RESEARCH PAPER

MANAGING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

HR PRESPECTIVE
• PRATIBHA *
• VANDANA *

Organizational change can be thought of as stretching the goals and

managing improving the way an organization thinks about and does its
work.

Typically, the concept of organizational change is in regard to organization-wide

change, as opposed to smaller changes such as adding a new person, modifying a
program, etc. Examples of organization-wide change might include a change in
mission, restructuring operations (e.g., restructuring to self-managed teams, layoffs,
etc.), new technologies, mergers, major collaborations, "rightsizing", new programs
such as Total Quality Management, re-engineering, etc.Organizational change is
defines as change that has an impact on the way work is performed with significant
effect like termination of employment. The elimination and diminution of job
opportunities and job tenure etc.

Nowadays its recession thus organizations are greatly focusing on their change
programs and have become increasingly demanding with regard to performance
outcomes. However stressful, to employ and effect their works and quality of life,
although beneficial to the organization. The key feathers are change in technology
change in marketing condition social change and political change and legal change
and to see how to involve people in change rather imposing on them. In context of
present scenario of tough business competition there is always a need felt for star
performers and outstanding personnel who have the vision to fetch the best result
for organization.

Thus these key features help to tackle the problem related to organization. As
the competition among companies is at all time high companies are brazing
themselves to changing situation by meeting customer demands in order to survive
they have to deal with change in all its dimensions technological personal an
organization to ensure success in the long run.
 Change is inevitable in every aspect of life an organization are no exception to
this. Business environment is changing fast as a response to evolving conditions
manager need to be tactful and resistance and push ahead.

When business environment is changing human resources functionaries can ill

afford to lag behind or remain static. Their role is getting increasingly complex,
dynamics, and challenging to say the least.

"People want change, they don't want to be changed."

A common definition used for change management is a set of processes that is
employed to ensure that significant changes are implemented in an orderly,
controlled and systematic fashion to effect organizational change. One of the goals
of change management is with regards to the human aspects of overcoming
resistance to change in order for organizational members to buy into change and
achieve the organization's goal of an orderly and effective transformation.

The ADKAR Model

Change management has been developed over a period of time and one of the
models that have played an influence in change management is the ADKAR model.
ADKAR was a model developed by Prosci. In this model, there are five specific
stages that must be realized in order for an organization or an individual to
successfully change. They include:

• Awareness - An individual or organization must know why a specific

change or series of changes are needed.
• Desire - Either the individual or organizational members must have the
motivation and desire to participate in the called for change or changes.
• Knowledge - Knowing why one must change is not enough; an individual
or organization must know how to change.
• Ability - Every individual and organization that truly wants to change must
implement new skills and behaviors to make the necessary changes happen.
• Reinforcement - Individuals and organizations must be reinforced to
sustain any changes making them the new behavior, if not; an individual or
organization will probably revert back to their old behavior.

10 PRINCIPLES TO MANAGE CHANGE

1. Address the “human side” systematically. Any significant transformation creates
“people issues.” New leaders will be asked to step up, jobs will be changed, new
skills and capabilities must be developed, and employees will be uncertain and
resistant. Dealing with these issues on a reactive, case-by-case basis puts speed,
morale, and results at risk.
2. Start at the top. Because change is inherently unsettling for people at all levels of
an organization, when it is on the horizon, all eyes will turn to the CEO and the
leadership team for strength, support, and direction. The leaders themselves must
embrace the new approaches first, both to challenge and to motivate the rest of the
institution.

3. Involve every layer. As transformation programs progress from defining strategy

and setting targets to design and implementation, they affect different levels of the
organization. Change efforts must include plans for identifying leaders throughout
the company and pushing responsibility for design and implementation down, so
that change “cascades” through the organization.

4. Make the formal case. Individuals are inherently rational and will question to
what extent change is needed, whether the company is headed in the right direction,
and whether they want to commit personally to making change happen.

5. Create ownership. Leaders of large change programs must overperform during

the transformation and be the zealots who create a critical mass among the work
force in favor of change. This requires more than mere buy-in or passive agreement
that the direction of change is acceptable.

6. Communicate the message. Too often, change leaders make the mistake of
believing that others understand the issues, feel the need to change, and see the new
direction as clearly as they do. The best change programs reinforce core messages
through regular, timely advice that is both inspirational and practicable.

7. Assess the cultural landscape. Successful change programs pick up speed and
intensity as they cascade down, making it critically important that leaders
understand and account for culture and behaviors at each level of the organization.

8. Address culture explicitly. Once the culture is understood, it should be addressed

as thoroughly as any other area in a change program. Leaders should be explicit
about the culture and underlying behaviors that will best support the new way of
doing business, and find opportunities to model and reward those behaviors.

9. Prepare for the unexpected. No change program goes completely according to

plan. People react in unexpected ways; areas of anticipated resistance fall away; and
the external environment shifts. Effectively managing change requires continual
reassessment of its impact and the organization's willingness and ability to adopt the
next wave of transformation.

10. Speak to the individual. Change is both an institutional journey and a very
personal one. People spend many hours each week at work; many think of their
colleagues as a second family. Individuals (or teams of individuals) need to know
how their work will change, what is expected of them during and after the change
program, how they will be measured, and what success or failure will mean for
them and those around them.

DEALING WITH ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

Individuals can reduce the impact of change and resulting stress by focusing on the
value to be gained. The following are some ways to help approach change with a
positive attitude:

Keep an open mind. Do not assume that the results of change will be negative.
Chang may be the best thing that ever happened to you.

Stay flexible. Be ready to let go of the old and try the new. Talking with colleagues
can help allay stress and foster a supportive environment.

Be supportive of colleagues. It is important that people recognize each other's

contributions on a regular basis and show appreciation for one another.

Take an active role in the change process. Learn new skills, offer suggestions, set
goals for yourself.

Give change a chance to work. Be patient; change takes time.

Ignore rumors. Instead, focus on gathering as many facts as you can about change.
Talk with your supervisor when you have questions.

Pay attention to yourself. It is important to learn to manage stress. People who feel
good mentally and physically are better able to handle change. Eat a nutritious diet,
get enough sleep, exercise, limit alcohol use and utilize relaxation/stress
management techniques (e.g., deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation), so
your body and mind are able to deal with change.

CHANGE STRATEGIES
These can be considered as the different strategies and procedures that are used to
categories the change environment. The relevance of different change strategies is
that they build upon different assumptions about human motivation and hence
willingness to engage in change at a particular point in time. Four differing views
are presented below. These strategies are not intended to be mutually exclusive.
Rather they may each be appropriate at a different stage of a particular change
process. Once the environment is identified, an effective implementation plan can
be composed.

Normative-re-educative strategy
This approach believes that changing the norms, attitudes and values of individuals
will lead to changes in their behaviors. (As such this strategy is the reverse of the
model Beer et al propose above.) It is based upon core beliefs, values and attitudes.
So change will occur as individuals change their attitudes and this leads them to
want to behave differently.

Rational-empirical strategy

This strategy is based on persuasion, and assumes that individuals are rational and
as such they will follow their own self-interest once this is made clear to them. The
benefits of a change therefore need to be highlighted and sold to the individuals as
being of personal benefit to them.

Power-coercive strategy

This strategy is based on the application of power, with the belief that most people
are compliant to those who have greater power. A potential issue with this process is
that once the power is removed, individuals may revert to previous behaviors.

Action-centered strategy

This focuses on problem solving, looking at problems and focussing on remedial

actions.

WHY IS CHANGE MANAGEMENT RELEVANT

Change management is relevant as though the research finds that change is taking
place at an ever-increasing pace, the evidence suggests that most change initiatives
fail. For example, recent CIPD research suggested that less than 60% of re-
organizations met their stated objectives which are usually bottom line
improvement. This is consistent with other published research.

The impact of failures to introduce effective change can also be high: loss of market
position, removal of senior management, loss of stakeholder credibility, loss of key
employees.

Finally, one organizational response to change is that organizational forms are

themselves evolving. Therefore, the change management response will have to be
adaptive. For example, the increased competitive challenges and the need to be
responsive to the changing environment are resulting in emerging organizational
models. Traditional organizational models following functional or matrix lines are
being supplemented by new models. These might rely on project teams, on
networks and on virtual structures.

In theory, certain of these newer models, for example virtual and project-based
structures, allow increased flexibility to respond to change. However such models
are not always introduced uniformly, and in practice often introduce other issues
that also impact upon change management, for example ability to share knowledge
and to operate efficiently. These may also impact effectiveness of communication or
employee commitment, which themselves have implications for change
effectiveness.

Recent CIPD research Managing across boundaries highlights how the move
towards network-based organizations means that HR managers must now consider
issues that exist across and outside the boundaries of the firm: they need to address
the concerns of cross-boundary human resource management. This requires the
development of a series of boundary spanning HRM practices which involve the
extension of practices which are traditionally used only for employees (that is,
individuals contracted to the organization) to these important people who are
outside the boundaries of the organization (that is, individuals contracted to a
different organization or self-employed but who deliver services within the
organization).

some CHANGE STYLES that may be appropriate:

• Collaborative - The target population are engaged in the change process,

typically through cascading workshops or meetings. They will be kept up to
date on the issues. Their views will be actively sought and acted upon.
Feedback will demonstrate how their input has been acted upon.
• Consultative - The target population is informed about the changes and
their views are sought.
• Directive - The workforce is informed about the changes and why those
changes are important.
• Coercive - The workforce is told that they must obey the new instructions.
GOOD AND BAD IMPACT ON EMOTIONAL
BEHAVIOUR

EIGHT STEPS TO TACKLE CHANGE:

• Establish a sense of urgency-Identifying and discussing crises, potential

crises or major opportunities.
• Forming a powerful guiding coalition-Assembling a group with enough
power to lead the change effort. Encouraging the group to work together as a
team.
• Creating a vision-Creating a vision to help guide the change effort.
 • Communicating the vision-Using every vehicle possible to convey the
vision to all people.
• Empowering others to act on the vision-Getting rid of obstacles to change
like the structure.
• Planning for and creating short term wins-Rewarding employees and
recognizing them.
• Consolidating improvements
• Institutionalizing new approaches

CHANGE MANAGEMENT METHODOLOGY

MANAGEMENT’S ROLE IN THE

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
In most cases, management's first responsibility is to identify processes or behaviors
that are not proficient and come up with new behaviors, processes, etc that are more
effective within an organization. Once changes are identified, it is important for
managers to estimate the impact that they will have to the organization and
individual employee on many levels including technology, employee behavior,
work processes, etc.

At this point management should assess the employee's reaction to an implemented

change and try to understand the reaction to it. In many cases, change can be
extremely beneficial with lots of positives; however certain changes do sometimes
produce a tremendous amount of resistance. It is the job of management to help
support workers through the process of these changes, which are at times very
difficult. The end result is that management must help employees accept change and
help them become well adjusted and effective once these changes have been
implemented.
HR’s role in change management
People management and development professionals have significant role to play in
any change management process. Arising from CIPD research, HR’s involvement in
certain areas was identified as sometimes being the difference between successful
and less successful projects:

• Involvement at the initial stage in the project team.

• Advising project leaders in skills available within the organization-
identifying any skills gaps, training needs, new posts, new working practices
etc.
• Balancing out the narrow/short-term goals with broader strategic needs.
• Assessing the impact of change in one area/department/site on another part
of the organization.
• Being used to negotiating and engaging across various stakeholders.
• Understanding stakeholder concerns to anticipate problems.
• Understanding the appropriate medium of communication to reach various
groups.
• Helping people cope with change, performance management and motivation.

EXAMPLE: HCL Case -

IT services firm HCL technologies has asked 450 employees at its Delhi and
Bangalore officers to quit. A majority of those axed were on the bench an HCL
technologies officials said that the company has sacked 400 people in Delhi and
another 50 in Bangalore in the last 1- 2 month. He said the firm had earlier asked
those on the bench – the buffer of employees kept for ramp – ups and new project to
face the prospects of being asked to leave the firm. Actually this move was linked to
the performance of employees. HCL follows a systematic process of performance
review at development, and the expectation of the organization is for employees to
meat the stringent performance standard.

* Hindustan institute of management and computer studies, Agra.