Organizational and Individual Change
The development aid
organization
The ‘Most
Significant Change’ (MSC) Technique
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Definition of change
“There
is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in
its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.” The Prince, 1532
Change,
for organizations as well as individuals, is inevitable. Some changes are actually
planned – planned because we realize change is inevitable yet we want to manage the
flow of the change process, or planned because we see a need to move in a new
direction. In this module we will address four questions related to change:
Why do organizations change?
How can we plan organizational change?
How do individuals in organizations
respond to change?
How can we lead others through
organizational change?
Organizations change in response to forces from outside the
organization such as government, competition, suppliers, global dynamics, technology, etc.
And organizations change in response to internal pressures from management, staff,
social and control systems, etc. One of the most common reasons for organizational
change is growth.
Greiner’s Model of Organizational Change and Development
Planned Organizational Change as a specific form of organization development
Overlaid
with the change that is the result of growth in an organization, there are also changes
planned by organizational leaders and managers in response to internal and external
forces. Planned change occurs in organizations says Michael Beer of
There is some dissatisfaction with the
current situation,
A vision of the future that is attractive
to organizational members,
A planned series of steps it would take
to reach that vision, with,
All of those factors exceeding the
perceived cost-losses from changing the status quo.
If
any of those factors does not exist – no crisis or need for change, no compelling
vision for the future, and no process for getting to that future, there is no
change. All change engenders resistance. Any change plan must take resistance
into account as a natural part of the process. And what fuels resistance are the
fears organizational members have that the change will mean a loss that is greater than
the gains for making the change.
In
planning the organizational change it is therefore important to assess and communicate the
need for the change. Describe the present situation and communicate with all key
stakeholders. Envision and describe a more positive, reachable organizational
future. Share the new organizational goals with key implementers. Better yet,
create it together. It will be your compass throughout the challenging
transition. Ground the future vision in the cultural values of the organization and
link it to past successes. The past and present need some realistic connection to
each other.
Planned Organizational Change
As
you plan or work with people planning organizational change be sure to:
Set out the action steps that need to be
taken to get from the present undesirable situation to the better future state, especially
the information and resources (human, financial, and material) you will need to implement
the vision.
Plan the transition, including programs
to handle the inevitable resistance. The transition is where most change efforts
fail. Measure and communicate progress.
Be flexible and creative.
Set up a way to measure your results
– and share them with organizational members.
Celebrate the successes and
institutionalize the new approaches.
Organizational
change is a process that can be managed. A well-managed organizational change
involves a good diagnosis of the current situation, a compelling vision of the
organization’s future, and a transition plan that is realistic and respectful of the
human response to change.
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