Importance of Change Management Process

Question: Discuss about the Importance of Change Management Process. Answer: Introduction This report basically discusses the importance of change, and examination why resistance is a problem and how to manage the resistance. The report is also discussed about the relationship between the power and resistance. Along with this, the ethics of managerial and of resistance position is also discussed in this report so that resistance to change can be managed ethically by the organization. The main aim of this report is to focus on the importance of change management process with the topic resistance to change. This report describes the importance of the change process in the organization. Along with this, the report also focuses on the main cause of the resistance to change and to manage that. Many researchers have given their assumption that the resistance to change is very costly and time consuming process which can delay the process of change in the organization. Along with this, the assumption also has been given that the resistance to change can be used as learning point by the managers to develop (Lee Teo, 2005). The change in any organization refers to the movement from present to future to make or do something different from others. Organizational change includes planning to move from present stage to future stage. Change in the organization can be change in mission, operational changes, technological changes or change in the behavior or working styles of employees etc. Resistance in the change takes place when change is not understood by the people in the organization. There can be many reasons of change such as lack of clarity, dislike of change, change in speed and perceived negative effects by the people etc. actually, change is not a problem. Change in every organization is an important process. If an organization wants to grow in the market, it has to adopt some changes. The change could be in many strategies such as change in business operations, change in vision or mission, change in business strategy etc. but change is not a simple process. Employees move towards resistance to change. The reason of their resistance is that they fear from the unknown things such as how the change will impact on them, on their performance, relationship with others and other job related things. Sometimes, there can be psychological resistance; the members may have in the organization (Kreinen, Hollensbe Sheep, 2006). The reason of resistance of change can be as follows: Sometimes, the people move towards resistance to change so that they can avoid the uncertainty. The past things are well known to them. In such case they become afraid to adopt new things. Employees become very afraid when they exchange old and familiar strategies to new and uncertain strategies. They dont have the knowledge about new things. In such case, they move towards resistance (Hensmans, 2003). One of the main causes of resistance can be the disturbance in their daily routine. Every person follows a habitual routine and pattern in his life. It is very difficult to exchange the past routine with the new routine for the employees. So they move toward resistance to change. When the employees feel pressure because of the change in the organization. When employees find difficulties in fulfill their task and goals then they move towards resistance. A small amount of resistance is acceptable in the change but if the resistance goes beyond the lines, it becomes a problem for the organization (Thomas, Hardy, 2011). Resistance as a problem that must be managed One of the real problem in the change process resistance to change. Resistance to change must be managed by the organization with effective change management program (Mar, 2013). Basically, resistance takes place when the employees are not comfortable with the change or they are facing pressure and they are uncomfortable because of the change. So, it is necessary that organization understand the needs and their thoughts and implement the change according to them. Resistance to change is problematic for the organization because when it crosses the line, it puts a negative impact on the organization. Sometimes, resistance becomes an ongoing process which can have a negative effect on the other employees. So, there is a need to manage the resistance timely otherwise it can become a serious issue within the organization. Resistance can be the reason of lower of morality, decreased efficiency in business operation, and distracted work environment. Because of differences in the thoughts, there can be conflicts between the employees of the organizations (Rick, 2013). Organization need to formulate an effective strategy to tackle the issue of resistance to change. Managers need to communicate with the employees and listen their viewpoints so that they will be able to know that where the problems the employees are facing. It is very necessary to manage the resistance because it can become a serious problem in future and it can stop the business operat ions of the organization. Resistance may arise from a genuine understanding of the change or from misunderstanding, or even almost total ignorance about it. By the communication, facilitation, support, manipulation or co-operations, managers will be able to tackle the resistance in the organization. Change is an essential part of organizational growth. To survive in the competitive market, organization must adopt strategic changes which lead to success. By the strategic changes, organization will be able to face new challenges which are arising in the market. It becomes difficult to change something with many people by the organization. Because of resistance to change, the process of change can be delayed for short time or long time. So, it is very important for the organizations to learn how to manage the resistance to change. Power can be a key element in managing the resistance to change (McKay, Marshall, Grainger, Hirschheim, 2012). Power refers to the process which affects the viewpoints, thoughts, opinion, and behavior of someone by respecting of their wish and desires. The power is expected to have the ability to manage the resistance to change in the organization. Organizations use power to collect the information by which it can minimize the impact of resistance to cha nge on the business practices. Power is used on the basis of skills, ability, knowledge and labor to implement change successfully in the organization (Leming and Spicer, 2006). Thus, there is the mutual dependency relationship between the power and resistance. Resistance can be a problem for the organization and managers need to tackle this issue with the ability and capability. Power has the ability to change the perception of someone. If it is used effectively by the managers, the negative impact of resistance can be minimizing at some level (Erkama, 2010). Ethical implications to understand resistance Change is an ongoing process in the business operations. Organizations are continuously adopting the change process to stay competitive in the market. To implement the change and to manage the resistance to change, the ethics and responsibilities are the most important part in the change management. There are some ethical codes which change managers have to fulfill while implementing the change process in the organization (Wooldridge, Schmid Floyd, 2008). They have to ensure that every employee is satisfied with the change occurring in the organization. Along with this, change managers have responsibility to maintain the ethical standards in the organization to take decisions. Managers have duty to motivate the employees who face ethical issues during change process (Probst, 2003). There are some ethical responsibilities of managers who are managing change in the organization: Managers have the higher and important position that makes them responsible for the ethical conducts within the organization. Managers have to observe the behavior and attitude of the employees to ensure that their behaviors are appropriate for the organization or not. Along with this, managers also have the responsibility to minimize the unethical behavior which impact on the business practices of the organization. Managers in the organizations are also responsible for implementing new changes with the ethical codes so that organizations can achieve its objectives. Along with these, managers also have the responsibility of professional ethics according to their role and position (Stemwedel, 2014). Managers have to adopt effective change management process to address the impact of resistance. Change management is an important part of the change process within an organization. The change management process is performed by the managers who ensure the success of the organization by the change process. Change management includes managing the resistance in the organization and focuses on the achieving the organizational goals and objectives. For implementing successful change management process, managers have to adopt some rational views while performing the change process (Hjorth Daniel 2005). Change management process is an essential activity to minimize the resistance to change within the organization. The change process requires proper decisions by the change managers. Along with this, change process is a difficult process also so; it requires sufficient resources for performing change process by the managers. In the rational view of the change management, the manager should ha ve full information of decision problem, so that he will be able to do right decision to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. If the change manager takes decision in a proper manner then it will lead to the success of the organization in the competitive market (Jabri, 2012). The steps which should be adopted in the change management process by the managers are as follows: Identifying and understanding the actual problem in the organization, Alternative understanding of the problem, Evaluation of the options, Choosing best possible option, Implementing the solution, and Observe the success of the change implementation (Karreman Alvesson, 2009). By adopting these processes, change manager will be able to implement the successful change management plan within the organization to manage the resistance and to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization (Roberts, 2005). Conclusion of the report From above discussion, it has been analyzed that the resistance is usual and general apect which is associated with the change management process in the organization. The survival of an organization depends upon the growth and satisfaction level of the employees. It has been observed that resistance can be considered as a problem which should be managed effectively. It can be the cause of conflicts between the managers and decrease the efficiency of the business operations. To overcome from the impact of the resistance, organizations are trying to find out the new and effective ways so that change process can be effective implemented. Change is an ongoing process in the business operations. To implement the change and to manage the resistance to change, the ethics and responsibilities are the most important part in the change management. They will lead to success. Along with this, it has been observed that managers have duty to motivate the employees who face ethical issues during ch ange process. In the change process, Change management includes managing the resistance in the organization and focuses on the achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Change management process is an essential activity to minimize the resistance to change within the organization. The change process requires proper decisions by the change managers. It includes understanding the actual problem in the organization and implementing the solution for successful change management process. From the above discussion, it has been analyzed that change in the organization is an important process to survive in the competitive environment. To lead a successful change, organization needs to understand that resistance to change is a problem for the organization and it is necessary to minimize the impact of the resistance on the business process. Managers need to adopt some business ethics in the change management process to ensure that the employees are satisfied with the change process o r not. The reason is that the employees are the key elements of the growth of the business of any organization. Thus, resistance should be managed properly by the organizations. Reference Erkama, N. (2010). Power and resistance in a multinational organization: Scandinavian Journal of Management. 26. pp 151-165. Hensmans, M., (2003) Social Movement Organizations: A metaphor for strategic actors in institutional fields: Organization Studies, 24(3): 355-381. Hjorth, Daniel (2005). Organizational Entrepreneurship: with de Certeau on Creating Heterotopias (or spaces for play): Journal of Management Inquiry. 14(4). 386- 398. Jabri, (2012). Understanding and managing organizational resistance. pp. 219-236. Karreman, D., Alvesson, M. (2009). Resisting resistance: Counter resistance, consent and compliance in a consultancy firm: Human Relations, 62(8), 11151144. Kreinen, G. E., Hollensbe, E. C., Sheep, M. L. (2006). On the edge of identity: Boundary dynamics at the interface of individual and organizational identities. Human Relations, 59(10), 13151341. Lee, G., Teo, A., (2005). Organizational restructuring: Impact on trust and work satisfaction: Asia Pacific Journal of Management. (22). 2339. Leming and Spicer (2006). The faces of power in organisations. In Contesting the corporation: Struggle, power and resistance in organizations. Cambridge University Press. Chapter 1 Mar, A., (2013). Why Resistance to Change is a Big Problem. Retrieved on 6th October 2016 from https://management.simplicable.com/management/new/why-resistance-to-change-is-a-big-problem McKay, J., Marshall, P., Grainger, N., Hirschheim, R., (2012). Change Implementers Resistance: Considering Power and Resistance in IT Implementation Projects: Change Implementers Resistance. Retrieved on 6th October 2016 from https://dro.deakin.edu.au/eserv/DU:30049124/mckay-changeimplementers-2012.pdf Probst, T. M. (2003). Exploring employee outcomes of organizational restructuring: A Solomon four-group study. Group Organization Management. 28(3). 416439. Rick, T., (2013). CHANGE IS NOT THE PROBLEM RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IS THE PROBLEM. . Retrieved on 6th October 2016 from https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/change-is-not-the-problem-resistance-to-change-is-the-problem/ Roberts, L. M. (2005). Changing faces: Professional image construction in diverse organizational settings: Academy of Management Review. 30. 695711. Stemwedel, J. D., (2014). Resistance to ethics is different from resistance to other required courses. Retrieved on 6th October 2016 from https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/doing-good-science/resistance-to-ethics-is-different-from-resistance-to-other-required-courses/ Thomas, R. Hardy, C. (2011) Reframing resistance to organisational change. Scandinavian Journal of Management. 27 pp. 322-331 Wooldridge, B., Schmid, T., Floyd, S. W. (2008). The middle management perspective: Contributions, synthesis and future research: Journal of Management. 34. 11901221.