Managing FOR Change

The world around us continues to move more rapidly! The forces FOR change are increasing! Yet many organizations continue to function with operating practices and systems that are, or were, designed for a more stable and certain business environment. This chapter examines important aspects of an organization's behavior which reflect the extent to which it is being managed FOR change vs. actions which indicate more restrictive orientations to change, i.e., averse or resistant. The issue of managing FOR change is particularly critical for assessing the fit of the organization's practices with the demands for change capability that arise in its environment. Unless the operating practices and behaviors of the organization support the need for change, the levels of individual resistance and the difficulty of making change happen will be high. Organizations that do not manage FOR change do not make use of change agents.