One of the main problems of today's organizations operating in a constantly changing environment is change adaptation. Change is a painful process, as it changes many ingrained individual and organizational habits; and it will more or less always encounter resistance. As change on the one hand, brings solutions to problems, on the other hand will lead to the emergence of new problems. Organizational change is the change in the duties of people within an organization, the value systems in an organization, the relationship between the members of an organization and their behavior in general. Organizational change; besides contributing to the general objectives of organizations such as preparing an organization for the future, developing trust and cooperation among employees, providing positive communication, solving problems and disputes and creating synergy; also contributes to the processes of preserving organizational integrity, ensuring the continuity of the organization, and its growth and development. Organizational change can also be used to increase effectiveness, efficiency and motivation.
Change management is the process of reorganization and restructuring of an organization to renew itself so as to survive and to stay ahead of competitors in a rapidly changing environment, to analyze the opportunities of change, to evaluate the potential that emerges, and to determine and implement the most appropriate strategy for this. In other words, change management is the art of ensuring that corporate culture and behaviors are compatible with the changing world.
Change requires forming new habits, as well as getting rid of old habits and breaking habits, which might be harder than forming new ones. Employees feel uncertainty as soon as they hear about change. Employees that are involved in the process of change might have different reactions to change. Some of these responses may be active, some passive, some positive and some negative. These responses can show up as either openly opposing new goals or secretly resisting new ways of working or collaborating with others.
Nobody can escape change. Those who continue to conduct business with traditional methods and those who shut themselves off to change will eventually reach a point where they will find themselves out of the game. The process of change can be painful in companies that cannot make changes continuously and on time, as it has to be deep rooted and fast. Instead of a gradual, absorbable change, it will turn into a difficult, painful change with resistance. Such changes often fail. Change should not be implemented through the top-down approach. It is often difficult to absorb and implement the models of change that are determined by top management and put into action for the sake of making improvements. It will definitely have its shortcomings. Sometimes what looks good in theory might be difficult to apply. It will contain uncertainties, errors and irrelevancies between the existing system and the new system. The correct way is to make changes with the cooperation and under the guidance of employees. Necessity lies at the core of such changes. The employee is aware of her/his own needs. If an employee directs and even manages change, s/he will adapt more easily and will not resist change.
Every living being changes. Change is not a bogeyman, as long as it has positive effects. Change that takes us forward and yields progress will uplift us. Being opposed to change is no different than standing in front of a tsunami wave and telling it not to touch you in an environment where the industry 4.0 revolution has begun. Change is tough, painful, worrying and costly, but necessary.
