Change management as a whole is a tricky process considering all the obstacles it would have to face in order to be implemented.
Principles for change management provide a strong framework which allows an understanding of what can be expected, how to move the entire company to take part in the process and how to personally manage the change.
Significant Principles in Change Management
- Systematically addressing the people aspect of the change: Significant changes come with a large number of smaller changes at once. Leaders will be held accountable, new skills and ideas must be developed, jobs will change and this will thus cause a large amount of uncertainty amongst the employees. A formal approach is thus required to be developed quickly and adapted as and when change spreads through the organisation. This requires the collection of data and its analysis, creating plans, implementing some kind of discipline, tweaking strategies, procedures and other arrangements. These changes must also be based on realistic grounds, assessing the history of the company to determine its fitness to change and the extent to which it can be done.
- Move from top to bottom: In times of change, the people turn to figures that represent support, strength and that would guide them in the right direction. These figures are the CEO’s and the Leadership teams. They must accept the changes themselves and thus inspire motivation in the employees and the rest of the organisation. They must model the behaviours that they desire to see. Executive teams that exhibit good team work, move an organisation closer to success. They must accept and align their ideas along with the changes taking place.
- Include all levels of organisation: Change programmes move from creating strategies and marking targets to creation and implementation, affection various levels of organisation. It also requires plans to identify leaders, thus distributing responsibilities for implementation.
- Creating a formal case: Communicating the need for change in a formal setting and creating a formal write up for the same are extremely important and essential to creating an alignment in the leadership team. This requires leaders to convince the need for change, express their faith in the company's future, and map a guide for decision making and desired behaviour.
- Create ownership: The responsibility of making changes must be taken up by leaders in their respective levels of influence. It also creates an opportunity to involve people in identifying problems and coming up with solutions for them. This can be positively reinforced through the provision of rewards.
- Message clarity is key: Sometimes leaders mistake that employees have understood the issues and new directions whilst also feeling the need for change as well as them. Hence reinforcing the messages through timely advice is a good idea.
- Assessing the cultural landscape: Culture and various other behavioural aspects must be accounted for at all levels. Through diagnosing and assessing the culture we can determine the readiness for transformation. This is also beneficial due to the fact that it brings into light major problems and helps in identifying disputes. It also helps recognise the core values, hopes and beliefs which need to be accounted for in order to see a successful change occurring.
- Addressing existing cultures explicitly: Leaders must honestly indicate the desired culture and behaviours that would suit the new changes.
- Expect the unexpected: Preparing for unexpected outcomes is important as people do not react in a set manner and the external environment is also susceptible to changes. Continued reevaluation must be done in order to check the impact that the change has as well as the companies willingness to adapt. This must be backed by real data from the field, informational support and strong decision making.
- Understanding the individual: People react according to the information they receive from their surroundings. Hence setting rewards in order to bring out desired behaviours is advisable. Leaders need to be clear in explaining to the people the nature of change and how it will affect them.
Hiring personnel well versed in credit management is thus very essential to all organisations. Taking up a credit management course would be a wise decision. So do not hesitate to put your foot forward in taking up change management courses as it will help you climb up the ladder of success!
Also Read: What are the Types Of Change Manangement
