Change Management and Employee Motivation: the Balancing Act
Leaders need to understand the motivational needs of individuals and groups. They need to work out a plan encompassing with some points that are beneficial for employees and groups, at the same time they are in line with goals and strategies of the organization.Sunil Goel, GlobalHunt India says Developing an environment that improves employee"s motivation is hard work. There is no one size fits all solution, as motivation is driven by "what"s in it for me".
Phases in Change Processes:
Normally, people perceive change processes in seven typical stages.
Phase
Description
Shock and Surprise
Confrontation with unexpected situations. This can happen ˜by accident (e.g. losses in particular business units) or planned events (e.g. workshops for personal development and team performance improvement).
Denial and Refusal
They believe there is no need for change; their perceived competency increases again.
Rational Understanding
People realize the need for change. According to this insight, their perceived competence decreases again.
Emotional Acceptance
This phase, which is also called ˜crisis is the most important one. Only if management succeeds to create a willingness for changing values, beliefs, and behaviours, the organization will be able to exploit their real potentials.
Exercising and Learning
They will experience success and failure during this phase. It is the change managers task to create some early wins (e.g. by starting with easier projects). This will lead to an increase in peoples perceived own competence.
Realization.
People gather more information by learning and exercising. People understand which behaviour is effective in which situation. This, in turn, opens up their minds for new experiences.
Integration
People totally integrate their newly acquired patterns of thinking and acting. The new behaviours become routine.
The problem for most executives is that managing change is unlike any other managerial task they have ever confronted. One COO at a large corporation told Ҡthat when it comes to handling even the most complex operational problem, he has all the skills he needs. But when it comes to managing change, the model he uses for operational issues doesnt work.
Its like the company is undergoing five medical procedures at the same time, he told . One persons in charge of the root-canal job, someone else is setting the broken foot, another person is working on the displaced shoulder, and still another is getting rid of the gallstone. Each operation is a success, but the patient dies of shock.
Sunil Goel, GlobalHunt says Doing it right means you only have to do it once. Doing it wrong? Well ... we all know the answer to that one.