topic 9: organizational change and innovation

Question 1

organizational change

Answer 1

the movement of an organisation away from its present state towards a desired state in the future in order to improve its effectiveness.

Question 2

organizational development

Answer 2

significant influence on change, originating from five major backgrounds: action research, survey feedback and Lewin’s techniques

Question 3

action research

Answer 3

involves data collection, feedback, action planning, implementation, and follow-up data collection.

Question 4

Hawthorne studies

Answer 4

studies in the social sciences that influenced research on psychological and social factors in the workplace. have had an enduring influence on organizational change.

Question 5

Kurt Lewin’s planned approach to change

Answer 5

combines field theory, group dynamics, action research, along with his 3-step model of change.

Question 6

field theory

Answer 6

approach to understanding group behavior, focusing on the complexity of the field in which behavior occurs.

Question 7

group dynamics

Answer 7

are another component of Lewin’s approach, focusing on the influence of groups on shaping members’ behavior.

Question 8

action research

Answer 8

emphasizes that change requires action, ensuring appropriate actions are implemented after identifying all alternatives and choosing the most appropriate one for the situation

Question 9

Coch and French’s 1948 study on participative decision-making.

Answer 9

found that resistance to change is a combination of individual frustration and group-induced forces. they concluded that the slow rate of relearning after transfer to a new job compared to the faster rate of learning when first entering the organization indicated that motivational issues were in operation. criticized for its lack of random selection

Question 10

demographical and social forces

Answer 10

changing workforces: diversity, ageing, generational differences. using the skills of your employees

Question 11

ethical forces

Answer 11

geopolitics: global warming, greenwashing. supply chain management, human rights

Question 12

director (change management)

Answer 12

change involves a strategic management choice upon which the well-being and survival of the organisation depend.

Question 13

the navigator (change management)

Answer 13

change manager may achieve some intended outcomes, but have little control over other results. role of the change manager is to identify options, accumulate resources, monitor progress, and navigate through the complexity.

Question 14

the caretaker (change management)

Answer 14

ability to exercise control is heavily constrained by internal and external forces that propel change independent of management intentions.

Question 15

the coach (change management)

Answer 15

change managers can intentionally shape an organisation’s capabilites. rather than dictating each action, the coach relies on establishing the right values and skills in employees to achieve the desired outcomes.

Question 16

the interpreter (change management)

Answer 16

change manager creates meaning for others, helps make sense of events and developments that constitute a changed organisation. competing interpretations may exist, the change manager may need to defend their narrative.

Question 17

the nurturer (change management)

Answer 17

small changes can have a large impact on organisations, and managers may be unable to control the outcomes of such changes. adaptive learning and self-organisation.

Question 18

resistance to change

Answer 18

organisation level of resistance to change, group level resistance to change, individual level resistance to change.

Question 19

group level (resistance to change)

Answer 19

group norms, group cohesiveness, groupthink and escalation of commitment.

Question 20

individual level (resistance to change)

Answer 20

uncertainty and insecurity, selective perception and retention, habit.

Question 21

managing resistance to change

Answer 21

• education and communication
• participation and empowerment
• facilitation
• bargaining and negotiation
• manipulation
• coercion

Question 22

socio-technical approach

Answer 22

design and performance of any organisational system can only be understood and improved if both social and technical aspects are brought together and treated as interdependent parts of a complex system.

Question 23

socio-technical approach (3-D model of episodic interventions)

Answer 23

• functional dimension
• social dimension
• infrastructural dimension

Question 24

functional dimension (socio-technical approach)

Answer 24

diagnosis: identification of current problems, analysis of structure related causes of these problems.
design: invention of a desired structure that can contribute to the goal of the intervention
implementation: actual transformation of old structure into new structure
evaluation: assessment of the actual contribution of the new structure to achieving the goal of the intervention