That Six-Letter Word: Change
One of the biggest challenges in implementing a new technology or process is change. Change creates a multitude of feelings; for some it is apprehension and uncertainty, while for others it is excitement and acceptance.
Change management is defined as “a systematic approach to dealing with change, both from the perspective of an organization and the individual.”
Creating a Culture of Change
Change agents are people willing to push for enhancement. They play an important role in business process transformation. They are the ones that push new ideas and concepts through the gates, even when there is deep-rooted resistance. The change agents start the transformation by building trust, opening up dialogues, listening to stakeholders, and opening lines of communication.
Internal and external organization changes are not easy. How has your agency implemented successful change in your organization? What was the process that helped kick off the change—questionnaires, interviews, and observations? Change management is the discipline that guides how we prepare, equip, and support individuals to successfully adopt change in order to drive organizational success and outcomes. General Services Administration (GSA) has implemented the Kotter Change Management Model (based on the publication, “Guiding Principles for Leading Change”), introduced by world-renowned change management expert, John Kotter.
For many of us, we comply with a new technology, policy, or method because we are told to do it. Sometimes, we love the change and other times we hate it. There are many of us (govies) that implemented change in the form of a new technology, policy, or system—and not without risk.
Dr. David Bray, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) CIO, has stated, “Doing anything new inherently is risky. All too often it is easier for folks to say the status quo is good enough, the challenges are too high to overcome, or there’s no way to complete a project in time. Such skepticism is healthy—we should always weigh multiple perspectives when deciding the right path to take. At the same time, we must also recognize the risk of doing nothing. At a certain point, the status quo no longer will be good enough.”
We would love to hear from you about your organization’s changes, big and small. Tell us how your organization implemented change and the methodology that you used in the comments below, or via email. Looking forward to hearing from you soon.
