Incentives And Control Mechanisms In Change Management

This article highlights two decisive and neglected stages in managerial practice that must be completed for an effective change management. As it can be seen from the following approach, change management includes both (1) the change control in the organization and the creation of some flexible structures for (2) adapting the organization to continuous changes. It is emphasized that the activities of control and deepening change are mutually conditioned. Although conceptual boundaries can be drawn between the two stages, they occur simultaneously and influence each other. The scientific approach undertaken highlights the importance of the existence of a change agent in the change management process. This entity with the role of mediator between all parties involved, will experience, represent and support the amount of promoting and opposing forces, the reason, direction, duration and purpose of change in an organization. Starting from established models in the field of human and organizational psychology such as the Hierarchy of Needs and the ERG Theory of Motivation, it is proposed an instrument which should be available for the agent of change. The ultimate goal and, at the same time, the practical utility of this tool will be to consolidate the implemented change and it is called the Diagram of Catalyst Forces of Change (DCFC). This paper discusses how DCFC allows the change agent to visualize the pros and cons of change, start the process of quantifying the organization's status quo, select techniques to use, allocate resources, designate managers, and define responsibility; in conclusion a detailed evaluation and monitoring and a continuous control of change.