BUS643: Leading Organizational Change

5a. Analyze the steps of planning change management in a given organization

• What are the steps of planning change management?
• Why is it important to plan change management during the change process?
• How can leaders assist with planning change management?

Depending on the change management model chosen to implement your change, the steps to planning change management may be a little different. A few basic steps may include determining why change is needed, how the change will be implemented, who the change will be implemented by, supporting the team and employees, following through, measuring progress, and then knowing when the change has been implemented, and the team has moved into maintenance.

Depending on the company, leadership may enact the planning stages of your change process, or you may hire an outside consultant or company to help lead the change. It is important to understand that the more steps or people there are between who makes the change process decisions and who implements those changes, the more complicated it is. By regularly keeping an eye on the change process, you can be better connected to the issues that need to be dealt with daily.

To review, see Planning Change Management.

 

5b. Select performance improvements for change

• What can you do if an employee refuses to make the necessary changes?
• What is a performance improvement plan?
• How can you help an employee to understand needed change?

If an employee refuses to make changes, it is important to deal with that behavior quickly. It may only take a short conversation to ask a few questions about why the change is not occurring, or it may be a more in-depth meeting that requires a performance improvement plan. Sometimes, employees may refuse to make changes because they are simply unaware of what they should be doing, and this should be a quick issue to resolve. Sometimes, that resistance may be deeply rooted and require additional time or training with the individual.

A performance improvement plan is developed by a supervisor and employee and is focused on correcting employee behavior. It typically is developed after a few conversations that have not resolved the issue. It is a written record that will usually go into the employee file. With follow-up, it may be resolved in a week or take several months, depending on the depth of the behavior. It is an attempt to resolve an issue and improve employee productivity.

By meeting with an employee and explaining the necessary changes, you may gain a better understanding of the issue and get it resolved. There may be times when the employee refuses to make the changes even after several follow-up meetings with the performance improvement plan. This may eventually end in the termination of the employee. If this is something that can be avoided, it should. However, the documentation will show the efforts made by the leader and their team.

To review, see Performance Improvements.

 

5c. Describe performance measurements for change management

• How can you measure if a change is effective?
• What is an example of a performance measurement related to change management?
• Should you measure employee performance during the change process? If so, how?

When you have completed the necessary changes, you may go into a maintenance phase and just try to maintain those changes. Measuring that change will be important. The result may be additional business or clients, happier clients, or happier employees. The measurement will depend on the change itself. For example, if you have recently updated the website to make it more customer-friendly, then a survey for customers to complete may measure if that change was effective. Or if you recently implemented changes to the production line, you may be able to review piecework records to determine if the process is easier, faster, or more efficient.

You can also measure employee performance during the change process. You may have a few star employees who completed most of the changes or helped persuade other employees to engage with the changes. Or you may have had a few employees who were not particularly helpful during the change process. Either way, it may be important to recognize these key employees. Checking the official tracked records and speaking to the team and employees may help you to measure and determine who actively participated and who did not.

To review, see Measuring Performance.

 

5d. Analyze the communication skills talent needs to affect change in a given situation

• What communication skills are important for employees to have during the change process?
• What is emotional intelligence, and how can leaders use it during the change process?
• How can you help employees to develop communication skills?

Communication skills are necessary during the change process, and employees with these skills may thrive during the change process. These employees can explain the exact issue, what change needs to be made, or a more efficient way to make those changes. These skills might be written or oral or include the ability to easily explain complicated information. Individuals with great communication skills may also be natural-born leaders.

Employees and leaders can be trained to improve their communication skills, and most employers offer this type of training regularly. By having the ability to better explain what is necessary, employees can develop relationships faster and complete their work.

Emotional intelligence is another skill that can be developed and helps leaders to better connect with their employees and lead people. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand your own emotions and others. It is a way to better connect with employees, management, clients, or vendors. You may be more sympathetic, understanding, or effectively see the other person's point of view.

To review, see Communicating with Talent.

 

5e. Analyze change management practices in a given situation within a global context

• What needs to be considered during a global change management project?
• How does culture play into the change process during a global expansion?
• What is an example of how culture affects the change process?

When conducting business globally, everything you already do as a leader is needed, as well as a general understanding of another culture and their norms. Conducting a global change process can be complicated and requires the feedback of people who work at that location and understand the local culture. Culture may include habits, attitudes, or values of the people in that area. It is also important to understand that one country can have numerous cultures, and they cannot all be considered the same.

Managing an international team can also be complicated, but it will be a team rich in differences and thought processes. Understanding the culture of the country you are in is important when attempting to implement changes. Understanding where a person's attitude is coming from, or the values of the people can be detrimental to the change process. Culture might affect the change process when it conflicts with company values, and it will be important to understand how these differences might affect the process and how they can be incorporated.

To review, see Global Considerations.

 

Unit 5 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms you will need to know to successfully complete the final exam.

• communication skills
• emotional intelligence
• global change process
• performance improvement plan
• planning change management
• measuring employee performance
• maintenance phase