Change Management Reflection

My experience in Change Management is very limited. The theoretical knowledge I have acquired during the first four weeks of this module has made me realize that transforming organizations is a difficult and complex task. I have read case studies mentioning the unique contribution of change leaders whose role is to talk to people’s hearts and minds. I have also understood how important is to reconcile conflicting interests and emergent tensions between top-down transformation initiatives and functional operations. Despite the widespread belief that managing change is tough, there is little agreement regarding the factors which influence change the most. Different case studies and research papers name different factors critical for change success.

That requires a thorough analysis of the expected benefits in relation to the degree of business change. A change that affects the entire organization would have the potential to increase business revenue substantially. As change grows in cost and complexity, the higher will be the scope of change and, subsequently, different strategies should be introduced.

Once the degree of change is determined, a suitable delivery program for the organization should guide all change effort. The program can proceed if all agents pivotal to the success of the change are engaged and a clear and concise vision for the future has been developed.

Once the change model is in place, it is time to define the structure of change. Senior leaders should provide a clear path for communications and responsibility at each level. At this point I have realised that Change management is not an alternative to project management. Change management should be carried out in conjunction with other management activities. Leveraging Change Leadership (vision for change), change management (enables people pursue a common goal) and project management (structure for change) would potentially create the highest value to the

I am supportive of the idea that change management must be perceived as an ongoing business function rather than an occasional reorganization requirement. Looking back on the new knowledge I have acquired during the first four weeks of the module, I see employee readiness and alignment as two core elements of change management. If I were asked to carry out the change process in my organisation, despite using one of the available Change Management Models I would practically ensure the