Four Crucial Components of Organizational Change Management & Why Your Organization Should Embrace Them

Pink News Editor | August 16, 2019 Organizational Change Management White Papers Robin Hysick

Change is one of the few things you can absolutely rely on – it’s always taking place.

While some individuals view change as positive and embrace it, others fear change and will do almost anything to resist it.

One thing is clear – standing still and ignoring change is not the way for an organization to increase business value. In today’s rapidly changing business environment where it’s crucial for organizations and individuals to remain relevant and competitive, it’s imperative to remain open to new ideas, concepts, training, etc.

As Charles Darwin said, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives or the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

However, forcing change isn’t the answer, either.

Dr. John P. Kotter, a renowned leadership change expert, published research in 1995 that revealed successful change programs are achieved only about 30% of the time. The majority of change initiatives fail due to the ineffectual handling of the process side of change – and, perhaps even more importantly – because the people side of change is not managed effectively, if at all.

The good news is – there is help available. Since its inception in the 1930s, the field of organizational development has evolved to provide the knowledge, methodology, and best practices that can be utilized to help organizations successfully implement and manage change.

Four critical areas must be addressed for change to successfully take hold within an organization:

  • Change and the individual – people must be fully engaged to ensure change is embraced, accepted, and sustained.
  • Change and the organization – specific strategies must be employed to increase the forces driving change and reduce the forces resisting change.
  • Communication and stakeholder engagement –it’s critical to design and deliver clear, concise, and consistent communications to all stakeholders throughout the change initiative.
  • Change management in practice – it’s essential to develop and manage a comprehensive plan that implements and sustains change.

For more information about change management, read our three-part series of Pink papers:

  • Planned & Emergent Change: Adversaries or Allies? Part I – Planned Change and the Organization
  • Planned & Emergent Change: Adversaries or Allies? Part II – Emergent Change and the Individual
  • Planned & Emergent Change: Adversaries or Allies? Part III – Leadership during Emergent Change

Want to learn more?

Register for one or both of the following courses to learn how to lead change and guide workers to embrace and sustain change initiatives:

Take advantage of our Customer Appreciation Sale until September 4.

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