Managing Planned Change Factors in Planned Change Process of Change Approaches to manage organizational Change Change Agent Roles

s and responsibility Resistance to Change Individual Resistance, Organizational Resistance Overcoming Resistance to Change

When organizations initiate change activities deliberately and consciously in order to accomplish certain organizational goals, It is known as planned or managed change.

1.

To enhance the ability of organization to adapt changes in its environment. To change the behavior of employees.

2.

1. a. b.

c.

Planned change attempts at all aspects of the organization which are closely interrelated: Technology, Task, Structure, People Technology related changes: includes Changing problem solving and decision making procedures Introduction of automated data processing devices Change in methods of production.

2. Task related change: Job simplification or job enrichment, High internal work motivation, high quality work performance. 3. Structure related changes: a. Changing hierarchy levels b. Changing functional authority etc.

4. People related changes : a. Skill b. Behavior

The various steps involves in planned change are as follows:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Identifying need for change Elements to be changed Planning for change Assessing change forces Change Actions Feedback

Identifying need for change

Elements to be changed

Planning for change

Assessing change forces

Actions for change

Unfreezing

Changing

Refreezing

1.

2.

Identifying need for change : depends on gap analysis, the gap between desired state of affairs and actual state of affairs, the difference between what the org is achieving and what it should achieve. Elements to be changed : Usually change is required in three major elements of the org. Org Structure, Technology and People.

3. Planning for change: Its includes Who will bring the change When to bring Change How to bring change 4. Accessing change forces: In a group process there are some forces favoring and some opposing to maintain an equilibrium. It has been referred as field force analysis by Kurt Lewin.

As per Kurt Lewin, there are both driving and restraining forces which influence any change that may occur. Driving Forces : Affect a situation by pushing it in a particular direction, They tend to initiate change and keep it going. Restraining Forces: they restrain change and decrease the driving forces. Equilibrium is reached when the sum of driving forces equals the sum of restraining forces.

Management may change the equilibrium by some efforts. For introducing change, management may face three types of situation based on the operation of field force: 1. If the driving forces far overweight than restraining forces, management can push driving forces and overpower restraining forces. 2. If restraining forces are stronger than driving forces than management may either give up the change programme or pursue it by concentrating on driving forces and changing restraining forces into driving forces.

3. If driving and restraining forces are fairly equal, management can push up the driving forces and at the same time, can convert or immobilize restraining forces.

Management has to push driving forces and convert and immobilize restraining forces so that people accept change. If the equilibrium of driving and restraining forces are at desired level, then Organization can go for a change.

5.Actions for Change: includes Unfreez Movement to change Refreez Known as Lewins three step model of the change process

1. 2. 3.

Kurt Lewin proposed that organizations should use three steps to introduce permanent change Unfreeze Movement to a new state Refreeze

Unfreezing

Movement

Refreezing

1. Unfreeze: Change efforts to overcome the pressures of both individual resistance and group conformity. Employees are educated about the benefits of change. This will motivate employees to welcome change to enjoy the new benefits.

2. Movement to Change: This stage involve implementing the change. Doing away with old practices and adopting new methods. Exp: Installing new equipment Changing production process and layout Redefined roles and responsibilities

3. Refreeze : Stabilizing a change intervention by balancing, driving and restraining forces. This step involves reinforcing the change so that the organization does not revert to old stage of things. Ex. Employees are asked to demonstrate their new skills or role play that how they will apply their new skills at the workplace. Repetition and constant reinforcement of new work techniques is essential to sustain change.

6.Feedback: Feedback and follow up actions are required to ensure that change programme is progressing in right direction.

1. 2. 3.

Lewins three step Model Action research Organizational Development

Action Research: According to Robbins, Action research is a change process based on the systematic collection of data and then selection of a change action based on what the analyzed data indicate.

The process of action research consist of five steps: Diagnosis Analysis Feedback Action Evaluation

The change agent, often an outside consultant in action research, begins by gathering information about problems, concerns, and needed changes from members of the organization. Change agent ask questions, interview employees, review records, and listen to the concerns of employees.

Diagnosis & Analysis : After diagnosis and analysis of the problem the change agent share the feedback with employees that what he has found from step 1 and 2. Feedback: Change agent share the feedback and employees, with the help of change agent , develop action plan for bringing required change. Action : The employees and change agent carry out the specific actions to correct the problem that have been identified.

Evaluation: Fifth step is to evaluate the effectiveness of action plan.

Persons who act as catalysts and assume the responsibility for managing change activities are called change agent. The objective of change agent is to bring desired change in the organization. Role of external and internal change agents may be different in the change process.

Role of external change agent is as follows: Maheshwari has identified the role of consultant in installing MBO, a programme for organizational change, as follows 1. Education of the top management 2. Organizational Diagnosis 3. Formulation and implementation of strategy 4. Selection, training and supervision of MBO Advisors

5. Training of managers 6. Process consultation at top level 7. Advice to top management on managers objective document 8. Evaluation and innovation 9. Integration of MBO process with other management system and technique

1. 2.

There may be two categories of people who may act as internal change agent Chief Executive Change Advisors: He has to achieve the performance in terms of influencing members of the organization to accept and internalize the new values, concepts and practices without the formal authority over them.

People tend to resist many types of changes because new habits or sacrifices are required. Resistance can be overt, implicit, immediate or deferred. Its easy to deal with resistance when its overt and immediate for example. A change is proposed and employees quickly respond by voicing complaints, work slowdown, threatening to got on strike etc.

Its difficult to manage resistance when its implicit of differed. Like loss of loyalty to the organization, loss of motivation to work, increased errors or mistakes, increased absenteeism due to sickness and hence are more difficult to reorganize.

Selective information processing

Habit

Individual Resistance

Fear of unknown Economic Factors

Security

Threat to established resource allocation

Structural inertia

Organizati onal Resistance

Threat to established power relationship

Limited focus of change

Group Inertia

Threat to expertise

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Education and communication Participation Facilitation and Support Negotiation Manipulation and Cooptation Coercion