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The business world is constantly changing. Every day, new processes, new objectives, new organisations and new methods emerge at work. Unfortunately, change is sometimes poorly tolerated by employees, especially when it is introduced abruptly. Are you a manager who wants to acquire new management skills? Are you wondering how to deal with change? How can you manage change and implement it in your company without rushing your employees? Change is a complex process. Learning how to manage change will enable you to bring it about in your company without neglecting the human dimension, which is essential for the success of every project.

Change management: definition

Change management consists of supporting the process within a company in an optimal way. These changes can be organisational, strategic or concern an evolution of working methods. The objective of change management is to ensure that the change is accepted by all the teams and that they experience it as well as possible. This method consists of effectively managing change management, but above all of facilitating it so that it is understood and accepted by everyone.

What are the challenges of change management?

The main challenge of change management is at the human level. Change, whatever it may be, is difficult to accept at all levels of the company. The various employees, whether they are high up in the hierarchy or not, see their working methods and their organisation upset by the changes. This can be disruptive, stressful and sometimes lead to dissatisfaction and tension. A major change imposed on employees without any preparation is sure to hamper their productivity and motivation. As you have understood, change management is an essential management method in companies. It allows you to limit the negative psychological impact of change on the various players in a company.

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Some tools to support a change management process

The manager must master the tools and levers for supporting organisational or strategic change. The success of a transformation project depends on this. Here are some examples of tools and methods used by managers during a change process.

Change management according to Kurt Lewin

Kurt Lewin was a pioneer in the field of social psychology and developed the concept of group dynamics. He also proposed an interesting method for leading change, after analysing the forces against and for change. According to him, change management should be carried out in three stages:

• Unfreeze: this stage consists of convincing employees that change is inevitable and urgent, that the current organisation must be reviewed. The first resistance to change already appears at this stage.
• Change: people are more ready to accept change because they have been prepared by the previous emergency phase. It is time to define new practices.
• Refreeze: the changes have been adopted. Now the new organisation must be consolidated so that old habits do not return.

But that's not all. Lewin also developed a matrix called Force Field Analysis. This allows the reasons for blockages to be analysed, so that resistance to change can be broken down. This management technique is invaluable and indispensable for getting change accepted.

The mourning curve

Leading change means helping employees to accept it. To do this, it is necessary to understand the different stages of change acceptance. Leading the process involves accompanying employees through each phase of mourning for the old organisation, i.e. shock, denial, anger, fear, sadness, depression, the search for meaning and truth, and then acceptance. Only this thorough change management can make change in business successful.

There are many other methods of supporting change. These include the change equation, the Burke and Litwin model and the OMOC matrix. The best way to establish a well thought-out communication plan and to approach change in the right way is to get trained. Working from a proven methodology is the quickest and most effective way to prepare to deal with resistance to change and to manage and support your employees.

Our change management training

Understanding and mastering change management is essential nowadays, at a time when many companies are undergoing a digital transformation. Change management cannot be learned in a snap of the fingers: it involves understanding all the phases that employees go through when a change occurs and understanding which levers to use to support your teams.

We offer you a short training course to discover how to manage the transition. This training course on change management allows you to install the digital transformation in your company by limiting discontent, and by developing an adapted response to resistance and a more reactive organisation. This training can be followed in addition to the project management training, the two skills being closely linked and being part of the managerial skills essential to any good manager.

Management of transformation

You now know the new tools for introducing changes with pedagogy. Mastering them will enable you to become an excellent coach and to ensure that harmony reigns within your teams, even when some employees seem to resist change.