What is Organizational Change?
Organizational change means making changes to an organization’s structure, strategy, processes, or culture. It involves moving the organization from its current state to a new one. This shift is usually planned to reach a specific goal—such as improving performance or solving a problem. The aim is to get everyone involved to work together and reduce the chances of failure.
But organizational change can be challenging because it involves both emotions and thinking processes. People react to change in different ways. Some see it as a chance to grow and improve, while others may feel fear, stress, or uncertainty. For change to succeed, it must become part of the organization’s daily routine. That’s why strong management and shared leadership are key to guiding successful change.
Role of managers in organizational change
The role of managers in change is key, and it is also very complicated. They must be able to combine their normal, day-to-day obligations, like work related to achieving performance objectives and goals, with the organization’s need to change. Managers cannot delegate their essential role in the change. It’s not enough just to support it; they have to lead it.
The journey of constant change requires a high level of organizational energy for change. This is the main responsibility of the manager. Organizational energy means the extent to which an organization has mobilized its emotional, cognitive, and behavioral potential to pursue its objectives.
Energy states. Four states of energy are:
State of resigned energy, i.e., when the intensity is low and the perceived quality is low, people adopt a resigned attitude
When people are in a state of comfortable energy—where pressure is low but the quality of experience feels high—they tend to feel secure, and any change may be seen as a threat.
State of corrosive energy, i.e., when intensity is high and quality is low, people will devote their energy to questioning decisions, looking for ways to do less work. Any change will be considered disastrous as they already have enough work.
State of productive energy, i.e,. If there is high intensity and the perceived quality is high, people will actively seek changes, allowing them to improve their work.
What are the 4 Cs of Organizational Energy and the Key Role of Managers?
Connect. This source of energy refers to how people connect, their values, and their work for the overall purpose of the organization. It includes traceability between objectives and teamwork, proactive communication of the why, collaboration on what and how, and clarity and agreement on roles and relationships.
Content. The second source of organizational energy is work content. In other words, it’s how work engages people and gives them a sense of accomplishment. To support this, managers should focus on boosting intrinsic motivation. They must ensure technical competence. Additionally, they should set clear boundaries and provide challenging tasks. Moreover, giving autonomy and stepping back is essential. Managers must also remove structural barriers. Finally, they should accept mistakes as part of the learning process.
Context. The next source of organizational energy is context. That is, how our way of working supports and enables people to do a good job. To do this, the manager must ensure flexible and adaptable tools, and the space and time for individual and collective learning.
Climate. Climate is the final source of organizational energy. Therefore, managers must help create a positive work climate. To do this, they should implement an objective, ongoing, and flexible recognition and incentive system. In addition, they must provide regular feedback and be open to receiving it. As a result, the workplace becomes more engaging and motivating.
Conclusion
Organizational change is essential for the growth and development of companies as well as of employees. Managers have a key role in positive change, along with the psychological satisfaction of the workers. Because the role of the manager as a role model will drive change in their teams far more than any other action. Managers must maintain a holistic approach by working to nurture the environment. The role of managers should be like a farmer who works hard on the raw material, and then the employees refine it for progress and growth.
