Question

Organizations, like all cultures, must continue to evolve or they stagnate and eventually become obsolete. Using change management tools can help an organization to stay vibrant and evolve over time to remain competitive. Research change management models, and address the following:

• Describe 2–3 change management models.
• What are the pros and cons of each model?

At least 1,000 words not including title or reference page!

Answer 1

answer-

Change Management is the term that is used to refer to the change or transitioning people, groups, companies and projects from one state to another. When this term is applied to businesses and projects, it may refer to a process of transitioning the scope of the project in such a way that it can meet changing requirements and objectives.

the models of change management are-

McKinsey 7 S Model

McKinsey 7-S framework or model is one of those few models that have managed to persist even when others came in and went out of trend. It was developed by consultants working for McKinsey & Company in the 1980s and features seven steps or stages for managing change.

Stages

• Strategy – Strategy is the plan created to get past the competition and reach the goals. This is the first stage of change according to McKinsey’s 7-S framework and involves the development of a step-by-step procedure or future plan.
• Structure – Structure is the stage or attribute of this model that relates to the way in which the organization is divided or the structure it follows.
• Systems – In order to get a task done, the way in which the day-to-day activities are performed is what this stage is related to.
• Shared values – Shared values refer to the core or main values of an organization according to which it runs or works.
• Style – The manner in which the changes and leadership are adopted or implemented is known as ‘style’.
• Staff – The staff refers to the workforce or employees and their working capabilities.
• Skills – The competencies as well as other skills possessed by the employees working in the organization.

Benefits of this model

• This model offers ways and methods to understand an organization and get a deep insight into the way it works.
• This model integrates both the emotional as well as the practical components of change that is something that is important to create ways to enable employees deal with transition easily.
• This model considers all parts to be important and equally worth addressing and thus does not leave out some aspects that may be of importance.
• This model also offers directional factor to organizational change.

Disadvantages of this model

• Since all the factors are interrelated and interdependent on one another, the failing of one part means failing of all and this is the greatest disadvantage of this model.
• This model is complex as compared to the others and differences are not focused upon in it.
• Organizations that have used this model have experienced more cases of failure, and this too can be considered as one negative associated with it.

3) Kotter’s change management theory

Kotter’s change management theory is one of the most popular and adopted ones in the world. This theory has been devised by John P. Kotter, who is a Harvard Business School Professor and author of several books based on change management. This change management theory of his is divided into eight stages where each one of them focuses on a key principle that is associated with the response of people to change.

Stages

• Increase urgency – This step involves creating a sense of urgency among the people so as to motivate them to move forward towards objectives.
• Build the team – This step of Kotter’s change management theory is associated with getting the right people on the team by selecting a mix of skills, knowledge and commitment.
• Get the vision correct – This stage is related to creating the correct vision by taking into account, not the just strategy but also creativity, emotional connect and objectives.
• Communicate – Communication with people regarding change and its need is also an important part of the change management theory by Kotter.
• Get things moving – In order to get things moving or empower action, one needs to get support, remove the roadblocks and implement feedback in a constructive way.
• Focus on short term goals – Focusing on short term goals and dividing the ultimate goal into small and achievable parts is a good way to achieve success without too much pressure.
• Don’t give up – Persistence is the key to success, and it is important not to give up while the process of change management is going on, no matter how tough things may seem.
• Incorporate change – Besides managing change effectively, it is also important to reinforce it and make it a part of the workplace culture.

Benefits of this model

• This is a step-by-step model that is easy to follow and incorporate.
• The main idea behind it is to accept the change and prepare for it rather than changing itself.

Disadvantages of this model

• Since it is a step-by-step model, no step can be skipped to reach the one after that.
• The entire process given in this model can be very time-consuming.

ADKAR model

ADKAR model or theory of change is a goal-oriented tool or model which makes it possible for the various change management teams to focus on those steps or activities that are directly related to the goals it wants to reach to. The goals, as well as the results derived and defined using this model, are cumulative and in a sequence. This means that while using this model, an individual must get each of the outcomes or results in a certain orderly fashion so that the change can be sustained and implemented. The model can be used by managers of change to find out the various holes or gaps in the process of change management so that effective training can be offered to the employees. The following are some of the things for which this model can be used:

• To provide help and support to employees to go through the process of change or transitioning while the change management is taking place.
• To diagnose and treat the resistance shown by employees towards change.
• To come up with a successful and efficient plan for the professional as well as personal improvements of employees during the change.

ADKAR Model basically stands for

• Awareness – of the need and requirement for change
• Desire – to bring about change and be a participant in it
• Knowledge – of how to bring about this change
• Ability – to incorporate the change on a regular basis
• Reinforcement – to keep it implemented and reinforced later on as well.

Benefits of ADKAR Model

• The model offers the capability of Identification and evaluation of the reasons why changes made are not working and why desired results are not being obtained.
• The model makes it possible for one to break the changes into different parts and then figure out the point where change may not be as effective as planned.
• It offers both business dimension of change as well as people dimension of change

There are several disadvantages associated with the model.

• It ignores program management and the need to provide clarity of direction and the steps that are needed to get to the final destination.
• It is better suited to smaller change initiatives. Only focussing on the people dimension isn’t enough to make large-scale change happen.

referneces-

Phillips, Julien R. (1983). "Enhancing the effectiveness of organizational change management". Human Resource Management. 22 (1–2): 183–99.

Hayes, John (2014). The Theory and Practice of Change Management. London: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-137-27534-9.

Kotter - Why Transformation Efforts Fail. HBR March-April 1995