Blog: HR Periscope

Change is now very much a part of corporate live. Unfortunately, change made with the very best of intentions, is ill received and goes wrong.

According to Machiavelli, “There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institutions, and merely lukewarm defenders in those who should gain by the new one”.

I would like to outline some of the reasons why change fails, which automatically lead to ways in which they can possibly be avoided.

Purpose of Change

Many times organisations decide to go through change programmes because they are aware that other organisations have done so. The mistake they make is that they don’t investigation to ensure that that the changes are specifically relevant to them. Under such circumstances, they often don’t tend to have a clear vision for the outcome.

Lack of planning and preparation

Another mistake that organisations make in change programmes is that they often omit to take time to plan and prepare for change programmes before they commence. This means that they have not taken outcome of the different steps involved in a change programme and are therefore unprepared for some crucial steps in the programme.

Unrealistic Timescales

Linked the a lack of planning and preparation is often unrealistic timescales whereby organisations pick a date for the implementation of change based on another activity within the organisation without taking the time to ensure that it is practical to implement the change within the required timescales. As such, I always question the logic for the timescales of a project and the implication of not making the changes within the specified timescales.

The legacy of previous change

A key problem with rushed projects is that things are not done problem. This leads to a poor foundation for the next project and a lack of confidence.

The way we do things around here

Every organisation has it culture and way of doing things, but during times of change it is important to doing things in a manner that will lead to the best results, even if it deviates from the norm.

Poor communication & Involvement

Doing things differently logically leads onto the issues of poor communication and the need to involve the right people. It is important to ensure that representatives of the key stakeholders are involved in all stages of the project. This provides the opportunity for the various issues that may arise due to a change to be taking into account. As such, “the way in which things are done” can be considered and issues relating to changing them can be dealt with.

It is important to also communicate with all employees within the organisation that the change is taking place.

Employee Resistance

One of the biggest frustrations during organisation change is employee frustration. This is can, however, be minimised, if not totally eliminated by keeping employees up to date with the changes as mentioned above. This does not have to be detailed, but it should be open, regular communication, ensuring that employees are involved of the planned changes and the milestones to be achieved/achieved. Employee resistance is also minimised when employees are given the opportunity to provide feedback on their views and concerns regarding the change.

Ill-prepared employees

This all links into the issue of employees being ill-prepared for the change, which loops back to them resisting change.

Susan Popoola
Conning Towers
Human Resources Consultancy
Leveraging the Power of People

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Labels: Change Management, Transformation