MANAGING CHANGE AND TRANSITION
Managing Change and Transition
Every organisation or institution experiencing any form of change or transition needs to adopt dynamic survival strategies to stay alive in uncertain political, social and economic environment (Hiatt and Creasy, 2003). Human nature resists change, so managing that resistance requires well planned change management strategies. While some say change is a process to transform to another state, others say it is the both the process and the result of the process. Overall, the only group to embrace change wholeheartedly are babies in wet nappies.
While change is a general transition of something or phase to another state, it is important to know that it is also a movement toward a goal, an idealized state, or a vision of what should be and movement away from present conditions or beliefs. It is sometimes motivated by crisis but is mostly the present situation or circumstance that brings it to the fore. Whatever the case and whatever side of the divide you have pitched tent, it is important that you make the adjustment first in your mind before adjusting yourself to how you discharge your responsibilities (that is if adjustments need to be made).
Paradigms are standards, perspectives or sets of ideas. They are rules, concepts, assumptions and practices in a certain place or concerning a certain matter. Paradigm analysis on the other hand is the refusal to change established patterns of thought and feelings. In most cases organisations and institutions need to manage paradigm analysis especially when it is imbued in the people.
The purpose of every organisational management initiative is to successfully implement strategies and methods for effecting change and helping people to accept and adapt to change. In the light of this, every leader assuming a new role must create a systematic approach that includes dealing with the transition or transformation of organizational goals, core values processes or technologies.
While managing the change process is key considering the past, current and anticipated stage, it is important to factor in the following questions>
• Who comes up with the new structure?
• How are you going to figure out what changes will be made to existing processes?
• What resources (financial, human or otherwise) will be required to do the transition work?
• What expertise will I need that I don’t have to carry out the transition?
In a few cases, changes are very minimal depending on the approach the new leaders adopt. In other cases, a holistic approach must be adopted to take get to your desired destination. In viewing the change process the waters may be calm otherwise we have white-water waters. In all, it is hardly a text book approach but rather one that is tailored to meet your peculiar needs. From experience I can tell you that whatever approach is adopted, it will be met with a measure of resistance.
Recommended by LinkedIn
A test of your leadership ability will be how well you manage all fronts. Like Peter Drucker asserts, ‘’if you want the job done well, listen to the people that do it’’. In extreme cases, you might have to start building one block at a time. #TuesdayTonic
#AllinADay'sWork