When implementing change, specific steps must first be taken. A strong start is to evaluate how the proposed change will affect your team and to communicate clearly. Proper application is the reason it is crucial for a manager to determine how the change will affect a team. Although leadership may view change as necessary, teams will resist it if it is not properly implemented because the change has no purpose. A person may resist change for two main reasons: they don't like the change that is being proposed or they think the change will hurt their position in the company. Resistant behavior must be addressed for any reason.
There are six types of change management: director, coach, navigator, caretaker, nurturer, and interpreter (Palmer et al., 2022). The first two, caretaker and nurturer, are based heavily on organizational theory and view change managers as recipients rather than initiators, which is incompatible with the topic at hand. The last four images can address team resistance when used correctly by change managers.
What are the barriers you must address that could challenge the change initiative?
Fear of the unknown and how my team will perceive the change in restructuring through downsizing are the main barriers I must address as a change manager. Resistance will be strong if the team believes that the change will reduce the value of their current skills. Palmer et al. claim that ( 2022), "Change proposals that are perceived as threatening fundamental assumptions may therefore elicit strong resistance." Avoiding changes that pose such dangers is one strategy, A different way to tell my team about the change would be to minimize the problems with the current process. They will be used in a variety of contexts and in a variety of order, but their skills will continue to be extremely valuable.
What steps will you use to facilitate a successful change process?
We need to evolve because:
- Dealerships are confused about the excessive number of trainers reaching out to them for training
- Due to our overly complicated and unpleasant onboarding process, dealers are discontinuing our products
- When customers have a problem with one of our products, dealers do not know who to contact because they have too many contacts
- We must change how we reach out to and support our product-buying dealerships if we want to remain competitive
Reference:
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D. (2022). Managing organizational change: A multiple
Organizational Change: Technology
When tasked with relaying the message to my department that the organization was upgrading and changing the current technology used in the workplace, the first thing I would think about is the impact that will have on employees. An issue for elder workers would be not wanting to learn something new or just aren’t tech savvy at all. Some employees may feel as if the technology upgrade when in effect, is not as efficient as what they had before. A few employees may be threatened that the organization would eventually replace them with continuous technology upgrades.
To address all of these employee concerns, I think the first step is to inform the team as soon as possible of the upcoming change. The longer they have to process and prepare for the change, the easier it will be on them. Encouraging employees to fill out surveys during the implementation of the technology will help the employees feel empowered and that their voice is being heard during such transition. Asking employees what they prefer when a decision arises that employee feedback could be useful and is also suggested. Creating an ambassador program to support the employees during the change is also a good idea. This will allow the employees to feel a sense of unity as they are all dealing with the change situation together(Forbes Expert Panel, 2022).
References
Forbes Expert Panel. (2022, March).Change Management: 13 Ways To Introduce New Technology.Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbeshumanresourcescouncil/2022/03/11/change-management-13-ways-to-introduce-new-technology/?sh=7c465c636dc8
perspectives approach (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.