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The task of managing change
As always, there are hundreds
of different definitions of "Change Management".
To name just two selected at random:
"Change Management is an organized, systematic application of the knowledge,
tools, and resources of change that provides organizations with a key process to
achieve their business strategy."
"Change Management is a structured process that will cause proposed changes to be reviewed for
technical and business readiness in a consistent manner that can be relaxed or
tightened to adjust to business needs and experiences."
Are we any wiser now? Not
really.
What most people agree upon,
is that there are two different part of
the task of managing change:
-
proactive: making of changes in a
planned and managed or systematic fashion. The aim is to more effectively
implement new methods and systems in an ongoing organization. The changes to be
managed lie within and are controlled by the organization.
- reactive:
response to changes over
which the organization exercises little or no control (e.g., legislation,
social and political upheaval, the actions of competitors, shifting economic
tides and currents, and so on).
Most
textbooks
on Change Management (especially in Germany) concentrate
on proactive Change Management,
in the 21st c. most
actual Management of Change especially in smaller,
service-orientated companies is reactive or reactive/proactive.
Example: Abrams (1996) in writing about
"Leisure Services in Britain and the Management
of Change" names three factors which are prerequiste
for successful Change Management:
a perceived need for change
appropriate resources
a supportive organisational culture
This ideal situation is rather rare in
the real world, but still change has to be accomplished
to stay in the market.
Contact: wolfgang.arlt@fh-stralsund.de
Office: 1/132, Tel. (03831) 45 6961
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