Organizational change is the transformation or adjustment to the way an organization functions. Driving forces of change in an organization provide order to increase productivity, in business and Organizations. They come from Kurt Lewin’s model of change which helps to make adjustments to changes most of the time, through tools such as SWOT analysis for change management in general. This article is not only showing driving forces for change and how its done to increase productivity but to formulate strategy and also respond to a new regulation, hire a new employee, and to also cut on costs. However above these adjustments organizations make, there is always pressure on organizations to make significant changes.
This is due to factors or forces that enable change to be actualized, these factors include; competition, technology, or customer demands. It is imperative to note that how the organization responds to these forces is due to how big the force must be.
There is often a variety of forces that press or ask the organization to respond to these forces in the form of change. And these forces can be categorized in two, of which these are internal and external forces of change. Below is an answer to what are the forces of change in an organization!
Driving forces of change in an organization
The global village is usually faced with consistent change, this can be attributed to an organization or basically an individual. Driving forces of change in an organization can be determined from the inside or the outside of the organization.
It’s important that Organization must respond to these forces in order to survive. Some of these forces arise from outside the organization, however some forces are in house they arise from within the organization.
INTERNAL FORCES OF CHANGE IN AN ORGANIZATION
It is important that Organization focus not only on the responding to the anticipated changes from outside the organization but to the forces raising from the with the organization, and these are referred to as internal forces of change.
These forces may cause an organization to change because someone on the inside thinks of a new way of doing things that will be beneficial or even necessary. Internal forces of change of the organization are generally recognizable in the form of signals indicating that something needs to be altered. Some of the internal forces are discussed below:
Changes in Management
This is One of the major reasons for serious changes in an organization. The change of executives at the top guarantee change because usually No two managers have the same styles, skills or managerial philosophies.
Let’s take soccer game for instance, when there is a change in the team manager or coach be least assured that change is inevitable, because a new coach will come in with his own wining formula.
For this reason the behavior patterns of Managers are always selective so that a newly appointed manager might favor different organizational design, objectives procedures and policies than a predecessor. Changes in the managerial personnel are thus a constant pressure for change.
Not attaining the desired results
Another constant force of change is the response of an organization to not attaining the desired results. Mostly when an organization is experiencing losses or they are not achieving the desired results, they are undoubtedly motivated to do something about it. Some organizations respond to this by massively cutting costs, of which reaction his is done by instituting layoffs and massive cost cutting programs, whereas others view the loss as symptomatic of a failed strategy and seek out the cause of the problem and make changes.
Work Climate
Work climate refers to the environment in which an organization operate in. These changes in the work climate at an organization can also stimulate change. This can be in relation with how motivated and satisfied a work forces is. This lack of motivation and dissatisfaction is common in organizations that have experienced layoffs.
Workers who have escaped a layoff may find it hard to continue to be productive. They may fear that they will be laid off as well and may feel insecure in their jobs.
Loopholes in the System
Another internal force for organizational change is the loopholes in the system. These loopholes may been manageable spans of control, lack of coordination between departments, lack of uniformity in politics, non-cooperation between line and staff etc.
EXTERNAL FORCES OF CHANGE IN AN ORGANIZATION
The environment in which an organization operates in is very key to the success of an organization. The change in environment automatically influences change in the organization. And apart from the internal forces of change this paper also seeks to outline some of the external forces of change.
When the organization’s work environment changes, the organization’s success often rides on its ability and willingness to change as well. This is why Modern manager are often change-conscious and operate in the constantly changing environment.
Because of this that these many external changes which confront modern organizations and make change inevitable. The general environment has social, economic, political and technological forces of change. Any of these can introduce the need for change.
In recent years, far-reaching forces for change have included developments in information technology, the globalization of competition, and demands that organizations take greater responsibility for their impact on the environment. The following are external forces of change:
Technological Change
In a world where there is a Rapid growth in technological innovationist is important for an organization to on alert of this being a major force for change in organizations, and those who fail to keep up can quickly fall behind. It is perhaps the greatest factor that organizations reckon with.
Handy states that “the rate of technological changes is greater today than any time in the past and technological changes are responsible for changing the nature of jobs performed at all levels in the organization”.
For example, the substitution of computer control for direct supervision is resulting in wider spans of control for managers and flatter organizations.
Globalization
The concept of globalization outlines that in the global economy competitors are likely to come from across the ocean. The multinational and trans-national organizations are the power players in the global market.
This has challenged organizations to think globally. domestic and foreign operations have no mental distinction. Globalization, for an organization, means rethinking the most efficient ways to use resources, disseminate and gather information and develop people. It requires not only structural changes but also changes in the minds of employees.
Social and Political Changes
Some of the major external forces of change social and political changes. A change in social trends can pressure organizations to making significant changes. When we talk of political changes this refers to government policies and restrictions often force change in organization. For example a change in minimum wage for employees can influence an organization to make changes in order to compete fairly with other businesses.
Economic Crisis
The best example of an economic Crisis is a recession. For example during the 2008 recession many organizations were forced into laying off and cutting off there spending.
The downturn of the economy lead to a lot of organizations facing a crisis which leads to companies making a lot of changes.
Organization Change is often unavoidable.
Organizations and their managers have to learn how to anticipate and implement change effectively. Managers need to find ways to overcome their employees’ natural aversion to change, because Driving forces of change in an organization help in managing change effectively can mean the difference between staying in business and becoming irrelevant to their customers.
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