Phases of Planned Change(Garima)

1) Unfreezing:
This is the first phase in implementing change. It consists of creating a strong enough desire for
changing the old, unwanted culture or behaviors. If the pain of doing the same unwanted
behaviors is not strong enough, there will be no desire felt within the organization to change. In
my experience, organization behavior evolves as a result of what is felt to get the perceived job
done, while expending the least amount of perceived effort to do it. Many times these methods
are not optimal and actually work against other goals and objectives. The change agents need
to make a strongly felt reason to change. Some examples might be the threat of closure due to
more efficient competitors, or better products that serve a need better.
2) Changing:
This second phase is where the new culture, behaviors, way to do things is put in place. It is
important that any infrastructure needed to support the new change be thought out and in
place. If this does not happen, the organization will resist the new change and will either fall
back to the old way or even a hybrid of the old and new ways that may be worse for the
organization. Many organizations do not do a good job at implementing new initiatives and the
employees become resistant to any and all new initiatives. This start/ stop can make
employees feel that the latest change will come and go as well, thus will not be supported. This
phase may require training in the new methods, new equipment, resources, etc It is
important that these be met.
3) Refreezing:
The third phase in the three step approach of Lewin is the Refreezing phase. This is the phase
where the new changes, behaviors, etc are made to be the new daily norms of the
organization. I have this referred to as standardize in the quality assurance field and this is
where you make the new behaviors part of the standard method of operating. Some effective
methods of doing this are by linking rewards to the new behaviors. I have experienced
companies that tie these types of things into regular reviews as well reinforcing it there as
well.
4) Organization change:
Organizational change can be one of the toughest tasks that leadership can face. People are
resistant to change by nature unless the need to change is strong enough. At times, company
management may have to create a situation (real or perceived by the workforce) to start the
process.

Change Strategies (Pavan)

Why do some people resist change and others embrace it?
Resisting Change
Fear of the unknown/surprise:This type of resistance occurs mainly when change is
implemented without warning the affected stakeholders before the change occurs. When change
(especially what is perceived as negative change) is pushed onto people without giving them
adequate warning and without helping them through the process of understanding what the
change will include and how their jobs/work will be affected, it can cause people to push back
against the change due to their fear of the unknown.

Mistrust:If the individuals in a department highly respect their manager because the manager
has built up trust over a period of time, the team will be more accepting of any changes. If the
manager is new and has not yet earned the trust of their employees (like my client), then mistrust
can manifest itself into resistance to change.
Loss of job security/control:This type of resistance often occurs when companies announce
they will be restructuring or downsizing. This causes fear among employees that they will lose
their jobs or be moved into other positions without their input.
Bad timing:As the old saying goes, Timing is everything. Heaping too much change on
employees over a short period of time can cause resistance. If change is not implemented at the
right time or with the right level of tact or empathy, it usually wont work.
An individuals predisposition toward change:Differences exist in peoples overall tolerance
for change. Some people enjoy change because it provides them with an opportunity to learn new
things and grow personally and professionally. Others abhor change because they prefer a set
routinethese are usually the people who become suspicious of change and are more likely to
resist.

Embracing Change
1.Personal Growth
You grow and learn new things every time something changes. You discover new insights about
different aspects of your life. You learn lessons even from changes that did not lead you to where
you wanted to be.
2.Flexibility
Frequent changes make you easily adapt to new situations, new environments, and new people.
As a result you do not freak out when something unexpectedly shifts.
3.Improvements
We all have things in our lives wed like to improvefinances, job, partner, house, etc. All of us
know that nothing willimprove by itself. We need to do things differently to make that happen.
Without change, thered be no improvements.
4.Life values
From time to time changes make you re-evaluate your life andlook at certain things from a
different perspective. Depending on what the change is, it may also reinforce your life values.
5.The Snowball Effect
Often we give up because we cannot accomplish the difficult task of making a huge and
immediate change. That is whensmall changesbecome extremely valuable. One shift at a time,
small changes will eventually lead you to the desired big one.
6.Strength
Not all changes lead you to pleasant periods of life. Unfortunately we do not live in fairy tale and
sad things happen, too. Overcoming the tough period will make you stronger.
7.Progress
Changes trigger progress. Things move forward and develop because of the them.
8.Opportunities
One never knows what each change may bring. When you turn from your usual path there will
be plenty of different opportunities waiting for you. Changes will bring new choices for
happiness and fulfillment.
9.New Beginnings

Each change is a turning page. It is about closing one chapter and opening another one. Changes
bring new beginnings and excitement to life.

Challenges of Technological Change(Luxna)

The Management
of new technology can be extremely difficult. If the decision of purchasing new technology is
down to you, do you buy now or wait for the next technological advance? Also, you have to
decide if the technology is really needed as some things can be expensive. Integrating the
technology into your workforce is another task in its self.
New Skills
may be needed to operate the new technology and so you will have to re-train your employees.
Maintenance
of the technology will be required to keep it efficient. More importantly, if it is a piece of
machinery on a production line: what if it breaks downwill it put a stop to all production?
Costs
are something that will be reduced if integrated properly. You have to consider if you have the
finance to purchase the technology in the first place. Secondly, if it is to replace employees, will
you have to issue redundancy pay?
Time
can be lost if you have to reorganize the workplace to set up the new technology. This could be
an important issue if your business works to tight deadlines. If you have a network of PCs (even
two) you will have to know something about computers to ensure quick evolvement of IT
issues.

Working Without New Technology

It may not be your business that uses the latest technology but in some way, your business will
still be affected by its introduction. Those who you have connections with may be integrating
new technology (example, suppliers) and therefore have a knock on effect onto your business.
There are literally hundreds of examples that can illustrate this, but to help you understand in the
simplest terms we will just outline the more general issues. For an extreme example, your
supplier may also be the manufacturer of your product, and by implementing the latest
technology it is making their costs much lower through increased efficiency. Although they may
keep their selling prices the same, if you have good relations, they may offer you their service at
a lower rate. Related to the example above, the delivery costs of stock/materials will be reduced
significantly due to the introduction of new technology such as better transport storage facilities.
f your business uses transport services to deliver your products to locations around the country,
than you will further benefit from this advance. If your competitors modernize their operations
and products/service with technological advances, this is where you can suffer. By making their
own operations more efficient through reduced costs and speed, they can offer their
products/service at lower prices which you may not be able to compete with. Also, little things
such as the packaging of their products with new lighter and stronger materials (example,
polystyrene) will give their product a significant advantage in the market.
What are some of the major reasons why big corporate changes fail? (Levi)

Reason for failure #1: Lack of knowledge

Many leaders know most of what it takes to lead change well. But theres a huge gap between what
they know and what they actually do. All that knowledge not being applied, all that talent not being
used costs organizations billions of dollars every year. Managers and leaders may know what needs to
be done to improve a corporation, but they fail to actually act upon their thoughts. They continue to
lead ineffectively. They make the same mistakes over and over. They never improve their game.

Reason for failure #2: Lack of skill and practice

A corporation may make drastic changes that require employees to do a completely different job than
what they were doing before. For example, a clothing business may choose to make their shirts out of
silk now, instead of cloth. The factory workers that need to make these new shirts may have never
worked with silk before, but are put in a position where they have to do a completely new job that
requires different skills. This can hinder production and ultimately business profit.

Reason for failure #3: Hidden conflicts working against change

Leaders dont share information for fear that employees cant handle the truth
Leaders feel it takes too long to involve others
Leaders believe delegating is a sign of weakness.
Self-limiting beliefs like these create conflicts between what a leader knows they should do, and what
they actually do. Without realizing why, they undermine their own plans. This can lead executives to
develop change management strategies that look good on paper, only to find theyve unconsciously set
up barriers that block their organizations from getting where they want to go.

Reason for failure #4: Culture working against change

Research shows that leaders of successful changes get people at all levels deeply involved by keeping
them in the loop, listening to their ideas, and encouraging them to take ownership for their part of the
change. Sadly, many organizations punish (or at least fail to recognize) the very behaviors that lead to
success.