Manage Change Effectively in Your Business

Change is an inevitable part of business. From startups to mature businesses, organizations at all stages must manage change in some form or fashion. Startup businesses typically adapt well and innovatively to change, although not very efficiently, while the inverse tends to be true of more mature organizations.

For established businesses, the same qualities that make them efficient can actually make them less adaptable to change. In some cases, sluggishness hinders their adaptability — for example, Motorola ceded dominance in mobile device market share to newcomer Apple. In other cases, an organization could be so invested in its way of doing things that change is just too hard — for example, GM invested heavily in efficiency and automation for a product line that in time, customers didn’t even want.

Manage change effectively

There are four key aspects involved in effectively managing change:

• Understand change — How is the landscape changing? What are the new trends? Understanding change doesn’t just mean analyzing competitors and startups; it also means shifts in political, cultural, and organizational infrastructures. (Examples include how the way consumers shop, consume information, and communicate has changed over time.)
• Plan for change — Does your organization regularly consider risks and opportunities? Are you analyzing possible scenarios, studying their likelihood, and planning how your organization will adjust accordingly? Change should be planned for proactively, not once you’re already behind the eight ball.
• Manage change resistance — Make the strongest case to people in your organization who are most likely to resist the change, and who have the largest stake in making the change, to collaboratively drive the business forward.
• Implement change — When it’s time to jump, drive the business to fearlessly move forward. Create a clear plan for the steps it will take to get from where you are to where you want to be.

Few organizations are ever able to continually and progressively reinvent themselves and adapt to changes in their environment. Successful organizations need leadership who can anticipate changing market conditions and drive appropriate strategies for responding to change.

[cta]Contact US East at info@useastusa.com or by phone at 212-840-3444. Or visit our website.[/cta]