Jordan Betz

Blog Submission
Managing Change
As each sporting season comes to a close, and the New Year roles around the
manifested changes among the athletic staff are put into place. For those who are in the
industry of athletics, whether on the collegiate level or professional, the reality is that
change can occur often and sometimes unexpectedly. Change, whether welcomed or
not can be difficult for many individuals. Learning to manage change successfully can
lead to greater benefits for yourself and those you work with.
For those in management positions, change can be met with large obstacles in
the form of employees. By understanding what types of resistance new changes may be
faced with, management is able to implement tactics that can help reduce resistance
(Rothermel & Lamarsh, 2012). Among change, there are various roles that are assigned
to employees. There are the sponsors, looked to as the organizational leaders who the
changes are reported to. Change agents are individuals that are relied upon to see that
the change occurs; they are responsible for providing a timeline in which the change will
occur and outline the future state of the organization (Rothermel & Lamarsh, 2012).
Lastly, the role of those who will be following the new regiment or work in a new
environment are concerned the targets of change (Rothermel & Lamarsh, 2012).
Overlooking the varying roles of those affected by change, each individual has
three major responsibilities during the process. These responsibilities include
understanding the change that will take place, know how to manage the change, and
learn to address the potential people issues that can result from the change (Rothermel
& Lamarsh, 2012). When employees do not understand the change that is to be
implemented, they need to say so. But they can do so only if the sponsors and change
agents make it safe for them to speak up (Rothermel & Lamarsh, 2012, p. 19). When
employees do not feel as though they can take their concerns to those in management,
they end up playing the role of a victim, rather than a partner in change. It is normal for
there to be questions and concerns surrounding change. By helping employees to
understand the reasons behind change, management can increase a feeling of comfort
with the idea.
It is purposed that goal setting theory implies that those who participate will have
an increased acceptance of outlined goals (Clardy, 2013). Early stage participation can
be achieved in a variety of ways. Through survey feedback, benchmarking, and the
change planning process; employees are given the opportunity to participate in the
procedure which may lead to less resistance and a smoother transition (Clardy, 2013).
Change occurs to everyone at some point in their life, whether professional or
personal it is important to understand the roles that individuals play in the process. In
order to successfully implement change in an organization, each employee affected
must understand the change that will be taking place, know how to best manage the

change, and address potential people issues due to the change. By including individuals
in the early stages of the planning process, issues surrounding people may be
diminished resulting in a more effective change process.

References
Clardy, A. (2013). Improve the process for managing change. Performance
Improvement, 52(9), 33-44.
Rothermel, R. & Lamarsh, J. (2012). Managing change through employee
empowerment. Global Business & Organizational Excellence, 31(12), 17-23.