change and innovation in organisation and the change-continuity paradox Flashcards
what factors point towards the need for organisations to innovate and change?
- financial constraints
- tighter yet more transparent markets
- increasing competition through price
- quality and innovation
- increased customer knowledge
emergence of nations as economic powers
what is the difference between determinist and voluntarist approaches? (Hughes, 2010)
Determinism: represented by those who advocate that change is determined by the environment (action taken in response to environment without environment being affected by action)
voluntarism: takes account of the action, choice and interpretation of change agents in steering change processes.
- in practice it is often a hybrid of both types
What concept does Child, 1972 promote?
the concept of strategic choice, pointing out how choices made by power holding groups shape through an essentially political process, change.
- draws attention away from determinist arguments (environment and technology are seen to be key determining factors)
- refocusses attention on political processes and social choice
what four different types of changses that Jick and Peiperl (2011) categorise?
- reactive small scale change: initiatives that seek to accommodate and adapt to unforeseen changes.
- proactive developmental change: programs that seek to develop on current ways of doing things, over a planned period of time.
- reactive radical change: initiatives that arise in reaction to unexpended events that seek major response in order to survive.
- proactive radical change: projects in the reinvention of company strategy and major transformations of business operations.
what two main factors are argued to shape the perception of change?
- communication: in relation to the sense making and sense giving officering amongst individuals and groups. a well as communication strategies used amongst those planning and managing the implementation process.
- resistance: in terms of the degree of commitment and opposition to change, in the way that change is perceived and interpreted by individuals and groups and in the knowledge respire test receipts of change can provide often overlooked by those who take a negative view towards people who resists.
What is Shramm’s (1954) model of communication process?
the process of communication as an ongoing dialogue in which messages are decoded, interpreted and encoded in continuous symmetrical flow as parties set out to achieve some mutual understanding.
- it is a two way process
What are the three main reasons for why change initiatives fail? (Kotter)
- communication is limited to only a few memos
- the head of the company hold many speeches, everyone else remains silent
- there is effort in communicating the vision but the behaviour of some highly visible individuals conflicts with the message communicated which results in cynicism from employees
what is the formal and informal flows of communication?
- formal channels of communication: effective communication strategies that seek to control and regulate information flows to maintain some sense making order
- individuals and groups interpret what is said and not said in ways never intended by those managing change
- often second guessing ulterior motives
- build on past experience and their emotional sense of whats really happening
in communicating effectively, Paton and McCalman (2000) emphasise the need to do what? (6 things)
- communicate early and communicate often
- customise the message to ensure understanding
- set the right tone to not offend or patronise
- engage in communication as a two way process
- practice what you preach
- use appropriate medium to ensure it reaches on time
What is the five stage coping model (Adams et al 1976 and Vries and Miller 1984)?
- Denial: its just not going to happen
- Defensive stance: it’ll never work here
- Discarding: well its here now and this is how i see it (recognition)
- adaption: modifications made to deal with unforeseen hitches and problems
- internalisation: cognitively accepting change as it becomes part of normal behaviour
What are the factors which contribute to resistance from individuals and groups?( 5 things)
- Substantive change in job
- reduction in economic security or job displacement
- psychological threats
- disruption of social arrangements
- lowering of status
What are the strategies for managing resistance?
- Democratic: education and support information on why change is needed, offer training, participation and get people involved.
- political consultative: negotiation; incentives for key resistors
- political directive: manipulation and coercion; implicit (barriers to promotion) and explicit (get fired with enthusiasm or fried from the job)
Distinguish between subjective and objective reality?
objective: some theories assume that reality is out there and can be studied by observers independent of their subject of interest
subjective: some assume that reality is in here and that observation is limited as you cannot observe meanings
Distinguish between process and variety thinking theories?
- While process theories focus on how something happens ( people constantly engage and interpret)
- Variance theories focus on why something happens.(organisations can be observed and compared)
organisations as stable versus fluid entities? (theories of change often take as their starting point a notion of fluidity or stability)
Organisations as fluid entities:
- Heraclitus 540 BC.
- Change being central to the universe
- we live in a world in which everything is constantly in flux
“upon those who step into the same river different and ever different rivers fall down”
Organisations as stable entities:
- Democritus 460 BC
- pictured all of nature as composed of stable material substance or things that changed only in their positioning in time and space.
