Chapter 7 - Managing Change
Introduction
Change is an inevitable part of life. It affects ever facet of our lives from our families to our work. For an organization to grow and maintain longevity and success, its leaders must understand that change is a constant phenomenon that is at the root of innovation. If an organization or its leaders do not accept the fact that change is a necessary good to keep up with the times, then competitors that understand this concept will surely leave it behind.
This chapter, however, is not about organizational change; it is about how I can effectively manage a changing organization and/or foster change and innovation within my workplace. I will not pose ideas for change, but rather, discuss how ideas could be best implemented to ensure their success. I also understand the importance of knowing when a proposed change is not as successful as planned, and being able to modify or cancel it.
In the video below, Jason Clarke discusses the reasons change is not always accepted and how to overcome objections. I intend to keep this video handy so I can use it to work with and guide others through change, and to keep these skills fine-tuned.
Introduction
Change is an inevitable part of life. It affects ever facet of our lives from our families to our work. For an organization to grow and maintain longevity and success, its leaders must understand that change is a constant phenomenon that is at the root of innovation. If an organization or its leaders do not accept the fact that change is a necessary good to keep up with the times, then competitors that understand this concept will surely leave it behind.
This chapter, however, is not about organizational change; it is about how I can effectively manage a changing organization and/or foster change and innovation within my workplace. I will not pose ideas for change, but rather, discuss how ideas could be best implemented to ensure their success. I also understand the importance of knowing when a proposed change is not as successful as planned, and being able to modify or cancel it.
In the video below, Jason Clarke discusses the reasons change is not always accepted and how to overcome objections. I intend to keep this video handy so I can use it to work with and guide others through change, and to keep these skills fine-tuned.
Now, I will examine articles that discuss a few ideas around change and how to deal with it.
Article 1 – Why do Employees Resist Change?
This article breaks down the employer/employee relationship within an organization and explains the different dimensions of the “Employment Compact” – a theory of implied reciprocal obligations and mutual commitments within an organization and its employees (Strebel 1996). These three dimensions are:
- The formal dimension: Job Description, Performance Evaluation, Pay
- The psychological dimension: trust, respect, willingness to work
- The social dimension: employee translations of management’s words into management’s actions, unwritten rules on decision making, conflict resolution and pay increases.
Stebel explains in his article that effectively navigating change inside a company is the responsibility of both the employer and the employee, citing that either the employee or the employer must perfect each of the dimensions above. He says if this does not happen, ideas get miscommunicated, forgotten above, or even ignored. Stebel talks about the idea of personal compacts being the bond that binds employer/employee relationships. When change is introduced into a workplace, those compacts must be redefined by managers in order for employees to understand and agree with the new change.
The detailed explanations in this article can be of great assistance to me when either implementing an organizational change to my staff, or if I am soliciting buy-in from a change that I have initiated. As a branch manager, in the short term, I can imagine that most of the change I will be dealing with will be the former. However, as my career progresses beyond business and commercial banking and into upper management, I will be counted on to lead change and even innovate it. It is also not a bad idea for me to start thinking about these kinds of things now to show others within my company that I understand not only how to manage organizational change, but that I am capable of creating and implementing my own change for the good of the company.
Article 2 – The Ambidextrous Organization
O’Reilly and Tushman refer to the Ambidextrous Organization as a successful organization that has the ability to maintain successful business operations while, at the same time, looking ahead at what is to come. They claim that many organizations can efficiently do one or the other, but not both. It is those companies that understand and master this concept that have a healthy, lengthy life span.
This article is meaningful for the purposes of my aspirations to serve as an organizational executive. The concepts in this article are not of significant to my job function now, however, understanding the idea will better prepare me for my journey toward executive leadership.
Exercise – Change Your Seat
In my weekly staff meeting, my three staff members commonly pick the same seats in our conference room where we meet. I found this exercise to be pertinent to me in that it pertains to a weekly occurrence in my office. Attached is the exercise, directions and follow up questions.
This exercise generated some healthy discussion around the follow up questions and how we could relate this small exercise to overall job satisfaction and handling change.
Article 1 – Why do Employees Resist Change?
This article breaks down the employer/employee relationship within an organization and explains the different dimensions of the “Employment Compact” – a theory of implied reciprocal obligations and mutual commitments within an organization and its employees (Strebel 1996). These three dimensions are:
- The formal dimension: Job Description, Performance Evaluation, Pay
- The psychological dimension: trust, respect, willingness to work
- The social dimension: employee translations of management’s words into management’s actions, unwritten rules on decision making, conflict resolution and pay increases.
Stebel explains in his article that effectively navigating change inside a company is the responsibility of both the employer and the employee, citing that either the employee or the employer must perfect each of the dimensions above. He says if this does not happen, ideas get miscommunicated, forgotten above, or even ignored. Stebel talks about the idea of personal compacts being the bond that binds employer/employee relationships. When change is introduced into a workplace, those compacts must be redefined by managers in order for employees to understand and agree with the new change.
The detailed explanations in this article can be of great assistance to me when either implementing an organizational change to my staff, or if I am soliciting buy-in from a change that I have initiated. As a branch manager, in the short term, I can imagine that most of the change I will be dealing with will be the former. However, as my career progresses beyond business and commercial banking and into upper management, I will be counted on to lead change and even innovate it. It is also not a bad idea for me to start thinking about these kinds of things now to show others within my company that I understand not only how to manage organizational change, but that I am capable of creating and implementing my own change for the good of the company.
Article 2 – The Ambidextrous Organization
O’Reilly and Tushman refer to the Ambidextrous Organization as a successful organization that has the ability to maintain successful business operations while, at the same time, looking ahead at what is to come. They claim that many organizations can efficiently do one or the other, but not both. It is those companies that understand and master this concept that have a healthy, lengthy life span.
This article is meaningful for the purposes of my aspirations to serve as an organizational executive. The concepts in this article are not of significant to my job function now, however, understanding the idea will better prepare me for my journey toward executive leadership.
Exercise – Change Your Seat
In my weekly staff meeting, my three staff members commonly pick the same seats in our conference room where we meet. I found this exercise to be pertinent to me in that it pertains to a weekly occurrence in my office. Attached is the exercise, directions and follow up questions.
This exercise generated some healthy discussion around the follow up questions and how we could relate this small exercise to overall job satisfaction and handling change.
References
O'Reilly III Charles A, Tushman Michael L. "The Ambidextrous Organization." Harvard Business Review. p. April 2004. Internet. Accessed 21 October 2013.
Strebel Paul. "Why Do Employees Resist Change?" Harvard Business Review. p. May - June 1996. Internet. Accessed 21 October 2013.
O'Reilly III Charles A, Tushman Michael L. "The Ambidextrous Organization." Harvard Business Review. p. April 2004. Internet. Accessed 21 October 2013.
Strebel Paul. "Why Do Employees Resist Change?" Harvard Business Review. p. May - June 1996. Internet. Accessed 21 October 2013.
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