Leading the Way: Organizational change can be managed

Change is inevitable, suffering is optional.

Organizational change is often an overwhelming challenge for business leaders. The need for change - or changes - may be the result of market shifts, economic environment, technology advancements or changing work force skill-set demands.

But what does a leader do when all of this happens within a brief period of time? How a leader manages this collision of change can make the difference between organizational success and failure.

I recently discussed this with Bill Stamats, vice president at Stamats Communications. He understands the magnitude of change as it affects various aspects of his business - all at the same time.

Stamats was established in 1923 as a marketing services company. Since then, the business has expanded many of its services to include research, print and marketing consultation and production for its customers, primarily colleges and universities.

Consider this: The print industry is becoming more digital and continues to move away from traditional direct mail, catalog strategies, typesetting artistry, and offset printing. Today, college and university recruiting is more about research, data mining and targeted online marketing with customized/personalized collateral.

On-demand four-color products with complementary electronic deliverables for measurable results are the norm.

Today's prospective students and their parents have different expectations when they research various colleges and universities, and Stamats has had to adjust - change - for these differences.

When I asked Bill how he helped managed his organization through these changes, I expected a turnkey formula to solve all things related to change. Instead, what he shared was in line with the old French adage: “The more things change, the more they remain the same.”

As Bill pointed out, and I agree, the fundamentals of business remain the same despite perceptive changes in our environments. For example, the four P's of Marketing - product, price, placement and promotion - are still relevant.

What changes is how the four P's are deployed, and who deploys them.

Five fundamentals

Bill's approach to Change includes five fundamental components.

1. Create and maintain an environment for open dialog and transparency to exchange information with customers and employees.

2. Keep an open mind, really listen and pay acute attention to your customers as well as their customers.

3. Pay attention to employees. They, like customers, can be harbingers of business and industry change.

Employees are in the trenches, often with customers, so they really know what's going on as the market adjusts to remain relevant, and as subsequent demands shift.

4. Continue to modify and update the strategic goals and vision of the organization. Long-term plans and vision should be evolutionary and flexible to adjust as the internal and external environment changes.

Conversely, organizational rigidity can often lead to irrelevance.

5. Corporate culture and innovation are strongly influenced by its leadership. Encourage customer service and be forward thinking.

When personal and organizational change is required, we sometimes can be our own worst enemy. Don't panic and don't make change complex.

Embrace change as inevitable, but remember the fundamentals of good organizational leadership shouldn't waiver:

• Establish and maintain open communications with employees and customers
• Adjust long-term strategies and plans to remain relevant
• Focus on data-driven decisions and results-based practices
• Celebrate evolutionary success.