To prepare myself now for being an effective change leader and facilitator I can educate myself on the process of change initiatives and how other companies have successfully implemented radical change initiatives. It is important to have an understanding of change in business and one way of obtaining that understanding may be through higher education such and college or training. I would also try to read books and articles about strategic management.

Radical change is typically when a business or organization is changing a lot like a merger with another company or changing the way they do business. Jackson (2009) said that “radical change is relatively infrequent and generally takes a long time to complete. It touches everyone and everything in the organization”. (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2008) I think that I would more often be expected to lead and facilitate Incremental change which is “an ongoing process of evolution over time, during which many small changes occur routinely. The cumulative effect of many small changes may be to transform the organization totally”. (Jackson, Schuler & Werner, 2008)

It is important to be well informed about the organization and the environment in which the organization does business. Once the objectives and reasons for change are addressed, then a plan for change should be made. Before fully implementing change it is important to have an understanding of how the change will affect the organization. Employees should also be informed of the importance of the change, how it will affect them, and how it will occur.

Through learning about other organizations that have implemented similar changes lessons can be learned to not make similar mistakes. Working with consultants that have gone through the change process with other companies could also be very beneficial because they have experience. There are many authors that have written about strategic change and how to effectively implement radical change. Reading about change before the process starts could make me more prepared for leading others through change. I have also taken a few classes about strategic management and organizational development and how changes can be facilitated. I think that the more educated about change and the more experience gained through participating in change the more comfortable I would be with leading and facilitating change.

References
Jackson , S., Schuler, R., & Werner, S. (2008).Managing human resources. (10 ed., pp. 27-31). Australia: Cengage Learning.