Change Management: Types of Change

Before you can effectively manage change within your organisation you must realise that there several different categories of change. The three main types include:

• Developmental change
• Transitional change
• Transformational change

Developmental change applies to times in which you recognize a situation that doesn’t need to be eradicated completely but needs improvement. Perhaps your marketing team isn’t completing certain tasks on time or your human resources department needs to find a better way to monitor employee hours. Sometimes you can find the right answer by making a simple modification that gives you the change you desire with little impact on the entire workforce.

Transitional changes occur when you are attempting to introduce a new phase to the organisation. You may be adding a new department or procedure or you may be doing something as simple (or complex) as moving your organisation to a new building. During these types of change it is important to keep a tight reign on your employees for a specified and controlled period of time.

Transformational changes are often the result of transitional change. Somtimes moving to a new phase in your organisation’s growth presents the need for new policies and procedures. Often times these needs appear very suddenly, so you’ll need to be on guard during transition so that you can react quickly if the need should arise.

What type of change do you see occuring within your organisation regularly? Are you constantly undergoing some sort of change or do things remain stable? Can you identify an areas in which change is inevitable?

Thanks again,

Sean

Sean McPheat

Managing Director

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