Managing Change
Lecture
Attitudes to Change
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Lecture Outline
 Introduction
 Individual
responses to change
 Resistance to change
 Organizational conflict
 Team development
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INTRODUCTION
Employees and the Management alike
would experience high levels of stress
since they would directly or indirectly be
affected by the changes that would take
place.
The extent to which this could be
minimized depends on the efforts taken
to prepare towards the changes
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INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES
TO CHANGE
Depends on the readiness to accept the
fact
The sense of hardiness to accept
challenges
Their belief and ability in controlling the
situation
Availability of social supports within and
outside the organization
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5 Stages an Individual Goes
Through (The U-loop)
Denial – they belief that they can ignore
Defence – May try to prevent the change by
putting up barriers
Discard – Begin to accept the reality and
attempts to put off the past
Adapt – Begin to investigate how best to
use
Internalise – Becomes the normal way of
life
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Factors that Determine
Adaptability
Previous experience of change
General attitude of pessimism or optimism
Personal circumstances – e.g age, security,
finance, relationship
Respect and trust in the Organization &
Management
The degree of control they have over the
change
Whether they see it as an opportunity or
threat
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Roger’s (1983) 5 Categories of
Individuals
Innovators – ready for change
Early adaptors – positive about change
Early majority – open to change
Late majority – negative about change
Laggards - resistors
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RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
4 Common Causes
Parochial self-interest – who want to
protect status-quo – under threat
Misunderstanding & lack of trust – who do
not understand
Contradictory assessments – different
perceptions
Low tolerance of change – lesser ability to
change
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Other Factors for Resistance
Comforts from habit
Conformity to expected ways of behavior
Distorted perception
Dulled motivation
Failed creative response
Political deadlocks
Action disconnects
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The formula to Successful
change
Successful change = A x B x D
R
Where A = degree of satisfaction
B = desire for change
D = Practicality of the change, and
R = Resistance
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3 Ways People Accept Change
Compliance – as per instruction – “do it
because I say so”
Identification – Follow the majority –
believe in the opinions – “do it because I
do it”
Intrinsic satisfaction – New situation is
intrinsically satisfying – agrees with their
own values – “do it because it is worth
doing”
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Overcoming Resistance to Change
Rosabeth Moss Kanter’s – Power Skil
Wait them out
Wear them down
Appeal
Invite them
Send emissaries
Display support
Reduce the stakes
Warn them off
Remember
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Overcoming Resistance to Change
Kotter & Schlesinger’s (1979) 6 Ways
Education and communication
Participation and involvement
Facilitation and support
Negotiation and agreement
Manipulation and co-option
Explicit and implicit coercion
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ORGANIZATIONAL
CONFLICT
Unitary (traditional) perspective – takes
the view of a harmonious situation
Pluralist (Behavioral) perspective – sees
conflict as a natural phenomenon – effect a
compromise
Interactionist perspective – Try not to
eradicate conflicts but keep it at the right
level – encourage criticism for improvement
Radical (Marxist) perspective –
revolutionary change – locked in battle
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TEAM DEVELOPMENT
Teams are formed to direct a change
initiative or to implement an initiative in the
workplace
Has a synergistic effect
Have a common purpose
Sense of belonging
Sense of achievement
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Belbin’s 9 Roles in Successful Teams
Role
Description
Team contribution
Plant
Creative, imaginative, unorthodox
Solves difficult problems
Resource
investigator
Extrovert, enthusiastic,
communicative
Explores opportunities, develops
contacts
Coordinator
Mature, confident, trusting
Good chairperson, clarifies goals,
promotes decisions
Shaper
Dynamic, outgoing
Challenges, pressurises, find ways
around obstacles
Monitor
evaluator
Sober, strategic, discerning
Reviews all options, judges
accurately
Team worker
Social, mild, perceptive,
accommodating
Listens, builds, averts friction
Implementer
Disciplined, reliable, conservative,
efficient
Turns ideas into practical terms
Completer,
finisher
Painstaking, conscientious, anxious Searches out errors and omissions
Specialist
Single-minded
Provides knowledge & technical
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skills
John Adair’s (1987)
Metamorphosis of a Team
Forming
Storming
Norming
Performing
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Barriers to Effective Teamwork
Internal Barriers
Poor communication
A lack of clear objectives
Poorly organized team meetings
No agreeable or acceptable procedures
for decision-making
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Barriers to Effective Teamwork
External Barriers
A difference between organizational and
team culture
Divided loyalties when there are conflicts
Work being undervalued or unrecognized
Continuous changes made to the team’s
composition
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Barriers to Effective Teamwork
Individual Barriers
An individual dominating the rest of the
team
A member who is dismissive of other
people’s suggestion
Members who lack commitment
Rivalry or excessive competition between
members
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Team Leadership
Strength of team leader will determine a
team’s success in achieving its goals.
Strong leadership and constant
reassurance, coupled with constant
reiteration of the team’s goals are
necessary to overcome resistance to
change.
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Additional Readings
http://www.businessperform.com/html/re
sistance_to_change.html
http://www.1000ventures.com/business
_guide/crosscuttings/change_resistance
.html
http://www.teambuildinginc.com/article_
overcoming_resistance.htm
http://www.schulersolutions.com/resista
nce_to_change.html
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References
• Daft, R.L. (2008). The New Era of
Management, 2nd Edition. Thomson
South-Western, Ohio.
• Robbins, S.P. and Coulter, M. (2007).
Management, 9th Edition. Prentice-Hall,
USA.
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