topic 10 (managing strategic change) Flashcards
what are causes for change
- internal change
- external change
- inceremetal change
- disruptive change
internal cause of change
- Staff
- Culture
- Leadership
- Poor performance
- Growth
external causes for change
- Political
- Economic
- Social
- Technological environmental
- Legislation
- Completion
incremental causes for change
- Small changes are made
- the small changes happening over a period add up to big change
- This change tends to be more inclusive – people are taken along with the change instead of coping with on big change at a time
Disruptive cause of change
- Managers do not see disruptive change coming therefore can be a shock
- Future visions may have to change
- Underlying shift in the industry sector causes disruptive change therefore staying the same will mean the business will struggle to succeed – even if they have been successful in the past
lewins force field analysis identifies?
- What the cause of the change is (driving forces)
- What will stop the change occurring (restraining forces)
how can manager use lewins analysis to make decisons on change?
use the technique to help decide whether there are enough driving forces to make the change occur or if the restraining forces will stop the change happening
advantages of lewins force field anaysis
- Simple to use
- Quick
- Can show main reasons for and against an argument
- Visual
- Useful tool to aid decisions
disadvantages of lewins force field anaysis
- Manager creates their own values
- May miss vital forces for changes
- External factors may be difficult to quantify
kotter and schlesinger’s four key reasons for resistance to chanage
- Parochial self-interest
- Misunderstanding
- Low tolerance to change
- Different assessments of the situation
Parochial self-interest is (kotter and schlesinger)
individuals are only concerned about themselves
Misunderstanding is (kotter and schlesinger)
communication problems or inadequate information
Low tolerance to change is (kotter and schlesinger)
a sense of insecurity, especially if there has been a lot of change already
Different assessments of the situation is (kotter and schlesinger)
there could be disagreements for the need for change or advantages or disadvantages of it.
kotter and schlesinger’s 6 approches to overcome resistance to change?
- Education and communication
- Participation and involvement
- Facilitation and support
- Negotiation and agreement
- Manipulation and co-option
- Explicit or implicit coercion
other barriers to change could be
- Habit
- Economic
- Fear of unknown
Organisational barriers to change are
- Existing power structures
- Resistance from work groups
- Failure of previous change Initiatives
Reasons why change fails are
- Employees do not understand the need for or purpose of change
- Lack of planning and preparation
- Poor communication through the organisation
- Insufficient training
- Lack of resources
- Inadequate reward system
Flexible organisations involve
- Restructuring
- Delayering
- Flexible employment contracts
- Organic structure vs mechanistic
- Knowledge and information management
why does a flexible organisation impact ability to change?
beacuse to respond to change businesses need to have a more flexible approach to their organisations.
Restructuring is
This is the fundamental internal change to the organisational structure or systems of a business
advantages of Restructuring are
- Operational costs can be reduced
- Outsourcing can be less expensive
- Layers of management can be removed
- New technologies may enable competitive advantage
disadvantages of Restructuring are
- Can lose highly skilled workers
- Remaining staff may have to be restrained which could add to costs
- Insecurity and morale issues for remaining staff
delayering is
The removal of one or more levels of hierarchy within an organisation
advantages of Delayering are
- Can re-design jobs so that there is greater delegation, empowerment and motivation
- More authority is given lower down in organisation
- Improved communications
- Departmental rivalry reduced
- Reduced costs and fewer managers
disadvantages of Delayering are
- Not all organisations are suited to flatter organisations.
- Motivation and security issues with remaining staff
- There is a period of disruption as employees learn their new roles
- Wider span of control can reduce communication within the business
advantages of Delayering are
- Can re-design jobs so that there is greater delegation, empowerment and motivation
- More authority is given lower down in organisation
- Improved communications
- Departmental rivalry reduced
- Reduced costs and fewer managers
Flexible working contracts allow
employees a choice over the actual times they are contracted to be at work.
advantages of Flexible working contracts are
- Employees have greater freedom
- Can reduce commuting time allowing for improved work-life balance for employees
- Can improve morale and reduce absence and lateness
- Reduction in overtime costs, late arrivals and long breaks
disadvantges of Flexible working contracts are
- The administration of the scheme has significant costs
- When premises are open longer there may be increased overheads
- Employees may not work at certain times and this may not be suitable for the organisation
Organic structure is
Organic structures are sometimes called open structures, they ae highly adaptable, flexible forms of organisational structures
organic structures work best in what enviroment ?
Work best in a fluid, unpredictable business climate
Organic structure’s are characterised by ?
- Flatness where communications are horizontal
- Low specialisation where knowledge is used wherever it is needed
- Decentralised because there is a high degree of formal and informal participation in decision making
Mechanistic structure are
are comparatively simpler to use and organise but can be hard to change rapidly. They are a more traditional form of structure but they can be highly inflexible
Mechanistic structure are characterised by:
- Hierarchical and bureaucratic organisational structure
- Centralised authority with little participation in decision making for employees
- Procedures and practices are very important.
- The structure relies on specialised functions
Organisational culture is
The behaviour of people within an organisation and the meaning that they attach to those behaviours. Cultures includes the organisation’s visons, values, norms, systems, language assumptions, beliefs and habits
where does culture come from ?
- Founders
- Senior management
- Core people
Handy’s 4 different types of culture are?
- Power culture
- Role culture
- Task culture
- Person culture
power culture tends to be what ? (Handy)
tends to be test-paced or changeable work but often quite simple or limited to the interests of abilities of major power brokers.