Job Osazuwa
Professionals from different fields were recently inducted to the Institute of Change Management (ICM) in Lagos, with old and new members of the institute renewing their pledge to be ambassadors and counsellors of change.
The professional body was formed to equip members with the requisite skills needed to guide members of the public on adapting to political, economic and social evolvements.
President and Chairman of Governing Council of ICM, Mr. Nathaniel Osewele, said the members were thoroughly screened and found worthy both in character and in deed to join the change management community in Nigeria.
“We face challenges of diverse nature which are not unconnected to globalisation, security, poverty, ICT, climate change etc. To be able to navigate maximally and achieve optimal performance in these unpredictable and dynamic environments that we find ourselves in, a very close attention must be paid to equipping ourselves to be able to adapt intellectually, culturally, technologically and professionally to be relevant in the scheme of current realities, otherwise known as ‘new normal.’
“It is our responsibility as a professional body with the mandate to manage the evolving change by providing a lead in this adjustment mechanism intervention. This is what informed today’s discourse to upgrade our knowledge and skills with the lecture titled: “The Role of a Change Agent in the New Normal”. This topic is germane as most organisations, governments, associations, communities and even individual across the globe are continually finding it difficult in the recent time to manage the complexities and challenges of evolving changes effectively,” Osewele said.
He said developing competences and capacities to cope with change is a task the ICM has taken upon itself to address. He explained that the institute was berthed to guide the development of reservoirs of new knowledge, skills and ideas that could be deployed to harness and productively utilise to serve organizations, and by extension humanity, more creatively.
Said he: “The world would never stop evolving and changing. Therefore, the institute would continue the search for the best ways to prepare human and institutional capacities to enable us take advantage of the benefits of the emerging changes to avoid any attendant risk that may accompany them.
“And we would continue to build on this milestone until ICM attains a global status and become a household brand, a point of reference and a charter institute of repute.
The institute’s mission is to build skilled and competent change management specialist, organizations, institutions etc, to create value and make a difference across all sectors of the economy.
“Research shows that one of the greatest challenges facing organisations today is inadequate or total lack of skill in the management of change. That is why a lot of change initiatives do not see the light of the day. Most managers believe that change is achieved through pronouncements and enforcement of compliance by wielding the big stick. Most businesses have good strategic plans but fail at the point of execution due to their inability to successfully implement the changes.”
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The president urged the new members to use their new knowledge, innovative minds and exposure as change champions to effect positive change in their organisations, so as to enhance productivity.
The guest speaker, human resource developer and an organisation leader, Mr. Johnson Oluwasuji, defined change as an alteration of the way or ways things were done in the past. He added that change was a process of moving from a present position to a desired destination.
He said change management specialists are equipped and activated to quickly notice and adapt to change.
According to him, it is not the strongest or the most brilliant who survives trying times, but the one that is ready to adapt to change.
And he stressed that change happens from cradle to the grave.
“We cannot become what we want to become by remaining what we are. Change is natural. It is dangerous to change everything and not to change anything. So, we need to manage it and strike a balance.
“Our business world is changing from monopoly to active competition. In the process, there will be innovations and creativity to meet up with time. Changes happen everywhere but if you don’t prepare for it adequately, you will be caught unawares,” Oluwasuji said.
Pastor Joel Olusegun, who was inducted into the institute as a fellow, told the reporter that it was a divine privilege for him to be screened and accepted among other millions of Nigerians.
“The institute has constituted different committees, and thank God that I have been drafted into the Implementation Committee. This will give me more opportunity to serve both in the private and public sectors. We shall be working round the clock using persuasion, education and other forms of communication to ensure that people adapt to change,” he said.
Also, another inductee, Mr. Adeniyi Olatunji Adekoya said change was everywhere and evolving, even as he
expressed the belief that the institute would go places.
He stated that being a member would enable him to network with other members who are endowed with
intellectual in-depth, as well as have access to instructive materials.