Chapter 9: Managing Change Flashcards
3 Types of Organizational Change
Adaptive Change
- least complex
- expensive, and uncertain or threatening
Innovative Change
Medium degree of complexity and cost, uncertainty
and threat
Radically Innovative Change
- High complexity and cost, extremely threatening in
terms of job security and confidence
Change Management
the process of developing a planned approach to change.
Goals:
- Maximize the shared benefits for everyone
involved in the change
- Minimize the risk of failling to implement the
change successfully
Approaches to Planning Organizational Change
1) Planned or unplanned
2) Tactical or Strategic
3) Evolutionary or revolutionary
Planned and Unplanned Approach to Organizational Change
Planned change usually responds to environmental pressures - generally internal forces. Planned changes attempt to maintain the organization’s importance.
It’s purposeful and is a conscious shift from one state, or one topic, to another. General little stress or conflict, providing everyone knows it’s coming (a certain degree of resistance is expected during any change process or event).
Must be analyzed carefully by management prior to proposal to the organization or affected group. Manager must understand the driving and restraining forces connected with the proposed change; that is, the calculated positive result of the change (its driving force) and the negative impact the change may ultimately have (its restraining force).
Unplanned change is difficult to predict or to determine. Usually, unplanned change happens in reaction to unseen or unanticipated influences, or external forces. these kinds of changes occur more frequently than planned changes with minimal planning, and generally without much warning. Personal and professional changes are expected, and with them come stress and conflict. Unplanned change to an organization will occur if the organization does not monitor key indicators of environmental activity that significantly influence performance.
Tactical and Strategic Changes
Planned and unplanned changes may be tactical (short term/short duration) or strategic (visionary long-term robustness).
Leaders who use tactical change methods typically provide the organization with unreliable messages and petty behavior. Tactical change occurs in the short term and fades fast. One-minute manager, MBO (management by Objective), TQM, and TQL are quick tactical change strategies. They are quick to captivate tasks, but cannot be counted on as long-term programs. Tactical changes are for the moment. From the top of the organization, it may appear that the manager is sending inconsistent messages and exhibiting inconsequential behavior. Using this technique to manage change shows that the leader/manager does not understand the environment, the organization or both.
Strategic Changes are used to chart the organization’s direction and culture, and are intended to create robustness, regardless of environmental pressure, using leveraged vision. Strategic change is designed to improve and maintain robustness. This may be seen as:
- a function of the overall environment values, beliefs, and assumptions, as well as the openness to question them.
- resource self-sufficiency (due to the large capital investment required to implement change)
- maintaining contact and a good reputation with strategic groups and individuals
Evolutionary and Revolutionary Changes
Occurring gradually within existing parameters in accordance with established standards, or revolutionary, shifting dramatically into entirely new forms or in new directions.
It is linear, sequential, predictable
Revolutionary change is transformational change. It typically:
- focuses on transforming the organization
- may be small or extensive
- is nonlinear
- is nonsequential
- is predictable to people inside the organization
through proper planning and communication
Both evolutionary and revolutionary changes are strategically suitable under the right environmental conditions with the following considerations:
- the time it takes for the change to occur
- how extensive the change is
- the complexity of the change (how the change
impacts other changes)
Action Planning Model Components
What needs to be improved?
What steps are involved for accomplishing the change
What method may be better than the current one?
Should the change by made now?
What steps are involved in accomplishing the change?
Change involves these basic steps: Planning, implementing, and maintenance.
Action Planning the change involves:
Deciding on the change
Making a proposed flowchart of the necessary steps involved to complete the change
Making a rough flowchart of the current situation
Making a flowchart of the proposed, changed situation
Comparing them
Lewin’s Change Model
Supports the idea that driving and resisting forces are external to the change, which holds situations in state of dynamic equilibrium. His solution proposes that successful change lies in “unfreezing” an established equilibrium by enhancing the forces driving change and then “refreezing” in a new equilibrium state.
Lewin’s 3-step process
Unfreezing - status quo eliminated - data collection & analysis - determine if change needed Movement - identify strategies - plan and implement approach to change Refreezing - evaluate change results - integrate to the new status quo
Methods for implementing change
- Evaluate the proposal
- Make necessary cultural alterations to accommodate
the change (approved? Modifications needed?) - Implement the change
- Maintenance to sustain the change
Organizational Storytelling
Storytelling with a business focus is organizational storytelling. Its primary purpose is to engage, educate, and motivate employees, typically toward change.
It works by the manager giving a formal presentation, he or she presents a factual statement, followed by a story, experience, or anecdote that substantiates the facts. The story assimilates the listeners into the situation and, at the end, engages them in a conclusion. When they discover the conclusion is not logical or clear, the manager takes the opportunity to offer alternatives that require change. The result is participation, which will be managed through a change planning, implementation, and maintenance process.
What is storytelling used for?
To increase employee engagement
To change individual and team behaviors
To improve communication
To alter management efforts and interpersonal relations
to Deliver presentations that resonate thd stay with the listeners
to Influence and motivate employees toward change.
Communication strategies for information on change
FACILITATIVE
EDUCATIONAL
PERSUASIVE
COERCIVE
Facilitative Communication Strategy
Easiest and least expensive to implement.
- Not effective when rapid change is needed.
- Example: Manager who sends a group email concerning the need to change a procedure or product. The written communication informs the internal audience of the needed change. It operates as an indirect or informal announcement of events and is not intended to elicit further discussion or interaction. If not met with resistance, the adoption process of implementation proceeds on its own.
Educational Communication Strategy
Associated with public relations and publicity. Used to announce proposed changes/innovations. Difference between educational and facilitative is that the manager defines the benefit of the new idea with the education approach. Specifically designed to inform group members about the advantages of the proposed change. Decide to use the educational approach when:
- the group is not aware of the need to adopt a particular idea
- observation suggests the idea or concept will be generally accepted if the group is given the facts
- time is not critical
- change is perceived to be logical or beneficial
Requires the manager to personally introduce the idea to the group. More direct and intended to ensure members do not feel alienated or become defensive due to lack of info. Educational approach is designed to explain why the change is necessary and beneficial to the group’s existence.
Persuasive Communication Strategy
Used in advertising and public policy management.
Manager may decide to use this approach if she anticipates the likelihood of dissension from the group. However, there should be no active resistance to the information.
Appropriate when:
- the group may or may not be aware of a need for change
- the group is unlikely to want to commit to the change
After time the group becomes fully engaged in accepted, competing ideas and is committed to established routine and habits.
Requires the manager to increase interaction with the group members and open an exchange of ideas.
Coercive Communication Strategy
Involves the most stringent and direct use of communication tactics. Coercive strategy is used when the manager is convinced that the idea or concept presented will undoubtedly be met with active and significant resistance.
Manager uses the coercive approach when:
- the group is or is not aware of a need for change
- the group will predictably and actively resist the need for change
- time is critical
- enforcement and surveillance are required
Although Managers are aware that whatever info they impart will be met with resistance, in this instance it is not necessary for the manger to be aware of his or her audience, or be particularly democratic. The manager present the idea expecting eh group to actively resist; the manager delivers the info about the impending changes using a more powerful strategy, generally back by enforceable rules.
Common barriers to change
Surprise and Fear Mistrust Fear of Failure Economic Fear Peer Pressure Disruption Personality Conflicts Lack of Tact
Levels of Resistance to change
Level 1: Facts, Figures, Ideas
- Change threatens the status quo or how things have
always been done
Level 2: Physiological/emotional
- Individuals not consciously aware of feelings
impacting them
Level 3: Personal
- Interpersonal relationships with originator or
individuals involved in change
Formal strategies for change management
Personnel Participation Strategy
Organizational Structure Strategy
Transformational Leadership Strategy
The Remedy for Change Fatigue
Clearly connect the change to strategic objectives
Have change support and reinforcing mechanisms in place
Have committed participants engages in the change outcome
Be sure the change follows organizational values and beliefs
Implement the change before it is needed (proactive change generates anticipated excitement, rather than dreaded and stressful deadlines)
Achieving Change Success
For each individual affected by the change, the change must be able to answer the following questions:
Why, and why now?
Where to, and over what time period?
What’s in it for me?
