Change management and micro-politics of change

The strategic choice/organizational politics approach rejects the notion implicit in contingency models
that managers and other organizational actors are passive MESSENGERS who react to the requirements
of the economic and technological environment. Rather, it is suggested that managers are creative
mediators between the environment and the organization. Their political action is key element in the
shaping of organization, both in terms of structures and systems, and critically in terms of the cultural
and meaning systems through which organizational actors make sense of their experience
Types of Change

Changes in an organization can often be identified as one of four types, with the definite
possibility of overlap among them:

Operational changes affect the way the ongoing operations of the business are conducted,
such as the automation of a particular area.

Strategic changes occur in the strategic business direction, e.g., moving from an inpatient
to an outpatient focus.

Cultural changes affect the basic organizational philosophies by which the business is
conducted, e.g., implementing a continuous quality improvement (CQI) system.

Political changes in staffing occur primarily for political reasons of various types, such as
those that occur at top patronage job levels in government agencies.

These four different types of change typically have their greatest impacts at different levels of the
organization. For example, operational changes tend to have their greatest impacts at the lower
levels of the organization, right on the firing line. People working at the upper levels may never
notice changes that cause significant stress and turmoil to those attempting to implement the
changes. On the other hand, the impact of political changes is typically felt most at the higher
organizational levels. As the name implies, these changes are typically made not for resultsoriented reasons but for reasons such as partisan politics or internal power struggles. When these
changes occur in a relatively bureaucratic organization, as they often do, those working at the
bottom often hardly notice the changes at the top. Patients are seen and the floors are cleaned
exactly as they were before. The key point is that performance was not the basis of the change;
therefore, the performers are not much affected.
Microchanges and Megachanges

When communicating about change, the models of Watzlawick and Golembiewski tend to be too
abstract or difficult to explain. A more practical model that we frequently use divides changes

into microchanges andmegachanges, with no great attempt at elaborate definitions. As a first

approximation, the following scheme can be used to differentiate between the two:

Microchangesdifferences in degree

Megachangesdifferences in kind

Using an information system as an example, modifications, enhancements, improvements, and

upgrades would typically be microchanges, while a new system or a very major revision of an
existing one would be a megachange. This scheme works surprisingly well for communication
within organizations as long as we remember that one person's microchange is often another
person's megachange. So while the system designers think they are making a minor change to
enhance the total system, an individual end user may see the change as a megachange and resist
it vehemently. When designing the total people strategy for any system, it is important to
involve a variety of people from the very beginning, to clearly understand how groups function
in the organization and how the work is really done.

Political changes most often stem from social or economic issues that a country may be facing.
For instance, political change may be caused by social issues, such as the tensions between
differing racial and ethnic groups or policies that deny specific groups of people civil rights.
Political change may also occur if a country is suffering from economic turmoil and its citizens
feel the pressure of not having enough money and feel that the government is not helping them
out. This frustration then comes to a head and sparks political change.

STRUCTURAL CHANGE
Structural change within an organization might stem from internal or external factors. Efficient
change management requires the ability to identify what causes structural change within an
organization. The ability to identify the signs of oncoming organizational change can help you
better prepare for the change and implement policies that will keep your company on a growth
path.

Acquisitions
According to Organizational Change Management, acquiring or merging with another company
has a profound effect on organizational structure. The deletion of duplicate departments manages
cost, yet talent from both companies can be utilized in the resulting corporate structure.

However, job functions will be altered to fit the business model of the company, and
management positions may be eliminated as well.

Job Duplication
Multiple managers or executives within an organization may create the need for change,
according to JobDig.com. Employees can either become frustrated with trying to please more
than one manager, or employees may find ways to use opposing views by multiple managers to
get what the employee needs. When employees encounter duplicate management positions, the
structure of the organization needs to be altered to eliminate the excess positions and bring
departments into line with the proper individual manager.
Marketplace Changes
As the marketplace changes, so do the structural needs of your organization. For example, as fuel
prices rise, customers may begin to demand more fuel-efficient vehicles. If you own a car
dealership known for selling large SUVs and vans, you may have to shift your focus to smaller
and more fuel efficient cars. This requires bringing in sales people and service technicians
accustomed to selling and working on these vehicles. Marketing then needs to change to target
the car-buying public, and the old methods should be eliminated.
Process Changes
Changes to the way the company does business can cause structural changes. If your company
was used to allowing departments to be autonomous, then a change to a centralized way of doing
business will create changes in company structure. If a new department has been created to
address a company demand, the company structure must change to accommodate the new group.
For example, if the backlog of archived files becomes so large that an archiving department
needs to be created, that can change the flow of information in your company and have a
significant effect on corporate structure.

Political Change Defined

Political change occurs when the rulers in a country lose power or the type of governance in the
country change. You can identify governance as the type of system used to rule a country.
Examples of types of governance would be democracy and monarchy.
Political change is a normal function of internal and external politics. Rulers will be voted out,
retire or die while in power, and the new leader will make changes. The more powerful countries
will anticipate political change and make the process clear and smooth. Countries that appear

more prone to in-fighting and/or civil wars are likely led by a person or group that refuses to
allow political change or lacks a clear understand of how political change is to occur.

Types of Political Change

There are two ways in which political change may occur: internally or externally. You should
realize, however, that both types of political change can occur at the same time to create a mixed
political change.
Internal political change is initiated by citizens of the country. It can be done through regular
events, such as elections and rulers choosing to hand power over, or through irregular events,
such as a coup d'etat or a rebellion.
You can understand a coup d'etat as an illegal overthrow of the government that almost always
involves the country's military. It differs from a rebellion by the personnel involved. Coups
usually involve top political and/or military figures leading the overthrow while rebellions could
be started by individuals with little to no power. Coups are also more likely to keep the style of
governance or make minor changes while rebellions would be more likely to want major changes
in governance.
External political change is initiated by other countries. It is usually achieved through military
threats or action, but could occur through embargoes and/or withholding foreign aid. If it is
achieved by the military, then a new leader will be placed in charge by the victorious, foreign
power. The victorious country may also choose to change the style of governance as well.
Political changes can also occur when political, military or rebellion leaders in a country receive
support from a foreign country. The foreign country will likely talk to the leaders to ensure that
the next leaders and/or style of governance is preferable. If it is, then the foreign power will
supply weapons and other kinds of aid, such as money, naval blockades, military leadership
training and, as seen recently, airstrikes, to the leaders attempting to take power. This would be
preferable to an external political change to a foreign country because it is usually less expensive
in terms of money and lives lost.