PLANNED CHANGE

Prepared By

HARISH

Govt RC college

Introduction

Bringing change in a planned manner is the prime responsibility of all managers who are forward looking. Planned change aims to prepare the total organization to adapt the significant changes in the organization’s goals & direction.

“Planned change is deliberate design & implementation of a structural innovation, a new policy or goal, or a change in operating philosophy, climate or style”.

Planned change attempts at all aspects of the organization which are closely interrelated; technology, task, structure, people.

Technology related change

Technology refers to the sum total of knowledge providing ways to do things. It may include invention & techniques which affect the way of doing things, ie., designing, producing, distributing products. Technology related changes may include:

Changing problem solving & decision making procedures

Introduction of automated data processing devices

Changing methods of production

Task related changes

Technology related changes determine the types of tasks that may be number of ways ranging from job simplification to job enrichment. Task related changes must focus on

High internal work motivation High quality work performance

Structure related changes

Structural changes redefined nature of relationships among various organizational positions & may include:

Changing the no. of hierarchical levels Changing one form of organization to

another form Changing span of management Changing line staff & functional authority

People related changes

Changes of any type as pointed out ie., technology, task & structural require changes in people in a organization. These changes may be of two types; ie., skills & behavior.

For example, If there is a change in technology from manual to automated, it requires different types of skills in the operators as compared to the previously used skills.

Process of planned change

Management of organizational change is a complex process. Major organizational change requires considerable planning. The change is successful if it is taken in planned way which proceeds in a sequential form.

Identifying need for change

Elements to be changed

Planning for change

Assessing change forces

Action for change

Identifying need for change

The 1st basic step in planned change is to identify when change in organization is required because change for the sake of change may produce much stronger resistance while useful & necessary. Though there are various external forces necessitating change in an organization.

Elements to be changed

What elements of the organization should be changed will largely decided by need & objectives of change.

While the process of the identification of change will provide clue why change should take place, this stage takes the analysis further by diagnosing the problems caused because of which the change is necessary.

For example, declining profit may require change but does not specify what elements are to be changed. Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose the factors which are responsible for declining profit.

Planning for change

At this stage, managers should plan about how the change can be brought in the light. Planning for change includes who will bring change, when to bring change, & how to bring change.

Assessing change forces

In a group process, there are some forces favoring change & some opposing it to maintain equilibrium. In a situation, there are both driving & restraining forces which influence any change that may occur. Driving forces are those which affect a situation by pushing it in a particular direction; they tend to initiate a change & keep it go. Restraining forces act to restrain change or to decrease the driving forces. Equilibrium is reached when the sum of driving forces equals the sum of restraining forces.Restraining

forces

Driving forces

Action for change

Actions for change comprise three stages: Unfreezing Changing RefreezingUnfreezing is the process in which a person casts aside his old

behavior which might be inappropriate, irrelevant, or inadequate to the changing demands of the situation.

Changing is the stage at which the individual being changed learn new behavior methods of working, new thinking, perception of new roles, etc.

Refreezing means that what has been learned is integrated into actual practice. At this stage, the individuals internalize the new beliefs, feelings, & behavior learned during the changing phase. They adopt these elements as a permanent part of their behavior repertoire.

Any questions?