MANAGING CHANGE. Work, Society and Organizations Assignment

MANAGING CHANGE. Work, Society and Organizations - Assignment Example Managing both change and resistance to change has gained significant importance in academics of management in recent years. Change is perceived to be a perfect way of reaction to external threats in volatile environments or as a proactive measure to seize growing business opportunities (Thompson, 1993, p. 697). This piece of paper addresses the theoretical perspectives of ‘change’, ‘managing change’ and managing ‘resistance to change’. This paper gives insight in to how managing change is influenced by individual as well as team motivation and organizational culture and structure. With help of reflect on Ford’s change management process, this paper elaborates real life experience of change and managing change. Managing Change Change is a very powerful strategy, a technique and an opportunity that an organization can achieve its goals by managing it effectively. Change is an opportunity since organizations can try some new ways or methods to carry out organizational activities and management functions and achieve organizational competence. Change is an informed and participative process resulting in newer methods of carrying out business to lead the business or other types of organizations in to success (Jacobs, 1997, p.22). ‘Strategic Change’ has become an increasingly important term in management studies. Strategic change refers to a process by which the present state of strategies will be transformed to compete with counter players in the market and with differentiated functioning so as to attain greater adaptability and viability in the current business contexts. There are basically three types of changes; reengineering, restructuring and innovation (Sekhar, 2009, p. 76). According to the strategic change theory of Peters and Waterman, an organization’s ability to change is the basic key to its excellence. Excellent organizations are those that continually foster on innovation, maintain better pace to quick actions and conduct on-going experimentations (Dobson, et al, 2004, p. 122). Change management involves process, people and managerial technique and incorporates a number of managerial functions like direction, planning, coordinating, organizing and controlling (Palmer, Dunford and Akin, 2009, p. 24). Change doesn’t occur automatically, but it requires managerial action and strategic activities with resources such as people, process, technology and managerial functions as well. Change management is a careful attempt from management to bring a change in any of its functional areas such as HRM, financing, marketing, manufacturing and so on. It is an effort to change the way the business has been carried out. Change management includes a set of concepts, principles, strategies, tools and techniques that are applied to human aspects in order to implementing a change within the organization (Rothwell, Sullivan and McLean, 2005, p. 17). Change management is a multi-d isciplinary action in which the management team who are responsible to execute the change are to possess certain skills, talents, supports, experiences and knowledge so as to influence others to get them involved in the change process. Paton, Paton and McCalman (2008, p. 40) emphasized that the management team being responsible to implement change is expected to possess following skills and abilities: Better communication