Key Issues of Change Management (at the Executive Level)

Key Issues of Change Management (at the Executive Level)

The ability to manage organizational change at a high level has become a crucial skill for executives. The times of simply aiming for organizational continuity and predictable earnings growth are gone.
Changes in the external environment, like new technologies and ways of communication, globalization of competition, and also the demand for more transparency and responsibility, are putting a lot of pressure and demand for change on organizations and on their top managers. At the same time, large-scale organizational change is utterly complex and demanding. Academics have developed an impressive list of methods, tools and approaches to manage organizational change on an expert level.
Without diving too deep in the details of these instruments for professionals, what key guiding principles of managing change should executives and top managers always bear in mind?
I recommend executives to focus on the arguably 3 most difficult aspects of organizational change:

1. PEOPLE. Ultimately organizational change is all about humans. The human component is what makes any organizational change so complex, and will often determine if the change effort is successful or not. So select the very best people for the strategic change program and ensure all human aspects are planned and addressed early, carefully and systematically. Create and maintain involvement, participation and commitment of everyone and of all layers. More on Avoiding Resistance to Change.
2. COMMUNICATION. Never assume the reasons for the change and the best direction are clear to everyone. Explicitly plan the entire communication effort early on. And communicate and keep communicating regularly on multiple levels, using multiple channels and two-directional (top down and bottom-up). More on Communicating a Strategic Vision.
3. CULTURE. Company culture has multiple levels: explicit and implicit, visible and underlying. It involves things like shared history, values, beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, attitudes and behaviors. Because of these levels and aspects, culture is notoriously hard to change. That's why analyzing and addressing cultural aspects of the new ways of doing things is critical. Explicitly and continuously. More on Changing a Company Culture.

Source: Jones J., Aguirre D., and Calderone M., 2004, "10 Principles of Change Management - Tools and techniques to help companies transform quickly", strategy+business.

		Comments Sort by date Sort by rating Rating
		9 SAMUEL LUZOBE Consultant, Uganda
	Key Issues in Change Management The key questions people are asking during change management are: What is in it for me (likely b... Sign up

		3 Prof S P Garg Management Consultant, India
	Organization Culture and Change Management In my opinion, for sustainable organizational growth and to ensure the organizational change succeed... Sign up

		2 Niminye Amatus Manager
	Key Issues in Change Management The 3 questions outlined by @SAMUEL LUZOBE are very relevant and indeed are the most frequently aske... Sign up

		1 Allemeersch Interim Manager, Belgium
	Consistency in Purpose Everything said is correct. Important for the total process is that there is a consistency of the go... Sign up

		2 Justus Nyangau Business Consultant, Kenya
	Key Issues in Change Management People determine change. In reality the 3 issues are not independent; they are intertwined. Communic... Sign up

		1 eduardo oliva Professor, Mexico
	From Change Management to Change Promotion I tend to agree with most of the comments already made by my colleagues. What I would like to emphas... Sign up

		1 Justus Nyangau Business Consultant, Kenya
	From Change Management to Change Promotion I intend to have a contrary opinion with @eduardo oliva that “change cannot be managed”. You have we... Sign up

		1 Shawna-Lee Lawrence Entrepreneur, Jamaica
	Key Issues of Change I think change largely depends on PEOPLE, which has been conveyed through the steps to facilitate ch... Sign up

		3 Maurice Hogarth Consultant, United Kingdom
	Factors Affecting Successful Change Accepted Jaap. Consider: TECHNOLOGY, particularly AI, will be the key driver of change. PEOP... Sign up