Process of Planning and Managing Change
Identify and assess the process of planning and managing change within an organisation. What role
should HR play in change management?
Planning the change
In different organizations, there is always need to impact changes. For such changes to
have positive impact there must be proper planning of the change as well as its management.
Different persons of organization play different roles in planning and managing change.
However, it is crucial to note that; the human resource personnel usually play greater roles. It is
critical to understand the perspectives of the two elements of change. Louw-Potgieter (2012)
observes that: planning entails the initial blueprint of the intended change, whereby there is
discussion of what is to be changed and how such changes will be implemented by human
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resource. On the other hand, managing change in an organization entail tackling the real change
process. The difficult part of managing change touches on addressing the challenges that come
with adopting change.
To have successful planning and management of change, the ideal process of the same
must be followed. Preparation for change is the initial stage that must be well addressed. The
preparation entails first selecting the viable changes that ought to be implemented. For this stage
to be successful there must be consultation from different groups of people involved in
organization. Here, the role of human resource will mainly entail consultation and not
deliberating on what they think is needed. Assessment of different areas and how feasible they
are in terms of adopting change is also done. Assessment is done for different areas. For
instance, the human personnel as well as physical resources need to be assesses for viability in
accordance to the intended changes. In preparation for the change, strategy development is
critical.
Fratričová & Rudy (2015) note that; the human resource is mandated with coming up
with strategies that match the intended changes. Such strategies may include strategies of
ensuring that different persons of the organization buy the idea of change. This view emanates
from the realization that; human beings have a tendency of resisting change. In any given
organization, there will always be elements of resistance to change from some members however
positive the change may be even for the persons as individuals. The human resource therefore,
have a duty to package the intended change in such a way that it is it is highly acceptable.
Change management
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In order to have successful management of change, the human resource management
must follow the right process. e Borges (2009) asserts that; in the initial stages of managing
change, there must be readiness assessment. Here, the human resource carries out assessment to
ensure that an organization is ready for the intended changes. This aspect is achieved by
assessing both the human personnel as well as the availability of physical resources. Such
readiness will vary from one organization to the other and also from one form of change to the
other. When the human resource has ascertained that there is adequate readiness, it is the right
time to start the process of implementing change. On the other hand, if the human resource feels
that there has not been adequate preparation, then they ought to go back to the preparation stage
where they put more effort to ensure such readiness. It is crucial to note that; the human resource
must be well prepared for the change before they even start the process of presenting the
intended change to the rest of organization. If this is not done, it will be very difficult for the rest
of organization to accept the intended change.
To effectively manage change in organization, there is need for constant communication.
There is always a tendency of assuming that once a communication has been done there is no
need of a repeat. In enacting changes in organization, there is need to constantly keep reminding
members of the ongoing changes. Such communication keeps the organization more focused on
change and also to avert unnecessary resistance. Such communication is also ideal at every stage
of change. This communication helps the members to understand the role that they ought to play
as well as the expected results. When such aspects are well communicated and in good time,
there is high likelihood of success in the intended change.
Conclusively, awareness communication that is done in the initial stages of start of a
planned change is necessary but not enough for success. Hollenbeck &Jamieson (2015) observe
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that; in the process of managing change, human resource ought to evaluate the undertakings to
note if there is need for training of more assistants to have effective implementation of change. If
there is such need, it is crucial that human resource give chance to such training which could
yield positive results. There could also be need to take some of the members of organization to
some sort of training so as to have successful implementation of change. As such, it is necessary
that the human resource considers the best alternative that is suitable for the change. For
instance, the members could be taken for training outside or the trainers could be brought to the
organization to undertake the same. It can be summarily be said that human resource, in
implementing change has the role of making assessments, communication as well as ensuring
right training.
References
e Borges, RG 2009, ‘Organizational Change Implementation and the Role of Human Resource
Practices: a Brazilian Case Study’, Brazilian Business Review (English Edition), 6, 3, pp.
284-295, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 September 2015.
Fratričová, J, & Rudy, J 2015, ‘Get Strategic Human Resource Management Really Strategic:
Strategic HRM in Practice’, International Journal Of Management Cases, 17, 4, pp. 149-
155, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 September 2015.
HOLLENBECK, J, & JAMIESON, B 2015, ‘HUMAN CAPITAL, SOCIAL CAPITAL, AND
SOCIAL NETWORK ANALYSIS: IMPLICATIONS FOR STRATEGIC HUMAN
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RESOURCE MANAGEMENT’, Academy Of Management Perspectives, 29, 3, pp. 370-
385, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost, viewed 17 September 2015.
Louw-Potgieter, J 2012, ‘Evaluating human resource interventions’, South African Journal Of
Human Resource Management, 10, 3, pp. 1-6, Business Source Complete, EBSCOhost,
viewed 17 September 2015.
