W
Summary
2023
Theories &
Approaches of
Change
Management
Made by: Alexander Maatje
,Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to change Management: fundamental questions for organisations.................4
Why do we want to change?..............................................................................................................4
Should we focus on individual, group or system change?...................................................................4
Will there be resistance, where from? How can we gain employee commitment?............................4
Who are the change Agents?..............................................................................................................5
Change: how often and how much?...................................................................................................5
Chapter 2: From trial and error to the science of management: the rise of organisation theory...........6
The classical approach:.......................................................................................................................6
Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management..........................................................................................8
The Gilberths and motion study.........................................................................................................8
Henri Fayol and the principles of organization....................................................................................8
Max Weber on bureaucracy................................................................................................................9
Chapter 3: Developments in organisation theory: from certainty to contingency..................................9
Human relations approach.................................................................................................................9
Mary Parker Follett – from Scientific Management to Human Relations..........................................10
Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Experiments...................................................................................10
Chester Barnard and cooperative systems........................................................................................10
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.............................................................................................11
Douglas McGregor and Theory X-Theory Y.......................................................................................11
Warren Bennis and the death of bureaucracy..................................................................................12
Job Design: operationalising Human Relations.................................................................................12
The Human Relations approach: criticisms.......................................................................................12
Contingency approach......................................................................................................................12
Burns and Stalker: the importance of the environment...................................................................13
John Woodward: the case for technology.........................................................................................13
Charles Perrow: the case for technology continued.........................................................................13
The Aston Group: the case for size...................................................................................................14
Contingency Theory: summary and criticisms..................................................................................14
Chapter 4: The Culture-Excellence paradigm........................................................................................15
Chapter 5: Alternative paradigms: Japanese management, organizational learning and the need for
sustainability.........................................................................................................................................18
What is the Japanese approach to management?............................................................................18
Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................22
Chapter 6: Critical perspectives on organisation theory: postmodernism, realism and complexity.....22
, Postmodernism.................................................................................................................................23
Realism.............................................................................................................................................25
Complexity........................................................................................................................................25
Chapter 7: Culture, power, politics and choice.....................................................................................26
Chapter 8: Approaches to strategy: Managerial choice and constraints...............................................30
The rise and fall of long-range planning............................................................................................30
Defining strategy...............................................................................................................................30
Applying strategy - Models of strategy.............................................................................................32
Applying strategy – Strategic planning tools.....................................................................................33
Chapter 9: Planned change and organization development (OD).........................................................35
Kurt Lewin and planned change........................................................................................................35
The origins of OD..............................................................................................................................37
The changing nature of OD...............................................................................................................37
Planned change and OD: criticisms...................................................................................................38
Chapter 10: Developments in change management: Emergence challenges Emergent change as OD
strikes back...........................................................................................................................................38
From planned to emergent change..................................................................................................38
Emergent change..............................................................................................................................38
Power and politics............................................................................................................................39
Chapter 11: A framework for change: Approaches and choices...........................................................43
A framework for change...................................................................................................................45
A framework of employee involvement............................................................................................46
A framework for choice....................................................................................................................47
Chapter 12: Organisational change and managerial choice: Part 1: The choice process and the
trajectory process.................................................................................................................................47
The choice Management-Change Management model....................................................................47
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................50
Chapter 13: Organisational change and managerial choice: Part 2: The change process.....................50
The change process..........................................................................................................................50
Chapter 14: Management, leadership and change...............................................................................52
Globalisation and the challenge of change.......................................................................................52
Management and leadership............................................................................................................54
Management development..............................................................................................................57
(Smith) Chapter 1: Introduction: ‘changing philosophies’.....................................................................59
(Smith) Chapter 3: The rational philosophy: ‘changing plans’...............................................................62
(Smith) Chapter 11: The critical philosophy: ‘changing realities’..........................................................65
,(Smith) Chapter 13 The dualities philosophy: ‘changing tensions’........................................................67
, Chapter 1: Introduction to change Management:
fundamental questions for organisations
Why do we want to change?
In the face of internal and external opportunities and threats, organisations change in order to
become more effective at achieving their goals, and that effectiveness is derived from factors such as
processes, people and organisational culture.
- Prescriptive stream: organizational change flows from, and is concerned with implementing,
an organization’s predetermined strategy.
- Analytical stream: organizational change is not an outcome of strategy, but the process by
which it is created and given form.
Should we focus on individual, group or system change?
Three schools of thought that form the central planks on which change management theory is built:
1. The individual Perspective school.
Behaviourists:
- All behaviour is learned.
- Human actions are conditioned by their expected consequences.
- To change behaviour, change the conditions that cause it.
Gestalt-Field psychologist (Lewin):
- Behaviour is not just a product of external stimuli; rather it arises from how
the individual uses reason to interpret these stimuli.
- Seek to help individuals to change their understanding of themselves and the
situation in question, and that will lead to changes in behaviour.
2. The Group Dynamics school.
The focus of change must be at the group level and should concentrate on
influencing and changing the group’s norms, roles and values
3. The Open Systems school.
Organisations as composed of a number or interconnected sub-systems.
Internal changes in one area affect the other areas, and in turn have an impact on the
external environment, and vice versa.
Emphasis is on achieving overall synergy rather than on optimising the performance
of any one individual part per se
Will there be resistance, where from? How can we gain employee
commitment?
Resistance as arising from the interplay between the characteristics of the individual and the
characteristics of the organization.
Theory 1 – Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance states that people try to be consistent in both their attitudes and behaviour.
When they sense an inconsistency either between two or more attitudes or between their attitudes
and behaviour, people experience dissonance; they feel frustrated and uncomfortable with the
situation.
In addition to trying to reduce the dissonance, people will actively, resist or avoid situations and
information that would be likely to increase the dissonance.
Summary
2023
Theories &
Approaches of
Change
Management
Made by: Alexander Maatje
,Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction to change Management: fundamental questions for organisations.................4
Why do we want to change?..............................................................................................................4
Should we focus on individual, group or system change?...................................................................4
Will there be resistance, where from? How can we gain employee commitment?............................4
Who are the change Agents?..............................................................................................................5
Change: how often and how much?...................................................................................................5
Chapter 2: From trial and error to the science of management: the rise of organisation theory...........6
The classical approach:.......................................................................................................................6
Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management..........................................................................................8
The Gilberths and motion study.........................................................................................................8
Henri Fayol and the principles of organization....................................................................................8
Max Weber on bureaucracy................................................................................................................9
Chapter 3: Developments in organisation theory: from certainty to contingency..................................9
Human relations approach.................................................................................................................9
Mary Parker Follett – from Scientific Management to Human Relations..........................................10
Elton Mayo and the Hawthorne Experiments...................................................................................10
Chester Barnard and cooperative systems........................................................................................10
Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.............................................................................................11
Douglas McGregor and Theory X-Theory Y.......................................................................................11
Warren Bennis and the death of bureaucracy..................................................................................12
Job Design: operationalising Human Relations.................................................................................12
The Human Relations approach: criticisms.......................................................................................12
Contingency approach......................................................................................................................12
Burns and Stalker: the importance of the environment...................................................................13
John Woodward: the case for technology.........................................................................................13
Charles Perrow: the case for technology continued.........................................................................13
The Aston Group: the case for size...................................................................................................14
Contingency Theory: summary and criticisms..................................................................................14
Chapter 4: The Culture-Excellence paradigm........................................................................................15
Chapter 5: Alternative paradigms: Japanese management, organizational learning and the need for
sustainability.........................................................................................................................................18
What is the Japanese approach to management?............................................................................18
Conclusions.......................................................................................................................................22
Chapter 6: Critical perspectives on organisation theory: postmodernism, realism and complexity.....22
, Postmodernism.................................................................................................................................23
Realism.............................................................................................................................................25
Complexity........................................................................................................................................25
Chapter 7: Culture, power, politics and choice.....................................................................................26
Chapter 8: Approaches to strategy: Managerial choice and constraints...............................................30
The rise and fall of long-range planning............................................................................................30
Defining strategy...............................................................................................................................30
Applying strategy - Models of strategy.............................................................................................32
Applying strategy – Strategic planning tools.....................................................................................33
Chapter 9: Planned change and organization development (OD).........................................................35
Kurt Lewin and planned change........................................................................................................35
The origins of OD..............................................................................................................................37
The changing nature of OD...............................................................................................................37
Planned change and OD: criticisms...................................................................................................38
Chapter 10: Developments in change management: Emergence challenges Emergent change as OD
strikes back...........................................................................................................................................38
From planned to emergent change..................................................................................................38
Emergent change..............................................................................................................................38
Power and politics............................................................................................................................39
Chapter 11: A framework for change: Approaches and choices...........................................................43
A framework for change...................................................................................................................45
A framework of employee involvement............................................................................................46
A framework for choice....................................................................................................................47
Chapter 12: Organisational change and managerial choice: Part 1: The choice process and the
trajectory process.................................................................................................................................47
The choice Management-Change Management model....................................................................47
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................50
Chapter 13: Organisational change and managerial choice: Part 2: The change process.....................50
The change process..........................................................................................................................50
Chapter 14: Management, leadership and change...............................................................................52
Globalisation and the challenge of change.......................................................................................52
Management and leadership............................................................................................................54
Management development..............................................................................................................57
(Smith) Chapter 1: Introduction: ‘changing philosophies’.....................................................................59
(Smith) Chapter 3: The rational philosophy: ‘changing plans’...............................................................62
(Smith) Chapter 11: The critical philosophy: ‘changing realities’..........................................................65
,(Smith) Chapter 13 The dualities philosophy: ‘changing tensions’........................................................67
, Chapter 1: Introduction to change Management:
fundamental questions for organisations
Why do we want to change?
In the face of internal and external opportunities and threats, organisations change in order to
become more effective at achieving their goals, and that effectiveness is derived from factors such as
processes, people and organisational culture.
- Prescriptive stream: organizational change flows from, and is concerned with implementing,
an organization’s predetermined strategy.
- Analytical stream: organizational change is not an outcome of strategy, but the process by
which it is created and given form.
Should we focus on individual, group or system change?
Three schools of thought that form the central planks on which change management theory is built:
1. The individual Perspective school.
Behaviourists:
- All behaviour is learned.
- Human actions are conditioned by their expected consequences.
- To change behaviour, change the conditions that cause it.
Gestalt-Field psychologist (Lewin):
- Behaviour is not just a product of external stimuli; rather it arises from how
the individual uses reason to interpret these stimuli.
- Seek to help individuals to change their understanding of themselves and the
situation in question, and that will lead to changes in behaviour.
2. The Group Dynamics school.
The focus of change must be at the group level and should concentrate on
influencing and changing the group’s norms, roles and values
3. The Open Systems school.
Organisations as composed of a number or interconnected sub-systems.
Internal changes in one area affect the other areas, and in turn have an impact on the
external environment, and vice versa.
Emphasis is on achieving overall synergy rather than on optimising the performance
of any one individual part per se
Will there be resistance, where from? How can we gain employee
commitment?
Resistance as arising from the interplay between the characteristics of the individual and the
characteristics of the organization.
Theory 1 – Cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance states that people try to be consistent in both their attitudes and behaviour.
When they sense an inconsistency either between two or more attitudes or between their attitudes
and behaviour, people experience dissonance; they feel frustrated and uncomfortable with the
situation.
In addition to trying to reduce the dissonance, people will actively, resist or avoid situations and
information that would be likely to increase the dissonance.
