Change management

Under Change Management [- ˌ mænædʒmənt ] (English change management ) can all tasks, measures and activities summarized that a comprehensive, cross-sectoral and content, far-reaching change - to bring in an organization - to implement new strategies, structures, systems, processes or behaviors. With the pursuit of changes to products, the change management is concerned.

Temporal changes of change management

The origin of the change management goes back to the organizational development in the U.S. of the thirties of the 20th century. The scientists Roethlisberger and Mayo led within the framework of research to increase performance by experiments in the works of Western Electric. They discovered that the observed performance of the employees was more strongly influenced by the attention paid to the employee than by changes in working conditions.

By Kurt Lewin further investigations were carried out in the forties. The pioneering theory of Lewin (1947, 1958) employed in the context of organizational theory with the phases of change. While Lewin content does not enter into its phases on individual steps of the management during a change, John P. Kotter has identified eight phases of change management. After Kotter these phases are critical part of a change management and must be respected by every change manager.

Phases of the change process by Kurt Lewin

Thawing ( unfreezing )

Starting point of the first phase is the realization that the expectations no longer correspond to reality. The need for a change occurs slowly as a way into the consciousness and old behavior is called into question. If we add now the certain and necessary flexibility, a willingness for change can occur. The general objective of this phase is to strengthen the forces striving for change and support and so to induce a change in consciousness. Unfreezing stands figuratively for the thawing of the existing ( frozen ) equilibrium or the previously reached state, which may have been caused, in turn, also from a previous change process.

Phase of movement (moving )

In the second phase, the moving or alteration phase, solutions are generated to try out new behaviors and the problem is solved in sub-projects. The status quo is left and there will be a changing movement performed to a new equilibrium.

Freezing phase ( refreezing )

The aim of the third phase, the re - freezing, is the implementation of solutions found and thus the at least provisional closure of the change process. After the episode schema of Lewin require carried out changes in the stabilization and must be frozen for long-term integration into the overall system again. The new state of equilibrium is to be protected and stabilized before the force of habit. Conclusion: From "new" do " old " in the positive sense of the known, familiar and functioning.

Expansion of the phases of the change process

The three phases according to Lewin ( unfreezing, moving and refreezing ) can be extended to three learning and reflection stages: action, observing and reflecting.

In addition, consideration should be given continuously if the originally stated purpose is still valid, or whether a substantive change of the target by the generated information is necessary.

The process of change is thus itself the subject of change. The contents of the change into the background. The control of the change is an iterative feedback process using the information generated in the above-mentioned three learning and reflection stages.

Phases of the change process by John P. Kotter

• Mediate sense of urgency
• Build leadership coalition
• Develop vision and strategy
• Communicate vision
• Remove obstacles out of the way
• Make short-term successes visible
• Driving change on, do not let up
• Anchor changes in the (corporate) culture

Organizational Framework

Supports was this process of change - formerly regular than today - by so-called change agents in the guide. These so-called policy implementers were trained in relevant ( for change management ) areas, such as conflict management, project management, coaching and communication techniques and were exclusively responsible for change projects. In the further changes were then supported by so-called change teams (change teams ).

The skills of change agents are among the competencies that are expected of leaders. Nevertheless, external consultants are involved in practice again and again because they have more distance to the sensitivities of individual participants and supervisors so that can be brought out of the " line of fire ".

In companies that use the Kaizen principle, be observed that the management of change, more and more diffused in the daily responsibilities of managers and employees in the business world and change agents or teams are used less frequently. Contributed to this process of transition to the organization since the 1990s, which allows to permanently carry out some limited adjustments, which often take the place of large restructuring. Thus, as defined by Lewin phases of change processes are not separable; in particular the condition of freezing the organization and thus the stabilization of newly learned routines is often no longer accessible.

But even in the case of strategic change ( through mergers and acquisitions, new strategic business opportunities, etc.) it is found that the timescales for change processes more closely and the pauses between change processes are becoming ever shorter.

Change management is not a fad

If one understands the concept of fashion as a time-limited relevance of a topic and you can see the management literature in recent decades by critical, it can be seen that there were several concepts propagated in different waves. Tags such as Lean Management, Business Process Reengineering, TQM or core competence management are now management classics that are well known, but are partially already forgotten.

Ex post can now find the following four things in common:

Looking at the respective modes just as usable abstract methods, or simply as a manufacturable product (service), then you can support the statement that the concepts just follow the product life cycle model and therefore will eventually exceed the zenith and to be replaced.

Change management is often proposed as a temporary and therefore also a fashion model lying under or as a single - viewed project - fast lockable. But since today as hardly debatable is that companies must undergo a constant change in order to be successful long term in the market, it is the change management just not a fad, but primarily to the professional implementation of currently developed and currently marketed concepts. The accusation of change management as a fashion can therefore only relate to the content design.

Support processes of change

Man as a " creature of habit " faces usually changes skeptical. Changes are associated with uncertainty about the future and can be perceived as threats and risks. To overcome these obstacles, the model of transformational leadership is recommended more often.

In modern project management of this attitude of man is taken into account. Sufferers ( engl. stakeholders) are preparing early for the upcoming changes through comprehensive and appropriate information ( " Change Communication "). A change management in this sense may include information and training. Representatives intentioned sustainable change processes advocate clearly for the earliest possible involvement of the stakeholders.

In order to give affected employees the necessary security in the process. The greater the security, the greater the change to the standby. If this willingness is not produced, resistances from the workforce can bring the project to failure.

Fast integration is a crucial factor. In the models for change management while several stages occur depending on the authors: time sequentially, sometimes simultaneously, sometimes iteratively. Sometimes there are three phases, sometimes four to twelve phases. It involves logical step sequences and not chronological sequences.

The development of the Theory of Constraints ( theory of constraints ) allows the company through systematic monitoring, the easy and efficient to accompany seven steps of a change process / project. Due to the methodological support of the company is given the opportunity to make this discipline for the company also learned. This means that changes are also improvements and also in the whole organization can be reproduced again and again. The change in assets of a company is now one of the most important factors for success.

Comparison of important approaches

According to the different purposes of change there are a variety of approaches to change management - the " one-size- fits-all " is past. In practice, as the purpose and appropriate approaches mainly occur:

In the comparison of these approaches their different assumptions, criteria for success and strengths are clear:

The persons entrusted with the monitoring of change processes ( internal and external ) consultant based in most cases on just one of these approaches and add instruments other approaches depending on the counseling situation added. An interesting link provides the consulting approach of ego development, the transfer to a organizational level, the stages of development of managers as pulse controller and companions implementation of change processes, gives a crucial role in the performance and the continued success of organizational transformation.