Managing Planned Change in an Organization

INTRODUCTION

Change is essential for existence and development of an organization. Therefore, it is important to introduce change in organization with changing environment. The changing environment comprises of customers, suppliers, competitors, government, creditors, shareholders and communities. Since these demands are constantly changing, the organization must also change to keep pace with its environment. Failure to change at an appropriate time may result into some acute or chronic malaise eventually forcing the organization to die. Organizational change is the movement of an organization away from its present state towards a desired future state to increase its efficiency and effectiveness. It may be in the form of technological change, restructuring, change in the work process, strategic change etc.

The Unfreezing phase is the first phase of change and is targeted at informing the individual about the process of change and ensuring that they get adequately prepared for the change. This is because it is important that employees of an organization should not be surprised with the induction of change. This is because the change which is unannounced and for which the people are not prepared may move to be destructive in nature. Therefore, it is important for the unfreezing the situation.

• Compliance: The management can enforce the reward and punishment strategy and thus ensure compliance. For good behavior, a reward can be announced and for a bad behavior a punishment can be announced. Fear for a punishment and attraction for winning a reward can actually motivate a person and can induce the desired behavior. For example, many people have stopped smoking because of the warning given by the Surgeon of General of United states that smoking causes cancer of lungs. • Identification: Identification generally occurs when the members are impresses upon psychological and are motivated to relate and then they can be motivated to consider these as role models for • Internalization: When the internal thought process of an individual are changed in order to match with the new or changing environment, then this process is termed as internalization. Members are given the freedom to themselves identify as to what best possible changes they would like to make in themselves in order to ensure that they succeed in dimension to the philosophy of existence and thus bring about changes in such behavioral patterns that are not considered socially or professionally redeeming.

Refreezing may be defined as thee when the changed behavioral patterns become the normal way of living that is when the new behavior completely replaces the older set of beliefs, behavior. Also, it should be permanent in nature. It is also important to continuously reinforce the changes that have ensured in the behavior so that the new behavior is consistent and stays with time.

Change no matter how beneficial, is generally resented and its always difficult to implement, since man follows the path of least resistance, it is easier to employ known methods than to change to new method where the outcomes may not be certain. It is similar to difficulties experienced when moving to new location or changing a school or a college. However, a change will be easier to make and adjust to, if the potential rewards after the change are sufficiently attractive factors that increase resistance to changes. Some of these reasons are: • Insecurity • Lack of communication • Rapidity and extent of change • The group resistance • Emotional turmoil • Loss of power and control

If the changes are to be implemented successfully, they need full acceptance from employees. Some of the specific strategies employed in reducing the resistance to change are

As change is necessary to be introduces, it is also necessary that it should be introduced with minimum opposition. However, to minimize the opposition is a difficult task. Every manager should know the art of introducing changes in a friendly manner. It cannot be denied that changes bring challenges, new experiences, new adventures and new rewards and hence a change may be easier to accept when it is accompanied by favorable benefits.

1. Arnold, Hugh J. and Daniel C Feldman (1993). Organizational Behavior. McGraw Hill. 2. Chandan. J. S. (1987). ‗Management Theory and practice.‘ Vikas Publishing, New Delhi. 3. Hammer W.C and D. Organ (1378). Organizational Behavior: An Applied Psychological Approach. Business Publications, p, 202 4. Jago, Arthur G. (1982). ‗Leadership: Perspectives in Theory and Research‘. Management Science, March 1982 5. Lawrence, Paul R. (1970). How to deal with resistance to change,‘ in G.W. Dalton et al. ―Organization Change and Development‘, Richard D. Irwin.

M.Com, M.Phil, M.B.A, HTET, NET (Management), NET (Commerce) Assistant Professor of Commerce, Ishar Jyot Degree College, Pehowa, Kurukshetra neelamdevi13@gmail.com