Mikael Krogerus and Roman Tschäppeler’s summary of change management makes one sensitive to the fact that change can only be had with movement and by no means without pain.
Until the 1980s, change was usually imposed by management. Above was decided and the levels below
of a company had to implement the specifications. Whether or not employees understood the need for the new way of doing things didn’t matter.
However, with the growing importance of psychology in business administration, the approach to employees and change management changed. Change must be understood, especially when radical or disruptive innovations are generated, in order for it to be sustained. In the meantime, change management is a discipline in its own right, for which there are hundreds of models – one of the best known is John Kotter’s 8-step model.
Change never happens painlessly, because change requires movement. Movement causes friction. Friction causes pain. Every change, both in the private and in the professional environment – i.e. in the company, requires renunciation and effort.
