Ch 6 Flashcards
What must managers do?
Implement change!!!
What is Organizational Change ?
-any alteration of an organization’s structure, technology, or people.
What are changes in organizational structure?
-change in authority relationships, coordination mechanisms, job design, degree of centralization
-examples: creating work teams, reducing work specializations, wider degree of control, decentralizing
What are changes in technology?
-modifications in the way work is done or the equipment used.
-computerizing work processes & procedures, equipping employees with mobile communicating tools, installing new equipment such as a new computer system, etc.
What are changes in people?
-modifying people’s behavior, attitudes, perceptions, and expectations
-examples: pushing safety first, changing behaviors to implement a new customer service strategy,
Why do people resist change in a organization?
-uncertainty
-habit
-concern of personal loss
-belief of change is not in the organization’s best interest
What are ways to manage change?
-communication & education- educate and explain to employees about the need for change
-participation- allow employees to act in decisions, planning change
-facilitation & support- give employees the support they need to implement the change
-negotiation- give something of value to influence them embrace change
-manipulation-using negative actions to implement
-co-optation- selecting people that are open to and accept change
-coercion- using direct threats or force
What is stress?
- adverse reaction to excessive pressures placed constraints, demands, and opportunities.
-can be caused by personal factors and job related factors
What are the symptoms of stress?
-physical, psychological, behavioral
How managers deal with job related stress factors?
-match employee’s abilities to job requirements
-improving job site communication
-using a performance planning program
-redesigning jobs
How managers deal with personal stress factors?
-employee counseling
-time management programs
-wellness programs
What is creativity?
the ability to combine ideas in a unique way, or make unusual associations between ideas
What is innovation?
Using the outcomes of the creative process into useful products or work methods.
What is disruptive innovation?
-innovations in products, services, or processes that radically change an industry’s rules of the game.
What external forces create a need for change?
-marketplace
-labor market
-economics
-technology
What internal forces create a need for change?
-employee attitudes
-corporate strategy
-composition of an organization’s workforce
Change agents
-people who act as change catalysts who assume responsibility for managing the change process
How does organizational change happen?
Two metaphors:
-calm sea
-white water rapids
What is the calm sea metaphor?
-description of organizational change that compares that change to a ship crossing a calm sea on a known course and experiencing an occasional storm (change).
What is the 3 step process for change in calm sea metaphor?
-Unfreezing the status quo, change to a new state, freezing the new change so as to make it permanent.
-status quo can be thought of as at equilibrium. Need to identify:
1. Driving forces- increase them.
2. Blocking forces- decrease them.
3. Do both.
-this was the case of most organizations in the 20th century
What is the white water rapids metaphor?
-descriptions of organizational change that compares change to a small raft navigating a raging river
-change is the status quote and managing change is a continual process
-in today’s environment organizations face constant internal and external forces that bring about the need for organizational change
What is organizational development?
-Efforts that assist members of an organization with a planned change by focusing on their attitudes and values
-attempts to involve organizational members in changes that will affect their jobs and seeks their input about how the change is affecting them.
What are some organizational development techniques?
-surveys
-outside process consultation
-team building
-intergroup development
When managers talk about changing an organization to make it more creative, what do they mean?
They want to stimulate and nurture innovation.
What is involved in innovation?
Perception-looking at things differently or a unique perspective
Incubation-reflecting on ideas and their data, info
Inspiration-culmination of all effort and coming up with the best idea
Innovation-putting the best idea into action
How can a organization foster innovation?
By creating an environment that stimulates innovation thru organizational variables:
Structural variables-flexibility, communication, abundant resources, low pressure time constraints, support,
Cultural variables-acceptance of ambiguity, able to experiment regardless of failure, difference of opinions are encouraged, low internal controls (rules),
Human resource variables-idea champions, commitment to job training/development, job security
What are idea champions?
Individuals that enthusiastically and actively support new ideas, build support for, overcome resistance to, and ensure innovations are implemented.
