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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