Friday, June 12, 2009

What are the skills required for becoming a successful change agent?

What are the skills required for becoming a successful change agent? Illustrate certain instances where change agent played a successful role in your organisation or organisation you are familiar with.

SKILLS OF A CHANGE AGENT
The different skills that a change agent ought to possess are classified under three broad categories: cognitive skills, action skills, and communication skills. These are not watertight compartment categories; skills under a given category may overlap with the others. Hence the classification attempted below is more of an approximation but at the same time helps in knowing the diverse skills that a change agent should possess and the diverse roles that he plays. The basis for classification is the list of change agent skills suggested in the OD literature of the LTN Institute of Applied Natural Science, U.S.A.

The Steps To Evaluate The Change Process In The Organisation If Any Charge Attempts.
Cognitive skills
Self-understanding: The change agent should be able to analyze and comprehend his own motivation in perceiving a need for change and the desire to bring about a change. He should be able to determine his own strategic role in the light of the contest and his abilities

Conceptualization
• The change agent should be able to determine the possible Units of change.
•Any change tends to have consequences to other sub-systems, and related positions and
role set members.
• He should clearly define objectives with reference to the intended change.
• He must conduct an anticipatory practice in carrying out a stepwise plan.
• He must be capable of eliciting and eliminating alternatives and provide for replanning
and assessment at later stages.
• He must be able to anticipate the mistake, resistance to change and devise ways and
means of overcoming both.
• He must be able to anticipate the degree of willingness among clients to the intended
changes.

Evaluation
The change agent should possess skills of assessment or evaluation. He should be able to assess the client group in terms of its nature, expectations, and internal dynamics. As well as the utility of the evaluative measures. Specifically the required skills of evaluations are:
•determining the size, character, structural make up of the client group.
•determining the degree or extent of felt need for change
•skill in using diagnostic instruments appropriate to the problem, such as: surveys, rating
scales, observation etc.
•evaluation of the problem, causes etc., on an objective basis and not in terms of one’s
own likes and dislikes.
•diagnose of causes of failure and perhaps success also.
•identify the methods of change the clients believe as appropriate.

Action Skills
The change agent plays the roles of a consultant, counselor, facilitator, trainer etc.
As a Counsellor,he should possess skills, such as:
•making catharsis possible if it is be a starting point for a change process (catharsis refers
To giving an opportunity to the client to give vent to his feelings, in other words
‘Unburden his heart’)
•helping the clients examine their attitudes, expectations and motivations.
•dealing with the client’s ideology, myths, values etc., wisely and effectively. Resistance
will develop to change efforts. The change agent should orient the change
effort in such a way that it fits with client’s frame of reference.
•clarifying the nature of relationship and inter-dependence between the client and the
change agent.
The change agent, as a facilitator:
•raises the level of aspiration of the clients. These aspirations however, should be
realistic. The change effort should be perceived to have a reinforcing value to the
client’s increased aspirations.
•develops an awareness of the potentialities of the change, thereby developing positive
expectations towards change.
•creates willingness and a sense of responsibility to engage in the change, thereby enlist
their active participation.
•encourage them to use a step-wise plan and also have patience in its execution.
•develops an awareness of possible sources of help in the change activity.

The change agent, as a consultant is required to:
•make a step-wise plan. The change is in terms of a number of stages or steps, one
leading to another than something that is sudden or drastic.
•make use of appropriate techniques or methods to arrive at group consensus.
•examine decisions in terms of their ‘pros and cons’.
•evaluate the progress made at each of the stages and determine what has been achieved
and what yet to be achieved etc.
•build and maintain morale and team spirit of the clients during the change efforts.
The changing agent, as a communicator is concerned with the spread of change information and the ultimate adoption of the change by the ‘client’s’ system. He should have the necessary persuasive skills to enable the client system realise the need for change and the importance of the change to organisational effectiveness. The opinion leaders at the various organisational levels. His ability to communicate effectively can be gauged in terms of the extent to which he is able to enlist the ‘client’s’ support for the rapidly change and create in them the responsibility to participate and implementation the change effort. To be a successful communicator the change agent should:

• should clear as to what are the goals and objectives of each of his communication
attempts.
•develop his communication plan so that it is consonant with the clients needs, attitudes
and belief system.
•should persuasive to minimize rejection without giving the feeling of forcing or driving
one’s ideas on the clients.
•obtain feedback to determine the effectiveness of communication form time to time.
•make strategic use of informal communication networks so that the formal change
efforts are supported and not resisted.

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