Tony Hai of Florida is a seasoned CIO with experience spearheading technological innovation and adoption in multiple organizations. Tony Hai has been a turnaround manager with companies going through mergers, acquisitions and other major operational changes. Below, Mr. Hai explains the different approaches of some of the more popular change management models often applied to ailing businesses.
The business world is everchanging so your team’s ability to quickly pivot at a moment’s notice can directly impact your bottom line. Yet there’s no single way to adjust to change. The best change management model for a business will depend on the industry, business outcomes, and a company’s own corporate culture.
Tony Hai of Florida explains that an effective change management model can drive a business to success by inspiring stability, even in uncertain times. By putting in place a clear plan, initiative, and project, a firm can overcome any issue with lucid leadership. Whichever model chosen, though, communication will drive home successful change.
Although employees may resist change, a clear change management model can help ease them into new business processes. In this post, Tony Hai of Florida will introduce you to three effective change management models and discuss how they can help the bottom line.
Kotter’s Change Management Model
Kotter’s change management model is an 8-step process designed by Kotter Inc. to help employees adjust to change. Tony Hai of Florida says that each of the 8 steps focuses on the employees’ responses and guides them through the transition:
- Increase Urgency – Creating urgency motivates employees to engage with new business processes.
- Team Building – Identify which skills and personality traits will best drive change and build them within your team.
- Strategize a Vision – A strong change-driven vision should account for employees’ creativity and objectives.
- Find Volunteers – Identifying the employees who are willing to jump in gives them the opportunity to engage with a new change.
- Remove Barriers – Tidy up your business processes to eliminate any inefficiencies holding back change.
- Short-Term Wins – Track success one project at a time. Focusing on the short-term helps drive change one step at a time.
- Accelerate – As smaller projects become more successful, accelerate the rate of change to drive home the new process.
- Make it an Institution – Once everyone is onboard, incorporate change into your new corporate culture.
Kotter’s change management model is one of the most commonly used models because it’s straightforward and easy to implement. It focuses on employee experience and communication rather than forcing change with a heavy hand.
McKinsey 7-S Change Management Model
The McKinsey 7-S change management model is one of the oldest models in the industry, dating back to the 1980s. According to Tony Hai of Florida, it’s proven to be effective and focuses on 7 different areas that can drive change:
- Strategy – You must strategize a clear step-by-step plan for the future
- Structure – You may have to shake up the organizational structure of your business to implement major changes.
- Systems – Systems management involves a revolution in your day-to-day processes
- Shared Values – Your business’s corporate culture may need adjusting to implement lasting change.
- Style – Style refers to how you implement change.
- Staff – Focusing on your employees and easing their anxieties will help smooth the transition period.
- Skills – Training employees in the skills needed to implement new change gives them the opportunity to learn and grow.
The McKinsey model is so popular because it covers all the bases says Tony Hai of Florida. It includes both hard and soft structures, employees, and their training. It highlights that, sometimes, businesses must be willing to change everything to grow.
Lewin’s Change Management Model
Last but not least, we have Lewin’s change management model. Tony Hai of Florida reports that this model helps businesses approach, understand, and implement organizational changes without affecting the daily process. It works based on these three stages:
- Unfreeze – Business owners must clearly communicate upcoming changes to employees to prepare them for the transition period. Communication helps prevent resistance by informing employees how they can fit into the new changes.
- Change – Implement the change through strong leadership and continued communication. Implementation will depend on the change but be sure to keep everyone on board to prevent inefficiencies or resistance.
- Refreeze – Finally, cement change into the organization structure with new training and renewed corporate cultures.
Lewin’s change management model is popular because of its simple 3-step process that accounts for everything. It covers the before, during, and after steps with simplicity and clarity.
Final Thoughts on Change Management Models
When a business is in need of a major operational shift, understanding and implementing a change management model can help smooth the transition and keep everyone happy according to Tony Hai of Florida. Consider the three models presented here and remember that the key to implementing successful change in any business is to rely on clear communication between everyone involved.
