The Impact of Change

Posted: July 13th, 2021

Organizations are affected by change differently, with the outcomes of change and the reactions towards change being different for every organization. Organizational change is inevitable. It may occur as a result of internal or external factors that cannot be controlled by organizational leaders. An organization may be forced to change its practices and operations as a result of changes in government policy or changes in technology. Since change is inevitable, all that leaders can do is to ensure that it is received well within the organization and that it results in the improvement of organizational efficiency. One of the reasons why organizations are affected differently by change is the level of preparation that organizational leaders have done before the introduction of change (Palmer, Dunford, & Akin, 2006). Proper preparation for change involves preparing employees and ensuring a positive attitude towards change. With proper employee preparation, an organization faces minimal resistance to change, which results in the improvement of efficiency and performance within an organization. With poor employee preparation, change often fails as a result of resistance and negative attitude towards change (Abdul Rashid, Sambasivan, & Abdul Rahman, 2004).

Another reason why change affects organizations differently is organizational culture. An organization may have a positive culture that is marked by trust and open communication in the leadership. It may also have a negative culture where workers do not trust their leaders and communication is ineffective. A positive culture supports change while a negative culture hinders it and makes it difficult to transition (Palmer et al., 2006). To better prepare an organization for change, it is important that organizational leaders ensure open and effective communication with the employees. This is only possible by ensuring a positive organizational culture and fostering trust within an organization.

References

Abdul Rashid, Z., Sambasivan, M., & Abdul Rahman, A. (2004). The influence of organizational culture on attitudes toward organizational change. Leadership & organization development Journal, 25(2), 161-179.

Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2006). Managing organizational change. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.