change management

A crack forming in concrete, photo by Mahdis Mousavi Handling the Emotional Turmoil of Organizational Change

Chaos, confusion, and emotional turmoil are not unusual during major organizational change. Nevertheless, even people at the top sometimes minimize the impact of the change on employees—and on themselves. Worse, they sometimes do so dismissively. It's important not to underestimate the challenge of managing change.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Manager with megaphone communicating with employees During Times of Major Change, Keep People Informed

During times of major change, readily available information can help reduce the fears of those affected about what it means for them. If you’re involved in implementing change, it’s wise to keep people informed—not just about the change itself, but also about its impact on processes, responsibilities, and expectations.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Arrows pointing to old way and new way An Agile Approach to Change Management

Many organizations are reluctant to introduce new tools or technologies, or even to update existing ones. The reason is often framed in terms of risk management, but agile teams already have the tools to manage the risk of change: testing and experiments. These approaches together eliminate gaps in risk identification.

Steve Berczuk's picture
Steve Berczuk
Computer with a "Retired!" sign Think through System Changes to Anticipate Quality Issues

When you replace or significantly modify components of a larger system, too frequently we focus on whether the code we are building functions correctly. This is important, but it’s also short-sighted. It’s easy to introduce errors because we are changing interactions. Coding bugs are only one quality problem.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall
Old way versus new way Something to Remember When Managing Change at Work

Grieving is usually associated with the loss of a loved one, but it’s equally relevant to loss triggered by changes in the workplace. If you are introducing or overseeing a change, it’s a mistake to belittle people’s reaction to the loss or excessively tout the benefits of the new way. Be sensitive to those affected.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Airplane in sky amid turbulence Managing the Turbulence of Organizational Change

In times of major change, particularly organizational change, it's normal for people involved to experience turbulence, including anxiety, anger, or uncertainty. If you’re overseeing a change, how you communicate with those affected can significantly decrease—or increase—the duration and intensity of that turbulence.

Naomi Karten's picture
Naomi Karten
Change ahead The Software World Is Changing—Are You Willing to Change with It?

The software landscape is changing. Processes are becoming quicker and leaner, but instead of re-evaluating some of our traditional practices, we sometimes try to make them fit where they don't belong. This holds back continuous improvement. If you want change, you first need to be willing to change.

Lee Copeland's picture
Lee Copeland
Hourglass Managing Resistance to Organizational Change

Change can be difficult, and some people's reaction is to shut it all down. If they think their concerns aren’t being heard, they get defensive, and your project is on a trajectory for disaster. Don't fire off an email while tempers are running high. Managing expectations thoughtfully is essential to project success.

Payson Hall's picture
Payson Hall