Implementing Change

Change is difficult to implement and difficult to accept. Manager and leadership team members are affected on both ends of this spectrum. Managers and leaders are given the changes to make with the staff and to help the staff implement and at the same time leadership members are affected with the same changes that they are learning at the same time as the staff. Having a set plan in place is the most effective tool to bringing about consistent change with the least amount of resistance. “One of the most significant strengths of an effective leader is the ability to create a positive work climate. In an outstanding organizational climate, people are energized to do their best work, free of unnecessary distractions” (Cronkite, n.d., p. 1). Manager’s role in implementing change

A manager’s role and responsibility when implementing change is to engage their employees. According to Alan Chapman, “Change must be realistic, achievable and measurable” (Chapman, 2014, p. 1). Encouraging employees to adopt a different plan of action when doing their jobs is the ultimate goal for a manager or leader. Change can come in different sizes, processes, roles, or organizational for the manager or leader. Implementation of change is only successful if the manager or leader is able to help the employees make changes to their daily workflows and behaviors.

When a manager or leader can mobilize change that is necessary for success of the organization they help deliver value. Change by the manager or leader is possible when there is support of the employees who are responsible for making the transition. This support needs to start with the person or team that made the change or changes that are being implemented. Support also needs to come from the administration, upper management, and office or department management. If there is not support to the changes being made the staff making the changes will not be on board and will be resistant to the change. Handling staff resistance to change

Managing resistance with employees needs to be handled correctly from the beginning. Resistance can happen in many responses from employees. The Harvard Business Review states, “resistance may take a number of forms—persistent reduction in output, increase in the number of “quits” and requests for transfer, chronic quarrels, sullen hostility, wildcat or slowdown strikes, and, of course, the expression of a lot of pseudological reasons why the change will not work” (Lawrence, 2014, p. 1). There will be less resistance from employees if the change being made is communicated effectively and precisely so that there are not excessive problems.

A good leader will help facilitate the change transition by being positive and having a complete understanding of the changes. Managers and leaders should expect some resistance from employees. Change is hard and may not makes sense why it needs to happen. There is a certain comfort level with continuing a process even if it does not make sense or has been a problem to employees. Employees make feel anxious about making changes because of their level of investment in the current process. Managers and leaders need to address the resistance with predetermined steps that are part of the change process. Define each step of the change process

Assessment
Assessment is the process of determining is change is needed. Gathering information and analyzing it to understand the problem is art of the assessment process. Understanding the problem can give the manager or leader the ability to look objectively into the problem to help form a solution. Planning

Good planning is essential to understanding which problems are of greater need of change and which problems have the best chance of resolution. Communication is vital to good planning. Managers and leaders need to have the initial conversation and subsequent follow-up conversations to ensure that employees are retaining and implementing the changes at hand.
Implementation

Implementation is the process of creating specific actions that are designed to accomplish the goal. The manager or leader is responsible for setting the actions in motion and ensuring the consistency of the action of the employees making the changes. The Fortune Group suggests three questions that managers should have answered before introducing the change. The three questions are, “What is the change? Why is the change being made? How is the change going to affect me?” (“Managing change,” n.d., p. 1). Evaluation

Evaluation occurs on the predetermined schedule when the process is set in motion. Evaluation can be at predetermined dates or it can be a continuous process of checks and balances. This schedule should be predetermined and the necessary data is being recorded so that the results are available to check the progress of the changes or changes. Understanding the data will help the manager or leader determine if the change is making a difference or may need some adjustments. Conclusion

Managers have the continual task of making changes. Finding ways to include their staff in implementing changes and to decrease resistance with the staff is the manager’s challenge. Assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation are the four steps in the change process that managers need to address to help the changes flow easily with the staff. When managers can ask themselves the questions that are most relevant to the employees and have valid answers the implementation stage is likely to go smoother. Having a solid knowledge and understanding of the changes being made and the results that are needed will help the manager to easy their staff into a smooth change transition.

References

Chapman, A. (2014). Change management. Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm Cronkite, J. (n.d.). Why is leadership style important? Retrieved from www.dirigoconsulting.com How to manage organizational change. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.fortunegroup.com.au/managing-change-in-the-workplace Lawrence, P. R. (2014). How to Deal With Resistance to Change. Retrieved from
http://hbr.org/1969/01/how-to-deal-with-resistance-to-change/ar/1