Organisational Change and Stress Management

Questions

• To what do people really respond / react when they need to cause / suffer change?

• Have you ever heard of anyone who reacted to change which had positive consequences?

• Therefore people don’t react to change because they will cause / suffer change but they react to …

Reaction

• To the type of change• To the way with which this type of change is

implemented• To their individual concerns for the negative

consequences that this change could have

The best way of dealing with change …

• Appropriate and honest communication• Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages

of change• The involvement of all those who are going to

be affected by change in the actual implementation of change

Reaction to change – individual sources

• Habit• Security• Financial reasons• Fear of the unknown• Selective processing of information

Reaction to change – organisational sources

• Structural incompetence / inertia• Limited range of changes• Team incompetence / inertia• Threat of, further, strengthening the power /

formal / authority / hierarchical relations• Threat of establishing an unfair distribution of

resources

Beating resistance

• Training and information• Involvement• Creation of support and commitment• Development of positive relationships• Fair application of changes• Guidance and selection / recruitment• Choice of people who accept change• Force change

Dealing with organisational change – Lewin’s Model

Unfreeze Movement RefreezeUnfreeze Movement Refreeze

Unfreeze Movement Refreeze

- Commit to change- Clarification of objectives- Evaluation of resources

- Creation of alternativecourses of action

- Implementation of actionplan

-Enactment of change- Evaluation of change

Dealing with organisational change – Lewin’s Model

Dealing with organisational change - Kotter

• Create a sense of urgency• Creating the guiding coalition• Developing a change vision• Communicating the vision for buy-in• Empowering broad-based action• Generating short-term wins• Never letting up• Incorporating changes into the culture

Organisational Development

• The selection and implementation of change methods which aim to improve the organisational efficiency and effectiveness and the employees’ prosperity

• Values• Respect towards people• Trust and support through an environment of

authenticity• Open confrontment• Formal authority is not important• Involvement

Organisational Development in practice

Organisational Development: Strategic Human Resource Management practices

Organisational Development techniques that lead to change

• Feedback through research• Counsel throughout the process• Team structure• Intra-team and inter-team development• Inquiring minds

Change and a Culture of Innovation

• Innovation is a more specialised form of change, a new idea which is applicable on the introduction / improvement of a product, procedure or service

• Sources of innovation: - Organisational structure, e.g. a low level of

formality - Long-term managerial service

Change and a Culture of Innovation

- Richness of resources - High levels of communication between

organisational departments - A culture of experimentation - Failure as a means towards achieving success

through the research of the unknown - Alex Rodriguez’s example!

Human Resources and Innovation

• Training and development• High job security• Idea champions• High levels of confidence• Energetic and persistence• Risk taking• Mobilisation of others towards individual and

organisational vision• Strong faith towards the mission of change• Win the commitment of colleagues

Stress

• What is stress?• What does it relate to?• Which are the symptoms and the

consequences?• How can we handle them?

Stress: definition

• A dynamic situation of anxiety usually when a person is confronted with an opportunity, demand or a source which is related to this person and the outcome of which is uncertain and important

• Stress in relation to (maximum) performance• Workload, effort to get the job done• Part of our development!

Consequences of Stress

• Relates to demands: - Responsibilities - Pressures - Commitments - Uncertainties• Relates to resources: - Anything that is within reach / use for the

fulfilment of the demands

Consequences of Stress

• Organisational symptoms: - Job demands• Psychological symptoms: - The less the individual control, the more the

stress• Behavioural symptoms: - Changes in productivity, absence rates,

reduced mobility

Dealing with Stress

• Difference in the perceptions between employees and management for what constitutes an acceptable level of stress:

• Individual approach• Organisational approach - Job redesign - Increase of employee involvement in the

decision making processes - Increase of organisational communication