SUMMARY ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE
Made by: Alexander Maatje
,Contents
Chapter 1: Organizations and their changing environments..................................................................3
A view of organizations.......................................................................................................................3
An uncertain future............................................................................................................................3
Environmental triggers of change.......................................................................................................4
Organizational responses to change...................................................................................................6
Chapter 2: The nature of organizational change....................................................................................7
Types of change..................................................................................................................................7
Models of change...............................................................................................................................8
The pace and scope of change............................................................................................................8
Predictable change...........................................................................................................................11
Complexity theory............................................................................................................................12
Diagnosing change situations...........................................................................................................13
Chapter 3: Organizational design, structure and change......................................................................16
The meaning of organization structure............................................................................................16
The dimensions of structure.............................................................................................................17
Structural types................................................................................................................................17
Structuration theory, actor networks and institutional theory.........................................................22
Influences on structure.....................................................................................................................24
Organizational structure and change................................................................................................27
Chapter 4: Culture and change.............................................................................................................28
The informal organization................................................................................................................28
The meaning of culture.....................................................................................................................28
The ingredients of culture................................................................................................................28
Objectivist and interpretive views of culture....................................................................................29
Organizational culture types.............................................................................................................31
Organizational culture and change...................................................................................................33
Cultural change to effect organizational change..............................................................................34
Chapter 5: Power, politics and change.................................................................................................34
Organizational politics......................................................................................................................34
Power in organizations.....................................................................................................................35
The politics of powerlessness...........................................................................................................38
Politics, power and conflict...............................................................................................................40
Conflict in organizations...................................................................................................................40
Power, conflict and change..............................................................................................................42
1
,Chapter 6: Leadership styles and leading change.................................................................................44
Leadership defined...........................................................................................................................44
Management versus leadership.......................................................................................................44
How leadership models have changed.............................................................................................45
Critical approaches to leadership.....................................................................................................51
Leadership and change.....................................................................................................................51
Chapter 7: Hard systems models of change.........................................................................................54
Situations of change.........................................................................................................................54
The hard systems model of change..................................................................................................55
Phase 1: Description.........................................................................................................................56
Phase 2: options...............................................................................................................................57
Phase 3: The implementation phase................................................................................................57
Chapter 8: Soft systems models for change..........................................................................................58
Managing change in situations of soft complexity............................................................................58
Organizational development – philosophy and underlying assumptions.........................................58
The OD process.................................................................................................................................60
OD – an action research based model of change..............................................................................61
An assessment of the OD model for change.....................................................................................67
Chapter 9: Future directions and challenges........................................................................................68
Current and future business environments......................................................................................68
2
, Chapter 1: Organizations and their changing
environments
A view of organizations
Organizations can be seen as people interacting in some kind of structured or organized way to
achieve some defined purpose or goal.
Illustration 1.1: According to Daft, an organization can be described as follows: (1) a social entity that
(2) has goals and purpose, (3) has boundaries, so that some participants are considered inside while
others are considered outside, and (4) patterns the activities of participants into a recognizable
structure.
Figure 1.1 identifies the main elements of most organizations and their functioning:
Silverman challenged the idea of organizations as systems since the notion rests on an assumption
that defining an organization’s goals is uncontentious and that, within the organization, there is
consensus as to what its goals are. Out of this critique came forth the ‘social action’ approach to
understanding organizations, this became recognized as an alternative view to the idea of
organizations as systems.
Stacy’s idea of organizations as complex systems emphasizes the notion of unpredictability by
emphasizing the multitude of interactions in and between the individual, social, organizational and
environmental domains.
An uncertain future
Most commentators or organizations agree that business conditions continue to be increasingly
complex and more uncertain as the pace for change quickens and the future becomes more
unpredictable. What seems incontestable is that both public and private sectors continue to face
fast-moving change, even if the exact nature of the changes needed is not always clear.
3
CHANGE
Made by: Alexander Maatje
,Contents
Chapter 1: Organizations and their changing environments..................................................................3
A view of organizations.......................................................................................................................3
An uncertain future............................................................................................................................3
Environmental triggers of change.......................................................................................................4
Organizational responses to change...................................................................................................6
Chapter 2: The nature of organizational change....................................................................................7
Types of change..................................................................................................................................7
Models of change...............................................................................................................................8
The pace and scope of change............................................................................................................8
Predictable change...........................................................................................................................11
Complexity theory............................................................................................................................12
Diagnosing change situations...........................................................................................................13
Chapter 3: Organizational design, structure and change......................................................................16
The meaning of organization structure............................................................................................16
The dimensions of structure.............................................................................................................17
Structural types................................................................................................................................17
Structuration theory, actor networks and institutional theory.........................................................22
Influences on structure.....................................................................................................................24
Organizational structure and change................................................................................................27
Chapter 4: Culture and change.............................................................................................................28
The informal organization................................................................................................................28
The meaning of culture.....................................................................................................................28
The ingredients of culture................................................................................................................28
Objectivist and interpretive views of culture....................................................................................29
Organizational culture types.............................................................................................................31
Organizational culture and change...................................................................................................33
Cultural change to effect organizational change..............................................................................34
Chapter 5: Power, politics and change.................................................................................................34
Organizational politics......................................................................................................................34
Power in organizations.....................................................................................................................35
The politics of powerlessness...........................................................................................................38
Politics, power and conflict...............................................................................................................40
Conflict in organizations...................................................................................................................40
Power, conflict and change..............................................................................................................42
1
,Chapter 6: Leadership styles and leading change.................................................................................44
Leadership defined...........................................................................................................................44
Management versus leadership.......................................................................................................44
How leadership models have changed.............................................................................................45
Critical approaches to leadership.....................................................................................................51
Leadership and change.....................................................................................................................51
Chapter 7: Hard systems models of change.........................................................................................54
Situations of change.........................................................................................................................54
The hard systems model of change..................................................................................................55
Phase 1: Description.........................................................................................................................56
Phase 2: options...............................................................................................................................57
Phase 3: The implementation phase................................................................................................57
Chapter 8: Soft systems models for change..........................................................................................58
Managing change in situations of soft complexity............................................................................58
Organizational development – philosophy and underlying assumptions.........................................58
The OD process.................................................................................................................................60
OD – an action research based model of change..............................................................................61
An assessment of the OD model for change.....................................................................................67
Chapter 9: Future directions and challenges........................................................................................68
Current and future business environments......................................................................................68
2
, Chapter 1: Organizations and their changing
environments
A view of organizations
Organizations can be seen as people interacting in some kind of structured or organized way to
achieve some defined purpose or goal.
Illustration 1.1: According to Daft, an organization can be described as follows: (1) a social entity that
(2) has goals and purpose, (3) has boundaries, so that some participants are considered inside while
others are considered outside, and (4) patterns the activities of participants into a recognizable
structure.
Figure 1.1 identifies the main elements of most organizations and their functioning:
Silverman challenged the idea of organizations as systems since the notion rests on an assumption
that defining an organization’s goals is uncontentious and that, within the organization, there is
consensus as to what its goals are. Out of this critique came forth the ‘social action’ approach to
understanding organizations, this became recognized as an alternative view to the idea of
organizations as systems.
Stacy’s idea of organizations as complex systems emphasizes the notion of unpredictability by
emphasizing the multitude of interactions in and between the individual, social, organizational and
environmental domains.
An uncertain future
Most commentators or organizations agree that business conditions continue to be increasingly
complex and more uncertain as the pace for change quickens and the future becomes more
unpredictable. What seems incontestable is that both public and private sectors continue to face
fast-moving change, even if the exact nature of the changes needed is not always clear.
3
