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Change Process

common reaction is passive resistance where individuals Also crucial to successful integration of change in an
agree on the surface with the need for change but are qui- organization is the level of support from its leaders. Top
etly unsupportive of it. Still others may respond with levels of management must believe that the proposed
active resistance by openly disagreeing with the proposed course of action is the right one for the future of the
change, lobbying against it, and encouraging others to do organization. At all phases of the change process, top
the same. management representatives must strongly support the
Many managers assume that if people think the change processes and communicate that support to the
change is a good idea, they will not resist it. Why would work force. During the planning phase, top management
the work force resist changes if the changes will fix what representatives should explain the business reasons for the
they wanted fixed? People may want change, but not nec- changes and the costs of not changing, tell employees
essarily the changes that have been identified in the plan. what they can expect to happen and when, and enlist the
Workers may have their own ideas about what should support of other senior managers and stakeholders in the
change, and frequently the changes they think fix the process. During the design phase, upper level manage-
problem involve someone else changing, not them. In ment representatives should listen and respond to feed-
addition workers may think the ways to make things bet- back from the organization and provide updates on the
ter is simply to adjust and manipulate their work progress of the change. During the implementation phase,
processes, not to implement the drastic changes identified top management representatives should continue to listen
in the proposed plan. Alternatively, workers may not to resistance and respond to feedback, stay involved in the
think that is wrong with the current way of working. process, ensure that adequate resources and training are
Often the process of changing looks too hard, looks like it available, measure performance toward expected results,
will take too much energy, and seems confusing. A strictly and reward role models.
structured change process often ignores the ingrained Effective and efficient methods of communication,
human resistance to change. When that happens, people education/training, and rewards/reinforcements should be
who are affected by the change end up expending most of built into the implementation plan. Appropriate training
their time and energy figuring out how to stop the change should be incorporated into the change plan to ensure
or altering the change until it looks like something they that the work force can be productive with the new work
can live with. If the desired change is not very desirable to processes and systems. However, communication and
the work force, managers need to find out why. Insuffi-
training may not be the only required elements to help
cient information about the driving force behind the
ensure effective change implementation. As the work
change and the benefits expected from it is likely to cause
force envisions the change, managers may need to ensure
distress among those affected by the change. People tend that rewards are in place for changing—in other words,
to act in their own perceived self-interest. Managers often
identification of “what’s in it for me?” Recognition is
think of change initiatives in broader terms, while the needed to reinforce changes in an organization. Tangible
work force tends to think of it differently, in more narrow
and intangible rewards for changed behavior, new atti-
terms of how the change will affect their work. Sometimes
tudes, and enhanced skills can be effective both in build-
managers forget or overlook this reaction to change. Effec- ing support and advancing the changes.
tive strategies for organizational change involve an under-
Companies and people have no choice: they must
standing of the human beings in the work force.
change to survive. They do have a choice, however, in how
Cultivating a sense of involvement and ownership in
they change. Understanding the forces that effect change,
all individuals affected by the proposed change is critical. the process for change, and how to manage that process is
The more involved people feel in shaping their future, the
critical to an organization’s survival in today’s turbulent
less likely they are to criticize the outcome. An essential
world.
factor in managing effective change is communication—
no amount is too much. Managers should identify the SEE ALSO Management
groups/individuals affected by the proposed change in
order to determine the best communication methods to BIBLIOGRAPHY
use. Newsletters, focus groups, bulletin boards, intranet BPR OnLine Learning Center (2005). Retrieved September 29,
pages, and lunchtime seminars are all effective ways of 2005, from http://www.prosci.com.
communicating to the work force. Managers need to be Brill, Peter L., and Worth, Richard (1997). The Four Levers of
aware of how information flows through the organization Corporate Change. New York: AMACOM.
and which communication methods will be most effec- Harvard Business Review on Change (1998). Boston: Harvard
tive. Business School Press.

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