Conduct a Literature Review of the Organizational Change

PART A: Conduct a literature review of the organizational change

Introduction

We have conducted a literature review of organizational change literature for the period 2000 to 2012. It aims to determine what skills an individual change leader would require to enable that change leader to take part in change management in different contexts.

We live in a world of change with revolutionary advance in technology, highly competitive demand patterns and loss of business confidence of the recent collapse of banking system and the resulting credit crunch. To live and do business such a increasingly complex, divers and global environment, the business leaders must be prepare to accept the challenge of change. They have to adapt to change in strategic thinking in order to develop, survive and compete through new market opportunities, technologies and etc.

Today business change is the only constant fact, so the leader should face the change and they have the skill to live such a situation. Factors such as internal communication during change management, planning skills, interpersonal skills, team management skills, problem solving skills, time management skills, degree of focus skills, and many other change agent leadership skills, are all addressed in the management literature concerning organizational change.

We interest in the develop new ways of approaching organizational change for which business should have keep research and development for each functions (Finance & control, HR, marketing & sales and production & techniques) and introduce the Quality Management System (QMS) for each functions. The change leader should have some sort of skills which is discuss in the literature review and additional skills of analytical expertise, design creativity, technical knowledge etc.

Philip J. Kichen, Finbarr Daly (2002) identifies, the communication skills are very important in the change management process. Internal communication and implementation stage of change management must be going together to be successes the change management. Knowledge of employee and internal communication are all identify the current business management literature as the change leader skills. In the change management process the internal communication is very important that will explain the following needs.

* The organization wants to avoid the frequently go wrong the change management.

* To avoided the failure.

* To unreduced the risk associates with change.

The internal communication is important whether change is continues or discontinues and this allows organization to strategies and plan proactive purposeful. Communication is used as tools for announcing; explaining or preparing people for organization changes and it reduce the confusion and resistance on change. The other argument is the internal communication is main dimension for most numerous symptoms of declining organizational health which are declining profit, lack of employee commitment to the organization, low levels of employee motivation and morale decreasing.

Armenakis and Harris (2002) identifies persuasive communication, active participation and managing internal and external information as important characteristics that a change agent should possess in order to convey the change message and create readiness for change among the target group. Persuasive communication is where the change agent directly communicates the change message to the target group primarily through verbal means. Active participation is perhaps the most effective trait in transmitting the change message as it capitalizes on self-discovery. The management of information refers to using internal and external sources to provide information regarding the change. Most people are resistant to change due to lack of information. Hence, If a change gent can persuasively communicate why change is necessary using both internal and external sources, demonstrate how the target group's skills are of value to carry out change and illuminate why the target must welcome the change for both the organization's and their own benefit then it becomes easier for the target group to develop an optimistic outlook towards change.

Brain J Hurn (2012) has mentioned anticipates in the need for change and problem solving skills are important skills to the change manager. To be the successful the change process, the change manger should have discussion of the proposed change with main stake holders of employee, customer, suppliers, trade union and financial bankers in advance because successful of change management depends upon the encouragements of participation at all levels peoples. This can be seen in Japanese total quality management, in which whole organization has committed customer satisfaction through continuous process of improvement in all areas.

Change manger should improve the problem solving skills with different disciplines for they should have good negotiator skills, flexible approach, and patient with long term perspective. The development of above skills the change manager should have,

* Change should appropriately empower.

* Continued commitment to the work.

* Unwavering support from the management.

* Adequate resources.

Gary Homes (2001) identifies risk management skills & team management skills as important characteristic in order to make sure smooth change in the organization. As we are aware that there are risks inherent in all projects and it is the responsibility of the change leader to ensure that all risks have been identified and necessary action implement in order to maximize the project success. The inherent risk in the project can be categories such as emergency, alarm, high risk, moderate risk, low risk, slight risk and no risk detected. The based on nature of risk some risk can be avoidable, other risk will be manageable at cost, but some others cannot be unavoidable.

Change manager should develop the happy, motivated, well organize and well led team. The teams development has both side benefit , the high productivity, required quality, continuity, commitment and loyalty are manager needs from the team and in return for this the team hope that the manager to provide of career development, recognition, reward, support and loyalty. So the team management skills have take and give concept and it is both party has benefit in the organizational culture.

Diane Newwell (2002), the change agent should have sufficient analytical & technical skills to manage changing process. They have good in understanding of technical filed in the function