What is Organizational Change?
Organizational change is the alternation of organizational activities in other to meet the expectations of a dynamic business environment. It is a management process that seeks to achieve competitiveness.
Change is the fact and reality of the universe and it is unavoidable. Chane is the alternation in a work environment that affects all the members of the organization. The world is dynamic and every aspect of society is changeable. The change may come either in terms of revolution or evolution.
Business organizations operate in a dynamic environment. They need to consider the “change or die” philosophy. They have to face the transition stage while want to reach the desired future stage of the affair from the current stage. An organization is said to be a success if it is able to face the transition stage effectively. The transition stage would be affected by both internal and external factors. These factors involve people, technology, structure, competition, the world political system, and so on. Thus, organizational change takes place.
Managing change is of utmost necessity for every successful organization. Organizations having static and stationary, in practice, are less successful as compared to other organizations having a flexible, adaptable, and modifiable basis of changing environment of society. Therefore, organizations need to emphasize managing change in every sector of society so that it becomes possible to survive and operate in a competitive environment. It is the reason for the change in a business environment that individuals doing narrow, specialized, and routine works are being replaced by teamwork where members can perform multiple tasks and activities participating in decisions.
The Language of Organizational Change
The languages of organizational change are:
- The Learning Organization: The notion that learning is central to success and effectiveness. Management must learn to see the big picture and understand subtle relationships among parts of the system.
- Reengineering: A fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of systems and processes. Work should be organized around outcomes, not tasks or functions.
- Core Competencies: The notion that companies need to identify and organize around what they do best. The strategy should be based on these core competencies rather than products or markets.
- Organizational Architecture: The idea that managers need to think broadly about the organization in terms of how work, people, and designs fit together.
- Time-Based Competition: The notion that time is money. Time is manageable and can be a source of competitive advantage affecting productivity, quality, and innovation.
- Growth Strategies: Methods to lift profits by expanding revenues, not just cutting costs.
- Mission and Vision Statements: Description of what the company will become and how it will get there.
- Strategic Alliance: Ways to create business partnerships among customers, suppliers, and even competitors.