Organizational change management

16/03/2025
Externa World

The business challenge for organizations is to manage organizational change and train leaders who can lead this transition in the right direction.

How do we promote a culture of change within an organization?

The rapid advance of technology means that every technological innovation is lost in a short time. In this scenario, the world of work must continuously evolve, adopting new tools, working methods and forms of communication.

Digital transformation arises in response to the need to address rapid changes of importance in organizational culture and its processes, within organizations. It involves reducing resistance to change and taking up the challenge of working with people who are involved and committed to transformation.

Change management is a set of actions that an enterprise needs to adapt to market demand. It is based on a structured approach that allows people, teams and organizations to adapt effectively to new conditions, processes or strategies. Its aim is to minimize resistance, maximize adoption of change and ensure a smooth transition.

It seeks to facilitate and achieve the successful implementation of transformation processes, which means working together with people in promoting and developing the changes that are intended to be carried out and in dynamizing strategies that reduce resistance to their implementation.

What is the value of change management?

For any company, change is inevitable. The changes are necessary and indispensable if the organization is to continue to grow until it achieves efficiency and competitiveness, which benefit both the company itself and its people.

Talent management involves training and development actions which enable employees to adapt more easily to changes, encouraging motivation in them and thus enhancing their personal and professional growth; It also enables the company to improve productivity. Therefore, if change management is done correctly and planned, the changes that will come with it, will impact on business growth, leadership strengthening and professional development; This, in turn, will allow the optimization of operating time and costs.

Change management helps to streamline transformations; reduces incidents that may affect the economic efficiency of the project, boosts internal relationships and communications, and strengthens the sense of ownership of human capital.

The value of actual exchange

John P. Kotter, in his book Leading Change, describes an 8-step structured process for effectively managing change. Among the key points mentioned by the author, we can highlight:

.Create a sense of urgency: Without a clear reason for change, teams can resist.
.Develop a compelling vision: A well-defined north facilitates alignment and engagement.
.Empower collaborators: Change does not happen only from top management; everyone should be part of the process.
.Generate short-term wins: Early achievements strengthen confidence and motivation.

Types of organizational change

The challenges companies face when making changes within their internal areas or processes have different origins. The transformation may be:

-Structural

-Structural

These changes affect the organizational structure of the company and are reflected in changes in the chain of command, in the hierarchy, redesign of positions, redistribution of functions, among others.

-Cultural

-Cultural

These changes are linked to the vision, mission and values of the company, which means planning them in retail and strengthening internal communication, to avoid a negative impact on organizational culture and brand.

-Of staff

-Of staff

The reduction of staff by technological substitution is a challenge that companies must approach with caution, although this type of change also involves the distribution and organization of the job structure and hierarchy within an organisation, that they can be modified and adjusted according to business needs and new change management criteria.

-Technological

-Technological

Innovation and technological development continuously and systematically promote the optimization of processes, thus enabling more efficient and orderly work management. The introduction of these technological changes brings substantial advantages for companies, because by incorporating new digital tools, processes are streamlined to achieve better results and greater business competitiveness.

-Evolutionary

-Evolutionary

Evolutionary changes are implemented gradually in companies through planned and managed modifications.

-Revolutionary

-Revolutionary

These are sudden changes within a company, which arise unexpectedly and require rapid action to avoid negative consequences. 

-Portfolio of products

-Portfolio of products

The growth and modification of a company’s portfolio of products and services, whatever its size, implies an adaptation to changes in order to remain competitive in the market.

Types of organizational change

Stages of change management

Every process of transformation within a company involves stages which will respond to the change process.

Phase 1: Preparation - (Awareness and Diagnosis)

It involves designing a new internal improvement process that promotes the proposed change.

  • Identification of the need for change
  • Impact and risk assessment
  • Development of a change strategy
  • Initial communication to generate awareness and commitment.

Phase 2: Implementation - (Execution and Adaptation)

Once the keys to change management have been established, we can implement the changes that need to be made by:

  • Development and implementation of new strategies, processes or technologies
  • Training and equipment support to facilitate transition
  • Management of resistance to change
  • Monitoring progress and adjusting strategies as necessary.

Phase 3: Consolidation - (Sustainability and Reinforcement)

With the team already informed about the need to modify some work processes, in the consolidation phase new objectives are implemented, an outline of the expected results is made and the strategy for moving forward on the path of growth continues. 

  • Evaluation of results obtained
  • Strengthening change through organizational culture, policies and good practices
  • Celebrating achievements and recognizing teams
  • Final adjustments to ensure permanence of change.

What are the most common change management models?

There are several business reference models that can inspire companies to better adapt to digital transformation. The most common are:

Model Lewin 

Proposes to prepare, implement and stabilize change. The Lewin model is based on three distinct stages: thawing, advance and re-freezing.  It is about analysing the way in which the company works to know what has to change, identifying faults and aspects that need improvement and how it will be passed on to the team to implement positive and functional modifications. 

Model ADKAR 

Consider change at the individual level, ensuring awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. The model is divided into five distinct stages: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability and reinforcement. Promotes the well-being of the team and promotes internal communication within the company. All proposals are considered and a joint decision is reached to move the project forward. 

Kotter’s model 

It focuses on the vision, leadership and consolidation of change. It is a model that is still in development. Developed by John Kotter, a professor at the Harvard Business School, it is based on eight steps that set out what the company needs to improve, How to remove the obstacles that have so far obstructed team communication and how to move forward in building a corporate culture. 

Model Kim Scott 

This model maintains a leadership approach that is based on effective team management and collaborative decision-making. It consists of seven stages: listening, clarifying, debating, deciding, persuading, executing and learning, and over the years we see how effective this is. 

How can we lead change management effectively?

In order to effectively manage organizational change, it is recommended that a strategic vision management plan be designed which specifies the key changes, what goals are to be achieved and what kind of tools will be used to achieve them; in addition to creating a sense of urgency in the people involved, so that they become aware of all that is at stake in the process of change and feel part of the process; communicate assertively; Setting short-term goals and conducting continuous evaluations to identify progress and identify areas for further change. In this way, the process is monitored and perfected as much as possible. 

Once the objectives have been achieved and the change process consolidated, it is desirable to review the changes made and promote a learning culture.

When change is managed effectively, organizations not only adapt but strengthen their culture, drive innovation and ensure sustainable growth over time.