Preparing for Change: Change Management

In today’s fast paced world every business must be prepared for change. It is not a matter of if change is going to happen, but how we manage change when it does happen. To manage change, one must understand the various groups. The groups fall into victims, bystanders, critics, and navigators. Victims are terrified of change, the bystanders are hoping for things to stay the same, the critics rally others in the organization to resist, and the navigators handle change in stride and understand that it is necessary.

By understanding these groups in your organization, it allows the leadership to better manage the change and have more effective communication to the individuals involved. Most individuals don’t like change but it is necessary in all organizations if they are to flourish and move forward. If they don’t change, they can cause company failure.

To quote W. Edwards Deming, “It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory.” Every business needs to really think about this statement and make a conscious decision if they want to survive.

Posted by Alan Long, CPA, CITP, CGMA