Organisational Change
by Damien Clarke 
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Top 5 mistakes made by organisations when implementing
change
With the rapid changes in technology and globalization the past
decade has seen organisations of all types undergo change more
than ever before. The experiences of other organisations that
have undergone change initiatives large and small serve to
teach us about what works and what doesn’t work when trying to
introduce and implement change. Though varying sources stress
competing factors as critical to the success or failure of
these initiatives, certain underlying themes are common among
theories. In this case, we examine the “don’ts” of implementing
change in an organisation. Outlined below are the five most
common mistakes made by organisations when introducing a change
implementation program and tips for how to avoid these
pitfalls.
1. Not Building a Task Force
One of the biggest mistakes senior management makes when
introducing change is to assume that key management will back
the proposed effort. Not developing a team dedicated to the
introduction and implementation of change puts more pressure on
the key drivers. Moving too fast without winning over adequate
support from the organisation’s leadership may cause conflict
and confusion down the road. Top leaders must recruit and work
with a team strategically formed to introduce and implement
change. This team must be made up of influential leaders. The
members should be individuals who are known for exhibiting
strong relationship management skills as well as task
management skills. The chosen task force will be crucial in
encouraging adoption of change by staff members at all levels.
Even after forming a designated task force and ensuring lower
level management is on board, change leaders must remain
personally involved and committed to the effort. It is
important to remain enthusiastic and positive about the
organisation’s goals and aligning one’s thoughts and actions to
support the transformation process to the end.
2. Assuming Responses to Change Will be Unanimous
If you have been reading about change management, you have
undoubtedly come across the notion that staff members are
likely to approach change with fear and resistance. These are
common themes in a litany of challenges organisations facing
change must strive to overcome. Even so, you mustn’t make the
mistake of thinking that everyone feels the exact same way. It
is a common mistake to assume that everyone within an
organisation will be on the same page (on one end of the
spectrum or the other) when it comes to change. Even fear and
resistance, which are common in transformation scenarios,
exhibit themselves to varying degrees in individuals.
Since individuals adopt change at different rates, evaluate who
your early adopters (those likely to accept and embrace new
concepts, technologies, etc.) are and leverage them in your
strategy to execute change, while patiently nurturing those who
are slower to accept change. Consider inducting some early
adopters into your change coalition and enlist their help in
influencing others and encouraging them to open up to new ideas
and ways of doing things.
3. Not Providing Enough Face Time
This mistake relates to changing employees behaviours versus
shifting their attitude or improving their knowledge. The
ultimate goal is to change the actions of employees. Improving
knowledge or attitudes is chiefly a means to that end. As the
cliché says, “actions speak louder than words.” Behaviour is
impacted by one-on-one communication and counseling. Group
training sessions, mass communications and computer-based
information transmissions are excellent ways of improving
knowledge, but not such excellent ways of changing actions and
behaviours.
One of the key mistakes made by organisations when implementing
change is assuming that disseminating knowledge alone is
adequate in executing change. By focusing solely on
communicating new ideas within the organisation en masse,
leaders are neglecting the type of communication that
effectively shifts behaviour patterns. Honest, open,
interpersonal dialogues are more effective in changing
behaviour. This is where your organisation’s change task force
can make a big impact. Though these types of communication
require greater effort, they are more effective in affecting
change.
4. Not Sticking to the Vision
Once the decision to change has been made, the change coalition
recruited, and the need for change communicated, you may feel
that you’re on your way to a successful transformation. A
common mistake made by organisations when implementing change
is not defining, communicating, and sticking to a clear vision
for what direction the necessary change must take. Even when a
clear vision is defined and communicated in the early stages of
change, often times leaders get sidetracked and fail to
integrate and align all initiatives to be consistent with said
vision. Management and staff at all levels must continuously
analyze whether projects and activities are consistent with the
overarching goals of the organisation.
5. Failing to Plan Small Successive Successes
An important part of sticking to the vision is to create
opportunities to achieve smaller goals along the way. These
small successes will not only work directly toward achieving
the desired change, but will create positive feelings of
accomplishment and the drive to pursue the next goal.
Overlooking the value of setting small, attainable
stepping-stone goals makes organisations miss opportunities to
motivate staff and make change enjoyable and rewarding. Not
defining clear milestones toward the desired change can make
the end result seem far off and unattainable.
If you’re in the beginning stages of the change process, you’ll
be well prepared to avoid the mistakes that others have made.
If your organisation has already been on the road to
transformation for a while, you may or may not have experienced
these issues firsthand. No matter which stage of the change
process your organisation is in, it is never too late to
consider the dangerous pitfalls that may sabotage your
efforts.
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