What makes a good change Agent?????

The management of change is an important discipline in today’s ever changing business environment. Change is never easy, and managing it in a large corporate environment is even more challenging. Organizations that handle change well thrive, whilst those that do not struggle to survive.

 Going through a change process within a company, department or some core group is a truly advanced step that needs a great deal of planning before the implementation of it. Empirical studies show that major change implementations’ failure rates are approximately 70% (Angehr & Atherton, 2003). Change projects share the same characteristics as regular projects with the distinction of that change projects have a big impact on the individuals participating (Canterucci, 1995).

 I have conducted a study to investigate the characteristics of change in context of successful change management. Successful management of change depends on the appropriate transformational abilities of change agents (Inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration) and appropriate transformational attributes (visionary, challenging, commitment, emotional intelligence, self-awareness, creativity, problem solving, coaching, communication, risk taking and trustworthy behavior).

Table below verify the importance of three significant characteristics of change agents emphasized by different authors ranked accordingly

Important Characteristics of Change Agents according to different authors

Research      Studies	Change Agent’s Characteristics and Competencies
Authors	Inspirational/ Motivational	Intellectual Stimulation	Individualized Consideration
Quinn (1980),Lewis (1996), Friedman (2000), Weber (1947), Covey (1992)	ü
James Kouzes & Barry Posner (1995), Quinn (2005), Bryman, (1992), Kotter (1999)	ü
Bass and Avolio (1994), Graham (1987), Grisham (2006), Goleman (1998), Ashkanasy and Tse (2000)		ü
Schein, E. H. (1992), Piderit, S.K. (2000), Walton (1995), Argyris & Stewart (1985), stagich, (2001)			ü
Jung & Avolio (2000), Zucker (1986), Bartlett and Goshal (1995), Kouzes and Posner (1992)			ü
Shani & Lou (2000), Carter McNamara (2005), Lewis (1996), Stone, Russell & Patterson, (2003), Caravatta. M. (1998), Kouzes and Posner (2002)	ü
George (2000), Gosling & Burg (1998), Sosik (2001), Sosik and Megerian (1999), Goleman (2000), Snyder (1974), Tichy and Devanna (1986), Timothy Stagich (2001),		ü
Stake, R. (1995), Schein, E. H. (1990), Kotter, J. (1999), Palmer & Brow (2005), Costa and Garston (2002)			ü
North house & Peter (2004), Nadler & Tushman (1990), Javidan and Walman (2003), Owen (1990)	ü
Harris and Moran (1996), Newman, K (2000), Rumelt, R.P. (1995), Gosling & Burg (1998),			ü

Change agent needs to be competent in the process of change management in terms of his role to facilitate and consolidate the short-term wins achievements to ensure that individuals within the organization accept the changes and make progress towards the long term goals.

My research found that identifying the sense of urgency, preparing the vision for future listening to subordinates, identifying problems, taking proper actions and ensuring participation in decision making are the key elements of strategy for managing resistance against change. Change agents need to build good relationships with diverse people and groups, especially with people who think differently.

Hence successful management of change depends on the appropriate transformational abilities of change agents (inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration), and appropriate transformational attributes ;

1.      Visionary

2.      Challenging

3.      Commitment

4.      Emotional intelligence

5.      Self awareness

6.      Creativity

7.      Problem solving ability

8.      Coaching

9.      Communication

10.  Risk taking and

11.  Trustworthy behavior

Change agent should be a human of remarkable capabilities nevertheless on foundation provided by three dimensions of change agents and various associated characteristics; change agents are the people who can create significant change in both the followers and organization with which they are associated.

Albert A Angehrn and Jill E M Atherton, (2003) Conceptual Framework for Assessing Development Programmers for Change Agents

           Jim Canterucci, Change Project Management-The Next Step, Retrieved on 13 May, 2009 from http://www.corpchange.com

The Power of Imagination

Imagination  is the ability to form a great mental image of something that is not perceived through the senses. It is the beauuuuuutiful ability of the mind to build mental scenes, objects, objectives or events that do not exists, are not present or have happened in the past. Memory is actually a manifestation of imagination. Every one possesses some imagination ability .In some it is highly developed whereas in others it may manifest in a weaker form.

Imagination makes it possible to experience a whoooooole world inside the mind. It gives us the ability to look at any situation from different point of view, and enables us to mentally explore what ever we want

It manifests in various forms one of which is daydreaming. Though too much daydreaming may make one impractical, some daydreaming, when not being engaged in something that requires attention provides us temporary happiness, calmness and relief from stress.

Imagination is a great blessing of God that help us travel anywhere in the speed of light without any hurdle and it makes us feel free from daily work pressures, tensions, and unpleasant circumstances one is going through.

A developed and strong imagination does not make you a daydreamer and impractical. On the contrary, it strengthens your creative abilities, and is a great gift of God for recreating and remolding your world and life in a mooooooost beautiful manner.

Laughter Is the Best Medicine

                               
                   

The late Erma Bombeck, one of America's funniest columnists and author of quite a few dissertations on the humor of life, knew the importance of laughter. She said "If I could live my life over,", "I would have laughed more." People who laugh are pleasant to be with; pull a long face all day, and you will soon notice that others try to keep out of your way. Laughing speaks of humor and the importance of laughter can never be underestimated. It is part of life.

We all know that it feels good to laugh. We know that a good comedy can uplift our mood and that laughing with friends can completely change how we feel. In fact, we’ve heard the phrase "Laughter is the best medicine." Now a recent study shows that laughter can transform our physical health.On the scientific front, laughter makes for good health. When a person laughs, chemicals named endorphins are released. They make a person feel good, relieving stress and indirectly reducing one's risks of suffering a heart attack and other health problems.

Laughing relaxes facial muscles that can become very tense especially on long working days. Plenty of laughter creates 'laugh lines' in a person's face, giving the person a kindly look, as opposed to wrinkles and creases caused by stress, unhappiness and hardship, which age a person and give him or her a hard and angry appearance.

This fact is important in forming first impressions, which play a role in others' acceptance of a person. It may even affect a job interview or working relationships; humans are occasionally shallow creatures and may assume that a person who looks grouchy is grouchy.

In friendships, laughter is essential to ensure a long-lasting relationship; in marriage, many women want a man who sees the funny side of life. A sense of humor is important to lift a relationship, and there is something special, almost intimate, in sharing a joke with a friend or spouse.

Laughter is uplifting. It enriches a relationship by taking it to a deeper level where there is understanding and a mutual letting go of a person's inhibitions and reservations.

The importance of laughter is, in my opinion, immense. All across the world, laughter's importance is being emphasized by scientists, psychologists and health workers as well as by artists who make a living out of laughter.

In India, there is even a group of people called the Laugh Club who gather occasionally and laugh for a few minutes without stopping. Laughter is a powerful, wonderful thing. If we can learn to laugh, we can learn to live, to press on.

Laughter is a reaffirmation of life. It is hope. Erma Bombeck was right. Don't wait to wish you could live your life over…………………………..