Transforming Your Organization for Success: A Closer Look at Different Approaches

Many smart managers and business owners understand the importance of organizational transformation in the growth of an organization. Top business leaders have begun looking into organizational transformation as a way to improve their business and maximize production. Effective organizational transformation helps to strengthen the foundation of a company and facilitate the creation of a better work culture within that company. With the world going through several technological and economic changes, organizational transformation is imperative for a company hoping to succeed in the fast-paced economies of the world.

Different strategies can be implemented in an organization to create the kind of organization transformation that is essential for the company to grow. HR has an important role to play in ensuring that organizational growth occurs and that the right kinds of changes are implemented in the organization. It is not enough to decide to transform the work environment, it is important to choose methods that align with the goals of the organization and that can be easily implemented and adapted by the workers in the company.

Organizational changes could be structural, cultural, strategic or process. Each of these types of changes have unique applications in different organizations.

At the end of the day, it is necessary to consider the existing work culture that exists among employees in the organization. This way, you can implement changes that can easily be adapted by workers at all levels in the company.

Types of organizational change

Organizational change is dependent on the specific circumstances of the organization. Proper studies of the employees and the work culture needs to be carried out to come up with an effective method to implement change in the organization. There are different types of organizational change that can be implemented in a company.

Structural change

Structural change is used to change the organizational hierarchy, job structure, management style or administrative chain of command used within a company. A lot of times, mergers are the main causes of structural changes within a company.

In a case where a company merges with another company, a structural change will be necessary to make the process smoother. Both companies have their preexisting protocols and methods of doing things, so it may be difficult to continue operations without creating a new system for both companies to operate under. Some people may need to be given new positions or assignments. In some cases, new employees may be employed and new departments will be created.

Structural changes are also implemented in situations where a company needs to hire new staff or restructure their budget and cost.

Structural change may be a bit difficult to implement at first, especially in cases where it affects every aspect of a company’s operations. However, when done right, like British Airways did, it can do a lot to optimize the production rate and efficiency of the company.

Cultural change

This type of change is more people oriented. A lot of times, it is not enough to change the structure of a company, you also need to bring the employees into the change process. Cultural change refers to the process of changing the work culture of the company. This could be changing the way communication occurs within the organization or changing the overall skill and performance of employees.

Starbucks, Ford and Microsoft are a few popular examples of companies that were able to change their work culture and maximize their profits.

For cultural change to be effective, there needs to be a lot of transparency, honest communication and stellar leadership. Cultural change affects the way problems are addressed in an organization and may require you to put your employees through new skill acquisition programs. It may also require them to learn new communication skills. Cultural change is one that requires a lot of coaching because for the process to work, all your employees need to be in the loop.

If your employees do not know the importance of the change, they are likely to be resistant to it. This is why proper communication is necessary. You need to give your employees the proper resources they need to get used to the changes and become accustomed to the new work culture being adopted by your company.

Process change

Process change is used when a company wants to change the kind of technology or process it uses. Sometimes, these technological changes could be the use of new software or gadgets. At other times, it could be the creation of new systems and processes to improve efficiency and workflow. Process change affects the way a company operates, the way it markets its products or delivers goods and services to their consumers. Process change is less focused on employees and more focused on the technologies being used in the organization.

The world we live in today is one where new technologies and software are constantly being created. Companies constantly need to level up to meet up with the demands of their consumers. Process change helps them to integrate new frameworks into their operations. It is essential to carry out process change with proper coaching so that the company’s goals can be met. Otherwise, all you’ll have is new technologies that do little to change the way the employees operate. You also need to take the specifics of your company’s services into consideration so that you don’t just keep introducing new technologies that have no effect on your operations.

Strategic change

Strategic change is implemented to address specific threats or opportunities. When strategic change is implemented, there is a specific goal in mind. This type of change affects the way the company’s problem solving strategies.

The strategic change could be as minimal as the management style of the company. It could also affect the ideology of the company. In any case, when the preexisting strategy is no longer effective, strategic change is used to address specific problems and change the original strategy that is in place.

Strategic changes often end up affecting all the operations of a company and they usually affect the total performance of the company. They also keep companies on their toes and ensure that they are able to keep up with competitors.

Toyota is a good example of a company that has undergone a strategic change in order to become more flexible and improve the operations of employees.

Digital coaching as a tool for organizational transformation

Digital coaching is a process where members of a company are provided with feedback and guidance needed to improve their skills and reach their full potential in an organization. Digital coaches are experts in the areas where they provide guidance but they are not HR professionals. Instead, these coaches have training and experience in helping people gain skills that help them achieve specific goals.

Digital coaching is essential in organizational transformation because it improves employee flexibility and scalability. Both the managers and the employees need to go through levels of coaching to make the transformation process easier. No matter the circumstances, change can be difficult but coaching helps to ease people into the process.

Digital coaching also helps people develop the right attitude towards the changes being implemented in the company.

Factors to consider when implementing organizational change

There are many things that should be taken into consideration and implemented if organizational change is to be effective.

Clear communication

It is necessary that your employees are brought into the loop when implementing changes in the organization. It will be difficult for your employees to adjust if they do not understand the purpose of the changes being implemented. They need to know that they are important in the grand scheme of things and the best way to do this is to create efficient communication and information channels.

Leadership

You need to be a good leader for you to be able to execute change in your company. Efficient leadership skills are a core factor that affect the kind of changes that will be implemented in the organization.

Effective planning

It is not enough to say you want to implement change in an organization, you also need to come up with detailed plans that will make the process easier and more efficient.

Proper monitoring

You need to properly evaluate and monitor each step of the change. Once the change process has started, you need to evaluate its effectiveness periodically to ensure that the company’s goals are being met.

Conclusion

There are different kinds of organizational changes and it is necessary to understand the different types for you to pick the one that will be best for your company. For any kind of change to be effective in the grand scheme of things, you need to implement clear communication and leadership in the company.

Even though it might be difficult to implement changes at the end of the day, digital coaching could be very effective in making the process easier.