MANAGING CHANGE

Managing Change

Managing Change

7. What is the aim and objectives of your study?

The aim and objective of my study is to research the process of managing change in organizations. This research will entail a thorough understanding of change factors and what drives change into organizations. The Organization that I have selected will be explored and the study will highlight all important changes and issues reference to change management within the organization.

8. Brief review of relevant literature and rationale for study - 500-600 words. Include in your rationale how the research will impact on the organisation (attach on a separate sheet references of approximately 6 key publications, it is not necessary to attach copies of the publications)

Ans. Leadership has a key role to play, both in setting direction, inspiring change throughout the organisation and ensuring that change is implemented. In achieving world-class performance, leaders have a role developing a number of critical competencies related to helping to focus individual attention on organisational mind-sets, facilitating strategy implementation and building change capability.

Second, and related to leadership, is the need to identify and define the change that is required. This is often linked to financial pressure. A project management approach is the most successful approach when implementing such change, with a need to define clear success measures being important.Managing change also has its softer side. People are the essential contributor to successful change, and managing change within the culture of an organisation is important. Good communication is also vital. The experiences of many organisations that have launched change programmes, such as six sigma, is that the first part - readiness - is not at all well understood or developed. This often results in a rush into implementation, with huge emphases on training programmes and projects. Even managers in the General Electric who are famed for their six-sigma programme have admitted that they have found themselves going round and round the lower circle without engaging the strategic alignment offered by the upper one.

To break into the top circle we need to start with the Drivers of Change - it is important to understand what are the key drivers for change inside or outside the organisation, in order that the Need for Change may be understood and articulated to focus the stakeholders' desire for change. This is where leaders give meaning to the change, without which, as many organisations later discover, initial enthusiasm and energy quickly dissolves. For example, what are the drivers for the introduction of digital technology into BBC World Service - reduced costs, better programme reception, more effective programme making? Clarity on this is key, as from it derives clear and consistent Leadership and Direction to turn the need into expectations - values, aims, measured objectives and targets. Robust Planning then allows the priorities to emerge and focuses people's minds on the strategic objectives.

The implementation of change is a rich tapestry of potential failure - a minefield for the unsuspecting. Worse than that, most managers tend to find they have entered the minefield at ...