Change is one of the hardest things someone can achieve in life. From trying to break a bad habit, to developing a new skill, to switching careers change is no doubt hard. Inevitably there is a turning point where all of us seek for change in our life. We are either unhappy with our current situation or we are ready to unleash and explore our true potential. Like in most examples though the rules that apply in real life also apply in business. Since we consider businesses living organisations that constantly reform and reshape we understand that change in business is also hard. Therefore we are about to explore an interesting topic that has applications in both real life and business. Of course we are referring to Change Management. So what is Change Management? And how does it work when it comes to enterprises? Let’s see!
What is Change Management?
Change Management is a term used to cover a range of procedures that take place when making organisational change. It is mostly used when we refer to the preparation, support, and help of individuals, teams or organisations to change. The most common types of change management include technological change, operational change, structural change and customer approach change. In simple words change management is the procedure where every single aspect of a business is broken down and reformed.
Benefits of Change Management
Obviously for an organisation to undergo such a procedure there have to be some benefits. The most important of those benefits are aligning with the times, reducing the risks and operating more effectively. Aligning with the times is inevitable and every company should follow or lead in such a change. There are various examples of companies that failed to align with the times and vanished and vice versa. Given the fact that change is inevitable by applying change management organisations reduce risk of rejecting change. Every change and every transformation have hidden challenges and hidden costs. Therefore in order for enterprises to survive such a shift they must be prepared. That is why change management is so important and why companies could benefit of it. Finally the sole reason why companies should apply change management is to operate effectively. After all the best reason to embrace and follow such a change has to do with producing better results.
Why does Change Management fail?
Although Change Management isn’t a new term in business, enterprises seem to start accepting and embracing it today more than ever. The need for change seems to be high on demand nowadays and many companies are willing to give it a try. The fact that enterprises are willing to change is a start, but in many cases failure is observed. Much as like every other organisational operation change also needs planning and testing. The main reason why companies fail in change management mainly has to do with poor planning. It seems like enterprises are not well organised to undergo such a procedure leading to change fatigue & executive dictating. In simple words due to lack of high quality project management companies cannot adjust to the changes and cant produce results. That leads to something like “fatigue” while as the numbers drop executives don’t stick to the plan and cancel the procedure.
How can Change Management Succeed?
The most important asset a company can own in order to undergo such a procedure successfully is its culture. Cultural willingness is considered a must for enterprises that want to reform and create a new future. In order for Change Management to succeed enterprises must be prepared for it. They have to have both the resources, and the plans before they make such a decision. Once the decision has been made executives, managers and CEOs have to stick to it. The only way for such a change to produce results is by embracing it and assisting it till the end. Unfortunately there are no middle solutions, it either works or it doesn’t and that is a risk companies have to take. But when a company has a dedicated culture then the risks are severely reduced and the example of success are many.
There is a famous quote by Albert Einstein “you cant expect different results by doing the same thing”. This quote seems like a perfect fit for change management. Therefore Plan well, Develop Culture, Stick to the Plan, Embrace Change and results will follow.
