The Nature of Planned Change
Chapter Two
Ranae Reynolds
Scott Smith
Leona Turner
Lynn Wilhelm
LDR-686-SA – Organizational Design and Development – Dr. David B. Lucas
Siena Heights University-Southfield Campus
October 15, 2012
is inevitable!
Lynn Wilhelm
Lewin’s Change Model
Lynn Wilhelm
Action Research Model
Lynn Wilhelm
The Positive Model
Lynn Wilhelm
Comparison of Change Models
Overlap in various ways
Lewin’s focuses on how to fix problems
All others focus on what the organization
does well and leverages those strengths
Lynn Wilhelm
The General Model of Planned
Change
Ranae Reynolds
Entering and Contracting
Entering Phase involves gathering information from
the organization to understand the problems or to
determine the positive areas for inquiry.
Contracting Phase spells out the changes that will
proceed for the future, the resources that will be used
and how everyone will be involved.
Ranae Reynolds
Diagnosing
Central change Activities
 Gathering
 Analyzing
 Feedback
Ranae Reynolds
Planning and Implementing Change
 Human process interventions at the individual,
group, and total system levels;
 Interventions that modify an organization’s
structure and technology;
 Human resources interventions that seek to
improve member performance and wellness;
 Strategic interventions that involve managing the
organization's relationship to its external
environment and the internal structure and
process necessary to support a business strategy.
Ranae Reynolds
Evaluating and Institutionalizing
Change
Evaluating Change requires feedback about
whether changes should be continued, modified, or
suspended.
Institutionalizing Change requires reinforcement
through feedback, rewards and training.
Ranae Reynolds
General Model of Planned Change
Entering and
Contracting
Diagnosing
Planning
and
Implementing
Change
Evaluating
and
Institutionalizing
Change
Leona Turner
Planned Change
 What is planned change?
 Planned change can vary enormously from one
situation to another. Why?
 Can be contrasted across situations along three
dimensions.
Leona Turner
Key Dimensions of Planned Change
 Magnitude of Change
 The degree to which the client system is organized
 The setting-domestic or international
Leona Turner
Magnitude of Change
 Planned change efforts range from incremental to
fundamental.
 OD practitioners are usually contacted by managers for
specific problems.
 Diagnostic and change activities are limited to defined
issues.
Leona Turner
Incremental Changes
 Involves limited dimensions and levels of the
organization
 Occur within the context of the organization’s existing
business areas.
 Aimed at improving the status quo
Leona Turner
Fundamental Change
 Directed at significantly altering how the organization
operates.
 Involve several organizational dimensions.
 Involve changing multiple levels of the organization.
Leona Turner
Chapter 2 Topics
 Domestic vs. International Settings
 Critique of Planned Change
 Conceptualization
 Practice
 IMAR Planned Change in an Under-
Organized System
Scott Smith
Domestic vs. International
Domestic (NA & EU)
 Equality
 Involvement
 Short time
horizons
International (APA)
 Hierarchical
 Status
 Avoid personal
 Save face
 Long time
horizons
Scott Smith
Domestic vs. International
Action Research Process (ARP) recommended
 Cyclical
 Joint activities between organization members
 Multiple steps that overlap




Problem identification
Consult with behavioral science expert
Data gathering and diagnosis
Feedback
Scott Smith
Domestic vs. International
ARP adapted to fit cultural context
 Many organizational members
 Execs only
 Top-down
 Inside vs. outside consultants
 Face-to-face interviews
Scott Smith
Domestic vs. International
OD Practitioner must:
 Aware of own cultural biases
 See issues from another perspective
 Fluent in values and assumptions of country
 Understand economic and political context
 Vacations
 Time zones
Cultural Guide recommended
Scott Smith
Domestic vs. International
Tyler Lacoma
Virtual Organizations – Time and Distance
 A business model that supports
 Online collaboration applications (audio and
video conferencing)
 Employees are able to use mobile technology and
home offices to overcome the barriers that time
difference presents.
Scott Smith
Domestic vs. International
Chacar, Celo and Thams
Synergies of Domestic Companies with MNCs
Advantages
 Scale
 Existing resources
Disadvantages
 “Foreignness”
 China / Japan island dispute
 Culture
 Required (JVs)
Scott Smith
Conceptualization of Planned
Change
Critique
 Must identify organizational features that can be
changed
 Intended outcomes from changes
 Mechanisms by which change is achieved
 Contingencies on which change depends
Scott Smith
Conceptualization of Planned
Change Critique (cont).
Contingencies
 Stages differ across situations
 Magnitude
 Client system organization
 Domestic or international
Intuitive?
Scott Smith
Conceptualization of Planned
Change Critique (cont).
Not rational or orderly, but chaotic
 Shifting goals
 Discontinuous activities
 Surprising events
 Unexpected combinations
 Overzealous testimonials
Change never ends
Scott Smith
Practice of Planned Change
Critique
 Specialized OD practitioners (TQM, AI, Group)
 results in inappropriate method usage (diversity,
reengineering, self-managing teams)
 “Cart-before-the-horse”
 Self-diagnosis and action plans
 Quick-fix instead of required long-term plan
 Sub-optimization
Scott Smith
Institute for Manufacturing and
Automation Research (IMAR)
Case Study
So how does IMAR rate?
 Strong leader and vision (Dale Hartman, Hughes)
 Basic research (non-competitive)
 Oversight (board, NSF, co-directors)
 Strong industry-university partnership
 5-year self-sustaining requirement (no NSF)
 Committed funding
 Audits, project team oversight
Scott Smith
Thibault Fally on International vs.
Domestic Production Fragmentation:
Scott Smith
Resources
Bauer, T., (2011). Berrin erdogan source: flat world knowledge. Retrieved October 10, 2012 from
http://www.peoi.org/Courses/Coursesen/orgbeh1/contents/frame14b.html
Chacar, Aya S., Celo, Sokol, and Thams, Yannick. (2010). The performance of multinational affiliates versus
domestic firms. Retrieved on October 4, 2012 from http://www.nabusinesspress.com/JMPP/ChacarWeb.pdf
Cummings, T., and Worley, C.,(2009).Organization development and change. Thomson/South-Western, Ohio
Fally, Thibault. (January 10, 2012). Has production become more fragmented? International vs. domestic
perspectives. Retrieved on October 8, 2012 from http://www.voxeu.org/article/has-productionbecome-more-fragmented-international-vs-domestic- perspectives
Lacoma, Tyler. Changing organizational structure when going global. Retrieved on October 8, 2012 from
http://www.ehow.com/info_8456366_changing-organizational-structure-going-global.html