Change Management

Change has had a bad press, though we see it as a chance to improve - and survive. Unless we are constantly updating ourselves and our companies we will start to drift behind. Conditioning ourselves to actively seeking improvements daily and even hourly may be essential to making it as the new year unravels itself.

Managing Change
“A journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step“ Lao-Tzu
“Real change can take longer than expected.”

Bringing about any kind of change requires great courage and determination.For example, a change in one´s own personal lifestyle is not easy.It will usually involve stress, especially with major changes such as moving house, marriage, having children or changing jobs.Even lesser lifestyle changes require great effort - as those giving up smoking, high fat diets and alcohol will testify.Imagine therefore the challenge of bringing in a major change to an organisation where many lives will be affected and a substantial degree of risk is involved.Sometimes the task is so daunting that outside help is often sought.
In your own business you may be unhappy with quality. Or the way the phones are answered. Or the wastage of resources. Or the amount of paperwork. Or, most challenging, someone in your team. Often change is an unpopular move. Phrases like ‘Better the devil you know’, ‘What´s wrong with the way things are’, ‘if it ain´t broke, don´t fix it’ will abound when change is in the air.
Change may be brought on by a need to improve productivity, a threat from a compe¬titor or a major shift in the economy.It may come about through a new chief exec wishing to make his or her mark, or even a group of senior managers inspired by a training course!There is no doubt that change is here to stay and it is happening at a faster pace than ever.
As an agent of change you are swimming against a strong current. We don´t have to look too far back in history to see how ideas people such as scientists, inventors, astronomers and so forth were persecuted by the establishment who saw them as a threat to their own power. In general people´s attitude to change has altered little over the years.
Unless a series of techniques is adopted, bringing about change within an organisation will bring resistance, bitterness, demoralisa¬tion and loss of productivity. So often change fails, but success will bring about renewed prosperity and in some cases the guarantee of survival. Sadly change often comes too late as a company is taken over or ends up in the hands of the receivers. The rate of change in our working environment is accelerating, as organisations try to keep pace with the world economy.

So whether the change required is large or small, use the following 10 Top Tips to guarantee your success. We have identified 10 "P" factors critical to any change programme:
Planning. Carefully plan steps to reach the desired goal. Ensure there is flexibility in the plan.
Prepare for the unexpected.
Persistence and Perseverance – keep at it.Even when the going is tough - you may only be a short step from victory.You will constantly come up against resisters to change or saboteurs.Just keep going.Change is basically requiring a number of people to do things a bit differently.Everyo¬ne has different ways of learning and some are slower than others.Be prepared for real change to take longer than your most pessimistic estimate.A rule of thumb is to allow up to 18 months for a real shift in company practice.
Perpetual - change for the better should be a continuous process.Apart from key elements to the change programme, improvements to every aspect of the way things are done should be sought on a daily basis.
People - change is achieved with and through them.How you view your staff is crucial to the success of your programme.Be sensitive and involve your staff. Bear in mind that in times of recession change is synonymous with staff cuts so people will tend to be on the defensive.Change may be an opportunity to present new processes that allow people to stay rather than be cut from the workforce.If people can generate more profits by changing their roles or acquiring skills, then this should be a key motivator to your change programme.
Perspiration. Hard work will bring results.Constant follow through is crucial.Expect to work extra hours in order to bring about the critical shift.
Pluck, courage.You will be cons¬tantly flying in the face of Luddite-thinking.You must promote the idea of change and use skillful communication to sell the need for change.
Participation - get employees to participate in the process, contribute ideas and so forth.Seek professional advice for the best ways to involve and communicate to staff.Look at case studies of how large companies underwent major change, survi¬ved and made a quantum leap in profits.Chrysler, Unipart. BA and Genral Electric are just a few celebrated examples.
Performance in the ‘Brave New World’ - this must be measured - and can be rewarded at a higher level than in pre-change days.
Pilot studies.Test it out first in departments, on individual sites or offices.Then roll out the programme company-wide when you are confident with methodology and satisfied with results.
Professional advice can provide an objective viewpoint to the organisation and its needs, and show shortcuts and pitfalls to avoid.
Good luck!

Recommended reading:
Dealing with Difficult People - Roberta Cava (Piatkus)
The Three Boxes of Life - Richard Bolles (Ten Speed Press)
6 Action Shoes - Edward de Bono (Harper Business)
The Prince - Macchiavelli (Penguin)
Feel the Fear - and do it Anyway - Susan Jeffers (Arrow)
Teaching the Elephant to Dance – James A Belasco (Century Business)
Leaning into the Future – George Binney & Colin Williams (Nicholas Brealey)
Mastering Change Management – Richard Y Chang (Kogan Page)
Enlightened Leadership – Ed Oakley & Doug Krug (Simon & Schuster)

Quotes:
“It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things” - Niccoli Machiavelli
“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams” - Eleanor Roosevelt
“Everything changes but change itself” - John F Kennedy