Change Management


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Strategic change management in organizations

Change management, or management of change, basically refers to the implementation of measures to adapt processes, strategies or structures to changed business conditions. It involves the active management of change and originates from organizational development.

Definition of change management

On the one hand, the term is understood in business administration regarding restructuring processes within a company as: the active management of change processes concerning workflows and organizational structures.

On the other hand, the term is defined in IT service management in the de facto guideline ITIL (Information Technology Infrastructure Library) as: A process that aims to ensure that all adjustments to the IT infrastructure are carried out in a controlled and efficient manner while minimizing risks to the operation of existing business services.

In project management, the term is particularly relevant because changes in companies, regardless of whether they affect the IT infrastructure or other areas, are now planned and monitored as projects. The establishment of project management in itself can often be the change project and go hand in hand with the introduction of project management software. Such a comprehensive change - the way work is done coupled with digitalization - is the ultimate challenge in change management.

The purpose of change management is to adapt processes, strategies and structures in companies in order to move with the times and achieve competitive advantages. Change management is therefore the organization and management of change in a company in order to contribute to its further development. This includes all decisions, tasks or measures that contribute to a comprehensive and cross-divisional change of structures, behaviours and systems within the organization.

Triggers for change management

Change processes are often triggered by strategic realignments within the company itself or by external impulses. Typical reasons for change management include

  • Expansion into new markets
  • Acquisition of or by another company
  • Adaptation to new technical standards
  • Political decisions
  • Reaction to customer needs
  • Loss of efficiency due to complex processes

What are the challenges of change management?

Once a company has decided on a new strategy, it is not enough to simply communicate it internally. All employees, including the management team, must participate in the change and internalize the new values, tasks and rules. Initially, rejection can often be the result, as employees prefer to stick to existing processes. For this reason, change management not only involves an enormous organizational effort, but those responsible must also show a high degree of empathy during the change process.

Methods in change management

A number of methods are available to not only successfully plan change processes but also to implement them. These are often borrowed and adapted from the areas of personnel management, process optimization or corporate management. At their core, all methods are about good stakeholder management

Kurt Lewin's 3-phase model

Kurt Lewin's force field analysis model, created in 1947, assumes that a balance between driving and opposing forces is necessary for a company to be successful. Based on this, he organizes change processes into three phases:

  1. Unfreezing - sensitizing everyone involved to the necessary changes and developing appropriate measures.
  2. Moving - introduction of these measures, accompanied by communication measures and coaching.
  3. Refreezing - The new procedures and structures stabilize and are consolidated in new processes, further monitored and adjusted if necessary.

Krüger's 5-phase model

The German economist Wilfried Krüger developed a 5-phase model. It is based on the two previously mentioned models by Kurt Lewin and John Kotter.

The 5-phase model is more differentiated than Lewin's and less rigid than Kotter's model. It assumes that phases must be flexibly adaptable. It is also possible to regress to earlier phases during a change management process.

  1. Initialization: An analysis of the current situation is carried out to find out what changes are necessary. One or more change managers are appointed.
  2. Conception: The necessary changes are defined in concepts and planned as projects. Project managers are appointed to draw up a catalog of measures and take over the project planning.
  3. Mobilization: The planned changes are communicated early and transparently using communication plans developed on the basis of stakeholder analyses. The aim is to achieve the greatest possible willingness to change among employees through their active participation.
  4. Implementation: The project teams implement the planned measures. Project managers review progress and adjust the procedure if necessary.
  5. Anchoring: The change process has been successfully completed and the organizational structure or organizational processes are now consolidated (anchored). However, employees are prepared for further changes, as the openness to change should be maintained.

The ADKAR model by Jeff Hiatt

ADKAR is a change management approach that focuses on the change experienced by each individual involved in the change management process. The model was developed in 1999 by Jeff Hiatt, founder of the American company Prosci:

  1. Awareness: Creating an awareness among employees of the need, impact and specific ways in which they are affected.
  2. Desire: Awakening the desire for change so that the affected employees want to get involved in the process.
  3. Knowledge: Provide the necessary knowledge to be able to implement the change management process.
  4. Ability: Strengthen the required skills in the people concerned and provide them with the necessary (technical) resources.
  5. Reinforcement: After the initial successes of the change management process, continue to encourage employees to press ahead with the processes they have started so that the change process does not come to a standstill.

The PDCA cycle

The PDCA cycle is a 4-step model developed by W. Edwards Deming, which is used as a framework for a continuous improvement process.

  1. Plan
  2. Do
  3. Check
  4. Act

Dealing with change

Psychologists know that change can be accompanied by strong emotions and that people go through a 7-stage process before they are at peace with change and can accept and implement it. The change curve according to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross illustrates this process very well:

Shock: After management has played along with the change plan, employees usually react with shock, followed by inner resistance. People are creatures of habit and at first there is little understanding of the need for change.
Denial: Inner resistance can turn into fierce defensiveness. Affected employees do not want to let go of their familiar routines and fear that their situation will deteriorate.
Grief: Employees realize that their resistance will fail and mourn the coming loss of the tried and tested.
Farewell: The willingness to let go of the old slowly sets in.
Acceptance: The willingness to deal constructively with the change grows, activating employees.
Experimentation: Employees become active. They begin to get involved in the change process, experiment with new possibilities and help shape the changes.
Integration: Employees are familiar with the new processes, structures or tasks and have made friends with the new situation. The organization is stabilized again and the desired change is a reality.

Experienced change managers believe that the workforce quickly splits into three groups with every change initiative: the enthusiastic and involved (around 20 percent), the wait-and-see and reluctant (around 60 percent) and the keepers, rejecters and naysayers (around 20 percent). The same applies to managers, of course. These categories also exist here.

Change management vs. change request management

Change request management is project-specific and clearly defined as the "organization, administration and processing of change requests during the course of a project". In other words, change request management is not about change in an organization but about changes in a project, e.g. the scope, responsible persons or budgets. It is sometimes also referred to as Change Control.

Conclusion

Digitalization, sustainability and conflicts are probably the most influential challenges facing the economy. For companies, this inevitably means change. Be it due to social changes, political events or simply to remain relevant on the market. Our world is constantly changing and those who are not adaptable will be overtaken. Especially in large, rigid organizations, but even in SMEs, every change process can be a tour de force. A strategic approach and a structured approach are therefore essential for the success of change projects.

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