Change Management and Management of Organizational Behavior

The Heart of Change

The ability to make people understand and acknowledge themselves is an important aspect of business management. To effect tangible and long-lasting organizational change, one needs to adhere to the necessary principles that would foster a sense of strength, belongingness and the need for people to endear themselves to the organizational mission and vision. Large scale change implementation can only be achieved when it is undertaken in an effectively functioning business environment (Kotter & Cohen, 2002).

Through the principle of change implementation, the book, The Heart of Change acknowledges the importance of criticism, fear, and pain in the implementation of large-scale change strategies. Although it is focused on helping students to understand the best organizational human resource practices, the book is apprehensive of the need to streamline all business processes and enhance cost-effective business processes by aligning major organizational players to the actual operations of an organization.

In organizational management, appealing to employees and other stakeholders’ hearts is more crucial than being belligerent in addressing their needs and expectations. The management needs to appeal more to the feelings and desires of the employees than to their thoughts. The dynamic concept of feeling, seeing and changing promotes positive change by demonstrating to people the importance of implementing a number of changes in the organization. Change management principles are not scientifically proven (Kotter & Cohen, 2002).

To fully enhance attitude change in people, it is crucial for the organizational management to trigger people’s emotions, thoughts, and desires to constantly contemplate on their daily tribulations and successes thus being in a position to work towards improving their work environment.

The book, The Heart of change, therefore, articulates the enhancement of efficiency in all business operations by having a positive attitude towards change, understanding the importance of urgency in any change process, having visionary leadership that also fosters teamwork and collaborative management. The book constantly works towards ensuring that a given change process is permanent and creating an environment where no one should give up. Both short-term and long-term win strategies should be accorded due consideration.

On the aspect of the desired change, the book emphasizes on implementing change based on constantly demonstrating to people on the desire and need for a given change process. For large business organizations, change according to Kotter and Cohen (2002) is triggered by “appealing to people’s hearts and not their thoughts”. It is therefore crucial for the organization to enhance a sense of urgency on the need for change. To do this, “effective communication must be undertaken with a lot of zeal”.

As proof that one has compassion for change, elimination of all change barriers should be done. Enforcement of change strategies should be focused on bringing together powerful team members that are willing and able to bring reliable and practical change. To successfully do this, Kotter and Cohen (2002) are of the view that “creating a simple, clear, creative, and more uplifting mission statement and vision is vital in communicating the best success strategies to all organizational personnel”.

Better still, their emphasis is laid on articulating the change messages in an effective, heartfelt and simple manner thus empowering all stakeholders in the organization and maintaining a positive change momentum. As argued by Kotter and Cohen (Kotter & Cohen, 2002 ) having a heart of change also entails nurturing a revamped culture that enforces better and more productive operations in a timely and cost-effective manner. The building effective guidelines on the management of organizational team spirit is an important aspect of change management that is reinforced by Kotter and Cohen (Kotter & Cohen, 2002).

By having a sense of urgency, the authors are of the view that it is easier to implement large scale change strategies that would otherwise be difficult if teamwork would not always be successfully undertaken in the absence of a powerful strategic guiding force. Having the right people that have the skills, leadership expertise, organizational credibility, vital network, experience, and teamwork is an important attribute of a group that can successfully initiate change and maintains it (Kotter & Cohen, 2002).

The book, The Heart of Change, therefore, reinforces the need to form a team with pertinent knowledge, credibility, valid and timely information on the changes in the industry and the possible internal and external factors that could hinder change and the formalized authority necessary in unde