In today’s highly complex world, organizations need to continuously accommodate to new situations if they are to survive and prosper. The current trend is toward the learning organization, which is the epitome of continuous change and growth. The learning organization engages everyone in problem solving and continuous improvement based on the lessons experience. Managers assist two change requirements: initiation and implementation. The learning organization simultaneously embraces two types of planned change: operational change, based on organizational efforts to improve basic work and organizational processes in different areas of the business, and transformational change, which involves redesign and renewal of the total organization. Changed can be managed. By observing external trends, patterns, and needs, managers use planned change to help the organization adapt to external problems and opportunities. When organizations are caught flat-footed, failing to anticipate or respond to new needs, managers is at fault. Four events make up the change sequence: 1) internal and external forces for change exist 2) organization managers monitor these forces and become aware of a need for change and 3) the perceived need triggers the initiation of change, which 4) is then implemented. How each of these activities is handled depends on the organization and styles of managers. Forces for organizational change exist both in the external environment and within the organization. Internal forces for change issue from internal activities and decisions. If top managers select a goal of rapid company growth, internal actions will have to be changed to meet that growth, internal actions will have to be changed to meet that growth. The needs for change external and internal forces translate into a perceived need for change within the organization. Managers sense a need for change when there is a performance gap a disparity between existing and desired performance levels. Managers try to establish a sense of urgency so that others will understand the need change. Management’s responsibility is to monitor threats and opportunities in the external environment as well as strengths and weakness within the organization to determine whether a need for change exists. After the need of change has been perceived and communicated, the next part of the change, a truly critical aspect of change management. This is where the ideas that solve perceived needs are developed. Responses that an organization can make are to search for or create a change to adopt. Search is the process of learning about current developments inside or outside the organization that can be used to meet the perceived need for change. Search typically uncovers knowledge that can be applied or adopted within the organization. Managers do this by talking to friends and colleagues, read professional reports, or hire consultants to learn about ideas used elsewhere. Initiating a new response means that managers must design the organization so as to facilitate creativity of both individuals and departments, encourage innovative people to initiate new ideas , or create new-venture departments. Creativity involves generating novel ideas that have the potential to meet perceived needs or respond to opportunities. Creativity is the essential first step in innovation, which is vital to long- term organizational success. Creative people often are known for originality, open mildness, curiosity, a focused approach to problem solving, persistence, a relaxed and playful attitude, and receptivity to new ideas. Companies or departments within companies can be organized specifically for generating creative ideas initiating changes. Most companies want highly creative employees and often seek to hire them. Another responsibility of managers is to create a work environment that allows creativity to flourish. Ingenious organizations are loosely structured. People find themselves is a situation of ambiguity, assignments, are vague, territories overlap, tasks are abstractly defined, and much work is done through teams. Open channels of communication, overlapping jobs, discretionary resources, decentralization, and freedom of the employees to choose problems and make mistakes can generate unexpected benefits for companies. If creative conditions are successful, new ideas will be generated that must be carried forward for acceptance and implementation. An idea champion is a person who sees the need for and champions productive change within the organization. Personal energy and effort are required to successfully promote a new idea. Champions are passionately committed to a new product or idea despite its potential for rejection by others, including management.
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