Group-1:

Ashish RawatHarish Kumar

Ram Babu JatavShubha N Bhambhani

PPM – MDI , GURGAON

Choosing strategies for change

Background Organization faces environmental change viz.

new govt. regulations new products, growth, increased competition technological developments changing workforce

Serious management issue- Ability of organization to respond to change

Reorganization is feared because disturbance of status quo , people’s vested interests in their jobs an upset to established ways of doing things.

Demand is for moderate organizational change at least once a year , major change every five year

Managers must deal with Change

Main issues in ArticleCauses for resistance to change

Systematic way to ◦select a strategy and ◦set of specific approaches for implementing an organizational change effort

Causes for resistance to change

Diagnosing ResistanceOrganizational change efforts face human

resistance

Managers often apply a simple set of beliefs

Change initiatives often backfire because managers apply one-size-fits-all approaches.

To lead change

◦ Need is to tailor the strategies to types of resistance

◦ Consider situational factors

Individuals or groups can react very differently to change – from passively resisting , to aggressively trying to undermine

Assessment need- who might resist the change initiative and for what reasons

Why People Resist Change

1. Desire not to lose something of value

2. Misunderstanding of change and its implications

3. A belief that the change does not make sense for the organization.

4. A low tolerance for change.

Parochial self-interestPeople focus on their own best

interests Not on those of the total

organization resistance This results in “politics” or

“political behavior”e. g. Performance appraisal change

would alter their relationships from a peer to more of a boss and evaluator

Misunderstanding and lack of trust

People resist change when they do not understand its implications and

Perceive that it might cost them moreSuch situations -trust is lacking between

employees and managers It lead to resistance, unless managers

◦ surface misunderstandings◦ clarify them rapidly

Resistancecan easily catch change initiators by surprise if they assume that people only resist change

when it is not in their best interest.

Different assessments people resist change as they assess the situation

differently from managers Managers often assume both

◦ they have all the relevant information required for organization analysis

◦ those who will be affected have the same facts neither assumption is correct difference in information leads to differences in analyses, Which in turn can lead to resistance And if the analysis made by those not initiating the

change is more accurate than that derived by the initiators, resistance is obviously “good” for the organization

some managers assume that resistance is always bad and therefore always fight it

Low tolerance for change People resist change - they fear they will not be able to

develop new skills and behavior that will be required of them

Organizational change can require people to change too much, too quickly

Peter F. Drucker –major obstacle to organizational growth is ◦ managers’ inability to change their attitudes and

behavior◦ as rapidly as their organizations require

Managers intellectually understand need for changes but are emotionally unable to make the transition

People also sometimes resist ◦ to save their previous beliefs◦ because of peer group pressure or because of a

supervisor’s

attitude

Dealing with resistance

Education and communication

Most common ways to overcome resistance to change◦ to educate people about it beforehand◦ Communication of ideas - help people see the

need for and the logic of a changeEducation process involve one-on-one

discussions, presentations to groups, reports etcAn education and communication program is

ideal when resistance is based on inadequate or inaccurate information and analysis

This requires a good relationship between initiators and

It also requires time and effort

Participation and involvement

involve the potential resisters in design and implementation of change

With a participative change effort, the initiators ◦listen to the people and ◦use their advice

Research has demonstrated that◦participation leads to commitment,◦not merely compliance

Facilitation and supportManagers can deal with potential resistance to

change is by being supportive.This process might include-

◦ providing training in new skills, ◦ giving employees time off after a demanding

period, ◦ listening and providing emotional support.

Helpful when fear and anxiety lie at the heart of resistance.

Managers often overlook or ignore this kind of resistance,

Drawback – time consuming & expensive and still fail.

Not very practical- If time, money, & patience not available

Negotiation and agreement.

Offer incentives to active or potential resisters.e.g. management could give

◦ A union a higher wage rate in returnfor a work rule change;

◦ increase an individual’s pension benefits in return for an early retirement.

Most appropriate when someone is going to lose out as a result of a change and yet his or her power to resist is significant.

Easy way to avoid major resistanceDrawbacks-

◦ May become expensive. ◦ Possibility of blackmail

Manipulation and co-optation

Managers also resort to covert attempts to influence others

Manipulation involves the very selective use of information and the conscious structuring of events

One common form of manipulation is co-optation. Co-opting an individual / leader of a group usually

involves giving him or her a desirable role in the design or implementation of the change.

Different from participation, initiators do not want the advice of the co-opted, and only looks for endorsement

Advantage – relatively quick and inexpensive solution

Drawbacks – Can lead to future problems if people feel manipulated

Explicit and implicit coercion.

Force people to accept a change by threatening them ◦with the loss of jobs, ◦promotion possibilities◦Firing them ◦ transferring them and so on

Coercion is a risky process because people strongly resent forced change.

Suitable when speed is essential , change initiator possess considerable power

Can overcome any type of resistance

Choice of Strategy Managers explicitly or implicitly make strategic

choices regarding the ◦ speed of the effort, ◦ the amount of preplanning◦ the involvement of others

Strategic options available can be understood using continuum : ◦ Faster Change Process : A very rapid implementation, a

clear plan of action, and little involvement of others. This type of strategy mows over any resistance and, at the extreme, would result in a fait accomplice.

◦ Slower Change Process : A less clear plan, and involvement on the part of many people other than the change initiators. This type of strategy is designed to reduce resistance to a minimum.

Which strategy and where one should remain on continuum depends on situational factors.

Choice of strategy

Situational factorsThe amount and kind of resistance that is

anticipated◦Greater the anticipated resistance – right on continuum

The position of the initiator vis-à-vis the resisters, especially with regard to power◦Stronger initiator - left on continuum

The person who has the relevant data for designing the change and the energy for implementing it◦ Inadequate information with initiator – right on

continuumThe stakes involved

◦Organizations survival at stake - left on continuum

Operating choice on continuum Best way to select a point as far to

the right as possible for both economic and social reasons. ◦Forcing change on people can have just

too many negative side effects over both the short and the long term.

◦Change efforts using the strategies on the right of the continuum can often help develop an organization and its people in useful ways

Implications for managers.

A manager can improve his chance of success in an organizational change effort by:

1. Conducting an organizational analysis that identifies the current situation, problems, and the forces that are possible causes of those problems.

2. Conducting an analysis of factors relevant to producing the needed changes –

i. Who might resist the change, why, and how much; ii. who has information that is needed to design the

change, iii. whose cooperation is essential in implementing it; iv. what is the position of the initiator vis-à-vis other in

terms of power, trust, normal modes of interaction

Implications for managers ( Contd..)

3. Selecting a change strategy, based on the previous analysis, that specific the speed of change, the amount of preplanning, and the degree of involvement of others.

4. Monitoring the implementation process. To identify the unexpected in a timely fashion and react to it intelligently.

THANKS