Change Management means many things to many people. One thing is certain – change is inevitable.

Change is active everywhere, from the political arena, to corporate organisations to the individual. In the political world, governments are constantly changing their policies and this in turn affects the way that companies and citizens operate. One country’s change of policy could influence a neighbouring country’s economic conditions and its relationship to it.

Closer to home and away from the political arena, change takes place every day in our normal lives. Do we ever wonder what opportunities the new day might bring now that the day has changed? How many new and exciting opportunities could present themselves in this new day that may generate new business activity, new relationships and new networks that provide us the opportunity to expand our lives. How exciting is that!!

Business is no different. Businesses have strategies focused on improved sales activity, stronger client relationships and dedicated employees who strive to improve the bottom line of the organisation. The reality is that every strategic plan has a life span and that may be for just one day. The day after it is produced and agreed by the Board (and that could have taken months), it could just all change. That might not happen immediately and it is absolutely right that every company has a set of goals and objectives that it works to, but it must be ready for the inevitable to happen. And it will.

Who could have predicted the existing economic conditions? Some did but they were either ignored or just not taken seriously enough to act on. Others didn’t know how to cope with it and decided to just continue down the profitability road and take their chances.

Performance and success are every company’s main focus and rightly so. However, sustained performance is impossible if an organisation is not ready for change. Dee Hock, founder of Visa International, states that Visa is a confederation of companies that virtually organises itself, is highly decentralised and highly collaborative. It is this harmonious blend of cooperation and competition that has enabled the system to expand worldwide in the face of different currencies, languages, legal codes, cultures, customs and political philosophies. A “one-best way” of doing business dictated from headquarters could never have accomplished this.

The change may be transformational as is the case of the existing economic conditions. This results in a risky situation that will have a revolutionary impact on an organisation. It is hardest to achieve, it may be openly public, it may be impossible to drop or ignore and it could have the largest risks and perhaps the greatest of rewards.

The change may be transitional and that may have people and operational casualties; it is hard to achieve but often makes a substantial physical difference. This is often project-based change.

Lastly, the change may be incremental. This is the gentle approach to conducting change. It can go unnoticed, it is the easiest to achieve and drop, it carries least risk, it makes least difference and the rewards may be small.

All companies go through every level of change at some point. Transformational change may take place in small companies as well as large. It doesn’t matter if an organisation employs 10 or 10000, the change could be huge for everyone involved.

The one common factor in every change situation is that people are affected and no matter whether an organisation has decided to change from a bottling plant to a management consultancy (perhaps an example of a Transformational Change), or a company has decided to take on new technology to streamline its operational processes, the change will impact people, it may affect their roles, behaviour and their commitment to the organisation.

When an organisation is faced with a changing environment and must change its strategy to meet those challenges, it must take its people with it. The largest of companies sometimes learn the hard way when they forget to include the most important element of any change – its people, as it is they who will embrace it, champion it and drive it forwards for that organisation.

Change must be driven at every level. There is no point in senior management demanding change and then allocating it to someone else to deliver. Company leaders play a vital role in the delivery of performance and in leading change in an organisation. Without their involvement, commitment, leadership and team spirit, performance is in jeopardy especially in a changing environment. As change is inevitable, these skills are required constantly and make the difference between success and failure.

Successful organisations always look eagerly to the next challenge to perform better than their competitors. They constantly analyse the economic conditions, the competition and look for creative and groundbreaking methods to stay ahead of the game. They also ensure that their organisations are prepared and capable of managing the changes required to meet their objectives through robust strategies, efficient operational structures, tactical communication planning and effective people management. That way, the organisation and the people within it work as a collective force that is well prepared for the challenges ahead.

Paul Attard is the managing director of Anantara Ltd and has provided consultancy services in Malta and abroad. He will be presenting a paper on the subject in one of the workshops of the conference organised by the Foundation for Human Resources Development on 16 October. Their seminar will deal with Building Organizational Change Capability and will provide case studies of success stories.

For conference details visit: www.fhrd.org www.frhd.org/ conf09regform.html

www.fhrd.org/programme.pdf