Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Lessons in change management

Recently, I took a business school course on organizational development and we reviewed a variety of concepts around change management. When you’re responsible for leading an organization, there are a number of ways to achieve change within your group. Some may rely on traditional methods while others may use contemporary, creative strategies that include some “out of the box” thinking.

The concept of change management is defined in Wikipedia as:
Change management is a structured approach to shifting/transitioning individuals, teams, and organizations from a current state to a desired future state. It is an organizational process aimed at empowering employees to accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. In project management, change management refers to a project management process where changes to a project are formally introduced and approved.
Do you have experience with change management? Physicians in the hospital setting often act as team leaders, but are they effective in empowering members of their team? Most physicians tend to command authority by dictating orders and expecting their subordinates to obey and follow. This type of approach may lead to good followers, but it won’t lead to more empowered employees who are open to embracing change. This is one reason why many physicians are effective managers but they’re not necessarily strong leaders. They have the ability to manage their teams and accomplish tasks, but there’s a key difference between being a manager vs. a leader.



What can you do to empower your team members? In the business environment, you have to know how to demonstrate strong leadership. If you can effectively motivate and empower people to follow you through a process of change, then you’ve got what it takes to practice change management.

About My Business School Blog:

I am currently a business school student in the Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Executive MBA program at Saint Joseph's University Erivan K. Haub School of Business in Philadelphia, PA. The Nationally-ranked and AACSB-accredited Haub School of Business, centrally located in the mid-Atlantic pharmaceutical and healthcare corridor, is able to bring together industry experts and a world-class faculty for a unique industry-focused, immersive executive program.

You can read about my business school experience by reading all the blog posts tagged "Business School Blog."

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