Change models are educational ways of dealing with change within the business world. We will have to be prepared for restructuring of our organization, possible layoffs, and new technology. Organizational transformation will need to occur in order for the overall goals of the company to be achieved. Being able to change will allow the organization to have a more stable environment and allow the employees and organization to be successful.
One change model that initiates successful change is for top management to be involved. Someone from top management needs to be a visionary and be persuasive and consistent (McNamara, 2008). He or she will be the person that has the change agent role and is responsible for communicating what will change and how it will change. The change agent will convey a realistic plan and carry out the plan. Communication needs to be frequent and with all employees. The structure of the organization itself needs to be modified along with the policies and procedures. This model includes the unfreezing, change, and refreezing of the organization (Rose, 2002). The unfreezing step of the change process involves opening up the organization for discussion and allowing all employees to give their input on how they believe which changes should occur and how we should implement the changes. If employees have input about the changes, they are less likely to be resistant to the changes and take ownership of them. The leader should meet with the managers and staff and explain why the changes must take place. Once the changes are decided upon, organizations can then begin to implement them. The organization will then refreeze the policies and procedures as they are approved and implemented. This model is most effective when top management wants to be involved in the changes, and they want the staff to be involved also. The advantage of this model is that each employee has input, and the executives can hear the concerns of the staff. The disadvantage is that not everyone will come to a consensus, and this opens up the changes to a wide variety of opinions and personal agendas. At some point, a decision must be made, and it may not satisfy the needs of everyone.
Another change model used in the business sector is modified from the Kubler Ross Grief Model (Morris, 2008). This includes the following four stages: Denial, Resistance, Exploration, Acceptance or Commitment. When an announcement is made that one organization is purchasing another, there is first the denial stage in which staff is in disbelief. Some staff will just refuse to believe that the organization will make such changes. Then, once staff realizes the changes are going to happen, some will be resistant to the changes. Those employees are scared of change and of the unknown. They might even feel they will not change with the new company and may try to explore other options, such as finding another job. The exploration of other options will ensue and the company may lose staff. Those who stay with the organization will have no alternative but to accept the changes. Organizations will want the staff to commit to the changes, be positive, and be a good example to others during times of change. This change model is most effective when change is imminent, and there are no negotiations with staff. This model helps managers and executives understand the emotions employees’ go through when change is forced upon them. The advantage of this model is knowledge. With this knowledge, executives will be better prepared to deal with the resistance when they know the emotional steps people with go through. The disadvantage of this model is that there is no employee input. Employees may be reluctant to change when they have no input.
The change model that I like is John Kotter’s 8-Step Strategy (Morris, 2008). The first step is to create a sense of urgency. The change must happen now because the organization is changing now and we do not want to be divided in doing processes in two or more different ways. The leaders must create this urgency and explain the reason for the change. They can convey the positive opportunities that will occur with the change and convey the potential crises that might occur if the change does not happen.
The second step is to form a team that will be in charge of leading the change, and members will include staff and executives. The team will need to be influential in order for the change to occur, so executive participation is crucial.
Third, there needs to be a vision and strategy for the change. The direction of the company must be communicated to staff so they will also know the vision of the future, rather than just being asked to change because executives said so.
The fourth step is to communicate the vision to staff. This can be in the form of a corporate announcement, email, or even posters. Leaders will be good examples of the vision and act in a way that always keeps the vision in mind with their daily activities.
The next element is to empower employees to act upon the vision. If employees see something can be done that is in line with the new vision, then they are to act. Staff can remove the obstacles to change and be allowed to develop new ideas.
The next step is to create short term goals. When the vision gets old, and people tend to steer away from it, the short term goals will help keep an obtainable accomplishment in front of them. Staff will be more likely to meet short term goals because they can see the end goal in sight. A twelve month goal that is obtainable keeps the sense of urgency in front of employees. Rewarding staff for the short term goals keeps employees motivated and active in the change effort (Morris, 2008).
The seventh step is to take the improvements and expound upon them. The short term goals are only the steps to the vision, so we need to continue to work toward the greater vision, and be consistent in driving towards the changes that need to be implemented.
The last step in Kotters 8-step strategy is to reinforce the changes and make them permanent. The leaders will need to make the connection between the changes and the corporate success and show that the new ways are now the new culture, policies and procedures, and they are here to stay. The advantage of this 8-step model is that employees and executives work together to arrive at a cohesive environment for implementing the desired changes. The disadvantage is that there is a lot of work, time, and effort to go through all eight steps. This model takes commitment from all staff but will be worth the effort in the long run as it will create a better change environment for employees and executives.
References
Rose, K. H. (2002) Leading change: a model by John Kotter. Retrieved October
28, 2008 from http://www.esi-
intl.com/public/publications/22002changemanagement.asp.
McNamara, C. (2008) Basic context for organizational change. Retrieved October
21, 2008 from
http://www.managementhelp.org/mgmnt/orgchnge.htm.
Morris, M. (2008) Managing change in organizational development. Retrieved
October 28, 2008 from
http://www.rapidbi.com/created/changemanagement.html.
