All organizations regardless of form, nature, or size need to undergo development and improve for existence and survival.
Take the eagle for example. Expert says that the eagle has the longest life span of its specie. It can live up to 70 years. However, at age 40 it has to make the choice between dying and living. If it chooses to live for the next 30 years, the eagle needs to undergo a painful change process. At age 40, the eagle’s beak becomes bent its long flexible talons can no longer grab preys which serves as food and the feathers becomes old thick and heavy making it difficult for the eagle to fly.
To live, the eagle has to fly and nest on top of the highest mountain. There it would knock its beak onto a rock until it plucks it out and wait for the growth of a new one. After which, it would pluck its talons and its old thick and heavy feathers. Only after the eagle went trough this painful process can he take the flight of re-birth and lives on for the next 30 years.
Change is essential if we are to attain improvement. Just like the eagle organization needs to realize that it too has to change and take the necessary action toward the change
In all organizations, there are three areas that need to undergo the change process to achieve improvement, People, Processes, and Culture. Such change should be carefully planned, must involve everyone in the organization and should be made relative to the purpose of the organization at any given point in time. This is called Change Management.
Change Management is best carried out by a Consultant or Change Agent who is an expert in the Organization Development (OD) approach or other toots such as TQM (Total Quality Manage,emt) and BPR (Business Process Re-engineering).
Change Agents are outsiders in the organization and are best in handling the job because they are impartial to the organization as opposed to people who are part of the organization. Change Agents tends to see the issues more objectively. However, the main function of a Change Agent is to help the organization identify its own issues or problems and assist them in solving such issues and problems. In short, it is not the function of Change Agents to solve organizational problems.
The development and change process just like that of the eagle begins with the decision to either go with it or not. Should the decision to go for it is made, Change Management begins with the analysis of the problem a gap analysis of the current state of the organization to where it wants to be is the first step followed by the creation of a strategic plan. Take note that all personnel of the organization from all levels need to participate and cooperate in the process. This involves the lowest rank and file to the president and the stakeholders.
The process varies from organization to organization depending on its nature, form, and size in relations to its desired purpose, aim or objective. Some organizations take no longer than a month to undergo the process while others takes years (usually a mid sized organization with 80 to 100 personnel takes 2 to 3 years).
Organizational Change is a tedious process but needs to be undertaken for the survival of the organization. It is both a cumbersome and financially taxing process. However, the benefits in the long run outweigh the effort and the cost of the process. Winston Churchill once quoted that “There is nothing wrong with change for as long as it is in the right direction”.
Ramon Ongoco - A Bachelor of Science in Business Administration degree holder who is in the practice of Human Resource Management as a profession.
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