People and Organizations : Principles and Practice in Global Contexts- MN7181-Management of Change - Blog # 10


People and Organizations: Principles and Practice in Global Contexts – MN7181 – Management of Change – Blog # 10

What is Change Management?

Leading and facilitating change is about initiating and achieving the smooth implementation of new developments and initiatives by planning and  introducing them systematically, allowing for the possibility of their being resisted or, at least, misunderstood. Kotter (1996) emphasized the importance of leading change rather than simply managing it.

Leading and facilitating change is probably the most demanding of all HR roles. If HR is concerned as it should be in playing a major part in the achievement of continuous improvement and in the HR processes that support that improvement, then it will need to be involved in facilitating change. Caldwell (2001) stated that the change agent roles that can be carried out by HR professionals are those of change champions, change adapters, change consultants and change synergists.

Leading change involves initiating and managing culture change (the process of changing the organization’s culture in the shape of its values, norms and beliefs) and the introduction of new structures, systems, working practices and people management processes. The aim is to increase organizational capability (the potential ability of the organization to perform well) and organizational effectiveness (how well the organization actually performs). Ulrich (1997) observed that HR professionals should be ‘as explicit about culture change as they are today about the requirements for a successful training program or hiring strategy’. He later emphasized that: ‘HR should become an agent of continuous transformation, shaping processes and a culture that together improve an organization’s capacity for change’ (1998). Change leadership means ,

 ● identifying where change is required.
 ● specifying what changes should take place
 ● assessing the benefits of the change and what it will cost.
 ● establishing the consequences of the change.
 ● assessing any problems that the change may create, e.g. resistance to the change, and any risks involved.
 ● persuading management and anyone else affected by the change that it is necessary, spelling out the benefits and indicating what will be done to deal with potential problems.
 ● planning how the change should be implemented, including nominating and briefing change agents (people responsible for achieving change), minimizing potential resistance through communication and involvement, and managing risks.
 ● facilitating the introduction and management of the change.
 ● ensuring that the change is embedded successfully – ‘holding the gains’.    
                                                       
Change Models

Change models explain the mechanisms for change and the factors that affect its success. The best known change models are those developed by Lewin (1951) and Beckhard (1969), but other important contributions to an understanding of the mechanisms for change have been made by Thurley (1979) and Beer et al (1990).

Resistance for change

People resist change because it is seen as a threat to familiar patterns of behavior as well as to status and financial rewards. Woodward (1968) clearly stated about resistance to change and the reasons for it.

Reasons for resisting change

·         The shock of the new
·         Economic fears
·         Inconvenience
·         Uncertainty
·         Symbolic fears
·         Threat to interpersonal relationships

Managing Resistance

1. Manage the transition by making organizational arrangements designed to ensure that control is maintained during and after the transition and by developing and communicating a clear image of the future.
2. Shape the political dynamics of change so that power centers develop that support the change rather than block it.
3. Build in stability of structures and processes to serve as anchors for people to hold on to.

 Organizations and individuals can only stand so much uncertainty and turbulence, hence the emphasis by Quinn (1980) on the need for an incremental approach. As reported by Surowiecki (2013), Professor Michael Roberto of Bryant University suggested that: ‘Anytime you’re trying to change the ways you do things, small wins are important. Small wins help you build support both internally and externally, and they make it easier for people to buy in.’

References


Beckhard, 1969. Change management models.
Beer et al, 1990. Management of change - HR perspective.
Caldwell, 2001. HR and Change management.
Kotter, 1996. Managing change.
Lewin, 1951. Models of change management.
Quinn, 1980. What is change management.
Roberto, 2013. Managing change. HRM and change management, 2, p.55.
Surowieki, 2013. HRM and change management.
Thurley, 1979. Change management models.
Ulrich, 1997. Managing change.
Ulrich, 1998. Managing change.
Woodward, 1968. Overcoming obstacles of change.





Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 11, 2018 at 8:16 AM

    Short article. But under circumstances.. as it is structured and referencing is done accordingly, the article is accepted.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

People and Organizations: Principles and Practice in Global Contexts – MN7181 – HRM and the Design of Work – Blog # 5

Image
People and Organizations: Principles and Practice in Global Contexts – MN7181 – HRM and the Design of Work   Blog # 5 What is Work Design? ‘Work design is the creation of systems of work and a working environment that enhance organizational effectiveness and productivity, ensure the organization becomes a “great place in which to work” and are conductive to the health, safety and wellbeing of employees’ (Armstrong , 2014). Whenever you go to work, you have a number of tasks, activities and responsibilities that you need to carry out, usually in collaboration with others. Work design is basically how these tasks, activities, responsibilities and interactions with other people are organized and structured. Good work design is crucial, as it affects both individual employees and organizational outcomes. For employees, work design can affect their motivation, their well-being and their development. Increased employee motivation, well-being and accelerated development ...
Read more

People and Organizations : Principles and Practice in Global Contexts - Organizational Culture - Blog # 8

People and Organizations: Principles and Practice in Global Contexts -                                              Organizational Culture – Blog # 8     Organizational culture defined Organizational or corporate culture is the pattern of values, norms, beliefs, attitudes and assumptions that may not have been articulated but shape the ways in which people in organizations behave and things get done. ‘Values’ refer to what is believed to be important about how people and organizations behave. ‘Norms’ are the unwritten rules of behavior. This definition emphasizes that organizational culture is concerned with the subjective aspect of what goes on in organizations. It refers to abstractions such as values and norms that pervade the whole or part of a business, which may not be defined, discussed or even noticed. Nevertheless, culture can have a s...
Read more