8.4+Startegies+to+reduce+impact+of+change+and+resistance+to+change

Consequences of Poor Management of Change

The consequences of poor management of change are:


 * A breeding of insecurity within the workforce that may be de-motivating and reduce morale.
 * Change may be resisted and sabotaged.
 * Dissatisfaction may also spread to areas of the organisation not affected by the change.
 * General productivity / efficiency may suffer.
 * Key workers may leave.
 * The implementation of the changes will be more costly, and may take longer.
 * The change may not be successful, or be less successful than required.
 * Significant HR management effort may be required in order to restore workforce performance to its original level.

Factors Essential for Effective Management of Change

Conversely, well planned, successfully implemented change, will reinforce and improve both team building and motivation, by producing a ‘feel good’ factor in the workforce ie by stimulating an attitude among employees that being part of the group / team / Company promotes a feeling of belonging to an organisation that ‘does things right’. This can also be achieved even in those cases where change involves potentially de-motivating HR matters such as redundancy, providing that the change is effectively managed.

In this context the following are regarded as key elements for the successful implementation of change:


 * Clear definition of the purpose of the change.
 * Positive steps to reduce resistance to change / increase motivation to change.
 * Involvement and commitment form junior management.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Clear vision and careful planning.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Training and support provided to all those affected.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Participation of all people involved / affected at all stages.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Good communications
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Effective feedback and resolution of problems during implementation.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Continued review and improvement.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS',Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Sensible time-scale for implementation.