What happens when an organization’s leadership changes with a different management style, expectations, or cultural norms? How can you identify the stages of major change and best respond to the confusion around you? The answer depends upon three factors: What were the expectations, management style and culture beforehand, what is it changing to, and what do you need to do to succeed?
Some people need a great deal of direction and supervision in order to perform to expectations. Many others need a lot less hands-on direction. For some employees, a heavy-handed manager will cause their performance to deteriorate. Effective management must complement and support the needs of all members of the work group. Results of the entire unit may deteriorate with the wrong kind of leadership. You need a simple analytical tool to help assess what’s going on around you.
Major change, if communicated and managed well, can be implemented with a minimal amount of confusion, angst or performance decline. On the other hand, a lack of planning, engagement and coordinated effort can lead to a series of performance deteriorations with a loss of energy and momentum. Here are some thoughts about the management of change within an organization and its impact on the individual. It’s a simple diagnostic tool to identify the stages of change so you are ahead of everyone else.
In an organization where top management is clumsy, non-communicative and insensitive to the needs and feelings within the organization, the results can lead to a meltdown of performance. These are the stages of organizational change:
STAGE-I: RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
STAGE-II: CONFUSION AS TO THE DIRECTION OR LEADERSHIP OF THE UNIT
STAGE-III: STRUCTURAL INTEGRATION
STAGE-IV: COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY, or if not managed well, RESISTANCE AND CONFUSION (back to Stage l and ll)
Given a situation where the mind-set within an organization remains unchanged at STAGE-I, chaos, politics and a lack of productivity can exist for a very long time.
Individuals, on the other hand, will behave in different ways depending upon such factors as the chance of survival, competence, marketability, and so on. If you understand these stages and are flexible in your approach, you can manage each step in an appropriate manner and move performance and productivity more rapidly to a higher level. The following are common stages that the majority of individuals will move through:
STAGE I: SHOCK/DENIAL- (This can’t be happening to ME/ us !!)
STAGE II: ANGER- (Who do they think they are!!!)
STAGE III: DEFENSIVENESS/ DEPRESSION- (I don’t know if I want to do this)
STAGE IV: RATIONALIZATION – Maybe it won’t be that bad if …)
STAGE V: ACCEPTANCE- (This may turn out better than I originally thought)
Change can be positive or negative depending upon your attitude and how the change process is being managed. You control how you view and manage the change progression. Understanding what is going on around you is the first step.
For a FREE critique of your resume, send it to: wkaufmann44@gmail.com