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Change Management

Concept, Process, Principles and Skills

By Dr. R. Shivappa

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Session Outline What is Change – Meaning and types? What is Change Management? The Change Process –

Lewin’s Model.

Systems Approach. Principles of Change Management. Skills of Change Management.

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What is Change ?Change is any alteration or difference

occurring in the environment that affects the ways in which people live and work.

Change is making things different.Change is a shift or movement from State

A to State A1.Change occurs in every sphere of life.

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Forces of ChangeOrganizations and societies often face pressures for

change, which are both external and internal.External pressures include: increasing globalization,

communication explosion, political pressures, welfarism of the State, economic shocks like oil prices, and environment.

Internal pressures are the increasing level of education, the improving socio-economic status, the desire to live a better quality of life, etc.

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Types of Change

Changes may be continuous and incremental or discontinuous and radical.

Changes could be planned and unplanned, catastrophic or evolutionary, positive or negative, strong or weak, slow or rapid; changes could be internally or externally stimulated.

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Types of ChangeChanges are first Order change and

second order change as Stephen Robins puts it.

The continuous and incremental change are the first order change. Whereas, the planned change is the second order change that is initiated and introduced by man or the organization.

So changes may occur as a natural process or the change can be introduced consciously by man.

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Types of ChangeProf. Grundy in 1993 identified three types of

changes:

1) Smooth incremental change,

2) Bumpy incremental change, and

3) Discontinuous change.

He also stated that discontinuous change is “frame breaking” change.

These types are as depicted in the h figure below.

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Types of Change – Grundy (1993)

TIME

RA

TE

O

F

CH

AN

GE

DISCONTINUOUS

BUMPY INCREMENTAL

SMOOTH INCREMENTAL

High

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Types of Change – P.C. Nut

Another three way typology of change is proposed by Prof. Nut. These three types are: (a) adaptive change, (b) innovative change, and (c) radically innovative change.

This typology is based on:

1) degree of complexity, cost and uncertainty, and

2) potential for resistance to change.

These two factors take the form of a continuum from low to high as shown in the diagram below:

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Types of Change (P.C. Nut)

Low High Degree of Complexity, Cost, and Uncertainty. Potential for Resistance to Change.

Adaptive Change

Innovative Change

Radically innovative change

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Types of Change- P.C. Nut

Resistance to change tends to increase as changes go from adaptive to innovative or radically innovative change.

Adaptive change is lowest in complexity, cost, and uncertainty.

It involves repeating the implementation of a change in the same organizational unit later on or imitating a change that was implemented by a different unit. E.g. sinking common bore wells for drinking water.

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Innovative ChangeThis kind of change falls midway on the

continuum of complexity, cost and uncertainty.

Introducing piped water system which has been introduced by a neighboring village is an example of innovative change.

Unfamiliarity, and hence greater uncertainty, make fear of change a problem with innovative changes.

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Radically Innovative ChangeThis lies at the high end of the continuum

of complexity, cost and uncertainty.Changes of this kind are the most difficult

to implement and tend to be the most threatening to administrative confidence and peoples life.

They can tear the fabric of an organization’s culture.

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What is Change Management ?

Change management is the process of bridging the gap between what is happening and what is possible to happen in the context.

Change management is the process of developing a planned approach to change in an organization/ society.

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Objective and Perspectives of Change Management

The objective is to minimize the disruption to the normal flow of activity.

Change management has three perspectives:

1) The task of managing change,2) A body of knowledge, and3) An area of professional practice.

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The Task PerspectiveThe task of change management is from a

proactive or reactive posture. It means:

1) the making of changes in a planned and systematic way – the objective is to more effectively implement new methods and systems in an ongoing organization, and

2) how to respond to the change caused by external or internal forces of change.

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Body of Knowledge PerspectiveThe change management as a body of knowledge

refers to the content or subject matter of CM. It consists of the models, methods and techniques, tools, skills, and other forms of knowledge that go into making up any practice.

The content and subject matter of CM is drawn from social, behavioral and managerial sciences.

The knowledge from these sciences is linked and integrated by a set of concepts and principles.

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Area of Professional Practice Perspective

The body of knowledge is put into practice by the professionals – the change managers/agents – in their task of managing change.

There is considerable variation in competency and skill levels among the practitioners.

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The Change Process – Kurt Lewin

Kurt Lewin characterized the change process as having three basic stages:

This model draws heavily on the systems concept of homeostatis or dynamic stability.

Unfreezing Change Refreezing

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Assumptions Underlying Lewin’s Model

1) The change process involves learning something new, as we as discontinuing some current attitudes, behavior and organizational practices.

2) Change will not occur unless there is motivation to change. This is the most difficult part of the change process.

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Assumptions Underlying Lewin’s Model

3) People are the hub of all organizational changes. Any change, whether in terms of structure, group process, reward systems, or job design requires individuals to change.

4) Resistance to change is found even when the goals of change are highly desirable.

5) Effective change requires reinforcing new types of behavior, attitudes and organizational practice.

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UnfreezingThis stage focuses on creating the motivation to

change. So the individuals are encouraged to replace old behaviors and attitudes with the desired new ones.

One can begin the unfreezing process by disconforming the usefulness or appropriateness of present behavior or attitudes of the people.

In other words, people need to become dissatisfied with the old ways of doing things.

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ChangeThis stage means developing new responses based on new

information – after having recognized the need for change moving to a new desired level from the existing one.

This phase is action-oriented. This stage entails providing people with new information,

new behavioral models or new ways of looking at things.The purpose is to help people to learn new concepts or points

of view. Role models, mentors, experts, benchmarking results and

training are all useful mechanisms to facilitate change. One must remember that change is a continuous learning

process and not a one-off event.

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Refreezing – Stabilizing and Integrating the Change

Change is mobilized during this phase by helping people to integrate the changed behavior or attitudes into their normal way of doing things.

This is accomplished by giving people the chance to exhibit the new types of behavior or attitudes. Once exhibited, positive reinforcement is used.

Additional coaching and modeling are used at this point to reinforce stability of the change.

In simple terms, it is a process of unlearning, relearning, and internalization and stabilization.

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Important Features of the ModelThe Kewin’s model looks at the past, the present

and the future of the situation to be changed.It requires a close study of the organization’s past

history, antecedent factors that have a relationship to the present. It also necessitates a look at those forces that work to support or restrain the desired condition.

The refreezing process includes all those activities that maintain the behaviors which indicate that the change has been accomplished.

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Important Features of the Model

What is useful about this framework is that it gives rise to thinking about a staged or phased approach to changing things.

Looking before you leap is usually a sound practice.

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Systems approachThis approach takes a “big picture” perspective of

organizational change. It is based on the notion that any change, no mater how large or small, has a cascading or knock-on effect throughout an organization. For example,

changing an individual to a new workgroup affects the group dynamics in both the old and the new groups.

Similarly, shifting one facility from one neighborhood to another affects both the areas. These examples illustrate that change creates additional change. Today’s problems are tomorrow’s solutions.

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Systems approachA system’s model of change offers

managers a framework for understanding the broad complexities of organizational change. The three main components of a system’s model are:

1) Inputs, 2) Target elements of change, and3) Outputs.

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Systems approach - Inputs

All organizational change should be consistent with an organization’s mission, vision and the resulting strategic plan. In other words, the inputs for this approach are:

Vision,

Mission, and

Strategic plans

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Systems approach – Target elements of ChangeChange can be directed at realigning the

organizing arrangements, social factors, methods, goals, or people.

The choice of target elements, therefore, is based on the strategy being pursued to tackle the problem at hand.

Two additional aspects of the systems model are

1) a change in one organizational component affects the others,

2) people are the hub of all change. So change will not succeed unless individuals

embrace it in one way or another.

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Systems approach – Outputs

Outputs represent the desired end results of a change. These end results should be consistent with the strategic plan.

Change may be directed at the organizational level, or group level, or the individual level.

The process of change is more complicated and difficult to manage when it is targeted at organizational level as it is more likely to affect target elements of change.

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Principles ofChange Management1. Understand where you and your organization (society/

community) is at the moment and where you want to be, when, why, how, and what the measures will be for getting there through systematic planning.

2. The achievement of planned and sustainable change require commitment and visionary leadership.

3. Understanding the culture of the society or the community and the levels of change that are most likely to the effectiveness in that culture is necessary.

4. Change is a journey from the known to the unknown. It creates new systems and environment, which needs to be explained to the people likely to be affected to ensure the implementation and validation f the change program.

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Principles ofChange Management5. Change must involve people at all times and generate support from

people.

6. Create awareness and commitment incrementally.

7. Change must not imposed upon people. Whenever an organization imposes new things on people there will be difficulties (resistance, rejection, denial and apathy).

8) Participation, involvement and open and early and full communication are the important elements of change management..

9) People and teams need to be empowered to find their own solutions ands responses with facilitation and support from you the change managers and tolerance and compassion from the leaders.

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Principles ofChange Management10. Management and leadership styles and behavior is

more important than clever process and policy. They need to have the temperament and skills appropriate to the circumstances. People need to be able to trust the change managers and leaders.

11. People support what they help to create. Commitment to change is improved if those affect4d by the change are allowed to participate fully in planning and implementing the change. So broaden political support and manage groups and coalitions in the community.

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Principles ofChange Management12. There are always people in community, who will

welcome change and can act as champions of change. They will welcome the challenges and opportunities the change can provide. Such people should be chosen as change agents.

13. Resistance to change is inevitable if the people concerned feel that they are going to be worse off - implicitly or explicitly. The inept management of change will produce that reaction.

14. Change will always involve failures as well as success. The failures must be expected and learned from.

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Skills of Change Management – Political Skills

Managing change in society or big organizations requires an unusually broad and finely honed set of skills, chief among them are the following:

1. Political Skills: Organizations are first and foremost social organizations. Without people there can be no organization. Organizations are hotly and intensely political. Lower the stakes, the more intense the politics. So change agents dare not join this game but they should better understand this phenomenon.

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Analytical Skills

2. Analytical Skills: The persons responsible for managing change must be very good at analysis. A lucid, well argued analysis cannot be successfully contested. In most cases it will carry the day.

Two particular sets of skills are very important: (1) systems analysis or workflow operations, and (2) financial analysis.

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Analytical SkillsChange agents must learn to take apart and

reassemble operations and systems in novel ways, and then determine the financial and political impacts of what they have done.

Conversely, you must be able to start with some financial measure or indicator or goal, and make your way quickly to those operations and systems that would have the desired financial impact.

Those who master these two techniques learn a trade called “solution engineering”.

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People Skills3. People Skills: People are the sine qua non of

organization. They differ in several respects and we have to deal with them all.

Communication or interpersonal skills is the most needed people skills.

To be effective we must be able to listen and listen actively, to restate, to reflect, to clarify without interrogating, to draw out the speaker, to lead or channel a discussion, to plant ideas, and to develop them. All these and more are needed.

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Systems Skills

4. Systems Skills: A system is an arrangement of resources and routines intended to produce specified results. To organize is to arrange. A system reflects organization and, by the same token, an organization is a system.

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Business Skills5. Business Skills: Simply put, you should

understand how a business works or how your business of helping people and communities.

This entails an understanding of planning the developmental activities, the resources required, how to utilize the resources to the optimal level so that the objectives of the program are realized.