Leaders Must Champion Change
Change is a given frustration in today’s corporate environment because of the high level of intense competition.It could also be because the industry is changing. Customers are becoming more interested in other companies or less motivated to buy from your products, services or ideas. Technological changes in connections and capabilities may need major overhaul of a company’s strategy if they aren’t made swiftly enough.
The only way for you to adapt to a world that is always changing is to restructure oneself to meet those demands. Or else, it’s a dead-end path for both you and the organisation if you resist change.
Complications emerge when companies are restructuring themselves to be more flexible and flat in order to better serve their consumers. Customers aren’t only looking for high-quality service anymore; they’re also looking for more. You can be sure that your rivals will provide it if you do not.
The question posed by companies successful in overcoming change is about recognizing they can’t just throw money at problems; instead, they rely on people with a high level of commitment and adaptability. A feeling of urgency and significance is conveyed, as is a strong commitment to seeing the project through to completion.
Leaders are aware of the challenges of implementing a new strategy and know that their teams must be inspired to push themselves beyond their current comfort zones.
Becoming a change agent means you are aware of what is happening around.
During the course of an organization’s development, it is common for it to undergo four major transitions:
A new organisation is in its formative period during this time. Often than not, the founding vision (the organization’s mission) has been articulated in this early stage. There are no official definitions provided yet. A great deal of experimentation and invention are taking place at a good pace.People are driving changes in creativity and discovery. Both are required to overcome obstacles and achieve breakthroughs
During the next period of rapid expansion stage, the organisation is given direction and coordination in order to maintain growth while cementing its gains. The emphasis of change is on clarifying the organization’s mission and expanding its reach into other sectors of the economy.
When the economy has reached a mature stage, the robust growth curve has flattened down. For established markets to remain stable, changes are required again for optimum profits to be reached.
Anxieties set in during rough and tough times. Staff reductions and restructuring entail at this crucial stage for certain businesses. Adaptation is the key word for change that requires a combination of company goals if it is to be successful. The objective is to depart from the familiar so as to enter a new environment. The four periods are reset if this period is a success. The organization’s demise is imminent if it fails.
Some companies move through the four stages of development quickly, while others may take decades. Failure to implement the necessary modifications during any of the four development stages will result in the end for the organisation.
Most leaders tend to focus too much on the strategic side of change. On the contrary, leaders should emphasize more on change at the grassroot or frontline levels. This is because strategic change usually appears perfect on paper. The real work is translating the change blueprint into actionable items to spread across every person in the organization.
Embracing and Managing Change rests on business leaders to shift their workers from a state of apprehension to one of openness.In order to implement change as swiftly and easily as possible, leaders must stress action.
During times of change, which is almost always the case in a successful company, leaders must focus on helping their employees transition from fear of change to acceptance of change. There are five stages to the process of change:
Denial – I don’t see any significant changes happening.
Anger – Hatred for what others do to me.
Negotiating — Finding answers that satisfy everybody.
Depression – Fear and trepidation take root.
Acceptance – We have no choice but to face the fact that we must adapt or perish.
Going through each stage is for people who are more likely to participate in change when they have a sense of purpose and direction from their leaders. Still, the “corporate speak” of deepening the current strategy of diversifying into new product categories would not ring true to the ears of the teams transitioning through change.
Change generally elicits a strong response from employees, who often fight it. People grow used to doing certain things in a certain way. They feel secure in the knowledge that they are in control of their surroundings because of this sense of comfort. As a result of their aversion to change, they worry that they will appear like incompetent if they cannot adapt and learn, that their employment will become more difficult, or that they will lose control.
Organizational cultures and structures may serve as both obstacles and catalysts of transformation in this instance.
Leaders must work with their teams to embrace and manage change but struggle in overcoming various internal and external challenges along the way.
Champion change in your organization with insights and action plan in the course “ Embracing and Managing Change” suitable for leaders and teams at every level across all industries. This course will enable you to take advantage of your people’s change dispositions to navigate organizational change matters. The trainer facilitates the online or offline medium of delivery to explore the change stages at organizational and individual level together with various tips and techniques for leaders to act as change agents. This programme, in its ‘Live Online’ and ‘In-person Physical” style will help you lead realistic and practical renewal as well as transformation of teams at the ground level that will improve your company’s competitiveness with profitability.
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Reference
Conner, D. (1993). Managing at the Speed of Change. New York: Random House. Note: He based his model on Death and Dying by Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
Klepper, S. (1997). Industry life cycles. Industrial and Corporate Change, 6(1), 145-182.
