Basics of Change
Change in and of itself can often be a scary word to hear. We as humans are creatures of habit. Once we setting into a routine be it at work, school, or home, we generally tend to comfortable with the status quo and do not change unless change is warranted. Change can be especially unsettling and disturbing to employees when companies and organizations undergo change. One misconception is that change is “bad”. Change itself is neither good nor bad, only the responses and outcomes of change can be considered good or bad. Change is inevitable and necessary because without change organizations would be left behind and loose their competitive advantages. This is no more so than in today’s technological age. New products and innovations come onto the market quicker than ever before. Some companies are able to cut costs and produce a better, cheaper product by taking advantage of the latest technology. Those companies who are unwilling or unable to keep up generally do not last very long in today’s market. There are many aspects of change including the planning, implementation, and managing thereof. We can also set a more specific, personal example in motion.
Planning and Possible Outcomes
First, lets discuss different possible outcomes to change and how to manage them. The first step in any change initiative would be to plan, plan, plan. One must understand however that no matter how much planning you do, kinks will always come up. Leaders and plan makers sometimes have difficulty in letting go and being willing to alter their initial plans and go with the flow. This leads to the prime example of employees negative response to change. Change is best followed when set by example. Instead of the leaders and plan makers sending down “do this” plans, they should come and lead by their personal example. I feel change should always occur from the top down, but so many times companies expect large scale changes from its hourly associates up. Bottom...