Bullock and batten planned change

Leading Strategic Change

Change Management

Managers in modern business are expected to be more strategic, more entrepreneurial, more innovative and more changed-centred.

(Dalton, 2010)

Leading modern organisations

Types of Change

Technology – production processes

The product or service – the output of the business

Administrative changes – structure; policies; budgets; reward systems

People attitudes – expectations; behaviour

Structural changes (merger, acquisition, restructuring)

Cost changes (reducing budgets, redundancies)

Cultural changes. (change to organisations shared assumptions, values, and beliefs)

Different views exist as to what is a ‘trigger’ or ‘driver’ of change. It can be triggered by:

Large-scale uncertainty – in the form of either threat or an opportunity

Comparisons between current and past or future performance

Environmental changes

Technological changes

Changes in people

Government legislation

Advances in process or product technology

Changing consumer requirements, expectations or taste

Competitor or supply change activities

Triggers of Change (Hughes, 2007)

Political

Economic

Social

Technology

Legal

Environmental

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Drivers of Change

Increases in the size, complexity and specialization of organizations

People and their skills

Managers and power

Advances in process or product technology

Environmental

Technological obsolescence or innovation

Government legislation, political and social events

Consumer requirements

Competitor activities

Globalisation

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Understanding Change

A change culture is highly desirable for many organizations but very difficult to achieve. Implementation of change requires:

a perceived need for change can originate with either the strategic leader or managers throughout the company who are aware of the possibilities

the necessary resources involves aspects of competency as well as physical resources, and the ways in which managers use power to influence the allocation and utilization of resources

commitment – the culture of the organization will influence the extent to which managers are responsive and innovative.

Understanding Change A Classification Framework

What is Change?

Why is the Change taking place?

Who is making the decision to change?

What is the history of the change?

How is the change being communicated?

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Lewin’s Force-field Analysis

Lewin’s 3 Step Change Process

Unfreeze

"Unfreezing" involves finding a method of making it possible for people to let go of an old pattern that was counter productive in some way by strengthening driving forces & weakening restraining forces

Move/change to new state

Involves a process of change - in thoughts, feelings, behaviour, or all three, that is in some way more liberating or more productive

Introduce new technology to improve productivity.

Influence direction of movement in unbalanced system

Top down – active top-down communication (advocated by Lewin’s model)

Bottom-up active participation by the affected parties

Refreeze

"Refreezing" is establishing the change as a new habit, so that it now becomes the "standard operating procedure."

New behavioural patterns stabilise/institutionalised

Establish new recruiting policies

Promote those who symbolise new corporate values

Performance appraisal

Kotter’s 8 Step Change Process

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Planned Model

Bullock and Batten (1985) developed an integrated four phase model based on a review and synthesis of over 30 models of change:

Model has two dimensions - change phases and processes

Exploration – identifying need for change and the resources required to make it happen

Planning – collecting information; identifying goals; identifying strategies; gaining support

Action – move from current to desired state including support, feedback, evaluation

Integration – consolidate; stabilise; reinforce; diffuse; monitor

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Criticisms of Planned Change approach

Ignores complex and dynamic nature of environmental and change processes

Ignores continuous need for flexibility and adaptation

Assumes we can make controlled movement from one state to another

Assumes consensus – ignores power and politics

Assumes managers can have full confidence in their actions

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Emergent Approach to Change

‘Change cannot and should not be solidified, or seen as a series of linear events within a given period of time; instead, it is viewed as a continuous process’ (Burnes, 2000)

Emergent approach views change process as unfolding through the interplay of multiple variables (context, political processes and consultation)

Stresses developing and unpredictable nature of change

Change as a continuous process of adaptation and experimentation

More analytical and less prescriptive

Culture of adaptation and learning

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Problems with the Emergent Approach

Not all organisations exist in turbulence all the time

Idealised linkage between learning culture and change

To what extent does organisational learning exist?

Can managers take on this role?

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Reactions to change

Kubler-Ross 1969 "On Death And Dying"

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Resistance to Change

Resistance where people have worked out ways of doing things which are beneficial to them in terms of their objectives and preferences.

Resistance to ‘sideways change’ (expanding certain activities, contracting elsewhere) unless people are fully aware of reasons and implications.

Fear of the unknown as people feel comfortable with situations, policies and procedures that they know.

Organization or managers may resist external pressures if change involves expense, investment in new equipment and the associated risks.

Resistance where there are perceived flaws or weaknesses in the proposal.

Where particular policies, behaviour patterns and ways of doing things have been established and in effect have become part of the culture of the organization, change will require careful implementation.

1. Fear

2. Lack of information

3. Lack of perceived benefit

4. Habit

(Martin, 2005)

Why people resist change

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How do people resist change?

Sabotage

Work manipulation

Misuse of resources

Rumour and gossip

(Martin, 2005)

Name Type of Resister Characteristics
Wolves Howl a lot, but only strike when in a pack
Sheep Bleat a lot but follow the ram
Sinister sheep Silent and unpredictable
Prize ram Where they go others follow
Types of Resister

Education / communication

Participation

Facilitation and Support

Negotiation

Co-optation

Manipulation

Coercion

(Kotter, 1986)

Overcoming resistance to change

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Change – Who?

Change agents: individual or group that effects strategic change in an organisation.

Leadership: process of influencing an organisation or group within an organisation in its efforts towards achieving an aim or goal.

Managers: the implementers of strategy.

Different approaches to organisational change….

Emergent change – emerges without prior intention or planning such as dealing with contingencies, breakdowns etc. (Burnes, 1996: P291)

Planned change – change that is planned and managed in detail by an organisation rather than changes that come about by accident, force or impulse (Marrow, 1969)

Incremental change – barely noticeable change in the day-to-day business of an organisation which happens in small steps e.g. minor changes to policies and procedures (Rees and French, 2013)

Improvisational change – change which may begin with a plan but which recognises the necessity to react to circumstances as they arise often in an unplanned way (Orlikowski & Hofman, 1997)

Summary

Definitions of change management

Triggers/sources of change

Types of change

Models of change

Resistance to change

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