PAPERmaking! g FROM THE PUBLISHERS OF PAPER TECHNOLOGY Volume 7, Number 1, 2021
What Is Change Management? Change management draws on theories from many disciplines, including psychology, behavioral science, engineering, and systems thinking. And there are many different models to choose from. For example, Lewin's Change Management Model splits the change process into three key stages known as "unfreeze- change-refreeze," while Kotter's 8-Step Change Model provides a more comprehensive guide through change. A central idea of all change management theories is that no change ever happens in isolation. In one way or another, change impacts the whole organization and all of the people in it. But with good change management, you can encourage everyone to adapt to and embrace your new way of working. The Four Principles of Change Management Successful change management relies on four core principles: x Understand Change. x Plan Change. x Implement Change. x Communicate Change. Let's explore each of these in turn, along with some tools and techniques that you can use to put them into practice: Principle 1: Understand Change To successfully promote the benefits of the change, you need to understand them yourself. So, think about: x Why you need to change. What are your key objectives? x What will the benefits of the change be to the organization? x How will it impact people positively? x How will it affect the way that people work? x What will people need to do to successfully achieve the change? It can also be helpful to think about what the negative outcomes of not making the change would be. Beckhard and Harris' Change Equation shows that, for change to work, there has to be sufficient dissatisfaction with the old way of doing things. But people also need to feel confident that the new approach will be better – and that there's a clear route to get there. Principle 2: Plan Change Effective change doesn't just happen by chance, and any plan you make has to be right for your organization. The way that change projects are managed can vary from organization to organization. Some have very rigid change methodologies, while others are more open and flexible in their approach. However, in general, you'll need to consider the following: x Sponsorship . How will you secure, engage and use high-level support and sponsorship of the change? x Involvement . Who is best positioned to help you to design and implement the change? For example, will you need external expertise? Or can you use internal resources? x Buy-in . Change is most effective when you are able to win support from people across the business. How do you plan to achieve this? x Impact . Finally, think about what success should look like. How will you predict and assess the impact of the change that you need to make? What goals do you need to achieve? Principle 3: Implement Change So how exactly are you going to make change happen? As we've seen, there are many different strategies that you can choose to put your change into practice. Kotter's 8-Step Change Model, for example, explains how to inject a sense of urgency into your actions, so that you build momentum and encourage everyone to get behind your changes. Meanwhile, the Change Curve reminds you to be mindful of people's feelings while putting your plan into action. It shows the stages that we all tend to go through during organizational change – from shock and denial, to the point where we're fully invested in the new approach.
Article 11 – Change Management
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