Change Management Skill
Welcome to the APEC Center for Technology Foresight
The APEC Center for Technology Foresight aims to develop and diffuse foresight capability across APEC. Foresight helps governments, businesses and organisations to establish directions, choose priorities and manage change. Since its launch in February 1998, the CTF has completed six international foresight studies, designed and supported many more studies at national and organisational level, co-hosted an international foresight conference and provided training and consultancy to many APEC member economies. The CTF also runs an APEC Technology Foresight Network, a global database of foresight practitioners, projects and publications (see: http://www.apectf.net) and yearly foresight trainining workshop.
The CTF is a project of the Industrial Science and Technology Working Group of APEC. It is hosted by the National Science and Technology Development Agency of Thailand.
For further information, see: http://www.apecforesight.org
Core objective of APEC Center for Technology Foresight
To develop and diffuse foresight capability across APEC through multi-economy studies, training, consultancy and related activities.
Definition of foresight
Foresight involves systematic attempts to look into the future of science, technology, society and the economy, and their interactions, in order to promote social, economic and environmental benefit.
Building A Team After An Organizational Change and Surviving Organizational Change with change management skill
Change Management skill refers to activities that support organizational innovation and reform (in this case the organization can be range from a small, private company to a government agency or even an entire community or jurisdiction). It recognizes that organizations often have inertia that must be overcome to create more efficient, responsive and resilient organizations.
Change Management skill requires anticipating and addressing potential obstacles to innovation, and building support by showing individuals that new approaches can ultimately make them better off. It requires managing risk, since change involves uncertainty. It requires including stakeholders in decision-making, and responding to their concerns, since change usually affects many people. It requires correcting institutional incentives that encourage individuals to oppose innovation. All of these changes reflect good management, and are particularly important when implementing fundamental change.
Being a Change Agent – change management skill
Mobility change management skill often involves changing current practices, so proponents must be change agents, that is, people within an organization who provide leadership for change and anticipate and address objections. Change Agents must:
- Carefully define problems.
- Expand the range of solutions that are considered in decision-making.
- Question assumptions used for evaluation.
- Look at the big picture. Pay attention to context and indirect impacts.
- Ask, “Are current trends desirable?” “Will they result in an optimal future?”
- Use comprehensive evaluation techniques that consider all benefits and costs.
- Make change more attractive than current practices.
- Use positive statements. Emphasize the benefits of change.
- Focus on appropriate niches. Don’t try to be everything to everybody.
- Don’t be afraid to say “no” to bad ideas, but try to offer an alternative which better balances overall objectives.
- Listen to and educate stakeholders. Develop communication with stakeholders in order to clearly understand the basis of their concerns and how they can be addressed.
- Don’t give up! Most change requires several efforts before success. Be prepared for obstacles and setbacks.
Innovation often faces resistance and criticism from people who fear change. But if new ideas are fundamentally sound and advocates are persistent, they will often succeed and the same people who previously opposed the change will embrace it and claim it as their own!
Source: TDM Encyclopedia, Victoria Transport Policy Institute
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