Change in Organizations
July 25, 2024
Change can be scary, especially in our organizations. However, change and development are necessary for an organization to grow and to have continued success.
There are a variety of reasons why an organization may need to change and develop, but identifying the needed change — and guiding the entity through the change process — is largely the responsibility of leaders. Failure to manage change effectively has been the top reason for the ousting of CEOs. Leaders must be effective change agents!
If you have identified a need for change in your organization, there are several strategies that can help with the process.
Change implementation usually progresses through a three-phase model of change: unfreezing the organization, moving (making the change), and refreezing the organization to establish the new normal. Unfreezing is important because organizational members need to know that a change is going to happen, along with what the change will be and why it is important. Additionally, team members need to know how the change will benefit them and the organization. Next, leaders must make the change, or changes, while realizing the effects change has on team members. Simultaneously, leaders must ensure that others are committed to the change; if an entity goes through a change process but no one is committed to the change, the process won’t be successful. Finally, refreezing the organization into the new normal is important to solidify the change.
While change can be nerve-wracking, it is a key part of organizational growth. The most vital aspects to a successful change process is ensuring that leaders (a) understand their employees’ unique perspectives on change implementation and (b) enable those employees to take an empowered approach toward adapting to the change. By using a three-phase model of change, and by enabling managers to help employees through the process, leaders can ensure that their organizations are successful in changing and developing.Change can be scary, especially in our organizations. However, change and development are necessary for an organization to grow and to have continued success.
There are a variety of reasons why an organization may need to change and develop, but identifying the needed change — and guiding the entity through the change process — is largely the responsibility of leaders. Failure to manage change effectively has been the top reason for the ousting of CEOs. Leaders must be effective change agents!
If you have identified a need for change in your organization, there are several strategies that can help with the process.
Change implementation usually progresses through a three-phase model of change: unfreezing the organization, moving (making the change), and refreezing the organization to establish the new normal. Unfreezing is important because organizational members need to know that a change is going to happen, along with what the change will be and why it is important. Additionally, team members need to know how the change will benefit them and the organization. Next, leaders must make the change, or changes, while realizing the effects change has on team members. Simultaneously, leaders must ensure that others are committed to the change; if an entity goes through a change process but no one is committed to the change, the process won’t be successful. Finally, refreezing the organization into the new normal is important to solidify the change.
While change can be nerve-wracking, it is a key part of organizational growth. The most vital aspects to a successful change process is ensuring that leaders (a) understand their employees’ unique perspectives on change implementation and (b) enable those employees to take an empowered approach toward adapting to the change. By using a three-phase model of change, and by enabling managers to help employees through the process, leaders can ensure that their organizations are successful in changing and developing.
Martins, L. L. (2011). Organizational change and development. In S. Zedeck (Ed.), APA handbook of industrial and organizational psychology, Vol. 3. Maintaining, expanding, and contracting the organization (pp. 691–728). American Psychological Association.
Change in Organizations was originally published in Horizon Performance on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
