Q09 Pmc Exam Question

What are the main criticisms of the concept of Change Management? Why might it be argued that Change Management is an outdated approach? -

Change management is a process where there is a transition in individuals, teams, organizations and societies that moves the target from a current state to a desired state. Change can affect technology, society and the economy. However Change Management is more concerned about identifying the upcoming or existing problems, plan the organisational changes and then implement the changes.

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One early model of change was introduced by Kurt Lewin. This is known as the model or organisational change and it described change as a three stage process. The first stage is known as unfreezing where the mind begins to dismantle all previous notions and beliefs the individual previously holds. The second stage is where change begins to take place and the individual will be in a period of confusion. The third and final stage is the freezing stage where the individual begins to adapt and accept the changes and the mind is back to the stage where it was previously comfortable with.

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In every organisational change, there is bound to be resistance. One criticism is that change management might not be able to quell resistance and might fail. Usually some methods of countering resistance are to negotiate, offer incentives and support in order to cushion the impact of the changes especially during the transition period. However, such methods are not guaranteed to work and the company might even suffer from a serious backlash if resistance towards changes is not handled properly.

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Another criticism is that the top management usually failed to consider or ignored the feelings of the ground staff when they implement change. As such, junior managers, supervisors will face the uncertainty of assuming new responsibilities and tasks. In addition, lower level employees will also feel insecure, confused and even to the extent of feeling threatened of the possibility of losing their jobs.

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If trust is lacking between the employees of the organisation and the various levels of management, resistance will be all the higher. Management normally oversimplify a complex issue as change affects many people and certain idealistic individuals hoping for a smooth transition of change might experience a more difficult time than what they expected to be. Thus, changes give rise to the possibility that employees might be alienated from the top management and introduce unnecessary disruptions to the organisation if changes are not implemented properly.

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Despite its simplicity, Lewin model is criticised for assuming that “Change” is a one-off, isolated transformation of an organisation. In keeping with the “changing world”, it is argued that organisations should instead be gearing themselves towards continuous change, utilising a flexible structure and continuing developing their staff to meet shifting challenges.

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The organization has to be open to enquiry and tolerant of criticism and debate. There must be a willingness to try new idea and lack of defensiveness about the culture.

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The organization can adapt the learning model where employees constantly go for upgrading and reskilling. This helps to prepare the employees to be successful in a new or changing environment. Preparation can include on the job training, external training, coaching or mentoring to gain skills, knowledge and experience.

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As more and more organizations turn to learning organizations, the very existence of the concept of change management might be rendered obsolete. In the modern society, access to good education is always increasing year after year. As people gets more educated, their capacity towards learning and attitude towards openness and innovation increase. Thus, most organizations will be able to tap on such a diverse and knowledgeable workforce to evolve into a learning organization in the foreseeable future.

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In a learning organization, changes are made on a regular but gradual basis as employees explore new ideas and seek to improve the workings of the organization. Individuals will be more empowered and management will be more in touch with the lower level employees. Therefore, the learning organization will evolve continuously and begin to render the approach of change management obsolete.