1. What is change management?

Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change both from the
perspective of an organization and the individual.
Successful adaptation to change is as crucial within an organization as it is in the natural
world. Just like plants and animals, organizations and the individuals in them inevitably
encounter changing conditions that they are powerless to control. Adaptation might
involve establishing a structured methodology for responding to change requests in the
business environment or establishing coping mechanisms for responding to changes in
the workplace (such as new policies, or technologies).
Change management is an important part of project management. The project manager
must examine the proposed change and determine the effect the change will have on the
project as a whole before allowing the change request to be implemented.

2. What are benefits of change management in terms of organization and

individual?
Benefits of Change Management for the Organization:
A. Change is a planned and managed process. The benefits of the change are known
before implementation and serve as motivators and assessment of progress.
B. The organization can respond faster to customer demands benefits of change
management employee
C. Helps to align existing resources within the organization
D. Change management allows the organization to assess the overall impact of a
change
E. Change can be implemented without negatively effecting the day to day running
of business
F. Organizational effectiveness and efficiency is maintained or even improved by
acknowledging the concerns of staff
G. The time needed to implement change is reduced
H. The possibility of unsuccessful change is reduced
I. Employee performance increases when staff feel supported and understand the
change process
J. Increased customer service and effective service to clients from confident and
knowledgeable employees
K. Change management provides a way to anticipate challenges and respond to these
efficiently
L. An effective change management process lowers the risk associated with change
M. Managed costs of change: change management helps to contain costs associated
with the change
N. Increased return on investment (ROI)

O. Creates an opportunity for the development of "best practices", leadership

development, and team development

Benefits of Change Management for Individuals:

I.
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IV.
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VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.

Effective change management supports a smooth transition from the old to the
new while maintaining morale, productivity, and even company image
Provides management and staff support for concerns regarding changes
An efficient change management process creates the correct perception of the
change for staff and public
Helps to plan efficient communication strategies
One of the benefits of change management is that it minimizes resistance to
change
Improves morale, productivity and quality of work
Improves cooperation, collaboration and communication
A carefully planned approach to change reduces stress and anxiety and
encourages people to stay loyal to the organization
Increased employee acceptance of the change
Personal loss/gain to individuals is acknowledged and addressed
Change management reduces disruptive aspects and emphasises positive
opportunities in the change process.

3. What are the change management models?

While there are many change management models, most companies will choose at least one
of the following three models to operate under:
1. Lewins Change Management Model
2. McKinsey 7-S Model
3. Kotters 8 Step Change Model
Lewins Change Management Model
This change management model was created in the 1950s by psychologist Kurt Lewin.
Lewin noted that the majority of people tend to prefer and operate within certain zones of
safety. He recognized three stages of change:
1. Unfreeze Most people make an active effort to resist change. In order to overcome this
tendency, a period of thawing or unfreezing must be initiated through motivation.

2. Transition Once change is initiated, the company moves into a transition period, which may
last for some time. Adequate leadership and reassurance is necessary for the process to be
successful.
3. Refreeze After change has been accepted and successfully implemented, the company
becomes stable again, and staff refreezes as they operate under the new guidelines.

While this change management model remains widely used today, it is takes time to implement.
Of course, since it is easy to use, most companies tend to prefer this model to enact major
changes.
McKinsey 7-S Model
The McKinsey 7-S model offers a holistic approach to organization. This model, created by
Robert Waterman, Tom Peters, Richard Pascale, and Anthony Athos during a meeting in 1978,
has 7 factors that operate as collective agent of change:
1. Shared values
2. Strategy
3. Structure
4. Systems
5. Style
6. Staff
7. Skills
The McKinsey 7-S Model offers four primary benefits:
1. It offers an effective method to diagnose and understand an organization.
2. It provides guidance in organizational change.

3. It combines rational and emotional components

4. All parts are integral and must be addressed in a unified manner.

The disadvantages of the McKinsey 7-S Model are:

1- When one part changes, all parts change, because all factors are interrelated.
2- Differences are ignored.
3- The model is complex.
4- Companies using this model have been known to have a higher incidence of failure.
5- See more at: http://quickbase.intuit.com/blog/2012/08/28/three-types-of-change-managementmodels/#sthash.0X45i3Ah.dpuf

Eight-Step Change Management Process

the steps of Kotter's change management approach.

Step 1: Urgency Creation

A change is only successful if the whole company really wants it. If you are planning to
make a change, then you need to make others want it. You can create urgency around what
you want to change and create hype.This will make your idea well received when you start
your initiative. Use statistics and visual presentations to convey why the change should take
place and how the company and employees can be at advantage.

Step 2: Build a Team

If your convincing is strong, you will win a lot of people in favour of change. You can now
build a team to carry out the change from the people, who support you. Since changing is
your idea, make sure you lead the team. Organize your team structure and assign
responsibilities to the team members. Make them feel that they are important within the
team.

Step 3: Create a Vision

When a change takes place, having a vision is a must. The vision makes everything clear to
everyone. When you have a clear vision, your team members know why they are working on
the change initiative and rest of the staff know why your team is doing the change.

Step 4: Communication of Vision

Deriving the vision is not just enough for you to implement the change. You need to
communicate your vision across the company.
This communication should take place frequently and at important forums. Get the
influential people in the company to endorse your effort. Use every chance to
communicate your vision; this could be a board meeting or just talking over the lunch.

Step 5: Removing Obstacles

No change takes place without obstacles. Once you communicate your vision, you will
only be able to get the support of a fraction of the staff. Always, there are people, who
resist the change.
Sometimes, there are processes and procedures that resist the change too! Always watch
out for obstacles and remove them as soon as they appear. This will increase the morale
of your team as well the rest of the staff.

Step 6: Go for Quick Wins

Quick wins are the best way to keep the momentum going. By quick wins, your team
will have a great satisfaction and the company will immediately see the advantages of
your change initiative.
Every now and then, produce a quick win for different stakeholders, who get affected by
the change process. But always remember to keep the eye on the long-term goals as well.

Step 7: Let the Change Mature

Many change initiatives fail due to early declaration of victory. If you haven't
implemented the change 100% by the time you declare the victory, people will be
dissatisfied when they see the gaps.
Therefore, complete the change process 100% and let it be there for sometime. Let it
have its own time to get integrated to the people's lives and organizational processes
before you say it 'over.'

Step 8: Integrate the Change

Use mechanisms to integrate the change into people's daily life and corporate culture.
Have a continuous monitoring mechanism in place in order to monitor whether every
aspect of the change taking place in the organization. When you see noncompliance, act
immediately.

4. What is The Role of Communication in Change Initiatives?

The Role of Communication in Change Initiatives:
Communication is a key to develop change initiatives and implementing them. Communication
can serve many functions during change initiatives.3
Information sharing: Communication may be used to announce organizational
changes and to provide stakeholders with information about the nature, timing, and
significance of the change.
Participation: Change agents may create communication processes that actively
involve lower-level employees in the planning and implementation of change initiatives
or may construct communication processes that emphasize the role of upper-level
management and limit lower-level participation.
Vision and Motivation: Communication can be utilized to convey the vision, set the
goals, and highlight the important drivers for changing existing organizational attitudes,
beliefs, and practices.

 Social Support: Change efforts can produce high-levels of anxiety, and communication
may be needed to determine employee responses to change, alleviate potential fears, and
encourage the establishment of social support systems among employees.
Evaluation/Feedback: Change efforts require the structuring of communication
processes that provide employees feedback about their performance during change
initiatives and provide feedback to implementers regarding strengths and weaknesses of
the change initiative.

5. What are the disadvantages of change in an organization?

The Disadvantages of Change in an Organization:
Change in business is good, but it's seldom easy and can often be expensive. Managers
are often drawn to change by imagining the possibilities and positive impact it can have
on their organization. Before launching an idea, however, spend a little time wrestling
with the costs and disadvantages also a part of the change.
Change Might Not Equal Progress
Many companies emphasize a culture of continuous improvement. While never being
satisfied with the status quo can drive excellence in your organization, there is some
wisdom in the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Mistaking change for progress is
similar to the common problem of mistaking activity for productivity. Every organization
can be improved, no matter how well it is performing, but a manager should always ask
the question, "How is this proposed change going to improve my organization's ability to
achieve our key goals?"
Cost-to-Benefit Ratio
Change is never free. Changing the oil in your car takes time and materials, which cost
money. Changing the phone system in your building costs time, money and training.
Every change also has opportunity cost; spending your equipment budget on new
computers means you have to wait to upgrade the phones. And there are intangible costs
such as morale and customer satisfaction during the adjustment period. Determine
whether the cost of a change is outweighed by the benefit that change will create.
Internal Resistance
According to an article by organizational change expert Garrison Wynn, the top two
reasons people resist change are lack of knowledge about coming changes and fear of the
unknown. You can expect some level of resistance to any change, no matter how small or
how much benefit it might promise. The key tools for managing this problem are
complete, honest, and timely communication with your work force, clear communication
of the value of the change, and patience with your team as they go through an inevitable
adjustment phase.

 Choosing the Wrong Solution

Organizations often initiate change because they have a problem that needs to be solved.
But it's dangerous to assume you know the root cause of a problem and implement a
solution prematurely. Sometimes management doesn't sufficiently investigate the true
cause of a problem, the stakeholders affected by the solution, and potential unintended
consequences of change. This approach creates all the costs of change without the
intended benefit, plus it can create problems in areas that were functioning properly. Two
of the best tools for avoiding this costly mistake are a "5-why" analysis that helps
pinpoint the root cause of a problem, and Design of Experiments, a statistical method of
testing potential solutions before they are implemented.