Managing Change

1. Managing Change Lecture Attitudes to Change

2. Lecture Outline • Introduction • Individual responses to change • Resistance to change • Organizational conflict • Team development

3. INTRODUCTION • Employees and the Management alike would experience high levels of stress since they would directly or indirectly be affected by the changes that would take place. • The extent to which this could be minimized depends on the efforts taken to prepare towards the changes

4. INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO CHANGE • Depends on the readiness to accept the fact • The sense of hardiness to accept challenges • Their belief and ability in controlling the situation • Availability of social supports within and outside the organization

5. 5 Stages an Individual Goes Through (The U-loop) • Denial – they belief that they can ignore • Defence – May try to prevent the change by putting up barriers • Discard– Begin to accept the reality and attempts to put off the past • Adapt – Begin to investigate how best to use • Internalise – Becomes the normal way of life

6. Factors that Determine Adaptability • Previous experience of change • General attitude of pessimism or optimism • Personal circumstances – e.g age, security, finance, relationship • Respect and trust in the Organization & Management • The degree of control they have over the change • Whether they see it as an opportunity or threat

7. Roger’s (1983) 5 Categories of Individuals • Innovators – ready for change • Early adaptors – positive about change • Early majority – open to change • Late majority – negative about change • Laggards - resistors

8. RESISTANCE TO CHANGE4 Common Causes • Parochial self-interest – who want to protect status-quo – under threat • Misunderstanding & lack of trust – who do not understand • Contradictory assessments – different perceptions • Lowtolerance of change – lesser ability to change

9. Other Factors for Resistance • Comforts from habit • Conformity to expected ways of behavior • Distorted perception • Dulled motivation • Failed creative response • Political deadlocks • Action disconnects

10. The formula to Successful change Where A = degree of satisfaction B = desire for change D = Practicality of the change, and R = Resistance Successful change = A x B x D R

11. 3 Ways People Accept Change • Compliance – as per instruction – “do it because I say so” • Identification – Follow the majority – believe in the opinions – “do it because I do it” • Intrinsic satisfaction – New situation is intrinsically satisfying – agrees with their own values – “do it because it is worth doing”

12. Wait them out Wear them down Appeal Invite them Send emissaries Display support Reduce the stakes Warn them off Remember Overcoming Resistance to ChangeRosabeth Moss Kanter’s – Power Skills

13. Overcoming Resistance to Change Kotter & Schlesinger’s (1979) 6 Ways • Education and communication • Participation and involvement • Facilitation and support • Negotiation and agreement • Manipulation and co-option • Explicit and implicit coercion

14. ORGANIZATIONALCONFLICT • Unitary (traditional) perspective – takes the view of a harmonious situation • Pluralist (Behavioral) perspective – sees conflict as a natural phenomenon – effect a compromise • Interactionist perspective – Try not to eradicate conflicts but keep it at the right level – encourage criticism for improvement • Radical (Marxist) perspective – revolutionary change – locked in battle

15. TEAM DEVELOPMENT • Teams are formed to direct a change initiative or to implement an initiative in the workplace • Has a synergistic effect • Have a common purpose • Sense of belonging • Sense of achievement

16. Belbin’s 9 Roles in Successful Teams

17. Performing Storming Norming Forming John Adair’s (1987) Metamorphosis of a Team

18. Barriers to Effective TeamworkInternal Barriers • Poor communication • A lack of clear objectives • Poorly organized team meetings • No agreeable or acceptable procedures for decision-making

19. Barriers to Effective TeamworkExternal Barriers • A difference between organizational and team culture • Divided loyalties when there are conflicts • Work being undervalued or unrecognized • Continuous changes made to the team’s composition

20. Barriers to Effective TeamworkIndividual Barriers • An individual dominating the rest of the team • A member who is dismissive of other people’s suggestion • Members who lack commitment • Rivalry or excessive competition between members

21. Team Leadership • Strength of team leader will determine a team’s success in achieving its goals. • Strong leadership and constant reassurance, coupled with constant reiteration of the team’s goals are necessary to overcome resistance to change.

22. Additional Readings • http://www.businessperform.com/html/resistance_to_change.html • http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/change_resistance.html • http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_overcoming_resistance.htm • http://www.schulersolutions.com/resistance_to_change.html

23. References • Daft, R.L. (2008). The New Era of Management, 2nd Edition. Thomson South-Western, Ohio. • Robbins, S.P. and Coulter, M. (2007). Management, 9th Edition. Prentice-Hall, USA.