Change Management Challenges and How to Overcome Them

March 6, 2020

Change is an Inevitable Part of Life

Whether you are changing jobs, changing relationships, or implementing new technology in your company, we all encounter change. The business environment these days is changing fast, and this is mainly due to technology. Every year there is an upgraded laptop, cellphone, operating system, or software that does something new and exciting. This means more learning every year to keep up with the competition. Let’s look at three types of change, and how change management training helps to handle the challenges associated with each.

3 Types of Change

According to MTD Trainings, management will encounter 3 different types of change. They are transitional change, developmental change, and transformational change.

• Transitional Change

  Transitional change is when management decides to implement a new course of action. Some examples of transitional change are acquiring a new company through a merger or acquisition, creating new products, or implementing new technology.

• Developmental Change

  Developmental change is when you make improvements to existing processes and procedures. For example, companies will implement new changes every year, or raise the bar every year to keep their employees thinking of new ways to be efficient and get results. Developmental change is effective when handled properly because it can build a company culture that is familiar with change. The more familiar the company is with dealing with the challenges associated with change the more effective the company will be in getting past it.

• Transformational Change

  Transformational change is usually an organization-wide change in the company’s processes and strategies that is different than what they have done in the past.

  These days’ technology and automation are totally changing the way some businesses operate. There are employees that are afraid that they will lose their jobs due to technology, but if the company knows how to handle change with effective training programs, this won’t be the case. For example, it is not bad to eliminate 6 positions within an organization to become more efficient. However, those 6 employees have knowledge of the company and now can be used in another area of the company. By moving those employees to another area of the company, this cuts back on hiring cost, training cost, and improves morale for the next time new technologies or process improvements are implemented. The emphasis is on how you handle the people, before, during, and after the change.

  Some examples of transformational change would be:

  • A major change in a companies culture
  • Bringing in technology that totally changes the way things are done
  • Making radical operational changes to meet new supply and demand

  These days’ technology and automation are totally changing the way some businesses operate. There are employees that are afraid that they will lose their jobs due to technology, but if the company knows how to handle change, this won’t be the case. For example, it is not bad to eliminate 6 positions within an organization to become more efficient. However, those 6 employees have knowledge of the company and now can be used in another area of the company. By moving those employees to another area of the company, this cuts back on hiring costs, training costs, and improves morale for the next time new technologies or process improvements are implemented. The emphasis is on how you handle the people, before, during, and after the change.

How to Avoid Challenges When Implementing New Changes

Understanding how change is, or will, affect your organization can better position you to handle the challenges that come with change. Often time’s managers or employees don’t understand why the company is making a change, so they resist the change. They come up with excuses for why it’s not going to work, or why it’s not working. They ignore the training that is provided beforehand and resist any logical reasoning. This makes it hard for the organization as a whole to make changes.

To avoid challenges when implementing new changes, you should consider these two facts. It is important, that no matter the kind of change that is being implemented, that top management leads the way. Change is less likely to be challenged when it is coming from top management. Also, when implementing new changes, communication is key. Make sure everyone understands why the change is happening. Communication will help to lower employee’s resistance to change, and employees that are well informed will be equipped with the knowledge necessary to drive change.

From an organizational perspective, companies should strive to build a culture that embraces change. Knowing that the business environment is constantly changing, should encourage companies to train their employees to embrace change. Whether the change is small and incremental, or large and radical, change is inevitable. For change to drive successful results, you should consider and understand the people involved. Understanding how people react to change is one of the biggest challenges in implementing new technology, strategies, and processes. So why not start by building the right mindset, that receives and encourages, the value that change brings.