Principles of Supporting Change in a Business Environment Essay

Change occurs frequently and rapidly in the workplace. Change in business has become the norm and businesses need to evolve to keep up with the demands of the modern world. Most of the people regard change as intimidating. It is often natural. It has great significance in business thus change does bring good for the business. So why does change happens? There are two main reasons for the changes in a business environment: 1. Reactive change- pressure to change (PEST) – POLITICAL – it is when government changes policies, regulation, etc which business needs to adapt to stay within the new laws; international changes or conflicts force business to change; legislations whether they domestic or international or future; – ECONOMIC- it is when domestic or international competitor’s behavior, trends or tax and interest rates change which forces the changes in the business; – SOCIAL- it often happens when customers demands, buying preferences change, as well as when events, media views or advertising makes business Identify the main reasons for reviewing working methods, products and / or services in a business environment. Once your business is established and running well, you may be inclined to let things continue to run as they are. However, it’s actually time to plan again. After the crucial early stages, you should regularly review your progress, identify how you can make the most of the market position you’ve established and decide where to take your business next. You will need to revisit and update your business plan with your new strategy in mind and make sure you introduce the developments you’ve noted. Reviewing your progress will be particularly useful if you feel: †¢ uncertain about how well the business is performing †¢ unsure if you’re getting the most out of the business or making the most of market opportunities †¢ your business plan may be out of date, e. g. you haven’t updated it since you started trading †¢ your business is moving in a direction different to the one you had planned †¢ the business may be becoming unwieldy or unresponsive to market demands It is also useful if you have decided that your company is ready to move on to  another level. When a business is going through change: a) Describe the different types of support that people may need. Everyone is different that is way some people may find change as something stimulating and exciting making them perform better others may find it very hard and difficult to adapt. This is way this type of people need extra time and support to get use to change happening in the work place. Theory suggests that these people will go through what is called: Change Performance Curve: Shock – The initial reaction can sometimes be shock, this will automatically reduce the individuals performance as they will fear the unknown. Denial – This is when the individual will stay focused in the past and the ‘way things used to be done’. The fear of the ‘new way’ may cause the individual to continue to complete their tasks the ‘old way’. Anger – Once the initial feelings have been dealt with denial slowly turns to anger. Depression – Once the individual finally realises that the change is going to happen, they enter the depression stage The individual accepts that the change is happening. Integration But there are different types of support that can help people during change. These include: †¢ Effective planning ( plan the change an inform people of the change) †¢ Participation ( let people be involved in the process) †¢ Training or retraining ( provide training so stuff if prepared for new tasks) †¢ Encouragement or other supportive behaviours ( provide support by encouraging not criticizing- good communication can really help people accept a change more quickly. Counselling or coaching b) Explain the benefits of working with others. As said above good communication can really help people accept a change more quickly. Working as a team can really help to adapt to change and helps people get through Change Performance Curve easier as they can help each other in dealing with new and more complex tasks. You will be able to help support your colleagues if they are finding something challenging and vice versa. It is important to remember that to support and work with colleagues effectively you will need to keep a positive outlook yourself. Understand how to respond to change in a business environment 1. In relation to your current business environment (or one that you are familiar with): a) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in working methods. When change occurs in a business it is important to see it as something positive. This will help to make the process a lot easier, even though the benefits may not be immediately obvious. If employees see change as a bad thing, they will soon become demotivated, which will affect The quality and efficiency of the business. While sometimes it may be difficult to accept change, employees need to be able to adapt to whatever they are presented with. Businesses need employees who have positive attitudes; they want people who say ‘I can do that’ not ‘I can’t do that’. A positive attitude can go a long way to help solve problems in difficult situations. b) Explain why you should respond positively to changes in products or services. Changes can be either expected or unexpected but nowadays change is a permanent phenomenon. I work in retail and I know that changes in this type of business is someting that cannot be forgotten or ignored. As an employee of one of the biggest beauty retailer in the UK I see almost everyday changes in the work place that take place to improve products and services we provide. I know it is very important to keep up with customers‘ demands and market innovations. It is very important to stay positive about this changes to make sure you do your best to help the business you work for improve and stay on top along other similar businesses. Staying positive also helps to secure you job position as employers want to have employees who are willing to adapt and are positive about their work and personal development. c) Identify ways of responding positively to change. Every employee seeks positive response to change from their employees. Ways of responding positively to change are: †¢ A willingness to learn(understanding the importance of learning new information for both current and future problem solving and decision making.