How Change Is A Process

The general model of planned change was established by Kurt Lewis and it serves as a blueprint for organizations to follow during times of change. The general model of planned change consists of three simple steps. The first step in this process is unfreezing, during this phase the object is to reduce forces and maintain organizational behavior at its current level. The second phase is moving, which involves shifting the behavior within the company to a new level. Thirdly, refreezing is the last step in the process this stage is about the stabilization within the company at a new state of equilibrium. The general model of planned change consists of four different phases or activities. The four different stages are entering and contracting, diagnosing, planning and implementing, and evaluating and institutionalizing. All of the above activities are the different stages that a company undergoes to ensure that planned change happens in an effective manner.

No matter how easy is may seem on the surface, the unfreezing, moving and refreezing stages of Lewin’s 3-Step model must be taken (Lewin, 1946). These stages are difficult and persistence by the organization in sticking to its objectives for growth and improvement must remain a top priority. In reality no matter how many positives a new idea is there will always be resistance when it is introduced. Change management is therefore central to the process of making the transition from the old system to the new and change management practices should be employed throughout the transition (ITIL,

Change is an ongoing and never-ending process of organizational life. The intensity of organizational change can range from the nominal to the radical. As Clark, Gioia, Ketchen, and Thomas (2010) mentioned, three degrees of change intensity are distinguished according to the amount of

Change management according to many becomes essential for the following reason: external pressure; which can encompass competition, new technology, cost, and regulation changes. Furthermore, economic and social conditions can escalate long-term change necessary. This paper will discuss several aspects of change management models, theories, and application thereof. In addition, it will provide overviews of the drivers of change, factors necessary for to implement change successfully, strategies and expectations of management, and leadership styles needed for influence and effectiveness.

According to Cummings and Worley (1997) there is a five-phase process for managing change, including: motivating change, creating vision, developing political support, managing the transition, and sustaining momentum. Motivating change involves creating a work environment that embraces change and developing approaches to overcome any resistance to change. The general guidelines include: enlightening members of the organization about the need for change, expressing the current status of the organization and where it should be in the future, and developing realistic approaches to change.

Leading and managing change require a solid theoretical foundation. This assignment will research the theoretical elements of change and change management. Addressed will be the following: Organic Evolution of Change, Formulating Strategic Development Approaches, Leadership and Management Skills and Gathering and Analyze Data. As societies continue to evolve and changing demand creates the need for new products and services, businesses often are forced to make changes to stay competitive. The businesses that continue to survive and even thrive are usually the ones that most readily adapt to change. A variety of factors can cause a business to reevaluate its methods of operation. According to literature from the past two

To commence a change, unfreezing of the current reliance on paper documentation will need to take place. The unfreezing component may produce a significant amount of conflict. There will be employees in favor of change, and those who may hinder the change efforts, becoming the antagonistic factors. According to Sutherland (2013), change requires ‘buy in’ by staff and is essential to a smooth transition of a new process. Staff engagement and ownership are imperative in the unfreezing phase. Difficulties related to the implementation of EMR are identified, and key players are sought to develop strategies to strengthen the driving forces and weaken or reduce the restraining forces in the unfreezing phase (Bozak,

Week 3, the lecture on Managing Change describes organizational changes that occur when a company makes a shift from its current state to some preferred future state. Managing organizational change is the process of planning and implementing change in organizations in such a way as to decrease employee resistance and cost to the organization while concurrently expanding the effectiveness of the change effort. Today's business environment requires companies to undergo changes almost constantly if they are to remain competitive. Students of organizational change identify areas of change in order to analyze them. A manager trying to implement a change, no matter how small, should expect to encounter some resistance from within the organization.

if Involving and engaging with people who will be affected by the change is a fundamental element of its success. The anticipated barriers, resisting forces identified from the analysis stage, need to be the focus when unfreezing. How to involve these key players and impart the vision will be a major part of the action plan in implementing the change. Communicating and ‘drawing people in’ is the major component to success (Heller, 1998). An agreed communication strategy with all stakeholders noted needs to form the basis whilst unfreezing. If participants don’t understand the need to change, resistance will exist and failure will ensue. (Parkin, 2009).

Unfreezing stage clear communication must be provided which is still valid today. The communication must include a sense of urgency and help employees understand why the change is needed. In order for change to occur, employees must be prepared for the change. They must also feel that their position is secure and that they will receive support from all levels through the implementation of the change. Additionally, employees should be a part of the change process to ensure they still feel empowered within the organization.

The goal during the unfreezing stage is to create an awareness of how the status quo, or current level of acceptability, is hindering the organization in some way. The idea is that the more we know about a change and the more we feel that it is necessary and urgent, the more motivated we are to accept the change.

1.1 Change management is described by Armstrong (1) as “the process of achieving the smooth implementation of change by planning and introducing it systematically taking into account the likelihood of it being resisted”. Change, the fundamental constant in any successful organisation, can be adaptive, reconstructive, revolutionary or evolutionary and can happen for a number of diverse reasons:

“Effective change management offers a standardized method that efficiently evaluates the potential positive and negative aspects of change” (Scarborough, n.d.). In order to fully understand the change, and the impact of the proposed change, it is helpful to have all of the facts. However, when faced with decisions that offer very little information either short term, or long term, judgement comes more into the equation than factual information. In these instances managing risk becomes an ongoing process. When you are unaware of all of the possible effects of decisions you must constantly reevaluate the situation and make needed changes immediately in order to mitigate future risk. As the changes unfold risk can become clearer and more effectively mitigated.

Change is a common thing that happens all around us on a daily basis sometimes even without us noticing. It can range from family level to international levels, likewise in time frame it can happen on a daily basis, a monthly, yearly or even a decade. In the words of Senior & Fleming (6) Change can be simply defined as process of moving from one state to another. It is this transition that creates distress to the people due to fear of the unknown. We can not stop change but rather we can only manage it. So then what is change management?

The difference between how change is handled in an organization can be described in two metaphors. Calm water looks at change in business as if you were on ship crossing a calm sea and only the occasional storm would disrupt your journey. In the calm waters metaphor change is seen as the occasional disruption in the normal flow of events. White water rapid metaphor describes change as a group of people trudging through white water rapids that has never worked together before; to add to the challenge they are doing this at night time. White water rapid describes change that takes place in uncertain and dynamic environments. The stability and predictability of calm water metaphor