Change Management

Similarly to the highly productive marketing organization, we would also like to consider change management, with closer examination of the necessity to effectively support company changes.

Change Management as an Executive Function

Let’s compare a company with a ship. In both cases the course has to be constantly readjusted according to the changed general conditions. But how is this best achieved?

• Is the company culture known?
• According to which rules is everyday working life organized?
• Are the company’s general rules written down and do employees live by them?
• Is there an awareness of how a change of course, due to introduction of new techniques for example, will affect the corporate culture?
• Is there a strategy escorting the employees during the change processes?

These and similar questions illustrate the reasons why change projects often fail: the ‘human factor’ is not taken into consideration.

The technical and business context is analyzed very well in the course of changes. Project plans are worked out to the last detail. But who takes care of changes that concern the employees? Let’s go back to the example of the ship: the person in charge of the company, the captain, has a new destination in sight, for example the introduction of SAP. The captain has to decide on a new course for his ship, and this is in unknown waters. Wouldn’t it be great if a pilot could help the captain to guide the ship? A pilot, who doesn’t take over the captain’s leading role, but who points out dangerous cliffs and can call out a correction of course or suggest an alternative route. A pilot could point out the advantages and disadvantages of the course, so that the captain is able to navigate more safely. Together with the captain, the pilot is going to chart the destination and the new harbor. That’s why he is going to propose a route that can be changed at anytime.