A Systemic Model for Managing and Evaluating Conflicts in Organizational Change (original) (raw)

A Systemic Model for Conflict Management and Evaluation in Organizational Change

2010

Change management is often complex as it relies on an organized methodology to complement on organization’s commitment and participation. An ambiguous environment surrounding change mechanism tends to develop unintended attitudes, resulting in resistance and conflict. The study proposes a model for the management of such conflicts among change participants (involved and affected) in an organizational context. The authors consider organizational change as an innovation diffusion project that treats change and conflicts holistically with the Ulrich’s notion of boundary considerations (boundary critique). A social network setting of multiple stakeholders is considered to effectively help in resolving problematic situations that hinder organizational learning and change. The proposed model is based on Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH), change theory, stakeholder theory and conflict management.

CHANGES: A conflict management model for organizational redesign efforts

Organizational design enhances a company’s business strategy by configuring and reconfiguring organizations through the alignment of processes, rewards, policies, structures, and practices. When the organizational design process takes place, the multiple changes involved have the potential to spur conflict that can adversely affect employees and the organization itself. Though conflict naturally ensues during organizational change, it can be successfully lessened with proper management. The purpose of this paper is to present a conflict management model for change agents to use when involved in organizational design. The model uses the acronym CHANGES, which stands for areas of attention for change agents to consider throughout the design process. These areas are: Communication, Help, Assessment, New Roles, Guidelines, Education, and Support.

Systemic Problems in Information Technology Adoption and Use: A Systems Thinking Perspective

Change or innovation diffusion is a key issue for most business organizations but is yet difficult to implement as the change management process is often complex as it relies on an organized methodology to complement an organization's commitment and participation. An ambiguous environment surrounding change mechanism tends to develop unintended attitudes, resulting in resistance and conflict. The study proposes a model for the management of such conflicts among change participants (involved and affected) in the context of organizational change. The authors consider organizational change process as an innovation project that treats change and conflicts holistically with the Ulrich's notion of boundary considerations (boundary critique). A social network setting of multiple stakeholders is considered to effectively help in resolving problematic situations that hinder organizational learning and change. The proposed model provides a theoretical foundation based on concepts governing Critical Systems Heuristics (CSH), change theory, stakeholder theory and conflict management.

Organizational Change and Resistance Dilemmas' Resolution Approaches and Mechanisms

2015

Change management initiatives in contemporary organizations face numerous challenges resulting from rigid organizational structures, improper communication of the change vision, and sabotage from various quarters affected by the change initiatives. This paper addresses the phenomenon of change and outlines the dilemmas that often accompany change management initiatives at various stages of implementation. The paper goes ahead to demonstrate that change management is not a bad idea after all. The paper also suggests a way out for resolution of change dilemmas in organizations.

Organizational Change: Framing the Issues

Revista de Științe Politice/ Revue des Sciences Politiques, 2018

The study of change is a major concern at present in all fields of science. Traditionally, in philosophy and socio-human sciences, the concept of change was approached as opposed to that of stability, with intense debates about the desirability and importance of order and stability vs. the unpredictability of change. While in classical approaches to organizational change the conceptions that favoured order, stability, and routine prevailed, modern approaches recognize the decisive role of accepting change for the development and progress of organizations. In the field of organization development and organizational becoming nowadays strategies are sought and devised in order to align the organizations not only with their rapid inner changing, but also with the external multiple, complex, and dynamic environments. Starting from an outline of the factors of change and of the term of change as it has been conceptualized in sociology, the present paper aims to delineate a general framework for addressing organizational change. In this regard, after discussing the relationship between organizational change and the social and economic environment and delineating the main areas and agents of change in an organization, the various types of change in the organization and the models of their approach are addressed. Furthermore, since the resistance to change is a common and omnipresent human and social phenomenon, including at the level of groups and organizations, the paper approaches also the causes and manifestations of change resistance, as well as the possible measures for combating this phenomenon, in situations where the change is beneficial and necessary.

Navigating Organizational Change

Encyclopedia of Strategic Leadership and Management

Organizational change is a critical process for the survival of any organization in the 21st century. Resistance to change, oftentimes presented by stakeholders within an organization, is a major impediment to the process and can lead to chaos. While being a driver of change, chaos complicates and often impedes transformation. Thus, while chaos necessitates highly dynamic change, resistance stands in the way of mobility. The goal of thriving through chaos and change poses challenges to leaders, managers, and an organization's many stakeholders, while also providing opportunities for learning and growth within the organization. Hence, a sophisticated approach aimed at eliminating, weakening, adapting or transforming different aspects of resistance serves the organization and its stakeholders with the benefits of acceptance, learning and growth. This chapter discusses factors that spark resistance to organizational change and presents opportunities to generate collective acceptanc...

Case Study Analysis on an Organisation Change Management & Change Process

Introduction This case study focuses on a fast growing online business services startup platform in Australia. It operates as its own functioning business unit under the umbrella of News Ltd, who own a cluster of individual digital companies also known as Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, one of the world’s largest global media companies. This case study examines a change that occurred when almost the entire senior management staff level was replaced including the CEO two years ago. Organisational change is something that occurs throughout an organisation’s life cycle and effects the entire organisation rather than one part of it. Employing a new person is one example. Change is increasing due to a number of forces including globalisation led by rapidly advancing technologies, cultural diversity, environmental resources and the economy; therefore the ability to recognise the need for change as well as implement change strategies effectively, in a proactive response to internal and external pressures is essential to organisational performance. Internal changes can include organisational structure, process and HR requirements and external changes involve government legislation, competitor movements and customer demand (Wood et al, 2010). Change does not need to be a painful process, as it may seem when observing the amount of failed change management initiatives with reports as low as 10% of researched success rates (Oakland & Tanner, 2007), when successful change management strategies are utilised and planned, including effective communication strategies, operational alignment, readiness to change and implementation, which all lower and overcome resistance (Wood et al, 2010). There is a great amount of literature on the negative aspects and difficult management with employees resisting change, however Wood et al (2010) challenge this notion by questioning the change management process as people do not resist change itself but aspects of the change that affects them personally such as fear of the unknown, status, remuneration and comfort. Resistance to these changes is a healthy reaction and can be managed effectively in the beginning by ensuring communication and using one of the change initiatives described here .

A theoretical framework of organizational change

Journal of Organizational Change Management, 2013

Purpose-Organizational change is a risky endeavour. Most change initiatives fall short on their goals and produce high opportunity and process costs, which at times outweigh the content benefits of organizational change. This paper seeks to develop a framework, offering a theoretical toolbox to analyze context-dependent barriers and enablers of organizational change. Starting from an organizational identity perspective, it aims to link contingency-based approaches, such as environmental scan, SWOT and stakeholder analysis, with insights from organizational behaviour research, such as knowledge sharing and leadership. Design/methodology/approach-The framework is informed by long-lasting field research into organizational change in an international policing environment. The theories in the framework are selected from the perspective of field validity in two ways; they were chosen because the topics covered by these theories emerged as relevant during the field research and therefore it can be expected they have applicability to the field. The authors' insights and suggestions are summarised in 13 propositions throughout the text. Findings-The analysis provides a clear warning that organizational change is more risky and multifaceted than change initiators typically assume. It is stressed that the external environment and the internal dynamics of organizations co-determine the meaning of managerial practices. This implies that cure-all recipes to organizational change are bound to fail. Originality/value-This paper makes an ambitious attempt to cross disciplinary boundaries in the field of organizational change research to contribute to a more comprehensive and holistic understanding of change processes by integrating perspectives that focus on the internal context and the external environment of organizations.