Introduction
Change is unavoidable when it comes to organizational management. Being a familiar aspect to many managers, change management is highly dependent on the nature of business, the change and the resources involved. Organizations that are capable of effectively managing change often than not thrive while those that don’t may face hurdles in sustaining their operations. Against the backdrop of an ever changing workforce, technology and work practices, change is becoming a predominant feature in all organizations (Leban & Stone, 2008). It is prudent to note that change is a somewhat complex process characterized by both positive and negative results. This ultimately means managers ought to analyze and put forward strategies that are both effective and efficient.
Lewin’s Change Management Model
McKinsey 7s Model
The next model is the McKinsey 7s Framework made by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. Peters and Waterman based this model on the internal environment of an organization. It integrates seven elements that are key to the effective performance of an organization. These seven elements as posited by the model are interdependent and are in need of alignment in order for an organization to attain success. The elements are structure, strategy, systems, style, staff, skills and shared values. The factors are classified into two categories hard and soft. The hard factors comprise of strategy, and systems while the soft factors comprise of style, staff, skills, systems and shared values. Strategy is denoted as the organizations alignment of capabilities and resources to enhance performance. Structure, on the other hand, focusses on how the firm is organized in terms of responsibilities, roles and accountability ties. Shared values , the other element, comprises of behaviors, traits, mission and vision. Style, on the other hand, dwells on the behavioral aspects that the leadership within an organization uses as well as culture of interaction (Dawson,2003). The second last element, staff, denotes the organizational personnel and human resource processes. The ability to perform the organization’s work is captured by the element of skill within the McKinsey 7s model.
The process for applying the McKinsey 7s model has several steps. The first step requires a manager to closely determine each ‘S’ to establish the capabilities of an organization. The next step is to identify the key success aspects of each ‘S’ elements. The third step requires the isolation of the various elements analyzing them to establish certain qualities. These qualities are consistency, conflicts, alignment, support, gaps, strengths and weaknesses. The model therefore compares a two-fold structure with current and future scenarios. The comparison between the two scenarios, gaps are analyzed which ultimately leads to action and improvement plans thus effecting change.
References
Dawson, P. (2003). Understanding organizational change: The contemporary experience of people at work. London: Sage Publications.
Leban, B., & Stone, R. (2008). Managing organizational change. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
Rudani, R. B. (2013). Principles of management. New Delhi: McGraw Hill Education (India.
