Change in

the 21st century is like sailing a ship during a storm.

Waves coming at you from every direction. Hidden rocks

threatening to tear your ship apart. The water never

stops churning and there is no time to rest. Falling

overboard is a scary possibility and if you fail to work

together to chart a course, disaster could very well be

your companion.

There is

this same sense of urgency in today's economy, even in

the best companies, with no guarantees that tomorrow will

bring the same success as today. How can we survive in

this type of environment?

leaders and agents of change successful people will learn

to read the ocean, prepare for the storm, avoid the

rocks, work as a team, and feel the excitement of

becoming a different, better organization.

"Change

before you have to," says Jack Welch, CEO of General

Electric and the most quoted manager in the world today.

He goes on to talk about "continuous

improvement" (incremental and evolutionary) change

and "transformation" (quantum and

revolutionary) change, urging companies to embrace both

types as the only way to survive in today's global

competitive environment.

Why is

change so difficult for companies to initiate and

employees to accept? We resist even the best ideas

because we are comfortable with the status quo. Changes

often fail, and employees are sometimes adversely

affected; therefore change that we perceive as negative

is resisted or ignored.

Many times

executives fail to make those critical, gut-wrenching

changes that could save or sink their companies. It is

easy to keep doing what you have always done-even if

it is wrong or obsolete. Lots of companies want to

change, but few execute it well.

There are

two basic types of change-reactive and proactive.

Reactive change occurs after external forces (usually

competition or customers or government) have already

adversely affected performance. If you lose a major

account or your product is suddenly obsolete, you have no

choice.

Something

must be done to survive, and this type of change can be

desperate and very stressful. The other type of change is

proactive. This type is initiated to take advantage of

some opportunity such as a new market or an opportunity

for cost savings. Generally, proactive change is more

deliberate and satisfying. A company justifying and

purchasing a new piece of equipment or an expansion into

a new office can be very exciting.

Resistance

to change is natural. People have concern about how it

will affect their jobs and welfare. They think, "How

will this affect me?" There is uncertainty about

whether or not the change will be in the organization's

best interests, or even if it will be around six months

from now. Some say, "This is just another program

that will be gone soon. We've tried things like this

before."

And so, the

organization goes through the painful change process that

involves shock, denial, suffering, resistance,

acceptance, and finally commitment. Sometimes this

process can take months or even years.

If change

is inevitable and if Mr. Welch is right about actually

proactively seeking ways to change, how can we do it

better and less painful. Here are some ways we may become

better change agents and overcome resistance:

Preparation

and vigilance Remember the Titanic? Never be satisfied

with status quo. All businesses will eventually face the

storm. The ones that survive will be the ones prepared.

Education

and communication - Although it takes time and effort,

the very best approach is through letting people know as

much as you can as soon as you can. People resist less to

what they know and understand. Start the process early

and communicate the progress frequently.

Participation

and ownership To the extent possible, let people help

make the decisions and participate in making the change.

When they are involved, it becomes "our"

project rather than "their" project. When

problems occur, they get solved more quickly and quietly.

Support comes from involved people.

Facilitation

and support New skills may be required to manage change

and support the new way of doing things. Training

overcomes insecurity. It is important for people to

understand the change process and remove barriers to its

success.

Strong

leadership Owners and managers must be committed and make

their feelings known to subordinates. Sometimes

leadership may involve a strong message, and other times

the need may be encouragement. If there is no leadership,

there will be no commitment.

If you

would like information on Greg's upcoming "Creating

the High-Performance Organization" management

seminar, please call or send an e-mail message to

[email protected].

Gregory P.

Smith shows businesses how to build productive and

profitable work environments that attract, keep and

motivate their workforce. He speaks at conferences,

conducts management training and is the President of a

management consulting firm called Chart Your Course

International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at

(770)860-9464 or send an email at [email protected].

More information and articles are available at

www.ChartCourse.com.

Gregory P.

Smith shows businesses how to build productive and

profitable work environments that attract, keep and

motivate their workforce. He speaks at conferences,

conducts management training and is the President of a

management consulting firm called Chart Your Course

International located in Conyers, Georgia. Phone him at

(770)860-9464 or send an email at [email protected].

More information and articles are available at https://www.ChartCourse.com .