Summary Agents and Instruments of Change 2018-2019
Included:
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11 of Cawsey et al.
Van de Ven, A. H., & Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations.
Academy of management review, 20(3), 510-540.
Smith and Graetz (2011). chapter 4 on biological lens on change
Barnett and Pontikes (2008). The red queen, success bias, and organizational inertia, Management
Science, 54(7), 1237-1251.
Roh, J., Turkulainen, V., Whipple, J., Swink, M.(2017). Organization design change in multinational
supply organizations, The International Journal of Logistics Management, 28, 4, 1078-1098.
Smith and Graetz (2011). ch. 9, a cultural lens on change
Cummings and Worley, chapter 9
Wright, C. and Nyberg, D. (2017). An inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change
into business as usual. Academy of Management Journal, 60, 5, 1633-1661.
Boonstra, J.J. (2013). Conclusion on interventions for cultural change, in: Cultural change and
leadership in organizations, ch. 23. Chicester: Wiley
Brown, SL and Eisenhardt, KM. (1997). The art of continuous change. ASQ, 42(1), 1-34.
Boonstra, J. (2004). Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning → broadening your perspective
on concrete change approaches in organizations.
, Cawsey chapter 1 - Changing organizations in our complex world
Organizational change = Planned alterations of organizational components (mission, vision, goals,
strategy, structure) to improve the effectiveness of the organization, in that they increase their ability to
generate value for those they serve. It is intentional!
The drives of change can come from both the internal and external environment (PESTLE). Managers
need to be sensitive to what is happening inside and outside the organization, and adapt to those changes
in the environment.
Today, organizations find themselves influenced by fundamental forces:
▪ Changing social, cultural, and demographic patterns (age, diversity, gender)
▪ Spectacular technological achievements that transform how we do business
▪ Concerns about the physical environment and social responsibility that are producing demands
for changes in our products and business practices (Triple Bottom Line)
▪ A global marketplace that sends us competing worldwide and brings competition to our
doorsteps
▪ Political and legal forces that have the potential to transform the competitive landscape
Barkema, Baum, and Mannix suggest that 3 macro environmental changes will change
organizational forms and competitive dynamics and, in turn, lead to new management challenges.
1) Digitization of information
2) Integration of nation states and the opening of international markets
3) The geographic dispersion of the value chain
See the notes/sheets first lecture!
Literature classifies changes in two types:
1) Discontinuous, radical or episodic
Change is dramatic, sudden, frequent and discontinuous (intertia!)
2) Continuous, incremental
Change is more gradual, constant, evolving and cumulative. Organizations are seen as more
emergent and self-organizing.
Besides, change can occur in two ways:
1) Anticipatory, proactive, planned and programmatic
Chang occurs when managers anticipate events and shift their organizations as a result.
2) Reactive in response to external events
Shift in an organization’s external world lead to a reaction on the part of the organization.
❖ From WHAT to HOW: from the diagnosed WHAT follows a type of change needed and then the
HOW can be planned. Type of change for HOW → Nadler & Tushman model, see next page.
2
,Tuning is defined as small, relatively
minor changes made on an ongoing basis
in a deliberate attempt to improve the
efficiency or effectiveness of the
organization. Responsibility for acting on
these sorts of change typically rests with
middle management.
Adapting is viewed as relatively minor
changes made in response to external
stimuli. A reaction to things observed in
the environment such as competitors’
moves or customer shifts.
Redirecting or reorienting involves
major strategic change resulting from
planned programs. These frame-bending
shifts are designed to provide new
perspectives and directions in a significant
way.
Overhauling or re-creation is the
dramatic shift that occurs in reaction to
major external events. Often, there is a
crisis situation that forces the change.
There are four change roles found in organizations. The terms change leader and change agent are
used interchangeably and could mean nay of the four roles, mostly the first three.
1) Change initiator
▪ Get things moving, take action and stimulate the system
▪ Identify the need for change, develop vision, and champion the initiative
▪ Provide resources and support for the initiative
▪ Need planning, persuasion, passion and perseverance
2) Change implementor
▪ Manage the consequences of decisions and create the desired results
▪ Create and increase the need for changes that change initiators are demanding
▪ The ones who make happen what others have pushed/encouraged (initiators)
▪ Risk of middle powerlessness, trapped between top and bottom
3) Change facilitator
▪ Assist the organization to work through change issues and helps resolve these, foster
support, alleviate resistance and provide guidance and council
4) Change recipient
▪ Those who find themselves on the receiving end of the change
▪ Responses vary from active resistance, passivity to active support, depending on their
perceptions of the change, its rationale and its impact
3
, Common challenges for managerial roles:
▪ Assuming that others will see the rationale too, and will learn the needed behaviors, or can
replace recalcitrant employees.
▪ Assume they have the power and influence, and underestimate other’s power.
▪ Look at transition activities as a cost, not an investment to mitigate risks.
▪ Unable to accurately estimate the resources and commitment needed.
▪ Unaware that they may be sending conflicting messages.
▪ Finding human processes unsettling because of the impact emotions can have on planning.
▪ Lacking the capacity (attitude, skills, and abilities) to manage complex changes.
▪ Impaired judgment due to overconfidence or group thinking.
Requirements for becoming a successful change leader:
1) Have a rich understanding of themselves, organizational and environmental systems.
2) Have special characteristics like tolerance for ambiguity, emotional maturity and self-
confidence.
3) Recognize negative impact of fad surfing (meegaan met hypes).
4) Understand organizational life.
5) Recognize impact or organizational control systems (structures, rewards and measures).
6) Ability to reach key organizational members at the right point in time.
7) Need to embrace the following paradoxes of successful change management:
- Driving change vs. enabling change (push vs. let it happen)
- Resistance is a problem vs. an opportunity
- Focus on outcomes vs. be careful about the process
- Getting on vs. changing direction
- Balance patience vs. impatience
Cawsey chapter 2 - Frameworks for leading change → HOW
Two distinct aspects in any change management situation need to be addressed:
1) WHAT needs to be changed (change content)
- Gap oriented: existing situation vs. desired situation
- Loosely based on contingency and alignment thinking
- Main model in this book is Nadler & Tushman congruence model
2) HOW to bring about change (change process)
It might be difficult due to:
- Practices that were effective in the past are no longer appropriate
- Employees develop habits, assumption and expectations (resistant force)
Sigmoid curve
The time to introduce change is at point B when the system is
growing. By the time the system reaches point A, the need for
change is obvious but it may also be too late for the organization
to survive without experiencing significant trauma. Organization
that fail to adjust in a timely fashion can quickly find themselves
lagging behind their competitors.
The dilemma is that in the short run, the costs are likely to be greater than the benefits, which lessens
the positive outcomes in short run. This is hard to sell when things go well. The grey area depicts the
difficulty of convincing people. Costs are certain and tangible but benefits are uncertain and often
vaguely defined.
❖ Compare this curve to Duck’s 5 stages change curve. Stagnation will set in, no decline yet, thus
internal leading figures have to announce the necessity.
4
Included:
Chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 11 of Cawsey et al.
Van de Ven, A. H., & Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations.
Academy of management review, 20(3), 510-540.
Smith and Graetz (2011). chapter 4 on biological lens on change
Barnett and Pontikes (2008). The red queen, success bias, and organizational inertia, Management
Science, 54(7), 1237-1251.
Roh, J., Turkulainen, V., Whipple, J., Swink, M.(2017). Organization design change in multinational
supply organizations, The International Journal of Logistics Management, 28, 4, 1078-1098.
Smith and Graetz (2011). ch. 9, a cultural lens on change
Cummings and Worley, chapter 9
Wright, C. and Nyberg, D. (2017). An inconvenient truth: How organizations translate climate change
into business as usual. Academy of Management Journal, 60, 5, 1633-1661.
Boonstra, J.J. (2013). Conclusion on interventions for cultural change, in: Cultural change and
leadership in organizations, ch. 23. Chicester: Wiley
Brown, SL and Eisenhardt, KM. (1997). The art of continuous change. ASQ, 42(1), 1-34.
Boonstra, J. (2004). Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning → broadening your perspective
on concrete change approaches in organizations.
, Cawsey chapter 1 - Changing organizations in our complex world
Organizational change = Planned alterations of organizational components (mission, vision, goals,
strategy, structure) to improve the effectiveness of the organization, in that they increase their ability to
generate value for those they serve. It is intentional!
The drives of change can come from both the internal and external environment (PESTLE). Managers
need to be sensitive to what is happening inside and outside the organization, and adapt to those changes
in the environment.
Today, organizations find themselves influenced by fundamental forces:
▪ Changing social, cultural, and demographic patterns (age, diversity, gender)
▪ Spectacular technological achievements that transform how we do business
▪ Concerns about the physical environment and social responsibility that are producing demands
for changes in our products and business practices (Triple Bottom Line)
▪ A global marketplace that sends us competing worldwide and brings competition to our
doorsteps
▪ Political and legal forces that have the potential to transform the competitive landscape
Barkema, Baum, and Mannix suggest that 3 macro environmental changes will change
organizational forms and competitive dynamics and, in turn, lead to new management challenges.
1) Digitization of information
2) Integration of nation states and the opening of international markets
3) The geographic dispersion of the value chain
See the notes/sheets first lecture!
Literature classifies changes in two types:
1) Discontinuous, radical or episodic
Change is dramatic, sudden, frequent and discontinuous (intertia!)
2) Continuous, incremental
Change is more gradual, constant, evolving and cumulative. Organizations are seen as more
emergent and self-organizing.
Besides, change can occur in two ways:
1) Anticipatory, proactive, planned and programmatic
Chang occurs when managers anticipate events and shift their organizations as a result.
2) Reactive in response to external events
Shift in an organization’s external world lead to a reaction on the part of the organization.
❖ From WHAT to HOW: from the diagnosed WHAT follows a type of change needed and then the
HOW can be planned. Type of change for HOW → Nadler & Tushman model, see next page.
2
,Tuning is defined as small, relatively
minor changes made on an ongoing basis
in a deliberate attempt to improve the
efficiency or effectiveness of the
organization. Responsibility for acting on
these sorts of change typically rests with
middle management.
Adapting is viewed as relatively minor
changes made in response to external
stimuli. A reaction to things observed in
the environment such as competitors’
moves or customer shifts.
Redirecting or reorienting involves
major strategic change resulting from
planned programs. These frame-bending
shifts are designed to provide new
perspectives and directions in a significant
way.
Overhauling or re-creation is the
dramatic shift that occurs in reaction to
major external events. Often, there is a
crisis situation that forces the change.
There are four change roles found in organizations. The terms change leader and change agent are
used interchangeably and could mean nay of the four roles, mostly the first three.
1) Change initiator
▪ Get things moving, take action and stimulate the system
▪ Identify the need for change, develop vision, and champion the initiative
▪ Provide resources and support for the initiative
▪ Need planning, persuasion, passion and perseverance
2) Change implementor
▪ Manage the consequences of decisions and create the desired results
▪ Create and increase the need for changes that change initiators are demanding
▪ The ones who make happen what others have pushed/encouraged (initiators)
▪ Risk of middle powerlessness, trapped between top and bottom
3) Change facilitator
▪ Assist the organization to work through change issues and helps resolve these, foster
support, alleviate resistance and provide guidance and council
4) Change recipient
▪ Those who find themselves on the receiving end of the change
▪ Responses vary from active resistance, passivity to active support, depending on their
perceptions of the change, its rationale and its impact
3
, Common challenges for managerial roles:
▪ Assuming that others will see the rationale too, and will learn the needed behaviors, or can
replace recalcitrant employees.
▪ Assume they have the power and influence, and underestimate other’s power.
▪ Look at transition activities as a cost, not an investment to mitigate risks.
▪ Unable to accurately estimate the resources and commitment needed.
▪ Unaware that they may be sending conflicting messages.
▪ Finding human processes unsettling because of the impact emotions can have on planning.
▪ Lacking the capacity (attitude, skills, and abilities) to manage complex changes.
▪ Impaired judgment due to overconfidence or group thinking.
Requirements for becoming a successful change leader:
1) Have a rich understanding of themselves, organizational and environmental systems.
2) Have special characteristics like tolerance for ambiguity, emotional maturity and self-
confidence.
3) Recognize negative impact of fad surfing (meegaan met hypes).
4) Understand organizational life.
5) Recognize impact or organizational control systems (structures, rewards and measures).
6) Ability to reach key organizational members at the right point in time.
7) Need to embrace the following paradoxes of successful change management:
- Driving change vs. enabling change (push vs. let it happen)
- Resistance is a problem vs. an opportunity
- Focus on outcomes vs. be careful about the process
- Getting on vs. changing direction
- Balance patience vs. impatience
Cawsey chapter 2 - Frameworks for leading change → HOW
Two distinct aspects in any change management situation need to be addressed:
1) WHAT needs to be changed (change content)
- Gap oriented: existing situation vs. desired situation
- Loosely based on contingency and alignment thinking
- Main model in this book is Nadler & Tushman congruence model
2) HOW to bring about change (change process)
It might be difficult due to:
- Practices that were effective in the past are no longer appropriate
- Employees develop habits, assumption and expectations (resistant force)
Sigmoid curve
The time to introduce change is at point B when the system is
growing. By the time the system reaches point A, the need for
change is obvious but it may also be too late for the organization
to survive without experiencing significant trauma. Organization
that fail to adjust in a timely fashion can quickly find themselves
lagging behind their competitors.
The dilemma is that in the short run, the costs are likely to be greater than the benefits, which lessens
the positive outcomes in short run. This is hard to sell when things go well. The grey area depicts the
difficulty of convincing people. Costs are certain and tangible but benefits are uncertain and often
vaguely defined.
❖ Compare this curve to Duck’s 5 stages change curve. Stagnation will set in, no decline yet, thus
internal leading figures have to announce the necessity.
4
