Management and the fear of change - IT Project Management
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Jun 16 2008   9:27AM GMT

Management and the fear of change



Posted by: Yusuf Salwati
Project management, CEO, Productivity, Office politics

The fear of change is a natural human behavior, as human, we are always afraid of the unknown. Managers and CEOs may face stiff resistance from the stockholders of the company for their “change management” plans.

In the recent months, I have the opportunity to work for two different companies where my main job duty was to implement a strategy to for a change inside these companies to make them more profitable, reduce costs and enhance the image of the companies.

It’s very easy for stockholders to ask for a change, but it’s hard for them to accept it. Most decision-makers are not willing to change the way things are, they are not willing to let go of their power or authority. When the stockholders or the decision-makers call for change inside the company, they want this change to happen without them losing their current positions.

This fear of change doesn’t not only apply to management and companies, but also to nations and people in general. In my trip to several developing countries in the last few months, I have seen first hand how globalization and the wave of change that is hitting many countries around the world is creating fear in the mind of the public.

Many developing countries want to benefit from the wave of globalization and want to offer its citizens better living conditions, but with that, there is a strong resistance to change by the same people who are calling for a change.

So if you are dealing with change management at your organization, you will face a resistance to change, don’t let that discourage you, just be patient and introduce the changes slowly.

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Jgunja  |   Jun 18 2008   2:38AM GMT

I agree with Yusuf’s views. As seen often, people are afraid of change because of various reasons. The reasons could be different for different people. At middle to older age, one may be afraid to learn new things. Or may be due to fear of becoming redundant in the company they work for.

The change management needs to look at each of the audience and address the individual’s concerns. It should not be assumed that the concern of every one is the same. It may be possible to classify the types of concerns.
The change can be used as an opportunity rather than as a risk. That would be the best way to address the change. For example, you may be able to do a task in a better and more productive way.
The change manager needs to be a strong person and at the same time have concern for the audience.
As for any project, the change management process needs to be reviewed regularly and necessary “changes!” are to be made in the tactics used or in any other steps used. This is like any project management process.
At the end of the change management, you need to have review of how the whole process went, successes made, any negative aspects, etc. Both positive and negative lessons learned need to be documented and followed up.

Hope this helps.
JG


 

Management Tips  |   Jun 19 2008   7:14AM GMT

Hello Jgunja;

I agree with what you said, especially the old issue, the old guards always resist the change. At the present time I am working in the Arabian Gulf Area in the State of Qatar, this region is going through rapid changes and one of the most challenging task that is facing the economy here is the family owned businesses, most business here, even big corporations, are family owned and the owners are finding hard to let go of day to day management.