Changing Times – re-engineering your business to create greater productivity
This month I want to focus on a favourite subject of mine… Dealing with Change Management and Re-Engineering strategies for your growing business to become streamlined and able to cope with the changing business environment it operates in.
What is change management? Why do so many of us Business Owners struggle with its concept? Change Management is often associated with the culture of a business. The culture of a business can be defined as the beliefs and practices of those owner/managers who first established the business. In time as the business grows and employs more staff, these pioneers’ beliefs and practices are challenged.
Those Owner/Managers who can readily identify with the organisational changes and put into practice strategies to enable the organisation to cope with these ‘growing pains’ will succeed…
While change may happen one person at a time, there are processes and tools that can be utilised to facilitate this change. Communication and training are two that readily come to mind. However in order for the business to be a cohesive functioning unit, Individual and Organisational change needs to occur.
For the individual; there needs to be:-
- Awareness of the need for change
- Desire to participate and support the change
- Knowledge on how to change
- Ability to implement required skills and behaviours
- Reinforcement to sustain the change
For the organisation I find this simple 3 phase model effective;
Phase 1 – Prepare for change
Defining your change management strategy
Prepare your change management team
Develop assessment, structure and roles
Phase 2 – Managing Change
Develop Change Management Plans
Take action and implement Plans
Phase 3 – Reinforcing Change
Collect and analyse feedback
Diagnose gaps and manage resistance
Implement corrective actions and please don’t forget to celebrate successes!
Posted by Melanie Lavelle-Maloney on 20 Jun 2010