Change Management

Effective change management is the pre-requisite for any successful Lean, Six Sigma, Lean Six Sigma or Operational Excellence transformation.

In today’s fast-moving business environment, organisations and businesses need to embrace change. Why is change important? Change is important for any organisation because, without change, businesses will lose their competitive edge and fail to meet the needs of their customers.

Technology

Advancements in technology have certainly changed and affected the way we work and communicate.  Change that results from the adoption of new technology is common in organisations these days, and while it can be disruptive at first, the change ultimately leads to increased productivity and service.

No longer do business people dictate correspondence to secretaries, dial a rotary phone or need to contact people in person in order to get information or to have a meeting. They can search for information online, and meet using video conferences. Today’s burgeoning communication technology represents changes that allow organisations to learn more and in a faster pace than ever before.

Customer Needs

As the world evolves, customer needs change and grow, and this creates demand for new products and services and opening up new areas of opportunity for businesses to meet those changing needs.

The Economy

The economy can have both positive and negative impacts on organisations. A strong economy and increasing demand for products and services may lead to businesses expanding to meet the increased demand. This may involve the addition of new staff and new facilities. On the other hand, a weak economy can create more problems as businesses find themselves having to make difficult decisions that can impact employees’ salaries and benefits and even threaten their jobs.

Growth Opportunities

Organisations need to embrace change to allow employees to learn new skills, explore new opportunities and exercise their creativity in ways that benefit the organisation through new ideas and increased commitment. Preparing employees to embrace these changes involves an analysis of the tools and training required to help them learn new skills, and providing the training that is needed, either through traditional classroom training or, increasingly, through online learning opportunities. Organisations need to evaluate employees’ capabilities and take steps to fill the gaps between current skills and the skills required to respond to growth.

Challenging the Status Quo

By simply asking the question “Why?”, organisations can benefit from new ideas and new innovations that can directly impact their bottom line. Organisations can benefit from change that results in new ways of looking at customer needs, new ways of delivering customer service, new ways of strengthening customer interactions and new products and services that might attract new markets. New employees joining an organisation are especially valuable because they are often able to see and point out areas of opportunity for improvement that those who have been long involved in the company might have overlooked. However, even existing employees should be encouraged to challenge the status quo and question why things are done in a certain way and look for new ways to get work done faster, better and with higher levels of quality and service.

“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. ” ― Alvin Toffler

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