Chapter 11: Change management - the role of the leader in managing change Flashcards
Who is the change leader?
Key figure within the organisation who take overall responsibility and control for the proposed change within the organisation
What does the change leader do?
Responsible for articulating what change is needed and why, acting as a figurehead for the change process, as well as helping to deal with any problems or conflicts that arise during the process
What is the 8 step process of change leadership according to Kotter?
Establish a sense of urgency
Creating the guiding coalition
Developing a change vision
Communicating the vision
Empowering broad based action
Generating short-term wins
Never letting up
Incorporating changes into the culture
What is a team?
A set of individuals who must work together in order to accomplish shared objectives
They usually:
Share a common goal
Enjoy working together
are committed to achieving certain goals
What is team building based around?
Developing team in areas such as improved communication, building trust, social interaction
What are the benefits of teams?
Mixture of skills and abilities within the team
Better control
Improved communication
What are the problems with the use of teams?
Slower decision making
Decisions may be compromises
Pressure to conform may lead to teams members agreeing to decisions that they know are wrong
Teams may have a lack of individual responsibility
What are the change approaches to deal with resistance according to Kotter and Schlesinger?
Participation
Education and communication
Power/coercion
Facilitation and support
Manipulation and co-optation
Negotiation
What are the key considerations when deciding upon a leadership style?
Speed at which change must be introduced
Strength of the pressure for change
Level of resistance expected
Amount of power you hold
How much information is needed before change can be implemented and how long it will take to get the information
What is Lewin’s three-stage (ice cube) model?
Unfreeze existing behaviour
Change behaviour/attitudes
Refreeze new behaviour
Process includes unfreezing habit or procedures, changing to new patterns and refreezing to ensure lasting effects
What happens in the unfreezing stage of the ice cube model?
Managers need to make the need for change obvious so people easily understand and accept it.
Involves creating the inititial motivation to change by convincing staff of the undesirability of the present situation
What are some ways of destabilising the present stability?
Identifying and exploiting exisiting areas of stress or dissatisfaction
Creating or introducing additional forces for change
Increasing employee knowledge about markets, competitors and the need for change
What is included in the change process of the ice cube model?
Concerned with identifying what the new behaviour or norm should be.
Involve:
Establishing new patterns of behaviour
Setting up new reporting relationships
Creating new reward/incentive schemes
Introducing a new style of management
What happens in the refreezing stage of the ice cube model?
Involves ensuring that people do not slips back into old ways.
Involves reinforcement of the new pattern of work by:
Large rewards for those who have embraced the new culture
Publicity of success stories and new ‘heroes’
If we want to bring about change what must we do?
Change the equilibrium by:
Strengthening the driving forces
Weakening the restraining forces
Or both
What are the two variants that Beer and Nohria indentified that every organisational change conforms to?
Theory E Strategies
Theory O Strategies
What is the Theory E strategy?
Based on measures where shareholder value is the main concern. Change usually involves incentives, layoffs, downsizing and restructuring.
What is the Theory O strategy?
Softer approaches to change, often involving cultural adjustment or enhancing employee capabilities through individual and organisational learning. Involved changing, obtaining feedback, reflecting and then making futher changes. Requires employees in the change process.
What are the drawbacks of the Theory E approach?
Ignore feelings and attitudes of employees
Lead to a loss of motivation and commitment from staff
Damage competitive advantage of the organisation
What is the drawback of Theory O?
Often fail to take the ‘tough’ decisions that may be needed
Why is the change agent useful in helping the organisation?
Define the problem and its cause
Diagnose solutions and select appropriate courses of action
Implement change
Transmit the learning process to others and the organisation overall
What are the skills and attributes of change agents?
Goals - clarity in defining the achievable, flexibility to adapt to internal and external triggers
Roles - team-building skills to establish work groups, networking skills
Communication - skills with colleagues and subordinates
Negotiation - creating vision and selling plans, resolving conflict
Managing up - political awareness and influencing skills, helicopter perspective
What are the seven power skills that Kanter identified is required for a change agent?
Ability to work idependently
Ability to collaborate
Ability to develope relationships based on trust
Self confidence, tempered with humility
Being respectful of the process of change
Ability to work across different BU’s
Willingness to stake personal rewards on results
What are the advantages of using external consultants as change agents?
Bring fresh perspective to the problem
May have state-of-the-art knowledge of the required change
Being a dedicated resource that may be able to give it more time and energy
May have more experience
Greater objectivity as they have no personal stake in the outcomes of the change
