Strategies for change Flashcards
Types of change Proactive Reactive
The type of change introduced will influence the way that it needs to be managed.
Types of change
Factors to consider
Pace of the change – is the change to be introduced gradually or suddenly?
Manner of the change – is the change forced or welcomed?
Scope of the change – is the change minor or far-reaching?
Categories of changea
The following matrix can be used to identify the types of change taking
place in a particular scenario
Nature of change: Incremental
Management role: Proactive
Tuning
Nature of change: Transformational
Management role: Proactive
Planned
Nature of change: Incremental
Management role: Reactive
Adaptation
Nature of change: Transformational
Management role: Reactive
Forced
Lewin’s force field analysis
Lewin’s force field analysis can be used to visualise the change process and to identify change management issues.
Forces for change v Resistance to change (barriers to change)
Current position v Desired position
To reach the desired position the driving forces must be promoted and the restraining forces (barriers to change) must be removed.
Forces for change
Forces for change derive from external and internal environment change.
Changing markets
Globalisation
Increased competition
New technology
New personnel
Improved rewards
Barriers to change
Cultural barriers
Structural inertia – embedded
systems/procedures
Group inertia – skills/norms/
peer pressure
Power structures – existing
decision-making structures
Personnel barriers
Habit
Security
Effect on earnings
Fear of the unknown
Selective information
processing
Psychological contract
Change management: Power structures
Existing decision makers fear that they will lose power and status as a result of the
change and therefore are resistant to it.
e.g. Factory closure – The production director will be concerned that they will lose
power and status as a result of the factory closure, increasing their resistance to the
change
Group inertia
Groups will be resistant to change when their norms or the importance of their skills
are threatened by the change.
e.g. New production methods – If automated production is introduced it may threaten
the skillset of the production workers, increasing their resistance to the change
Structural inertia
The cumulative effect of all the procedures and systems which the company has
previously installed acts as a barrier to change.
e.g. New information system – Difficulties may occur transferring the existing
processes to a new information system, increasing staff resistance to the change
Lewin and Schein’s Iceberg model
Lewin and Schein suggested a three-stage approach to managing change.
Unfreeze
Involves a trigger, a challenge of existing behaviour, involvement of outsiders,
or alteration to power structure
e.g. Appointing an external consultant.
Move
Means making the changes, communicating and encouraging adoption of the
new situation
e.g. Presentations to communicate the change management plan.
Refreeze
Means consolidation and reinforcement of the new situation
e.g. Communicating the benefits obtained from the change
Practical management styles
This involves choosing appropriate styles to adopt for each group of stakeholders.
Communication – meetings, briefings, etc. – reduces uncertainty and therefore
resistance.
Education – training reduces resistance to new processes etc.
Participation – allowing change targets to participate in change process.
Using a change agent
Managers may choose to use a change agent to oversee the change and effectively
manage the impact on the change targets.
A change agent is an individual, a group, or external consultancy with
the responsibility for driving and ‘selling’ the change.
Sometimes called a ‘Champion of Change’.
The change target is those affected by the change
