The Modern Management Concept – Change Management

Just as change is natural to organisms, Organizational change is to organizations, and is thus, as old as human organisations. The Pharaohs of ancient Egypt probably needed to change the organizations that built their pyramids and the various sovereigns of China, with continual modifications, successfully constructed the Great Wall of China – another example of managing change. Organizational change can also be seen in the Old Testament too with Moses as its Leader. That said, the Foundation of Organizational Change in modern times can be first noticed when cultural anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep investigated “rites of passage”. In 1948, we saw social psychologist Kurt Lewin introduce a well known change methodology, comprising of three phases – unfreezing, relocating, and refreezing. Then, in 1979, William Bridges created his transition model which was based on ending, a neutral zone, and a new start. Then came the emergence of Change Management within businesses. Change Management developed its own terminology, and the role of people within change began to be discussed through books on change in the 1980s and 1990s, such as Daryl Conner’s ‘Managing at the Speed of Change’ which discussed numerous change approaches; Spencer Johnson’s ‘Who Moved my Cheese?’ became a Mantra of personal change. The entrenchment of Change Management took place in the New millemium, whereby the foundations were built upon to create an integrated approach to Change Management focusing on individual and organisational change tools, John Kotter’s “Our Iceberg is Melting” captured the 8-stage approach to Change, ADKAR Model came about and many more. 
 
The idea articulated by a renowned practitioner 
 
One of the early, yet large-scale Organizational change stories is that of Kaira District Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union Ltd. in pre-independence days of India, becoming the huge, transformed AMUL, which also created a paradigm shift in dairy production in the Nation. But what is the secret of its success? In the words of the catalyst and chief change maker Verghese Kurien: 
“We Indians are an extremely intelligent people but we can progress as a nation only when we learn the secret of unleashing this positive power of the people. Whenever this happens it disturbs a lot of people – because they know that a giant is waking up.” 
 
“A person who does not have respect for time, and does not have a sense of timing, can achieve little.” 
― Verghese Kurien, I Too Had a Dream, underscoring the importance of time and timing in Change Management. 
 
The foundational principle enunciated in Indian wisdom:         
 
Let’s read about 3 kinds of change – Personal, organisational and societal: 
 
मन्दोतकणठाः कृतास्तेन गुणाधिकतया गुरौ। फलेन सहकारस्य पुष्पोदगम इव प्रजाः।। (Raghuvamsam IV.1) 
“The Leader mitigated the longing of the people for his father by exceeding (his father) in virtues; just as when the (mango) fruit appears, its blossom is scarcely remembered!” 
 
This Shlok from Shri Kalidas’ great epic Raghuvansham shares the secret of transition in Leadership – enhancement in the quality of Leadership. 
 
        
विद्याविनीतो राजा हि प्रजानां विनये रत़ः। अनन्यां पृथिवीं भुङ्क्ते सर्वभूतहिते रतः।। (Kautilya Arthashaastra 1.5.17) 
“The Leader, trained in the various sciences (of Arthashaastra), ensuring alignment of the people, enjoys his (her) domain alone, unrivalled, being devoted to the welfare of all beings!” 
 
Acharya Chanakya, in this Sutra, clearly enunciates the importance of alignment of the organizational ecosystem in its transformation. 
 
दशाकृति–कृते कृष्णाय तुभ्यम् नमः || (Dashavtar Stotram) 
“O Lord Krishna, I offer my obeisances unto You, who appear in the forms of these ten incarnations.” 
This Shloka is an ode to the divine force of massive change in the universe itself, signified by the Ten Avatars of Sri Vishnu – implying that Leadership has to navigate the organization through various kinds of transformation, playing a diversity of roles. 
 
Thus, we become aware of the theme of Organizational change commonly running through many millennia of Indian civilization! 
 
।। श्री गुरूभ्यो नम: ।।