Change management is a systematic approach to addressing the transition or transformation of an organization's objectives, processes or technologies. It is an organized technique that business leaders use to achieve an improvement in an organization's work processes. The purpose of change management is to implement strategies to effect change, control it and help people adapt to change. Every employer with a successful change management team expresses the need for constant communication during the change experience.
Since most employees aren't comfortable with changes, being transparent at every step of the change management process helps build trust and connection with employees. When an incremental change is approved, the project manager documents the change in one of the four standard change control systems to ensure that the change request reflects all ideas and points of view. As stated in other sections of this definition, taking a structured approach to change management helps organizations mitigate disruptions, reduce costs, reduce implementation time, improve leadership skills, drive innovation and improve morale. Change management has become one of the most important success factors for any company in today's changing world.
Organizational change refers, in general terms, to the actions that a company takes to change or adjust an important component of its organization. This drives the need for business leaders and managers to master the planning, coordination and implementation skills of change management. Implementing change management in organizations is often compared to teaching an elephant to dance. During the implementation process, change managers should focus on empowering their employees to take the necessary steps to achieve the objectives of the initiative and celebrate any short-term achievements.
Once the change initiative has been completed, change managers must prevent a return to the previous state or status quo. Change management professionals can obtain certifications that recognize their ability to manage projects, manage people and guide an organization through a period of transition or transformation. Organizations embark on change management to improve their mission, technology, structure, strategy or culture. To ensure successful transitions and transformations, it is important for business leaders and managers to create a clear vision for the future, communicate effectively with stakeholders, develop a plan for implementation, monitor progress and celebrate successes.
A change management strategy is created for each specific case and may vary depending on the type of change being made. This will inspire other stakeholders to realize that change is taking place because key leaders are taking the initiative and modeling the behaviors needed for change.
