Managing Change

Overview

There are a number of ways to manage change. It depends on whether you think that change is something that happens occasionally, or whether you think change is a constant in life. If you believe the first statement, then you need to set about making change by giving people time to move out of their comfort zone, and then make the change and go back to a comfortable routine.

Let's read more about managing change.

Successful change

Clearly, if change is to be successful, the factors that cause resistance will need to be addressed.

Calm waters

This model of change was devised by Kurt Lewin. It begins by unfreezing the current situation, then makes the change, and refreezes into the future.

Lewin's model recognises resistance to change. It portrays the status quo as held in place by forces 'for' and 'against' change. Forces for change can include causes and triggers. The economic situation, for instance, might push change. Other forces for change might include the competitive situation and changing technology. Forces that resist change might include fear of the unknown, the need for new skills, and cultural issues.

In Lewin's model, if change is to occur and there is to be a shift in the status quo, the driving forces must exceed the resisting forces. To achieve this, you either increase the driving forces or reduce the resisting forces.

There are two other strategies for introducing change that differ from Lewin's model. These are

• inducing change, and
• confrontation.

Inducing change

This model seeks to induce change by leading individuals to recognise the need to behave differently. The process is one of presenting information and allowing people to draw their own conclusions. This is a learning experience and therefore rarely threatening or psychologically damaging.

Confrontation

Confrontation occurs when a manager imposes change by authority or by giving feedback that is undeniable and will lead to shock. A difficulty with this approach is that it has considerable potential to 'knock people around'.

Consultation-confrontation continuum

Between these two broad options of inducing and confronting change, there are a number of other tactics, but most of them can be placed on this continuum. Some people call it the consultation-confrontation continuum. Note that resistance to confrontation is more common than resistance to consultation. After all, people do not resist their own ideas. People who participate in deciding what and how things will change are not only more likely to support the change, they are also changed themselves by the process of participating.

When a company in Auckland decided to automate parts of the process they used to weld together shopping trolleys, the staff were simply informed that the change would occur. There was little or no explanation or consultation.

The change took place amidst a strong negative response from the staff. There was a strong feeling that the change was job-threatening and that staff had been given no opportunity to consult on the change and its effects.

Soon after the change, things started to go wrong. Odd tools and bits of welding rod were found jammed in the machine as it attempted to robotically go about its business. The company spent thousands of dollars on repairs until the issue of its staff's discontent was addressed.

The meetings between management and staff cleared the air. Once it was clear that no staff would suffer - and indeed, some would enhance their skills through new training - the problems and resistance started to disappear.

White water rapids

Another way of looking at change is more like 'white water rapids'. This is the view that change is constant. There is no time for the unfreezing of Lewin's model, and little point in re-freezing as there won't be enough time before the next change.

Managers dealing with constant change need to see the positives and keep remembering the main techniques of managing change