Organizational Change Management: How Should Managers Respond To It?

Organizational Change Management: How Should Managers Respond To It?

Virtually every organization will undergo a transition to remain viable and scale. Whether onboarding new employees, building a department, or merging with another organization, these changes can significantly impact the trajectory of a business.

Unfortunately, organizational change is not easy to adapt to and can be challenging for all team members impacted by it.

As a manager overseeing organizational change or guiding your employees, knowing the process and what to expect is essential. Change can be a significant opportunity for growth and career advancement, so long as you know how to approach it.

Here is a quick peek at organizational change management and tips to help businesses navigate it.

What is Organizational Change Management?

Organizational change refers to how a company or business alters a significant component of its organization, such as its culture, the underlying technologies or infrastructure it uses to function, or its internal processes. Organizational change management is leveraging change to bring about a successful resolution. It usually includes three major phases: preparation, implementation, and follow-through.

What Causes Organizational Change?

There are several factors that make an organizational change necessary. Some of the most common causes are:

• New leadership at the helm of the organization or within its departments
• The implementation of new technology
• Shifts in the organizational team structure
• The adoption of new business models

Why is Organizational Change Management Critical?

Organizational change is essential for companies to succeed and grow. Change management drives the successful adoption and leveraging of change within the business. In addition, it enables employees to understand and commit to the shift and work effectively during it.

Without effective organizational change management, transitions can be rocky and expensive in terms of both time and resources. In addition, they can lead to lower employee morale and competent skill development. Eventually, a lack of effective change management can result in organizational failure.

A Manager’s Role in Organizational Change

Every employee has a different role in cooperating with change within an organization. For example, while many staff may complete heavily detailed work, senior-level executives with longer tenure might have other goals. Even within management, leaders and managers carry out different tasks.

Leaders, for instance, have to be valiant by taking on risks. They need to look at the bigger picture, articulate high-level change to the organization, explain why it occurs, and motivate employees to support the transition. To become successful as a leader, you should be insightful and know whom to put in charge of the change processes.

Managers should be more concentrated on making business transitions successful. They should emphasize implementing change by choosing the discrete steps that need to happen and their sequence. Managers are also usually responsible for allocating resources like personnel and determining how success is measured. Ideally, leaders will also be managers, but it is the manager’s sole responsibility to know how to design, direct, and shape organizational change processes.

Preparing for Change

It is essential to prepare for organizational change to define the organizational change, understand why it is critical, and garner support from your colleagues.

Then, create a roadmap that articulates and measures success and explains how the business and its employees and customers will be affected.

Make sure that the process plan aligns with business goals and outlines the implementation and sustainability of the organizational change. Please note what challenges may arise and be flexible to adjust accordingly.

KW Productions is known for offering a new perspective of organizational change management with innovative tools that can help an organization adapt to the change processes. Be sure to visit our website if you are keen to learn more.