Anna Odumodu
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Change is inevitable, especially if you want your business to grow and thrive. Whether you find it daunting or exciting, you need to know what organizational change and development look like if you want to support your people effectively.
It’s really helpful to first understand what you’re trying to achieve. Maybe it is a simple change management process, or maybe you’re trying to achieve something much more fundamental that requires a different, holistic and participatory approach.
Types of organizational change
No doubt you’re familiar with organizational change, whether it’s due to a new department head with fresh ideas, old systems that need updating, or legislation changes affecting business practices. Whatever the reason, you’ll need to face it head on – and it will be helpful when planning your course of action to think about the type of change your organization is navigating.
There are several different ways to categorize change: here, we have done it by the drivers, by the scope, and by the area.
Change drivers
Planned: proactive, working to improve current operations.
Anticipatory: proactive, making preparations for future issues.
Remedial: reactive, upon identifying immediate or ongoing issues that need fixing.
Unplanned: reactive, dealing with unexpected or unpredictable events.
Change scope
Incremental/adaptive: small, ongoing changes such as releasing product updates.
Transformational: large, sweeping changes such as a department restructure.
Transitional: changes that lie between the two, such as replacing older systems or streamlining existing processes.
Areas of change
Strategic: Shifts in the overarching goals or direction of the company, for example changing business model, rebranding, or entering new markets.
Structural: Changes to the structure that will affect how the organization runs, such as the creation of a new department, redesigning job roles, or altering the chain of command.
Technological: Implementation of new technologies or upgrading of existing ones, such as introducing automation, AI, or developing mobile applications.
Operational: Changes to the daily processes and workflows, like implementing new standard operating procedures or optimizing supply chains.
Cultural: Shifts in the underlying behavior and values of the company for a better workplace, such as improvements in communications or promoting continuous learning.
People-centered: Actions directly relating to your people, such as hiring practices, changes in compensation and benefits, or the introduction of new policies for childcare or remote work.
Some changes can fall under multiple areas (for example, implementing a new enterprise resource management system would qualify as a technological and an operational change), which is worth keeping in mind when planning your next steps.
What is Organizational Development?
Organizational Development (OD) is a strategic approach which focuses broadly on the organization as a whole – creating systemic change through dialogue and participative process. While many learning and change initiatives reinforce existing cultural patterns, effective OD work helps to surface deep organizational beliefs in order to disrupt existing patterns and allow new ones to emerge.
Taking into account that organizations are complex ecosystems, the specifics of the process will differ depending on the unique organizational context. It usually involves a discovery cycle at the outset, to define and explore organizational challenges through methods such as observation, surveys, interviews and data analysis. This may then feed into the design of an intervention, which could be in the form of leadership development programs, team coaching, or culture change initiatives.
Throughout, you’re evaluating the effectiveness of any intervention, monitoring its impact on your organization, gathering stakeholder feedback, and making adjustments as required. An external partner for organizational development consulting can provide you with an unbiased ‘outside in’ perspective.
What now?
What your organization needs for change to be a success is honesty, commitment from leadership, and collaboration at all levels. Clear goals and objective evaluation are vital if you wish to see progress, but it’s also important to remember that people can be resistant to change, so you’ll need to engage your teams early on in the process to build their trust.
Leaders need to embrace adaptability, and engage all levels of the organization in a participatory journey. By empowering your people, enhancing your organization’s culture, and optimizing its structures, processes, and systems, you can foster long-term change and continuous improvement.
Each organization’s methods and action plan will look different, depending on their needs and circumstances: there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution. But with open communication and a strong leadership that visibly advocates for the process, you can successfully strengthen your organization's capacity to adapt and thrive through ongoing change and development.
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