domain of the concerned organization (Cameron & Green, 2015). It is a reflection of this particular fact that the employees as well as the organizations have a mixed notion about the process of change management. For example, the process of change management is generally seen as a boon by the various organizations wherein they can implement the kind of strategies as well as ideas within the framework of their organization which is likely to add a significant value to the organization (Doppelt, 2017). On the contrary, the process of change management is generally seen as a bane by the various employees of the diverse organization that are undergoing or undertaking the process of change management since many times it is seen that the employees are required to come out of their comfort or for that matter do the kind of things that are totally outside of their domain (Pugh, 2016).

There are various factors which determine the success or the failure of the change which is being implemented within the mould of the concerned organization like the role of effective leadership, effective management guidance, critical planning of the entire process of change which is being undertaken, the effective implementation of the change and others (Cummings, Bridgman & Brown, 2016). One of the major problems that the various organizations face during the process of the change the implementation of which they have undertaken is the resistance that they encounter from the employees (Verhulst & Lambrechts, 2015). This paper will discuss about the problem of the resistance that the organizations face from the employees during the implementation of the process of change management.

The purpose of this report is to analyze the concept of change management and more specifically the resistance that the organizations face from the employees during the process of the implementation of these changes. The report will begin by providing an overview of the concept of change and the likely factors that the various organizations need to take into consideration during the process of the implementation of the change management. One of the major factors that the organizations need to take into effective consideration during the process of the implementation of the change that they have decided to implement is the likely resistance that they are likely to receive from the employees. The effective mitigation of this particular is one of the major factors that determine the extent to which the implementation of the concerned change would be effective. The report will at the same time propose some solutions as well as recommendations that the organizations can use for the effective mitigation of the resistance that they are likely to face from the employees during the implementation of the concerned change. In addition to these, the report will at the same time provide an analysis of the recommendations that has been provided to the organizations. Lastly, the report will conclude with a discussion of the review as well as the measurement or the effectiveness of these recommendations that are being offered to the organizations which are undertaking the process of change management for the improvement of the organizational performance of their organization.

Resistance from the Employees

The process of change management can be broadly defined as the conglomeration of all the diverse approaches or initiatives which are being taken by a particular organization during the process of the implementation of a change or a new idea within the framework of the concerned organization (Simoes & Esposito, 2014). Lines et al., (2015) are of the viewpoint that the process of change management is associated with the process of the effective management as well as the implementation of any developmental idea or concept which is being implemented within the framework of a particular organization. The process of change management has gained a significant amount of prominence within the fold of the contemporary business world because of the fact that the world of business is a constantly changing one on the score of the various recent technological and other advancements that has been made by the human beings. Another important factor which has brought about the change in the business world is the factor of the changing needs of the customers of the present times (Belias & Koustelios, 2014). It is seen that because of these factors the world of business has become more competitive than it was ever and thus it was become necessary for the various organizations to take the help of diverse kinds of effective strategies and technologies. It is precisely here that the concept of change management gains prominence. The concept of change management by helping the various organizations to integrate these strategies and innovations within their fold help them in a significant manner not only to gain competitive leverage over their competitors but at the same time help them to meet the demands of the business world and the customers (Hornstein, 2015). Experts are thus of the viewpoint that the use of the process of change management helps the various organizations not only to improve the individual employee performance but at the same time the overall organizational performance as well (Georgalis et al., 2015).

There are various issues that the diverse organizations are likely to face during the process of the implementation of the desired change that they think are necessary for the growth of their organization. Some of the most common issues that the various organizations face during the process of the implementation of the change which would be beneficial for the organization are the resistance from the employees, the lack of effective leadership, management inhibitions, ineffective planning and implementation of the change, failure to assess the risks that the intended implementation is likely to face, inadequate research and data analysis, inadequate infrastructure to incorporate the change and others (Hon, Bloom & Crant, 2014). However, recent researches suggest that the major factor which impedes the process of the implementation of the desired change by the organizations is the factor of resistance (Aslam et al., 2016).

                                                                                         Source: Hornstein, 2015

The process of change management has become an imperative one for the various organizations since they help these organizations to make the necessary transitions (Morin et al., 2016). However, it is generally seen that the very idea of the process of change management is not a very welcome one for the various employees of the diverse organizations. One of the major problems that organizations during the implementation of the process of change management face as already face is the likely resistance from the employees. Experts are of the viewpoint that the major reason for this particular factor is the fact that the human beings psychologically are averse to change and as a matter of fact they do not welcome it and this is one of the major reasons for the resistance that the organizations face during the implementation of any change (Burnes, 2015). Another significant reason for the same can be attributed to the fact that the various employees generally adapt themselves to not only the job roles which have been assigned to them but also the organizational culture as well (Maheshwari & Vohra, 2015). It is significant to note that the process of change management requires the employees to come out of their safe or the comfort zone and take the help of the new policies or strategies or innovations that are being implemented. In addition to these, the effective use of the new changes that are being implemented within the organization also requires the employees to learn many new things so that they are being to make the most of the change that is being implemented and at the same time use the changes to improve their performance and thereby contribute in a positive manner towards the organization (Maheshwari & Vohra, 2015). These in short are some of the key reasons why the various organizations and the management teams face diverse kinds of resistance from the employees during the implementation of the change which has been formulated by the concerned organization. The mitigation of this particular issue that the organizations face during the process of the implementation of the desired changes or for that matter during the process of change management itself becomes of paramount importance and many experts are even of the viewpoint that the effective implementation of the desired change depends on the extent to which the concerned organization is being able to mitigate or control this particular factor.

The emergence of the various kinds of change management models has greatly simplified the above mentioned issue faced by the various organizations during the time of the implementation of the changes that they think would be beneficial for the cause of their organization (Jones & Van de Ven, 2016). Experts are of the viewpoint that the effectiveness of the change which a particular organization has decided to implement and also the extent to which the concerned organization is being able to mitigate or overcome the problem of resistance from the employees depends on the effectiveness with which the concerned organization is being able to make use of the diverse change management models (Jones & Van de Ven, 2016). Furthermore, it is seen that the effectiveness of these change management models depend on the scenario or the purpose for which it is being used. Some of the most commonly used models of change management are “The McKinsey 7-S model”, “Bridges’ transition model”, “Kübler-Ross’ change curve”, “The Satir change management model” and others (Altamony et al., 2016).

“Lewin’s change management model” is one of the most commonly used models of change management and over the years has helped various organizations to undertake the process of change management in the most effective manner. This particular model of change management is generally used by the various organizations which are trying to implement some bigger as well as drastic changes like the implementation of the use of some new technology and others (Petrou, Demerouti & Schaufeli, 2018). The model consists of three stages or procedures that the organizations or the management teams which are related to them are required to follow, namely, unfreeze, the implementation of the necessary and the desired change and finally refreeze (Petrou, Demerouti & Schaufeli, 2018). The first stage of this particular model of change management requires the concerned organization to inform the employees and the other members of the organization about the change which is going to be implemented and thereby prepare them psychologically for the change (Van den Heuvel, Schalk & van Assen, 2015). It is pertinent to note that at this particular stage the concerned organization is also required to provide the necessary briefings as well as trainings that would not only help the individuals to understand the purpose with which the concerned change is being undertake but at the same time help them to understand the manner in which they could effectively use the change to improve their productivity and also the organizational productivity as well. In short this particular stage can be seen as the stage wherein the required as well as the relevant information is being provided to the individuals whom the change is likely to affect the most. The next stage is the stage wherein the actual implementation of the change and also monitor the process of change in the most effective manner so that it is being implemented in the best possible manner (Van den Heuvel, Schalk & van Assen, 2015). The third stage is the stage wherein the implemented change is integrated into the framework of the organization once the employees or the individual whom the process of change affects the most have got used to it (Van den Heuvel, Schalk & van Assen, 2015). In many cases it is also seen that this particular process requires the organizations to redesign their organizational culture so that the intended change is integrated in the best possible manner within the framework of the concerned organization.

                                                                                    Source: Burnes, 2015

Bridges’ transition model is another important change management model is being widely used by the various organizations for the implementation of the desired kind of changes that they have indentified is necessary for the growth of the concerned organization. This particular model was propounded by William Bridges in 1991 and is generally used by the organizations when they are trying to implement some small changes like the reallocation of the job roles and others (Carnall, 2018). There are five important stages involved in the process, namely, awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement (Carnall, 2018). It is significant to note that during the first stage awareness about the required change is created, in the next stage the desire for the intended change is created within the employees and the organization (Cameron & Green, 2015). The stage of knowledge is the one wherein the required information is being provided to all the employees (Cameron & Green, 2015). Then the ability of the employees and the organization is analyzed so as to that the intended change would be compatible in the organization and finally the change is being implemented (Cameron & Green, 2015).

                                                                                Source: Carnall, 2018

The above discussion clearly indicates that the “Lewin’s change management model” is the best one that the organizations can follow for the implementation of the kind of change that they think would be the best one for the organization. The best part about the model is the fact that it is particularly useful for the implementation of large scale changes that would impact the concerned organization in a significant manner (Cummings, Bridgman & Brown, 2016). Furthermore, the use of this particular model at the same time helps the concerned organizations to identify the mistakes that they have made during the process of planning and helps to cover up the same and thereby reduces the risks involved in the process (Cummings, Bridgman & Brown, 2016). Moreover, the model at the same by providing adequate amount of information to the employees and also explaining to them the reasons why the change is being implemented reduces the resistance from them in a significant manner (Doppelt, 2017). In addition to these, by providing adequate briefings as well as training to the employees the drastic nature of the change is being mitigated and thus the resistance that the organization is likely to face would be significantly less (Doppelt, 2017).

It is significant to note that the model which has been proposed is likely to face several trials during the process of actual implementation. One of the major trails would be the effective planning, monitoring as well as the control of the entire process itself. For example, the change would face a reduced level of resistance from the employees only if it is being effectively implemented and at the same being monitored or supervised in the best possible manner (Simoes & Esposito, 2014). Furthermore, the aspect of providing adequate knowledge or information to the individuals is also important since it is on this particular aspect that the effectiveness of the change would depend. In addition to these, the extent to which the organization would be able to create the need for the intended change within the employees is also an important trail factor.

This particular aspect is likely to depend largely on the amount of resistance that the organization is likely to face during the process of the implementation of the intended from the employees. Recent researches have shown that the organizations which have effectively taken into consideration all the aspects of this model have been able to reduce the amount of resistance that they normally face from the employees in a significant manner (Georgalis et al., 2015). Thus, the measurement of the success of the model would depend on the extent to which the organization would be able to reduce the amount of resistance from the employees during the process of the implementation of the change.

Conclusion

To conclude, the process of change management has become an important one within the framework of the modern business world and thus the various organizations are increasingly taking the help of this particular process to implement the kind of changes which are required within their organization. However, it is seen that there are various issues that these organizations are likely to face during the implementation of these changes like the resistance from the employees, inadequate infrastructure, lack of effective leadership and others. The major issue which the majority of the organizations inevitably face during the implementation of the changes is the resistance that they encounter from the employees. These organizations can take the help of the various models of change management for the mitigation of this particular problem and as a matter of fact it is seen that the effective use of these models have actually helped the organizations to mitigate this particular problem.

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