HR
Mgr. Radka Šušková
Jednatelka New Dimension, s.r.o.
Managing Director New Dimension, s.r.o.
How Do Companies
Manage
Change?
“Don’t be afraid of change. You may end up losing something
good, but you will probably end up gaining something better.”
Ralph Smart
What competence is the most in demand
for managers these days? Clearly, it is the
ability to manage change. Is it enough
to not only have a manager who has
this competence, but also one who can
actually implement the change?
How do we know that the company is
ready for change and how will individual
employees react to change?
The last three years have shown how
prepared specific companies are for
change. They have shown how flexible
their internal processes are and whether
their people have the competencies to
support change management.
Everyone reacts very similarly in
the moment of change. What differentiates
us from each other is the speed of which
we move through the stages of embracing
the change. In the beginning, for each of us,
change is primarily about stepping out of
our comfort zone. It is a change to our state
of being where we felt safe. The reaction to
stepping out of our comfort zone is the initial
resistance and declaring the problems that
the new situation will bring. It is a defence
mechanism that is triggered in each of us.
At that moment we see something in the
change that is very negative. We perceive
a disturbance in our balance. The moment
we realise that change can bring something
positive, we get to the stage where we
can start to articulate the benefits. Once
we identify a positive attitude towards
change, we are ready to engage in it and
our confidence is therefore strengthened.
It is then that we are ready to implement
the change.
A company as a whole goes through similar
phases. It is only a question of which phase
it will remain in for a longer time period or in
which one it will stop completely. There are
companies that are sinking into despair in the
new situation, paralysed and inactive, which
will start to affect their performance and their
competitiveness. Other companies, set up
for and see change as an opportunity. They
use the potential of their people and their
creativity. They go through the phases of
embracing change together very quickly and
therefore become agents of change.
What is the key difference between these
companies? Why does one company exhibit
reactive behaviour at any given time and
another a proactive behaviour? The answer
lies in the company culture that has been
instilled over a long period of time.
Every company has it. The difference is in
the foundations it stands on. A company
that supports the creativity of its people,
manages innovation, improves its processes
and relationships based on shared values is
certainly better prepared for change.
Managers in such companies build
a company culture based on people and
the development of their competences,
on seeing the meaning of every job. They
can manage projects with agility, focus
on the positive and integrate change into
everyday life. They work with the attitudes
of their people and set a personal example
of values. A company built on these pillars of
work is in fact ready for change.
Text: Radka Šušková
Foto: Depositphotos
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