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Change

Processes of change is a major dimension of the trans theoretical model that describes how
shifts in behavior occur.  Change processes include covert and overt activities and experiences
that individuals engage in, when they attempt to modify problem behaviors.  Many studies
have shown that successful self-changes use different processes during different stages of
change.
In management, change is expected as part of organizational life. Change refers to an alteration
in the present business environment.
Some examples of organizational change are:
(1) A new method of doing the work,
(2) A new product or process,
(3) A new organization structure and
(4) Changes in personnel policy or employee benefits.

Every individual and organization has to experience change. At times the change is planned for.
Sometimes changes are imposed — events beyond the individual’s or organization’s control
initiate the change.

Organizational change
 is defined as “any alteration in one or more elements of the organization” or an
alteration that occurs in total work environment. Organizational change is an important
characteristic of most organizations. An organization must develop adaptability to change
otherwise it will either be left behind or be swept away by the forces of change.
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 Organizational change is inevitable in a progressive culture. Modern organizations are

highly dynamic, versatile and adaptive to the multiplicity of changes. Changes can be
made in any of the following: work schedules, basis for depart mentation, span of
management, overall organization design, or people themselves.
 Organizational change refers to the alteration of structural relationships and roles of
people in the organization. It is largely structural in nature. An enterprise can be changed
in several ways. Its technology can be changed, its structure, its people and other
elements can be changed. Organizational change calls for a change in the individual
behavior of the employees.
 Organizations survive, grow or decay depending upon the changing behavior of the
employees. Most changes disturb the equilibrium of situation and environment in which
the individuals or groups exist. If a change is detrimental to the interests of individuals
or groups, they will resist the change.

Causes of Organizational Change

A. External change forces/External Pressure

 External forces for change derive from the organization’s general and task environments.
External forces causing changes may include technology, competition, government actions,
economic variables and social values. Government regulations on health, safety, and the
conduct of business affect an organization. Labor laws influence hiring, pay, training and
promotion decisions. Tax laws change.
Economic conditions- such as recession, money supplies, inflation, and interest rates — are
sources of change.

External Organizational changes are of three types:

1. Change in Technology and Equipment:

 Advancements in technology is the major cause (i.e., external pressure) of
change. Each technological alternative results in new forms of organization to
meet and match the needs, made possible by breakthroughs in computer and word-
processing technologies.
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2. Change in Structural or market situation

 Changes in market situation include rapidly changing goals, needs and desires of
consumers, suppliers, unions etc. If an organization has to survive, it has to cope
with changes in market situations, i.e., change in organizational design, made
possible by rearranging product groups into, different divisions,

Causes of Structural Changes

Compensation systems:
A compensation system is an arrangement for providing pay, benefits, promotions and other
rewards to organizational members. The basic objective of a compensation system should be to
stimulate high performance while maintaining an equitable balance of rewards among
employees. Various innovative compensation systems have been used in organizations.

Performance Appraisal Systems:

An organization’s performance appraisal system consists of its procedures for determining levels
of performance within the organization. Such systems often include supervisory evaluations
using various kinds of rating sales; other systems use objective measures, such as number of
units produced or rupee scales volume.
Control Systems:
A control system is a mechanism to ensure that the organization is making satisfactory progress
towards its goals and is not deviating too much from acceptable standards. Another way to exert
control is to focus on minimizing work-related accidents. The truth is that by introducing a new
control system or changing from one type of control system to another often leads to a structural
change in the organization

3. Social and Political Changes:

 Organizational units literally have no control over social and political changes in
the country. Relations between government and business or drive for social
equality are some factors which may compel for organizational change.
i.e., changing people in the organization by improving the managerial ability of top
executives.
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Paralleling the increased awareness of social and technological change has been a great deal of
concern about organizational change.

In the international element of the general environment, a foreign competitor might introduce a
new product, increase prices, reduce prices, change standards or enter new markets, thus forcing
domestic organizations to react.
In the political element, new laws, court decisions and regulations all affect organizations. The
technological element may yield new production techniques that the organization needs to
explore.
Cultural changes in such areas as modes of dress, reasons for people working, composition of
the labor force, and changes in traditional female and male roles can affect the organizational
environment.
The socio-cultural element, reflecting societal values, determines what kinds of product or
services will find a ready market.
It appears that external change forces have a greater effect on organizational change than
internal stimuli, as they are diverse and numerous and management has hardly any control over
them.

B. Internal Change Forces/ Internal Pressures

 Pressures for change may also originate from within the organization, various forces
inside the organization may cause change.

These forces might include:

1. Changes in managerial personnel

 One of the most frequent reasons for major changes in the organization is the
change of executives at the top. No two managers have the same style, skills or
managerial philosophies. If top management revises the organization’s goals,
organizational change is likely to result.
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2. Deficiencies in the Existing Organization: styles and systems, and procedures

 Many deficiencies are noticed in the organizations with the passage of time. A
change is necessary to remove such deficiencies as lack of uniformity in the
policies, obstacles in communication, any ambiguity etc.

3. Technology and employee attitudes.

 Other internal forces may actually be indirect reflections of external forces. As
socio-cultural values shift, for example, workers’ attitudes toward their jobs may
also shift and they may demand a change in working hours or working
conditions.
In such a case, even though the force is rooted in the external environment, the
organization must respond directly to the internal pressure it generates.

Organizational changes may be divided into two broad categories

Reactive Change
This organizational changes come about as a reaction or response to unexpected events or
problems as they develop. Such a response may have to be hurried so the potential for poorly
conceived and poorly executed change is increased”.

Planned change is change that is designed and implemented in an orderly and timely fashion in
anticipation of future events

As for the choice between the two, planned change is almost always preferable to reactive
change.
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In the modern world organizational changes occur very frequently. This is why it is often
suggested that most companies or divisions of large companies must implement some form of
moderate change at least every year and one or more change every 4 to 5 years. Managers who
sit back and respond only when they have to are likely to spend a lot of time hastily changing
and re-changing things. A more effective approach is to anticipate forces urging change and plan
well in advance to deal with them.

Results of ignoring change:

Knowing what change is and what are its potential source is of strategic importance to the
manager. It is equally important for the manager to known when change is needed in an
organization. Unless an organization plans for, and copes effectively with, the challenge of
change, the results can be disastrous. The same reasoning applies to managers and employees,
who faces change at an even accelerated pace.

Managing Organizational Change:

Once change is accepted as inevitable and largely (or partly) predictable a manager has to
develop proper strategies for managing it. For developing proper strategy the manager must have
a philosophy about the dynamics of change.

Manager’s Philosophy of Change:

A manager’s philosophy of change should encompass at least three elements

1. Trust:
Trust is defined as “an assured reliance on some person or thing, a confident dependence on the
character, ability, strength, or truth of someone or something.”
It is felt that a high trust level between managers and employees can lessen the fear of change.
Changes tend to threaten habits and security. If a manager has developed an environment of
trust, employees are likely to feel more comfortable as the organization moves through the crises
of change.
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2. Organizational learning:
A second component of a manager’s philosophy of change is how the manager and the
organization integrate new ideas into established systems to develop new and better ways of
doing things. This concept, known as organizational learning, is a key element in developing a
sound philosophy of change.
3. Adaptiveness:
A third element is a managerial commitment to being prepared for change prior to the actual
need for it.
In the words of W.R. Plunkett and R.F. Attner:
“Managers who are adaptive rather than reactive will minimize wasted energy and maximize
the use of time in a change situation. Establishing a climate of trust, focusing on adapting rather
than reacting, and providing for flexibility through understanding organizational learning should
enable the manager to be ready to manage organizational change.”

Reactions to Organizational Change:

Reactions to change are usually of the following types:

1. People may totally deny that change is taking place:
If and when this happens the organization may gradually lose its effectiveness.

2. People may ignore the change:

Managers may temporarily ignore ‘the take and put off decisions with the expectation that the
problems will soon disappear.
3. People may resist the change:
Resistance to change may be (1) emotional, (2) economical, (3) personal and (4) social. It may
also be (5) due to fear of failure, (6) due to fear of the unknown, or (7) due to unwillingness to
give up existing benefits or programmers. People resist changes for various reasons. In some
situations change threatens security.
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4. People may voluntarily accept change and adapt to it, recognizing it as a new way of life.
5. People may also anticipate change and plan for it, in the way modern progressive firms do.

Change is usually supported by managers and employees if it is directed at the real cause of the
problem, is an effective solution and does not affect them adversely. But in most cases
employees give a neutral response. They prefer to wait and watch.
Most managers consider resistance to change as un-favorable to organizational effectiveness.
Thus, when there is resistance, management must re-examine the proposed change to see
whether they can find a better solution which is acceptable to all. And such a solution (change)
must be brought about through people.

Process of Organizational Change:

Understanding the process of change requires careful consideration of the steps in the change
process, employee resistance to change and how this resistance can be overcome.
The management of change requires the use of some systematic process that can be divided into
a few stages or sub-processes. This is the essence of the most representative model of managing
change. It emphasizes the role of the change agent who is an outsider, taking a leadership role in
initiating and introducing the process of change.
The process of change must involve the following so as to lead to organizational effectiveness.
Firstly, there is a re-distribution of power within the organizational structure. Secondly, this
redistribution emanates from a developmental change process.
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A commonly accepted model for bringing change in people was suggested by Kurt Lewin in
terms of three phase process:

(1) Unfreezing:
 The essence of unfreezing phase is that the individual is made to realize that his
beliefs, feelings and behavior are no longer appropriate or relevant to the current
situation in the organization. Once convinced, people may change their behavior.
Reward for those willing to change and punishment for others may help in this
matter.
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(2) Changing:

Once convinced and ready to change, an individual, under this phase, learns to behave in new
ways. He is first provided with the model in which he is to identify himself. Gradually he will
accept that model and behave in the manner suggested by the model. In another process (known
as internalization), the individual is placed in a situation where new behavior is demanded of him
if he is to operate successfully.
(3) Refreezing:
During this phase, a person has to practice and experiment with the new method of behavior and
see that it effectively blends with his other behavioral attitudes. Reinforcement, for creating a
permanent set in the individual, is provided through either continuous or intermittent schedules.

Resistance to Organizational Change:

In planning for change, managers must also take into account the various reasons for which
people may resist the change, regardless of how ‘necessary’ it may appear to be.

The following four reasons explain why people resist change:

(i) Uncertainty:
Perhaps the main reason of employee resistance to change is uncertainty. In the face of
impending change, employees are likely to become anxious and feel nervous. Diverse feelings
among workers may lead to substantial resistance force to change. For example, they may worry
about their ability to meet the new job demands, they may think their job security is threatened,
or they may simply dislike ambiguity.

(ii) Self-Interests:
Secondly, many impending changes threaten the self-interests of a particular manager or unit.
So, he may resist such change.
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(iii) Different Perceptions:

It is often observed that a manager recommends a plan for change on the basis of his (her) own
assessment of a situation. His peers and subordinates may resist this change because they do
not agree with the manager’s assessment or simply perceive the situation differently.
(iv) Feelings of Loss:
Finally, organizational people often resist change simply because of feelings of loss. Many
changes involve altering work arrangements, which may disrupt existing social networks. Since
social relationships are important to most people, they will resist any change that might
adversely affect those relationships. Other intangibles that are threatened by change include
power, status, security, familiarity with existing procedures and self-confidence.

Overcoming Resistance to Organizational Change:

A manager should not consider himself helpless in the face of resistance to change. Instead he
should adopt one of the several strategies available for overcoming it. In fact, various useful
strategies have been applied to overcome any type of employee resistance to organizational
change.

(i) Participation:
Perhaps the most general and, of course, effective technique for overcoming resistance to
change is employee participation. By participating in planning and implementing a change the
employees are better able to understand the reasons for the change.
Through participation it is possible to reduce uncertainty and project self-interests and social
relationship. If employees get an opportunity to express their own ideas and to assume the
perspectives of others, such employees are more likely to accept the change gracefully.
(ii) Education and Communication:
Another way of overcoming resistance to change is employee education which is likely to
broaden their horizons. This is very important, as most workers have a myopic vision about the
organization to which they belong.
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(iii) Facilitation:
Change may be slow and gradual or fast and rapid. The recent history of leading corporations
indicates that introducing the change gradually can work wonders.
Making only necessary changes, announcing these changes well in advance, and allowing time
for people to new ways of doing things are three surest ways of reducing resistance to change.
(iv) Force-Field Analysis:
Force-field analysis can also help overcome resistance to change. In any change process, there
are forces acting for, and for acting against, the change. To facilitate the change, the manager has
to strike a balance so that positive forces (i.e., forces working for change) outweigh the negative
ones (i.e., forces working against change) such as employee resistance.
It is very important to try to remove or at least minimize forces acting against the change. If a
primary force pushing against the change is fear that a new work procedure will break up an
existing work group, the manager should try his best to find ways of keeping the group together.
If such a solution can be found, one force acting against the change has been eliminated, and this
will tip the balance in favor of the change.

Key Players:
When leading change, it's important to ensure your key players are on board and helping you to
sell the change message. But who are the most important people in your team to engage in
change early? Why does this make a difference?
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Who are the key players?

I like to think of three groups of 'key players' in managing change. Your influencers, your change
adverse, and your change lovers. They are all influential, but all different in HOW they
influence. You'll need a strong communications strategy to engage with these three critical
groups to give you maximum change impact.
Influencers
They're are the people peers go to when they have a problem - they are trusted - and when the
peer group look for guidance, these are the people that determine and influence how ideas are
accepted (or rejected!). You want your influencers to hear the change message first. These
people are usually also close to you, trusted and honest, and you need them to help build the
details of your change strategy. They'll help uncover any gaps you may have missed, and give
you an early indication of how the group are likely to receive your change message. Allay their
fears, address their questions honestly, and let this group have a hand in shaping change. Don't
be afraid to tell them you need their help with this change, they'll love the additional influential
impact it brings to them!
The Change Adverse
These are your team members that you know typically fear and resist change. They might have
been around a long time, be a bit cynical, or just don't like change. They can be a major obstacle
to a successful change program in your business, but if you engage them correctly, they can
also be a powerful ally. These people worry about the impact to people (both staff and
customers) for changes, so your message must address these concerns head on. How will this
be better for our people and better for our customers? Work groups that bring together these
people with your influencers will help them to express their fears and talk through the details
proposed. You need enough 'change ready' people in the group to ensure things stay positive,
but should encourage open discussion. Winning this group will reduce resistance to change
significantly, removing undermining undercurrents and rumors early in the change process.
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The Change Lovers
The innovators and big thinkers in your team, these people love the new things in your
business, and new, shiny things in general. They readily accept and often embrace or drive
change, knowing that it also generates new opportunities. This group will help to emphasize the
positive impacts of the change you are proposing. Already enthusiastic, you need them to
understand and be talking about the key messages of the change program to tackle any
negativity amongst the troops. This group will help you spread the message quickly - they will
be excited - and any change announcement that you make will usually trigger a post-
announcement peer clarification session (read: gossip!). With this group ahead of the formal
announcement, they will be a positive sounding board for any who reach out with concerns.
Change requires strategic, planned communications and engagement to succeed. Knowing WHO
will play a key role and WHEN to message to them will help your change to be successful and
long lasting. Go to your influencers to clarify ideas, get your change adverse involved to allay
fears, then your change lovers to message to peers.
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Best practices of change management, as reported to Prosci by over 6,000 change practitioners
over the past twenty years. Research participants who identified these contributors were
experienced practitioners, project leaders, executives and consultants. Over 70% of participants
in the 2016 edition of Best Practices in Change Management had more than four years of
involvement in applying change management, and almost one third had more than twelve year

Seven Change Management Best Practices

1. Mobilize an active and visible executive sponsor.
 A positive leader who actively guides the organization through change and participates
visibly throughout the transition is the greatest predictor of success. The importance of
sponsorship was cited over three times more frequently than the next contributor to
change success. Participants consistently used the key words “active and visible” to
describe this top contributor. “Active and visible” sponsorship means that the sponsor is:
 Supporting the change by giving consistent attention to the change and the need
for change management.
 Championing the change by leading and motivating others in the organization.
 Making effective and influential decisions regarding the change, including
aligning priorities among other leaders in the organization.
 Maintaining direct communication with the project management and change
management teams and being accessible during the change.
 The graph below shows that with extremely effective sponsorship, projects were
almost three times more likely to meet or exceed project objectives than projects
with very ineffective sponsorship. 
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2. Dedicate change management resources

 Your project needs dedicated resources and funding to get change management work
done. Dedicated change management resources and funding means having access to:
 The appropriate amount of funding and resources
 Dedicated resources with change management experience
 A change team or community of flexible, ambitious, decisive, collaborative individuals

One participant provided this insightful comment: “If it isn’t someone’s job, then it’s no one’s
job.” To realize the benefits of change management, someone must be responsible for it and
have access to an appropriate amount of funding. The data revealed a positive and meaningful
correlation between having a dedicated resource (person) and overall change management
effectiveness. Participants that had dedicated resources were significantly more likely to have
good or excellent change management effectiveness than those without a dedicated resource. 
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3. Apply a structured change management approach.

 An intentional and defined approach to managing change provides the structure necessary
to stay on track. It makes sure time is spent on meaningful activities and allows space to
identify and address gaps throughout the project lifecycle. Using a formal approach also
makes processes repeatable for consistent application of change management on more
initiatives throughout the organization. Key words that came up when participants
described this best practice included:

 Established
 Customizable
 Scalable
 Easy to implement across multiple changes
 Easy to apply at every phase of the project
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How organizations used a structured approach varied in the research. Seventy-nine percent used
a change management methodology for general guidance while 48% used it as a checklist for
activities and 39% used it to monitor progress (participants were able to select multiple
responses, resulting in a total of more than 100%). 
Again, the research revealed just how much applying a structured approach contributed to
success. Participants that applied a structured approach were 33% more likely to experience good
or excellent change management effectiveness than those without a methodology. 

4. Engage with employees and encourage their participation.

 The reason we apply change management is to drive employee adoption and usage,
which in turn generates organizational results and outcomes. Because of this objective,
it is clear why employee engagement and participation was identified as a top
contributor to success. Tactics to increase engagement in change include:
 Highlighting “what’s in it for me?” (WIIFM)
 Identifying and building relationships with impacted groups
 Ensuring impacted groups receive the appropriate level of training
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The goal of these efforts is to build an employee base that demonstrates a willingness to
participate in the change and collaborates with the people administrating the change.
Reinforcement is a critical step in the change management process. Because organizations are
heavily saturated with change, this step is often neglected as practitioners juggle managing
multiple changes. Inadequately addressing reinforcement and sustainment activities has a
negative impact on the overall outcome of the change. Participants that planned for
reinforcement activities were 12% more likely to achieve project objectives than those that did
not.

5. Communicate frequently and openly.

 Change management practitioners often struggle against the misconception that change
management is “just communications.” Although it is much more than that, effective
communications are critical to leading change successfully. Beyond frequency,
participants cited these factors as important to success:
 Cadence
 Consistency
 Transparency
 Leveraging multiple communications channels
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Additionally, participants identified important topics to communicate such as why the change
was happening, expectations, long-term plan perspectives, how the change will impact
employees, and essential business drivers.

6. Integrate and engage with project management.

 Prosci’s research has underscored the common trend of integrating change
management work with project management activities. These complementary
disciplines naturally cross paths throughout the life of an initiative. In the latest study,
75% of participants integrated project management work and change management
work to some degree. When they identified this as a top contributor to success, they
gave examples of how they achieved integration:

Adding change management activities to the project plan

Working collaboratively with the project team
Aligning change plans with project plans
Combining or assigning responsibilities and roles
Providing change management training to the project team
More and more organizations are realizing the value of integrating project management and
change management. Participants who integrated these two disciplines were 16% more likely
to meet or exceed project objectives than those who did not integrate.
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7. Engage with and support Middle managers

 Managers can become a change practitioner’s greatest ally in times of change because
they are closest to employees impacted by change. Participants explained this top
contributor as:
 Emphasizing communication about the change and the managers’ roles in
change
 Holding one-on-one meetings, team meetings and alignment sessions
 Focusing on awareness-building, including how the change will affect them, the
business reasons for the change, and the need for change management
 Providing materials, tools and support that will help managers understand and
navigate the change
 Engaging and involving managers during the early phases of the change and
throughout the project lifecycle

Middle managers were revealed as the most resistant group in Prosci’s research, with 43% of
participants identifying managers as the group most resistant to change. Participants believed a
majority of the resistance experienced by managers could have been avoided. By thoroughly
addressing this group in the change plan, resistance can be mitigated and managers will be able
to drive change.
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References:

https://habitslab.umbc.edu/processes-of-change-questionnaire/

https://bizfluent.com/about-5462307-process-change-organization.html

https://www.businessmanagementideas.com/management/organisation-management/organizational-
change-nature-process-and-types-

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/three-key-players-change-management-rachel-ranton/
https://www.prosci.com/resources/articles/change-management-best-practices

Article:

The Role of Leadership in Change Management

April 13, 2016 by Reed Deshler

Leaders aren’t immune to the pressure of people’s expectations. After all, employees look to
their leaders for a lot—clarity, connection, and accountability—particularly in the midst of
change.

A September 2013 Forbes article revealed some surprising insights about change management

and leadership. For example, although 55% of leaders felt the changes met initial goals, change
management initiatives over the long term were successful only 25% of the time. More than
87% of leaders said they trained their managers to oversee the process of change management,
but the changes, once implemented, didn’t last. In fact, training was effective among just 22%
of those surveyed. A third of those understood the reasons for organizational change, but that
important message never fully trickled down to middle managers or front line supervisors.
So what does this tell us about the role of leadership in change management?
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Having and practicing a change management mentality are two different things.  Lots of leaders
want change, but only a select few actually help make it happen.

Adopting the Change Management Mentality

The reasons for not adopting the right mindset vary, and most are understandable. Some
leaders allocate time and resources from the perspective of revenue—versus change initiatives.
Others have difficulty gaining support in a consensus-driven culture. A few might even be
unwilling to share their “intellectual capital” (the resources that contribute to the enterprise’s
value and ability to compete) for the good of the change initiative.  Some might even want to
avoid the career risk a failure might incur.
Many leaders learn through trial and error how to lead effectively during change.
Unfortunately, their learning curve can be at the expense of the organization.

AlignOrg Solutions worked with a sales executive who had already made several significant
changes within his organization prior to engaging us.  He reached out for help because he was
having difficulty getting his sales team to adopt the changes he’d implemented and couldn’t
understand why this was.

As we diagnosed and learned about the situation, it was clear that what he thought he was
doing effectively and what was being received by his team members were two different things.
Moreover, he had failed to clarify how the changes would reshape their roles, how they’d be
equipped to fulfill those new roles, and how they’d be held accountable. As a result, people
questioned the change—and ultimately his leadership.

The above scenario underscores the importance of adopting a change management mentality
and the necessary skills to communicate and execute it properly. Those that fail to do so will
have a difficult time enacting profound and lasting change.

 Manage the Change or It Will Manage You

 Anytime leaders fall short on fulfilling expectations, their teams become disillusioned, confused
and unmotivated. The business suffers. Leaders must manage the change or it will manage
them. When leaders fulfill the change management role, changes are made efficiently and
sustainably, and the expectations of their staff, partners, stakeholders and clients are met.
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AlignOrg Solutions has developed specific strategies to help leaders step into the change
management role.  To highlight a few of the principles that leaders should embrace when
leading through change, consider the following:

Clarify the vision and communicate it effectively. The role of leadership in change

management requires that you help people buy into your vision for the organization. This type of
communication needs to occur consistently, no matter if it’s the mundane, day-to-day issues or
more serious change programs. Your message needs to be clear and consistent. Leverage your
audience’s preferred communication methods to ensure receptiveness. That means making the
most of social media. According to a November 2015 Harvard Business Review article, we
spend an average of 3 hours each day on various social media platforms, with over 50% of
employers using such platforms for internal communications. The same article noted that just
17% of employees rated their leader highly when it came to recent change-related
communications.
Stay connected with your employees. Without this awareness, you’ll have a difficult time
explaining your vision and enlisting support. Your employees look to you to be direct and
transparent. They also want you to be approachable. The Harvard Business Review piece cited
another study in which nearly three-quarters of employees said their CEO’s preferred social
media platform allowed them to communicate more directly with the CEO. Similar numbers of
CEOs believed such interactions helped them get a quick idea of what employees were
thinking/feeling, which is important when aligning your change management initiatives with the
capabilities of your people.
Be accountable and transparent. During times of change, leaders must be accountable for what
is working and what isn’t working. Being accountable fosters a desire and commitment to fix
problems to yield the best results. To be truly accountable means you are willing to let others see
behind the curtain to candidly assess how things are going. As you do this, your team will
embrace a similar, no-blame openness to performance. Accountable leaders look at all aspects of
the organization—culture, processes, management, and employees—to ensure all are functioning
optimally. If they are not, a good change management leader must be willing to admit the gaps
or misalignments and take actions to address shortcomings.
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Remember, perceptions of leaders are often shaped during times of transition and change.  The
principles outlined above help leaders conquer the change management challenge. Don’t let
people question your leadership and the mission of the organization. Such questions, undermine
employee commitment to the change initiatives and their allegiance to you and possibly the
company. Additionally, these leadership questions may ripple out to your customers, partners
and stakeholders.
Be the Change You Want to See
 Don’t abdicate change management to others, such as HR, or leave it to chance because you
think people will “get it” the first time. You have to take full responsibility, understand the
mindset of your team, enlist their support and hold them accountable.
The role of leadership in change management requires care, communication and commitment. As
the leader, you are the bridge between your organization and the envisioned change. If you
understand your role and the expectations around it, clarify your vision, communicate
effectively, and hold yourself and others accountable throughout the change process, you can
successfully navigate even the most disruptive change.
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Reaction Paper on the article: The Role of Leadership in a Change Process

The role of leadership in a Change process was written by Reed Deshler on April 13,
2016, he is an organization consultant works with executive teams and human resources in
aligning organization and business models for the success and mobilize employees and
stakeholders to the desired direction. This article focusses how a leader will handle a change in
the organization to obtain a positive outcome. He quoted in the article of Forbes published in
2013 about leadership and management that Change in the organization did not last longer
because of leadership and management failures. He also added that lots of leaders wants change
but not all of them helps to make the change happen which I strongly agree.
There so many causes why change in the organization is unsuccessful or difficult to
implement. The role of the leader in change process is very important, his mindset to bring the
change in the organization may be positive or negative. Strong communication skills, knowledge
and skills in managing people, and his traits of being a leader is needed to encourage and
implement the Change he wants in the organization. A good leader should communicate clearly
to managers about his vision of change and assesses along the way if the process of change is
being implemented in the same way he wants it to happen. A good leader should support his
subordinates and takes accountability and responsibility for his decisions, in this way the
subordinates will trust his leadership and help and accept the change in the organization. The
success of bringing change in the organization will depend solely how the leader performed his
role in the organization. If the leader understands his role, vision, purpose and having a good
communication skills and emotional intelligence he can truly bring change in the organization.
In my own experience bad leadership will not bring a positive change in the organization.
Most leaders will order the change they want in their subordinates without thinking how the
change will affect and how it will be implemented. They don’t really communicate and explain
why this change need to occur. This is the reason why employees resist to change because they
did not understand why, how and what will happen if this change is implemented, resulting to
failure to implement or if implemented some will not follow or resent to management.
I conclude that a good leader is a critical thinker with good judgment, a communicator,
emotionally and psychologically stable, facilitator, open minded, decision maker, responsible
and taking his accountability for his actions made. These traits of being a leader is important in
performing his role in leadership and management in an organization especially in change
process. Change is constant, If you want a change in others begin it in yourself.
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Process of Change in an Organization

By: Anam Ahmed

Reviewed by: Jayne Thompson, LL.B., LL.M.
Updated September 06, 2019

In order to grow, an organization needs to go through several changes. These shifts may be in
response to marketplace changes, or they can be planned as a result of taking the company in a new
direction. Regardless, it’s critical to follow a change management strategy and ensure all
stakeholders are kept up to date.

Define What Needs to Change

Implementing change in an organization starts by defining what shifts you need to make in your
business. Specify what areas of your company require changes and articulate why those changes need
to be made. This will help you to create a strategy and process to achieve your  goals.

For example, if your company is looking to target a new market segment, will you be creating a new
product line? Will you need to realign your organizational structure to ensure that there are key
personnel dedicated to the new product line? Will you be hiring new employees or letting go of any
existing employees?

Align Changes With Company Goals

Be sure to coordinate the changes you are making to your organization with the larger goals of the
company. Is one of your objectives this fiscal year to increase profitability by 5%? How will the
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changes you’re proposing help you do that? Will the changes get you closer to your company goal
or further away from it?

It’s critical to ensure that your changes and your organizational goals are aligned, otherwise you may
not be able to achieve either initiative successfully.

Apply Organizational Change Management Strategies

Draft your outline for the process you’re going to use to institute change in your organization. Your
plan may include:

 Goal: State the changes you’re proposing.

 Scope: Include what exactly needs to change. 

 Schedule: What is the timeline for having the change completed?

 Costs: What expenses will this process incur? 

 Resources: What personnel, infrastructure or equipment will you require for your change?

 Key performance indicators: How will you measure the success of your organizational change?

Be sure to carefully schedule your changes in several steps instead of making all the changes at once.
This will help you to ensure that all employees are comfortable and ready for the changes. It will also
allow you to make small tweaks to improve the plan as you go through it. Measure the success of your
initiative as you progress so that you can ensure you’re on the right track.

Communicate Effectively With Everyone Affected

A successful organizational change process requires a solid communication strategy. Consider:

 What information you will need to communicate

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 With whom you will need to communicate

 Which mediums you will be using for communication

 How often you will update your stakeholders

Employees can become uneasy during organizational change because they may fear for their jobs and
their security within the company. It’s important to have open lines of communication and be honest
with all stakeholders. Even if the news isn’t good news, being clear about the outcome helps everyone
prepare for what’s next.

Be sure to have a plan to manage the feedback you will receive from your teams. What will you do
with negative feedback, and how will you get those individuals on board? How will you share positive
feedback with other employees to get them motivated?

Train and Support Employees Through the Change

When making large changes within your company, it’s imperative to provide your employees with
the support they need to navigate the changes. Determine what skills are required to achieve the end
results you seek. Do your employees have those skills, or will they require training to fill in the gaps?

You may need to offer behavioral training as well, especially to the management team. This will help
them to deal with the changes and coach their front-line employees to do the same. Decide if you will
need companywide training or if you will do smaller sessions for specific kinds of roles.

Measure and Analyze the Change Process

Throughout the changes taking place, measure the success of your plan. Are you closer to achieving
your end result? Is your company closer to achieving its fiscal goals? Adjust and revamp your plan
when needed to meet your objectives.
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