Few days back, I had to deliver a lecture on change management for a group of managers. Change management seems to be a word in FASHION these days. Everyone wants to talk about it. While I was preparing for this, I was searching for some unique examples to explain the concept. I was looking outside my study’s window; it was raining heavily. After some time rain slowed down and then it was drizzling. Everything was so clear, clean, and green after long scorching summer days. Mother Nature was looking very happy benevolent and beautiful. Actually, full of life with shades of green everywhere as if she is embracing this change. It is always a treat to eyes to see new leaves sprouting, colorful flowers blooming, waterfalls giggling again as if they are telling us … CHANGE is always welcome! Embrace this change. Through this article, I am trying to connect and find the lessons which Mother Nature teach us unknowingly about the much hyped word in modern management – “CHANGE MANAGEMENT”.
WHAT IS CHANGE MANAGEMENT?
It is necessary to understand what Change Management is in any organization. Change management is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive organizational success and outcomes. Change management provides a structured approach for supporting the individuals in organization to move from their own current states to their own future states. Change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people side of change to achieve its required business outcomes. It is the systematic management of employee engagement and adoption when the organization changes how work will be done. Ultimately, change management focuses on how to help employees embrace, adopt and utilize a change in their day-to-day work. Change management is both a process and a competency.
This flowchart will make the process more clear
Change management is not just communication or training. It is not just managing resistance. Effective change management follows a structured process and uses a holistic set of tools to drive successful individual and organizational change.
NEED &IMPORTANCE OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT
- Aligning organizational practice with organizational values.
- Helps to align existing resources within the organization.
- Preparing the organization for the future.
- Creating consistency and efficiencies in approach.
- Building needed internal capabilities.
- Organizational effectiveness and efficiency is maintained or even improved by acknowledging the concerns of staff.
- Helps increasing return on investment (ROI).
- Creates an opportunity for the development of “best practices”, leadership development, and team development.
NATURE AND CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Has anyone noticed recently the period right before and after the sunset or observed the breezy environment at the onset of monsoon? The trees, grass, sky, and all around you are seasoned with change management lessons! It leaves me completely spellbound by the scale of change that happens in the world around us, and that too all in a matter of minutes!
Nature does not need words, presentations, leadership lessons, neither crisis management tips. Still compliance is complete with accuracy. A diverse environment of a million beings responds in a singular predictable fashion to a change brought about by nature. The entire area responds uniformly to the change and quickly adjusts to the new reality. This change is a way of life and it happens with negligible or no effort!
Mother Nature teaches us some insightful lessons in change management—in its own unique way. These awesome lessons can act as a to-do list in change management. Let us understand them in nature’s very own style.
Predict and Plan for the change- Predictability is the biggest strength of nature. The cycle of days and nights occur in a predictable manner and seasons arrive at designated periods. There are some times unpredictable events too, like a hurricane, an earthquake or a tsunami, drought, famine but
- these are irregularities. One needs to anticipate the impact of business changes needs and make it as predictable as possible and at the same time be prepared for unpredictable events.
- Prepare for change – I hope you all have seen, as evening creeps in and darkness descends, birds start returning to their nests. Lights in our homes and street turns on and so are the headlamps of the vehicles, and the ground illuminates in the midst of an ongoing day-night cricket match. These flying creatures have adjusted themselves so nicely to these unnatural changes. In business too, everyone must know what to expect from change so that they can be better prepared. People respond favorably if the effects of change are planned and communicated well.
- Be hopeful of the change in advance –We find ants everywhere in summer season. They are busy storing food for rainy days. These little creatures anticipate the change in season and tirelessly work hard to make themselves comfortable during the change. They are very hopeful too at the same time. Similarly, the onset of darkness and the night brings in an expectation of cooler temperatures. The leaves come together, the creatures return to their abode .For us too, and it is time of rest and relaxation with family— things that everyone looks forward to. If a business change can be packaged attractively and the ensuing benefits are well-understood and anticipated, enhanced adaptation and success would reap positive results and response.
- Change with an Optimal Speed- The change from day to night happens at an effortless and relaxed pace that everyone is comfortable with. Similarly, seasons come and go at their pace .They always make us happy with their characterized change and the goodness which they brings with them. Whereas, when these climatic changes are sudden, or if they it take too longer to creep in then, there is always an imbalance. In business too, the speed of change must be chosen very carefully after deliberations. Change which comes in too fast will create a sense of instability and fear, while a slow change may lack momentum and lose the impact.
Nature has 4 seasons, each with different weather conditions. Flora, Fauna, Birds and Animals have already learned to prepare themselves for every change with the changing weather. We human beings need to understand – We can’t change the weather, we can’t change each and every situation. We can however prepare for what lies ahead and not worry about the past and welcome future changes with a smile.Similarly, the end result of an enterprise change management capability should be that- individuals embrace change more quickly, effectively and willingly. The organizations should be able to respond quickly to market changes, clinch strategic initiatives, and adopt new technologies more quickly and with less productivity impact. This capability does not happen by chance, however, and requires a strategic approach to embed change management across an organization. “Life does not get better by CHANCE, it gets better by CHANGE”.*The author is Founder Director – QUEST EDUSTATION – Training and Learning Solutions. She is an Academician, Independent Researcher, Writer, Trainer, Designer, and a Counselor. Email: – dr.rachanaa@gmail.com 5 Change is the only constant Life – Nature makes the change uniformly acceptable to all constituencies affected by it. It is never biased. Nature teaches us CHANGE IS THE WAY OF LIFE. All living creatures learn the survival skills due to this changes which nature offers .Some times as a gift, sometimes as a challenge. Nature advocates the doctrine of SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. Change is the only truth in this entire ecosystem. Similarly, Change in a business context impacts its own ecosystem which consists of customers, partners, employees, shareholders, and other stake holders. Different People feel and react to the impact differently. Especially in cross-cultural and global environments. Change managers need to be sensitive to the impact on all stakeholders and devise means to make the change most acceptable to all. The business environment is in a constant state of fluctuation. Business models, technology, systems, and processes are constantly being reinvented. These bring about disruptive and profound changes to the manner in which work is done. Nature too is constantly changing and brings with it a huge repository of lessons for us.