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Why Change

This document discusses leading organizational change. It explains that change is constant and necessary for organizations to adapt to a changing world. It outlines four periods of organizational growth and emphasizes that failure to change during any period can lead to failure. It also discusses how employees typically resist change but can be led to accept it through involvement and understanding the benefits. Leaders are advised to provide passion and purpose for change, unfreeze old ways, coach employees through learning new ways, and empower employees to help lead the change.

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Vasugi R
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17 views

Why Change

This document discusses leading organizational change. It explains that change is constant and necessary for organizations to adapt to a changing world. It outlines four periods of organizational growth and emphasizes that failure to change during any period can lead to failure. It also discusses how employees typically resist change but can be led to accept it through involvement and understanding the benefits. Leaders are advised to provide passion and purpose for change, unfreeze old ways, coach employees through learning new ways, and empower employees to help lead the change.

Uploaded by

Vasugi R
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Why Change?

Today's business world is highly competitive. The way to survive is to


reshape to the needs of a rapidly changing world. Resistance to
change is a dead-end street...for you and the organization. Customers
are not only demanding excellent service, they are also demanding
more. If you do not supply it, your competitors will. Organizations are
reshaping themselves to change quickly in order to meet the needs of
their customers. The organization's top leaders know they cannot
throw money at every problem, they need highly committed and
flexible workers. As a leader, you need to emphasize action to make
the change as quickly and smoothly as possible. Resistance is futile,
as the Borg from Star Trek like to put it.

Organizations go through four main changes throughout their growth:

Formative Period This is when a new organization is just getting


started. Although there is a founding vision - why the organization
was started, there are no formal definitions. This is just as well
because there are a lot of experimentation and innovation taking
place. These changes of creativity and discovery are needed to
overcome obstacles and accomplish breakthroughs.
Rapid Growth Period Direction and coordination are added to the
organization to sustain growth and solidify gains. Change is focused
on defining the purpose of the organization and on the mainstream
business.
Mature Period The growth now levels off to the overall pace of the
economy. Changes are needed to maintain established markets and
assuring maximum gains are achieved.
Declining Period This is the rough ride. For many organizations it
means down-sizing and reorganization. Changes must include tough
objectives and compassionate implementation. The goal is to get out
of the old and into something new. Success in this period means that
the four periods start over again.

For some organizations the four periods of growth come and go very
rapidly, for others, it may take decades. Failure to follow-through with
the needed changes in any of the four growth periods means the death
of the organization.
The
Japanese Change Acceptance
have a term
called Throughout these periods of changes, which is just
"kaizen" about all the time for a good organization, leaders
which
means must concentrate on having their people go from
continual change avoidance to change acceptance. There are
improvemen five steps accompanying change: (1)
t. This is a
never Denial - cannot foresee any major changes
ending
quest to do Anger - at others for what they're putting me
better. And through
you do Bargaining - work out solutions, keep everyone
better by happy
changing. Depression - is it worth it? doubt, need support
Standing
still allows Acceptance - the reality
your
competitors
to get ahead This is why a worker's first reaction to change is to
of you. resist it. People get comfortable performing tasks
and processes a certain way. This comfort provides
them with the security that they are the masters of
their environment. They fear that change could
disrupt their lives by making them look like a fool by
not being able to adapt and learn, make their jobs
harder, loose a sense of control, etc.

Leaders can help the change process by changing


their employees' attitude from avoidance into
acceptance. This is accomplished by changing their
employees' avoidance questions and statements into
acceptance questions:

From Why? to What new opportunities will this


provide? When they ask "why," focus on the
benefits that the change will provide them and the
organization. Do NOT feel uncomfortable if you are
feeling hesitation about the change too...you are
also human. By spelling out the benefits, you will
not only comfort them, but help to convince
yourself too.
From How will this affect me? to What problems
will this solve? Anything that prevents something
from being better is a problem. Let them know
what the problem is and how they will be part of
the solution.
From We do not do it this way. to What would it
look like? One of their first reactions is that it has
never been done this way or it cannot be done this
way...show them, provide plenty of explanations
and compassion, and get your team to ask and
answer questions.
From When will this change be over so we can get
back to work? to What can I do to help? Get them
involved in implementing the change. Help them to
become part of it.
From Who is doing this to us? to Who can help
us? Focus on the challenges that must be
overcome. Ensure that you enlist help from other
departments and colleagues.

Change is further complicated as it does not always


produce a direct adjustment. Each employee's
attitude produces a different response that is
conditioned by feelings towards the change. In a
classical experiment (2) , lighting was improved in a
factory regularly. The theory was that better lighting
would lead to greater productivity. As expected,
productivity did rise. The lighting was then decreased
to show the reverse effect - lower productivity, but
instead productivity increased further! It was not until
the lighting was down to the equivalent of moonlight
(0.06 footcandle) that an appreciable decline in
output was noticed.

Of course it was not the change in lighting itself that


caused the higher output, but rather an intervening
variable. This variable was diagnosed as the
employee's attitudes. That is, when you introduce
change, each employee's personal history and social
situation at work will produce a different attitude
towards that change. You cannot see or measure
attitudes, but what you can see and measure is the
response towards that change:
Change + Personal history (nurture) + Social
situation (environment) = Attitude = Response
In the factory workers case, productivity rose
because they were being observed. This is known as
the Hawthorne Effect (named after the factory
where the research took place). It means that the
mere observation of a group tends to change it.

Although each person will have a different response


to change (personal history), they often show their
attachment to the group (social situation at work) by
joining in a uniform response to the change. For
example, one person's personal history might be so
strong that she works harder when a change is
introduced, while the rest of the group's social
situation is strong enough that they threaten to strike
because of the change. Although each person in that
group might want to something different, such as
place more demands, ignore the change, work
harder, etc.; the need of being in a group sways the
many individuals to follow a few individuals - "we are
all in this together." Sometimes the response towards
change is influenced mostly by personal history,
sometimes it is swayed mostly by the social situation,
as John Donne (1571 - 1631) stated so elegantly in
his poem:
No man is an island, entire if it self;
every man is a piece of the Continent,
a part of the main...

Martin
Luther Leading the Change
King did
not say, "I Feelings are contagious. When someone around you is
have a feeling blue, it brings you down somewhat. Likewise,
very good
plan," he when someone is passionate about something, it
shouted, inspires you. Build the change so that others want to
"I have a be part of it. When you give them part of it, also give
dream!" them the authority and control to act upon it. Share the
You must power so that they do not feel powerless. You want
provide
passion them to feel useful and enthusiastic. Make them feel
and a
strong needed, that the change could not happen without
sense of
purpose them!
of the
change. When leading the change, note that there will be three
(3) stages:

Unfreezing
Old ideals and processes must be tossed aside
so that new ones may be learned. Often, getting
rid of the old processes is just as difficult as
learning new ones due to the power of habits.
Just as a teacher erases the old lessons off the
chalkboard before beginning a new lesson, so
must a leader help to clear out the old practices
before beginning the new. During this part of the
process you need to provide just a little bit of
coaching as they are unlearning not learning
and a lot of cheerleading (emotional support) to
break the old habits.
Changing
The steps to the new ideals are learned by
practicing - What I hear, I forget. What I see, I
remember. What I do, I understand. - Kung Fu
Tzu (Confucius). Although there will be
confusion, overload and despair, there will also
be hope, discovery, and excitement. This period
requires a lot of coaching as they are learning
and just a little bit of cheerleading due to the
affect of Arousal Overloading).
Refreezing
The new processes are now intellectually and
emotionally accepted. What has been learned is
now actually being practiced on the job. Just a
little bit of coaching is required and a lot of
cheerleading is used to set up the next change
process...remember it is continuous process
improvement!
References
1. Conner, Daryl. Managing at the Speed of Change
"Resistance to Change Model." New York: Random
House. He based his model on Death and Dying by Dr.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. Return

2. Roethlisberger, F.J. and Dickson, W. J.


Management and the Worker (1939). Cambridge,
Mass.: Harvard University Press.
Return

3. Pritchett, Price. Firing Up Commitment During


Organizational Change. Dallas, Texas: Pritchett &
Associates.
Return

4. Butler, Gillian, Ph.D. and Hope, Tony, M.D.


Managing Your Mind (1996). New York: Oxford
University Press

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