BA 4226Managing Organizational Change

Implementing change: change management, contingency, and processual approaches

Instructor: Çağrı Topal1

Change management:FundamentalsDirector imageThe focus is on strategic, planned,

and large-scale changeChange models include a series of

planned stepsChange models apply to any kind of

change

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Change management:Assumptions/limitations-1Steps might be used sequentially or

simultaneouslyAll steps should be implementedSteps embodying core elements of

managing organizational power, motivating organizational members, and directing organizational transition might be implemented in changing orders

Interrelated and sequential phases might include rationalization, revitalization, and regeneration 3

Change management:Assumptions/limitations-2Implementation depends on

implementersMultiple changes may be in progressSteps should be tailored to particular

needsCommunication should involve

involvementChange is not completely manageableChange necessitates experimentationThere might be more than one change

leader 4

Change management:Kotter’s eight-step modelEstablish the need for urgencyEnsure there is a powerful change

group to guide the changeDevelop a visionCommunicate the visionEmpower staffEnsure there are short-term winsConsolidate gainsEmbed the change in the culture

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Change management:Problems in step-modelsSequence of stepsNumber of stepsDuration of stepsResources at stepsPeople at stepsOne step at a timeSteps without feedback

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Change management vs. OD

Change management has a broader scope than OD and considers OD’s central concern, human development, as one feature of organizational change

The OD practitioner is a third-party facilitator whereas the change management consultant acts as a technical expert

OD is a bottom-up approach whereas change management is a top-down approach 7

Contingency approaches:FundamentalsDirector imageSuccessful organizational change

outcomes can be achievedThe approach for achieving change

outcomes depends upon the change context

The change context includes the scale of the change and the receptivity of organizational members

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Contingency approaches:Dunphy and Stace’s modelDevelopmental transitionsTask-focused transitionsCharismatic transformationTurnaroundsFine-tuning

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Contingency approaches:Huy’s modelCommanding interventionEngineering interventionTeaching interventionSocializing intervention

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Contingency approaches:Reasons for uncommonnessDiffering perceptions on

contingenciesLack of clear-cut guidelinesLack of managerial skillsPerception of inconsistencyPossibility of universal aspects

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Processual approaches:FundamentalsNavigator imageChange is a continuous, often

political, processChange unfolds contextuallyChange outcomes are the result of a

complex interplay of different perspectives and interests, efficiency concerns, and environmental conditions

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Processual approaches:StagesProblem sensingDevelopment of concernAcknowledgement and

understanding of the importance of the problem

Planning and actingStabilizing change

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Processual approaches:Lessons-1Simple linear change recipes should be

challengedChange strategies will need to be

adapted in light of the reactions and politics they create

Change takes time and is unlikely to entail continual improvement

Taken-for-granted assumptions need to be questioned along the way

Change managers need to learn from stories of experiences of change, including those of individual at all levels

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Processual approaches:Lessons-2Training programs need to be aligned

with desired changesCommunication needs to occur in contextThe substance of change is itself likely to

alterPolitical processes will be central to how

quickly change outcomes occurChange involves interwoven,

contradictory processes as well as rewriting of accounts of the past and the future

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