Leading Change: Complex, Stressful, Continuous & Volatile - Essay Sample

Introduction

Change can be voluntary or imposed, planned or unplanned, but there is one common theme across all changes - they can be stressful, complex, continuous, or volatile. Most changes threaten established systems or structures. Therefore, organizations must unlearn or transform the values, beliefs, behaviors and in need be to adopt a new conceptual framework. Strategic changes are a good example of complex change. In most cases, complex change involves multidisciplinary teams with different motivation, cultures, and perception and it is such complexities that are the drivers for change. Each team members have their perspective and perception about the change and their interpretation of the change drivers and motivation is what makes the change complex. By examining the role of change management theories in large, complex change, the research argues that change management theirs are goals oriented tools that enables change management team to focus their efforts on activities related to the desired goals, diagnose and treat any form of resistances to change and create an efficient plan for professional improve during the change.

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How Theory Can Help to Manage Large Complex Change

Complex changes cause anxiety, and conflicts. It is because of the potential conflicts that the management adopt model and tools that enable them to learn and feel comfortable with new uncertainties. The management must consider all the issues contributing to the complexities in the change, and understand then prioritize the issues (Kearney and Nicholson, 2008). The most effective way to manage such complex changes is to brainstorm a set of the innovative solution before taking actions to implement change without which reworks, delays, and resistances might arise. Never the less, it is also important to note that change can only be successful if the internal and external factors to the required change are put into perspective (Lisette et al., 2013; 121). There are various models or theories that have been proposed for managing change. The most commonly used theories include Lewin's change management model of unfreezing, change, refreeze, McKinsey 7S model, the Kotter's change management theory (Auguste, 2013, 3; Kotters and Kubler-Ross' Five-Stage Model (Corr, 2018; 115). Never the less, these models are only fit for managing the simple change process. Complex changes require modification of the current change management models (Mento, Jones, and Dirndorfer, 2002; 109). For example, the Knoster model for managing complex change profiles a framework for thinking about the complex changes.

According to Laine and Kuoppakangas (2015), each change is comprised of five key elements that must be taken into consideration whenever complex changes are made, these five elements clue the vision, the skills, the incites, the resources at the management's disposal and the action plan. Without putting any of these elements into perspective, change is likely to fail. Without an action plan, change cannot be initiated (Persaud and Nerine, 2000; 550). Without resources, the change effort would be frustrated and without the incites, staff resistances may be initiated. Without the necessary skills, anxiety may build among the projects team while lack of vision can lead to confusion among the team members.

How Theory Can Help to Manage Large Complex Change

Kotter proposed a simple theory or model for managing change. In his proposal, change can be successfully managed in eight steps divided into three (Auguste, 2013, 3). Auguste (2013, 3) also argued that the first step is to create a climate for change, then engage and enable the whole organization and finally, implement and sustain change. The change management theories would be helpful in achieving the goals of large, complex changes (Auguste, 2013; 4). The change managers must first establish an urgency for change. They must prove that change is inevitable and necessary before forming a guiding coalition. This is what Kurt Lewin calls unfreezing (Jancev and Cernetic, 2000; 105). The management must provide a proper rationale for the change and why the established modus operandi will not be effective. The employee commitment to the proposed change will stem from how prepared and convinced they are that the change is needed and the benefits of the change.

Change management can only be successful if the company's tendency towards organization inertia is aligned with the change (Hossam, 2015). Most companies understand that change will attract resistance based on individual staff interpretation of the change. Therefore, to manage such resistances, they use change champion who are well informed on how to address resistances (Pollack, 2015; 110). Change champions are fellow employees found in every department to address any issues, doubt or insecurity that the staff might have towards the change. They influence a positive attitude towards the change.

Operational and Strategic Aspects

In strategic change, it is the duty of the top and middle management to manage such change. These people will create, clearly define and communicate the vision to the change champions and empower them to address doubts (Gandora, 2005; 105). The top and middle manage also are charged with linking the strategy and operational aspects of the organization. Strategic aspects might be long terms but they must be aligned with the operational aspects to help in achieving the goals incrementally.

Context of Change

The success of any change management effort is determined by the change management approach. The change management approach is selected based on the contextual factors. Some of the contextual factors that determine change management strategy include the duration or the time that the organization must complete the change (Roth, 2016; 102). The scope of the change is also important to be understood because large change projects require a lot of time and resources will simple or small changes are not resourced and time intensive. It is also the duty of the management to understand that type of change to determine the resisters owned by the organization that will be maintained and those that will be disposed of as well as how to dispose or maintain the resources (Graetz and Smith, 2009; 110).

In large change projects, diversity is a common theme. the management must, therefore, take into consideration the diverse voices, staff groups, divisions and attitudes within the organization. These diverse voices must be addressed and aligned with the organization. Workforce readiness is important (Ford, 2008; 172). The management must develop an organizational learning culture where the staff is ready to enhance change. Such readiness can help avoid resistances but the employees are always willing to learn a new thing and implement new changes that are goals oriented (Santos and Quillaia, 2015; 129). Finally, capability and capacity are also proposed by the change theorists as important factors to consider. The staff capacity at both the managerial and personal level to influence the change. The capacity refers to the resources owned by the organization necessary for executing change. The resources include financial resources, human resources, and skills.

The Importance of Change Management Theories in Guiding Complex Change

Change theories define the processes, tools, and skills necessary to execute the change. They define the context, steps, and activities that are goals oriented. A change manager can apply a model or theory that he feels is aligned with the scope of change (realigning or transformation) and the nature of change (incremental or big bang). The management can determine whether evolution, adaptation, revolution or reconstruction is required by understanding the scope and nature of change (Check land, 2000; 221).

The change management theory can also be used in large complex projects to guide project execution. For example, the change management theory driven by forcefield analysis can help the management to determine the change precedents that need to be addressed (Santos and Quilliam, 2015; 118). The projects management theory identified both push forces that promote change execution and resisting forces that might compromise the change management efforts. According to Auguste (2013; 2), change management theory is like a turnaround strategy that focuses on maximizing the speed of change and promises costs reduction. Such turnaround strategies are multifaceted in that they deliver costs reduction, revenue maximizing and timely delivery.

There are various arguments against the use of theory to manage change. For example, Peter Senge argued that most of the problems faced today arise form the solution that were implemented yesterday. The fifth discipline author argued that the harder one pushes, the harder the systems counteract which means that organoiron will still be faced with problems in equal measure to the effort applied. It is also important to note that in most cases, cause and effects many not be closely related in both time and space that is why strategic change is required. That is today, organizations should implement change with the consideration of future possibilities in mind. On the other hand, Peter Checkland who proposed the systems thinking argued that change in one area causes a ripe, effect on other areas that is what it is not advisable to focus on specific areas but on the entire system. Nevertheless, Gerry Johnson who proposed the implantation of the strategic change by the middle management stated that each change is interpreted differently and each manager has his own style of managing change. Based on the sponge analogy, everyone has the capacity to change, it is the direction that lacks. Hereford the management should clarify the vision and the staff will support the change.

Conclusion

The most important element in managing strategic change is the content of change. If the change management team can put the content into perspective, they can easily understand how to gain stakeholder buying, reduce confutes and resistance and coordinate staff and resources. The type of change is dependent on the context of change. The organizational culture must also be aligned with the change and most theorists propose change preparedness or learning the organizational culture. The main levers of large complex change include turnaround strategy, changing the organization culture, evaluating the political systems and improving communication among all the external and internal parties. To lead change, the change managers must have in place change agreement and champion who address conflicts. The styles adopted by the change agents must be aligned with the organizational goals. Finally, the pitfalls of strategic change must be taken into consideration. All change theories identify communication and resistance to change as the key pitfalls of strategic change. However, stakeholder management and change sponsorship are equally important. Therefore, theories of change are important in large complex change management because they outline how change is planned, executed and reviewed.

References

Auguste, J., 2013, Applying Kotter's 8-Step Process for Leading Change to the Digital Transformation of an Orthopedic Surgical Practice Group in Toronto, Canada. Journal of Health & Medical Informatics, 04(03). DOI: 10.4172/2157-7420.1000129

Checkland, P, 2000, Soft Systems Methodology: A Thirty-Year Retrospective Soft systems methodology: a thirty-year retrospective. Systems Research and Behavioral Science, 17(S1), pp. S11-S58. https://doi.org/10.1002/1099-1743(200011)17:1+<: AID-SRES374>3.0.CO;2-O

Corr, C, 2018, Elisabeth Kubler-Ros...