Change management
Resource summary
This factsheet was last updated in January 2013.
Why organisations need to change
Many things cause organisational change. These include:
- challenges of growth, especially global markets
- challenge of economic downturns and tougher trading conditions
- changes in strategy
- technological changes
- competitive pressures, including mergers and acquisitions
- customer pressure, particularly shifting markets
- to learn new organisation behaviour and skills
- government legislation/initiatives.
All organisations are in flux: changing their focus, expanding or contracting their activities and rethinking their products and services. Most organisations more than ten years old look nothing like they did even five years ago. And it is likely that in the next year or two organisations will not look as they do today.
In this context managers have to be able to introduce and manage change to ensure the organisational objectives of change are met, and they have to ensure that they gain the commitment of their people, both during and after implementation. Often, at the same time, they also have to ensure that business continues as usual.
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- Why organisations need to change
- Why the management of change is important
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- HR’s role in change management
- CIPD viewpoint
- Further reading