Steps to Managing Change

by George N. Root III

Introducing change into an organization can be confusing if not handled properly. Developing a process based on the steps to managing change is important to the growth of a small business. When management and employees understand the process of implementing change, then making alterations to the company&#039;s operation do not need to be disruptive.

Make the Case

For an organization to accept and execute change there needs to be an understood reason, according to the article titled "Kotter&#039;s 8-Step Change Model" published on the employment resource website Mind Tools. Gather your information together and make the case to the company on why change is needed. Point out the gains the company will experience by making the change, and include the difficulties that could be experienced during the change process. If there is a financial return on investing in change, then point that out as well. Make the need for the change seem urgent so that the company will back your idea.

Recruit Right People

Bringing a team together to implement change requires a few different things. Your team members need to be experienced in implementing company change to make the change as smooth as possible. Your team members must also understand and believe in the change so that they will not have a problem representing the change to the company. Finally, your team members need to have influence within the company that will gain the support necessary to make change possible.

Create Plan

A team to implement change is not going to be effective without a plan to work from. Put your plan in writing, and use as much detail as possible. It may be easier to implement the change in phases, and if you choose to do that then you need to outline each phase in as much detail as possible. Once the plan is in writing, you can assign various aspects to your team members.

Gain Approval

You need to present your plan, in writing, to the rest of the company to get input and open the plan up to alteration suggestions. Conduct meetings with the departments that will be affected, and ask for everyone&#039;s opinion on the plan. Once you have input from the company, review the data and see where applicable changes should be made to your plan. Remember that the people that work on the day-to-day operation of the company will have a better insight into how your change will affect their job than you will. It is important to include suggestions based on employee input before creating your final plan.

Go Into Action

Begin implementing your plan after you have made the necessary revisions. Conduct regular meetings with your team, and with company employees, to gauge the progress of the plan and make potential alterations as you go along.

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