Who is a Change Agent?
Discuss about the Breakdowns in Implementing Models of Organization.
In today’s modern world, changes are necessary in each and every industry to attain long term mission and vision. For change management, a change agent is appointed by the companies who help to manage the managerial changes within the organization. They are only people who convince employees for initiating the changes. The paper provides literature towards role of change agents in the organization. It also explains that how change agent handles these changes wisely. The pros and cons of having change agents have been explained in the task. This literature is also critically evaluated in the later section of the report.
Every organizational change, whether large or small, requires one or more change agents in the organization. Fullan (2012) stated that a change agent is anyone who posses the skills and knowledge to stimulate, coordinate and facilitate the change efforts within the organization. Change agent may be either internal or external. The success and growth of any change efforts depends on the quality and reliability of the relationship between the key decision makers and change agent in the organization (Benn, Edwards and Williams, 2014). In the organization, the group and individual that undertakes the tasks and duties of managing and implementing changes in the company is known as a change agent (Gobble, 2013). The change agents can be internal like employees or managers who are selected to oversee and manage the change process. Cummings and Worley (2014) defined that change agents can be external like consultants from outside the company. For most important and wide changes, the companies hire and appoint external change agent to carry the business activities and operations successfully because these agents come from outside, they are not bound by the company’s rules and culture. Hence, they are able to bring various viewpoints to the challenges and situations the status quo. This can be drawback for the firm (Johnson, 2016).
On the other hand, various large firms appoints own-in-house change mediator to control and manage the change process. This person is directly connected with organization’s change management team to assist the change endeavors. Rafaeli and Pratt (2013) argued that change agent is a person who is responsible for coordinating and formulating the overall change efforts. Change agent plays a significant role in each and every organization to maintain a reciprocal relationship between employees and organization. Various tasks and duties are performed by the change manager in the organization to accomplish the long term objectives and goals. Chhokar, Brodbeck and House (2013) stated that change agents play an empirical and significant role in the success and growth of the firm. They play three roles in the organization such as consulting role, training role and research role. The managers and outside change agent can execute these functions very well. As a consultant, the change agents keep the workers in touch with data from outside the organization or helping the members of the firm to create data from the firm. The overall objective is to help the workers and subordinates find the solutions to issues and problems through analysis of data (Thomas and Hardy, 2011). Apart from the consultant role, change managers also function as a trainer in the organization.
Role of Change Agents in an Organization
The change manager helps the organization manager learn how to use data to effect change. They help the employees and top management drive implementation for tasks and actions from the present data. The change managers provide new set of skills and knowledge to the workers as well as senior management. These managers have the ability to translate, use and retrieve new data to solve the issues and problems of future. Most of the companies hire outside consultants to instruct and direct the organization employees on how to improve and enhance the overall actions and operations of the company. The change agents are closely associated with organization to accomplish the mission and vision. It shall be argued by Nudurupati et al (2011) that change agents also assume the role of researcher. As a researcher, the change agent train the employees in the skills and potential needed for valid assessment of the efficiency of action plan that have been initiated. Along with this, they design and create an assessment factor that can be initiated in eliminating not only the current issues but also future issues. It has been analyzed that change agents play a foremost role in every company.
Whitney and Cooperrider (2011) studied that a critical change agent task is to define the “climate” which this change will be introduced. In this way, change manager’s asses and evaluate the climate of the firm as well as environment. They predict the future risks and challenges of the market and make effective strategies, policies and plans to eliminate these risks and challenges. It has been evaluated that change agent predict the potential barriers to initiate the process. These agents do not ignore the cultural factors because the gaps between the culture and change are at the root of many failed changes (Armstrong and Taylor, 2014). It is stated by Austin (2013) that the most effective change agent task is to encourage active, visible and sponsorship throughout the project and work. It has been revealed that change agent motivate and inspire the subordinates to accept the various types of organizational and managerial changes within the organization (Schneider, Teske and Mintrom, 2011). They provide training to the workers to tell them the benefits of these organizational changes. They make the plans and strategies in such way that it helps to maximize the outcomes and returns of the company. The change agent builds and develops trust, confidence and loyalty among the shareholders and employees as well. In this way, the organization has been able to cope with the rivalries in the international market. No company can grow and survive its business without helping a change agent within the organization. It has been analyzed that change management inspires change managers to spend more time looking up the organization to sponsors rather than on monitoring on progress and targets (Van de Ven and Sun, 2011). They develop and boost managerial skills and talents among the followers to make a strong financial position in the global market. They maintain open and strong communication in the workplace for eliminating and reducing the grievances and complaints of the employees and outsiders as well. Apart from this, different types of meetings are held by change agent in order to initiate the changes within the organization. Now it has been suggested that change managers play a most significant role in the companies to reduce resistance to change and absenteeism in the workplace.
Pros and Cons of Having Change Agents
It has been noted that change management may be defined as a simple and basic approach initiated by the business process to implement the process of change in the firm (Fullan, 2012). According to various opinions given by different authors, change agent is regarded as good well as poor activity. The above mentioned analysis provides detailed information about the views of different authors on the role of change agents. From Cummings and Worley (2014) perspective, intervention change advisors are essential in situations when the company in under pressure from its rivalries and it is found typical for company to operate without the intervention of change advisors. The different authors further analyzed that the role pertaining to change agent needs to be evaluated and understood with the help of different procedures underlying organizational change. According to the literature given by Johnson (2016), role of change agent is a favorable and important feature in the organizations that brings innovation and helps the subordinates to work in a complex satiations and risks. But it shall be stated that change agent affect the success of the firm adversely also. Although, it is true that change agent helps in maximizing the sustainability and profitability. But it is analyzed that every aspect has two sides so there might be possibility that change agents can affect the sustainability of the company adversely. In such cases, the organizational has to face high amount of loss as it will also influence the goodwill of the firm negatively. Lack of support from the top management and leaders and negligence of human aspect are biggest problems that are faced by the change agents when performing tasks and duties in the workplace. Speedy implementation of change is another significant problem that hindered the initiation of change in the organization, which results in lack of coordination and communication. Hence, it is studied by Gobble (2013), that successful change intervention is only possible in case internal and external change agent participate throughout the change phase. It shall be noted that top management and manager should promote and enhance the change agent to accept and implement the change process within the organization. If the change agent design and create poor change management plan then it can affect the performance and outputs of the organization adversely (Nudurupati et al, 2011). Without designing an effective change management plan, the change managers are failed to bring new and latest changes in the organization in terms of resources and technologies. In addition, outside change agent affects the progress of the organization adversely because they share company’s information and data with competitors. Thus, it may influence the position of the firm (Whitney and Cooperrider, 2011). Although, every organization change initiative is differ, thus all change managers face similar challenges. While initiating the change management plan, navigating policies are made by the change managers. On the other hand, if change starts anywhere, it begins with the truth. Before implementing the change, the change agents have to acknowledge that change is necessary for fulfilling the tasks and duties. It shall be analyzed that change agents also fight for the attention. Sometimes, they could able to get attention from the top management and managers thus it affects their efficiency and effectiveness. They also think for their personal benefits in the organization. Therefore, change agents do not want wider changes within the organization. If the change managers do not implement the change management plan in the firm, then it increases enormous problems and obstacles for the followers. It has been suggested by Rafaeli and Pratt (2013), no change management and code of conduct will show ineffectiveness if the problems and hurdles of the workers are properly addressed. Communication plays an effective and strong role to determine the role change agents in change management program. To reduce these issues, the change agents should use leadership styles to handle these changes and reduce resistance to change at the workplace. It should be stated by Thomas and Hardy (2011) where they stated that change agents are involved in helping a team to initiate new and innovative organizational system to accomplish a higher degree of output. There are various theories used by change agents includes Lippitt change theory, social cognitive theory, Lewin’s three step theory and Havelock’s theory to manage the managerial and organizational changes in the workplace. One of the significant theories is propounded by Kurt Lewin. The Kurt Lewin theory includes three steps unfreezing, changing and refreezing. For Lewin, the procedures of change entails creating the perception that a change is essential, then moving towards the new, desired level of behavior and actions, then finally solidifying that innovative and new bhevaior as the form. Change agent uses this model to gain competitive advantages in the workplace.
Conclusion
The above mentioned analysis indicates that change agents play fundamental role in an organization. The analysis shows that various roles and responsibilities are assigned to change agent in order to perform job very well. On the other, change management plays an important role in development and flourish of an organization, which ensure with the help of change management. The information regarding pros and cons of change manager would be beneficial for increasing and enhancing the level of understanding regarding the same. The success and growth of the firm depends upon the functions of change agents. Without change agent, it is difficult for the companies to overcome and manage the changes.
References
Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014. Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers.
Austin, R.D., 2013. Measuring and managing performance in organizations. Addison-Wesley.
Benn, S., Edwards, M. and Williams, T., 2014. Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge
Chhokar, J.S., Brodbeck, F.C. and House, R.J. eds., 2013. Culture and leadership across the world: The GLOBE book of in-depth studies of 25 societies. Routledge.
Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization development and change. Cengage learning.
Fullan, M., 2012. Change forces: Probing the depths of educational reform. Routledge.
Fullan, M., 2014. Leading in a culture of change personal action guide and workbook. John Wiley & Sons.
Gobble, M.M., 2013. Creating change. Research-Technology Management, 56(5), pp.62-66.
Johnson, G., 2016. Exploring strategy: text and cases. Pearson Education.
Nudurupati, S.S., Bititci, U.S., Kumar, V. and Chan, F.T., 2011. State of the art literature review on performance measurement. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 60(2), pp.279-290.
Nudurupati, S.S., Bititci, U.S., Kumar, V. and Chan, F.T., 2011. State of the art literature review on performance measurement. Computers & Industrial Engineering, 60(2), pp.279-290.
Rafaeli, A. and Pratt, M.G. eds., 2013. Artifacts and organizations: Beyond mere symbolism. Psychology Press.
Schneider, M., Teske, P. and Mintrom, M., 2011. Public entrepreneurs: Agents for change in American government. Princeton University Press.
Thomas, R. and Hardy, C., 2011. Reframing resistance to organizational change. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 27(3), pp.322-331.
Van de Ven, A.H. and Sun, K., 2011. Breakdowns in implementing models of organization change. The Academy of Management Perspectives, 25(3), pp.58-74.
Whitney, D. and Cooperrider, D., 2011. Appreciative inquiry: A positive revolution in change. ReadHowYouWant. com.
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