Change Management Essay -- Change Changing Essays

Change Management "Toto, I’ve got a feeling that we’re not in Kansas any more." Dorothy, Wizard of Oz Over the past few decades, large-scale organizational change has become a way of life in American business. Many organizational changes, however, have failed to deliver promises of increased productivity and morale, decreased costs, decreased waste , and increased customer satisfaction. A common theme among these failures is a lack of understanding of the power of the collective human system to obstruct the progress of initiatives. The result has been to reinforce fear, defensiveness, and cynicism among workers toward change efforts (Dooley, 1998). Failure of an organizational change for businesses has both short term and long term consequences. Direct short term implications to a failure of an effective organizational change means that objectives are not achieved and resources, including money, time and people, are wasted. Indirectly, morale suffers, job security is threatened and confidence in leadership diminishes. Over the long haul, a failure of change means that business strategies are not accomplished, resistance to change increases and the organization’s survival is threatened (Wakulczyk, 1995). It is normal for people to feel resistant to change and today’s new technology, new tools, and new applications mean big change. Not everyone reacts to change the same way. Some people are always looking for better, more efficient ways of doing things. Others long for the good old days of clearly defined jobs and responsibilities. Some people want to get moving with whatever is new right away. Still others fight any change that conflicts in any way with their values or threatens the welfare of anyone around th... ... have it. Courtesy is even better. A well-paid compliment can buy gratitude. A sincere "Thank you" can earn respect. References Department of Defense ( ___ ). Business Process Reengineering and Organizational Change. Business Process Reengineering (BPR) Fundamentals. Available www.dtic.mil/c3i/bprcd/7223c7.htm Dooley, Jeff (1998). A Whole-Person/Systemic Approach to Organization Change Management. Available www.well.com/user/dooley/change.pdf Kramlinger, Tom (1998). How to deliver a change message. Training & Development, 52 (4), pp. 44-47. Wakulczyk, Marek (1995). Change Management. Presentation to 9 Wing Canadian Forces Base, Gander, Newfoundland. Available www.smallbear.com/chngemgt/index.htm Wasson, Teresa (1996). Pensacola editor shares tips on managing change. Pensacola News Journal. Available www.gannett.com/go/newswatch/96/nw0407-2.htm