Targeting change efforts at organizational subsystems

Targeting Change Efforts

Intervening at a Subsystem Level

Organizational change interventions – transformation arenas

• Each arena carries its own unique– Change perspectives– Change problems– Change points– Change promoters– Change perils– Change promises

Decision-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Empirical• Rational

Problems• Ill-made decisions• Ill-informed decisions

Points• Logic• Information

Promotes• Robust information flows• Reasoned decisions

Promises• Clear perceptions• Rational priorities and

plans

Perils•Underestimating the

people factor•Managing by the

numbers

Psychologically/Socially-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Psychological• Sociological

Problems• Individual insecurity• Relational instability

Points• Emotions• Relations

Promotes• Psychological affirmation• Social support

Promises• Emotional honesty and

openness• Individual support• Interpersonal sensitivity

Perils• Satisfaction>productivity•Managers ill-fitted to be

counselors

Learning-focused change interventions

Perspectives•Developmental• Instructional

Problems•Undeveloped capacities•Weak self concept

Points• Skills• Self concept

Promotes• Equipping• Encouragement

Promises• Enhanced abilities• Energized and expanded

self confidence

Perils•Unlearning/learning

resistance• Individual learning ceilings

Economics-focused change interventions

Perspectives•Monetization• Competition

Problems• Inadequate resources•Unavailable resources

Point• Resources•Distribution systems

Promotes• Resource development• Resource distribution

Promise• Strategic resource

acquisition• Strategic resource

allocation

Perils• Things >People•Measuring short/long

term costs/benefits

Politically-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Political•Alliances

Problems• Low power• Poor negotiation skills

Points• Power•Networking

Promotes• Power development• Political maneuvering

Promises• Power is acquired• Power is appreciated• Power is applied with

principle

Perils•Unprincipled manipulation• People treated as means

rather than ends

Entrepreneurially-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Innovation•Alliances

Problems•Organizational timidity (risk

aversion)•Organization bureaucracy

Points•Opportunity recognition•Opportunity analysis• Risk management

Promotions• Courage and creativity• Removing organizational structural and procedural impediments

Promises•Quick on the OUDA Loop•Aggressive opportunism• Lean organizations•Appetite for risk taking

Perils• Inadequate discussion and

debate about options•Action prized over thinking

Bureaucratically-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Incremental• Experimental

Problems• Lack of experience with

change•All-or-nothing mentality• Rush to judgment

Points• Phased, limited change• Feedback

Promotion•A variety of small adaptations•Growing accumulation of small successes

Promises• Identifying small, high-

success probability targets of opportunity•Achievable change

expectations• Slow, steady progress up the

learning curve

Perils• Too little change, too late•Assumes evolution will

triumph over revolution

Value-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Inspirational• Emotional

Problems• Lack of passion for change• Lack of sustained

commitment for change

Points• Ideals and values•Motivation

Promotion• Charismatic leadership rooted in passionate vision• Compelling devotion to change

Promises•Articulation of deeply held

values•Alignment of personal values

with group causes

Perils•Mere cheerleading• Triumph of emotion over

substantive development

Environmentally-focused change interventions

Perspectives• Environmental• Catalytic

Problems• Ignorance of environmental

realities • Intransigence in the face of

environmental pressures

Points• Environmental sensitivity• Environmental adaptability

Promotion• Environmental awareness and analysis• Early and sustained adaptability

Promises• Environmental opportunity

perspective•Alignment of personal values

with group causes

Perils• Inaction because of the desire

for more certainty• Reactive rather than proactive

responses

Organizational change interventions: some observations

• Change is occurring somewhere, somehow, in every organization.

• Changes occur in different degrees and stages in various places throughout the organization


• However, change is also resisted – there are very real (and sometimes just imagined) individual, interpersonal and institutional reasons for resistance

• Not all resistance is bad – organizations are designed to bring stability and predictability and some resistance is normal even among change advocates

• Responding positively and creatively to resistance can help us build a better strategy for change


• Effective change management requires managing the MEANING of the change:– What the existing state is and

what the desired state is and WHY the desired state is both preferable and necessary

– What elements need to be changed to reach the desired state

– How and when the changes needed can best be achieved


• There are a variety of change levers and a variety of change approaches. – Different leverage points will be

appropriate in different situations– Different change approaches will be

effective in different situations– NO change point or approach will be

totally effective – each has potential positive and negative impacts


• Change advocates often have a “personal preference” for particular change points and leverage approaches

– The problem is that change agents may choose an approach to change that is comfortable for them personally but inappropriate for the subsystem involved.

– The most effective change agents are committed to the change rather than to a particular change modality.

Targeting change efforts at organizational subsystems

Business

Transcript of Targeting change efforts at organizational subsystems