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Chapter 11The Nature, Impact and Management of
Attitudes towards Change
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Learning Outcomes• Discuss how individuals react to change• Explore resistance to change • Identify what can be done to reduce opposition to change• Identify key stakeholders in the change process
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‘No change will work if employees don’t help in the effort … Any organisation that believes
change can take hold without considering how people will react to it is in deep delusion’
(Jick & Peiperl, 2003)
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People and Change• The hard stuff’s the easy stuff.
• The soft stuff’s the hard stuff.
• Organizational change is 90% a people deal
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Defining Resistance
‘An action or intentional inaction that defies, opposes, or sidesteps the rules, roles, or routines of the organization.’
(Brower and Abolafia, 1995: 151)
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Organisational factors from which resistance can result
– Substantive change in job
– Reduction in economic security or job displacement
– Psychological threat
– Disruption of social arrangements, and lowering of status(Dawson, 2003)
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How to overcome resistance to change Schlesinger & Kotter (1979)
• Education & commitment• Participation & involvement• Facilitation & support counselling• Negotiation & agreement• Manipulation & co-operation• Implicit & explicit coercion
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Discussion• What are the tangible and intangible
manifestations of resistance to change in organisations?
• Why is resistance to change problematic for those managing change?
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Critical perspective• Resistance may help to stabilise an organisation(De Wit & Meyer, 2004)
• Resistance is an important and integral element of the organisational politics of change
(Watson, 2002)
• There may be benefit in terms of thinking about responses to change rather than about resistance
(Piderit, 2000)
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Mor
ale/
perfo
rman
ce
Time
Loss of focus/ Shock
Temporary Euphoria/Denial
Resignation
Testing
AcceptanceAnger
Letting Go
Commitment
Exit
Emotional Response to Change
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Some typical behaviours
Will
ingn
ess
to ch
ange
Ability to Change
CAN'T & WILL
CAN’T & WON’T
CAN & WILL
CAN & WON’T
Recognizes importance of change Actively supports the change Believes in the change as a good thing without
necessarily seeing the big picture Doesn't have the skills / behaviors required for the
'new world' (e.g. coaching, empowering, process improvement focus, teamworking)
Sees change as a process not an event Focuses on end goals and means to achieve Recognizes how change will impact on the bottom line Active enthusiast for the change; enthuses others Role model for new skills and behaviors
Does not recognize the need to change Shows no support for the change Does not want to
change (e.g. overprotective of self / empire / old ways of working)
Doesn't have the skills / behaviours required for the 'new world'
Strives for success at expense of new behaviours Focuses on ends at expense of means Shows no support for the change Understands the need but is embarrassed to change Understands the need but disagrees with extent or process of
change Possesses new skills but won't use them Won’t change due to peer pressure
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Willingness to change
Ability to Change
Coach Train Involve
Delegate Empower to lead
aspects of the change
Counsel & Coach Train & Involve Align / Sell the benefits Tell / Discipline Fire / Replace
Counsel Involve Align / Sell the benefits Negotiate Fire / Replace
CAN'T & WON’T CAN & WON’T
CAN'T & WILL CAN & WILL
Possible responses
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Hilltops
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Questions to discuss
• Why do people struggle with change?
• How can you (as leaders) work with people to minimize the disruption caused by change and make it stick
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Stakeholder Management
• In order to ensure the successful introduction of change it is essential that change leaders secure the assistance of powerful stakeholders and build a critical mass of support for the change.
• Stakeholders are any individuals or groups who can affect or are affected by a change
© Julie Hodges and Roger Gill
Stakeholder Management
• In order to ensure the successful introduction of change it is essential that change leaders secure the assistance of powerful stakeholders and build a critical mass of support for the change.
• Stakeholders are any individuals or groups who can affect or are affected by a change.
© Julie Hodges and Roger Gill
Stakeholder Mapping: Power / Interest matrix
Level of interest
Power
Low High
High
Minimal effort Keep informed
Keep satisfied Key players
A B
C D
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Group Activity
• Break into small groups. Consider changes your organizations have faced in recent years. – Who were the key stakeholders?– Which stakeholders exhibited the most / least influence?– Who was / were the main agents for change?– What were their main strengths?
• Report back to the class.
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• Recognise that there will often be a time• lag between the announcement of a change• and an emotional reaction to it:
• Different individuals or groups will progress• through the cycle at different rates and in• different ways.
• Change managers need to beware of getting out
• of phase with their staff.
Implications for managers
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Summary• Individuals will react in different ways to change depending on factors such
motivation, empowerment, participation.
• Stakeholder management helps deal with stakeholder expectations and reactions.
• Managers and leaders need to consider reactions to change rather than resistance.
• Understand what people are seeing from their hilltop.
© Julie Hodges and Roger Gill
ReferencesBrower, R. S., & Abolafia, M. Y. (1995). The structural embeddedness of resistance among public managers. Group & Organization Management, 20(2), 149-166.
Dawson, P. (2003) Understanding Organizational Change: The Contemporary Experience of People at Work. London: Sage.
De Wit, B. and Meyer, R. (2004) Strategy: Process, Content and Context. London: Thomson Learning.
Jick, T.D. and Peiperl, M.A. (2003) Managing Change: Cases and Concepts. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Piderit, S.K. (2000) ‘Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: A multidimensional view of attitudes toward and organizational change’, Academy of Management Review, 25(4): 783–94.
Watson, T. (2002) Organising and Managing Work. Harlow, FT/Prentice Hall.
© Julie Hodges and Roger Gill