Abstract
The aim of this chapter is to make it easier to understand the concept of change and offer some suggestions on how the change should be managed. In this direction, change, change management, and its importance have been dealt with, and a conceptual framework has been established through examples. Then, the types of change are discussed by explaining what environmental factors bring about the change. The process of managing change is reviewed; the resistance to change and the sources that reveal this resistance are examined, as well as how to overcome the resistance. Finally, the role of the leader in change management and creating change culture has been discussed.
TopChange And Organizational Change
Think about your life for the last 5 years. What has changed in your life? Where were you five years ago and what business were you doing? Did the products you used change? Has your form of access to information and speed changed? Did the people in your life get diversified?
If you are a business owner, think about what has changed in your business so far from the days you have started it. Has your business provided product range? Have you experienced product, market or technology differentiation? Has the number and profile of your employees changed? Has customer expectation and applications of order delivery changed? Has the number of competitors increased or decreased? If you answer is “yes” to one or more of these questions, we can say that you are experiencing the change. What is the concept of “change”, which is a fact of business life as well as private life?
Change in daily life refers to the fact that things alter and do not stay the same, they turn into something else. This transformation includes the change of both the places of people and objects and personal knowledge, ability, etc. to a different situation than its current situation. In the organizational context, change means that the organization comes to a different situation in terms of its activities (van de Ven & Poole, 1995, p. 512). Organizational change is to enter a new field and play the game according to the new rules (Ragsdell, 2000, p. 104). Organizational change is the alteration of the organization’s strategy, structure and culture as a consequence of the shift occurring in the organization’s environment, structure or technology (Passenheim, 2010, p. 7). This alteration and transformation can be performed in a planned way, or it can be unplanned as well.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Change Agent: It is the individual who undertakes the task of carrying out change activities within the organization.
Organizational Change: It refers to a different situation from an existing situation in the organization’s activities, strategy, structure, and culture.
Change Management: It is to harmonize the organization and organizational structure with changing environmental conditions.
Resistance to Change: The change that is desired to be realized is reluctance and conscious change prevention activity.
Planned Change: It is the conscious act of change activity; that is, each step is planned and implemented in advance.
Action Research: The action research is to collect data related to a problem existing in the organization or a possible problem to occur, to analyze the data and to carry out the change activity according to the analysis results.
Change: It means that something is transformed into something else in a planned or unplanned way in time.