Dealing with Change offers a proactive, 5-step plan for coping with the challenges of organisational change. This business simulation takes a focused, personal, and proactive approach to managing the emotional side of change, helping employees learn how to regain a sense of control and turn negative emotions into positive actions.
Overview
It has been said that of all the corporate reengineering and cultural change projects started each year, 70 percent ultimately fail because of employee resistance (Reynolds, 1994). No wonder there's an abundance of literature prescribing the various methods, strategies, and steps that management can take to minimise this resistance – and to help generate employee commitment.
But is it realistic – or even fair – to assign management sole responsibility for generating enthusiasm and commitment throughout the ranks of the organisation? We don't think so. Being human, managers are often just as stressed as employees by the rigors of change and don't always have the same time or the skills necessary to anticipate all of their employees' emotional and professional needs. The result? Too often, employees feel resentful, confused, fearful, or resistant – and the change effort stalls.
Put into practice, the lessons of Dealing With Change and yield two benefits:
- employees are better able to participate in the change
- the change effort is enhanced
Development
In many organisations, employees who work in groups and teams are enjoying more decision-making and problem-solving power than ever before. It seems only fitting, then, that they be put in charge of their own personal and emotional reactions to organisational change.
We also realise that there are plenty of learning tools available that help people lead, support, or contribute to change, but none of these actions are possible unless people first take responsibility for managing their own personal reactions to change. Addressing the concerns of a 'typical' mid-level employee overwhelmed by organisational change, Dealing With Change meets a real need in today's organisations. This simulation takes a focused, personal, and proactive approach to managing the emotional side of change.
