How we change what others think, feel, believe and do

Command

Disciplines > Change Management > Creating Change > Command

Method | Example | Discussion | See also

Method

Enforce change by telling people what to do and what is going to happen.

Do not accept any input or objection from them. If they do object, punish them.

Example

A person arrives for work on Monday to find that they no longer have a job.

A sales person is summarily moved to another region, selling different products.

A manager is demoted to a lower grade in a restructuring of the organization.

Discussion

Commands are the least considerate of the psychological factors and simply use the principle of force. Typically in organizations it means giving the person marching orders, telling them to change rather than convincing them. The person turns up for work and are simply told that change is going to happen to them.

The result of such methods is that people are very likely to fall into the Kübler-Ross cycle. This can make commands seem effective as those in shock and denial may seem to have accepted the change without fuss.

It is an approach favored by managers whose style is largely task-oriented and transactional.

Command does have its place when urgency is total and there is no time for other methods. However, the backlash later can be very costly.