The following is Part Two in a series
of articles that applies the insights
of University of Waterloo professors
to the key I T topics of concern
to I T World Canada readers.
it leaders embrace complexities
of effective change management
historical legacies within firms, generational differences
among staff members and other hurdles face those
implementing strategies for corporate change
Teresa rose Is a Professor In The Mas Ter
of ManageMen T sCIenCe PrograM In The
faCUl Ty of engIneerIng a T The UnIversI Ty of
Wa Terloo. she has TaUgh T CoUrses a T The
Mas Ters and exeCU TIve MBa levels In s Tra Tegy,
organIza TIon, In Terna TIonal ManageMen T and
organIza TIonal Change for 12 years. her reCen T
researCh has foCUsed on TraCkIng large-sCale
Change s Tra TegIes and ProCesses In The heal Th
Care and CIvIl jUs TICe sys TeMs.
By GreG enriGht
Like a good chess player, successful businesses are always
thinking a few steps ahead of their current situation. never
content with the status quo, the firms that win more games than
they lose are accustomed to embracing the notion of change,
and incorporating it into the philosophy and ongoing operation
of the organization.
Yet implementing the mechanisms that eventually foster a
culture that welcomes change throughout the organization is no
easy task. With countless departments often working in their
own spheres and with their own approaches to change man-
agement, getting an organization of hundreds or thousands of
individual employees on the same course is the monumental
challenge that faces the modern enterprise.
as university of Waterloo professor teresa rose simply puts
it, “it’s just complex. trying to manage organizations and lead
organizations is hugely complex. so don’t try to come up with
a single answer by jumping on a bandwagon and saying, ‘We’ll
change it and we’ll win.’”
as a professor in the master of management science program
in the Faculty of engineering at the university of Waterloo in
Waterloo, ont., rose researches change within organizations —
how it’s carried out, what factors determine successful change,
and what dangers exist for any company wishing to more fully
embrace the concept.
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