There has been a lot of rhetoric in recent years about "Change Management", however very little evidence has emerged to suggest that many Organizations have made serious efforts to educate/train their staff in the need for continuous change to maintain a competitive edge. Yet, everyone is aware that the pace of change is accelerating with the use of modern technology (Information & Technical) and that it is a business imperative to keep up with the changes to remain competitive and possibly gain a competitive advantage.

The need to educate/train employees in the need for "Change" is getting more and more acute and should be a prerequisite for any Organization with serious intentions of remaining competitive into the next century.

All Employees from the most senior Managers to new Employees should be aware of the need for continuous improvement/re-engineering of business processes as a fundamental requirement as "the" competitive weapon in the ever changing business environment. The acceptance of "Change" is a key ingredient if all Employees are to be aligned to the strategic goals/targets of the Organization.

"Change Management" is a bit of a misnomer as I believe that the more appropriate term should be "Change Leadership" as all real change begins with good leadership ( good Management controls complexity - good Leadership produces useful change ). Leadership in this context should be considered as a "Process" not the sole responsibility of the senior managers of the Organization - all Employees have the responsibility to show Leadership in their daily work. "Good Example" is the most basic but most powerful form of Leadership, it shows new employees the core values and operating practices of the organization and displays expected behavior. It is not one big outstanding act of Leadership but rather the multitude of "little acts of Leadership" that shape the Leadership style of an Organization. If "Change" is the norm within an Organization then new Employees will quickly see this and accept it readily.

The need for continuous change needs to be articulated/communicated to all employees in an open honest way so that everyone can see the long term benefits for the Organization ( & its Employees) as unless this understanding can be achieved and commitment demonstrated the implementation of change will always be contentious.