Understanding Change Management - Report Example

Planned programmers of change can often lead to unanticipated outcomes and unintended consequences” (Balogun, 2006). Justify Introduction In this paper the target is to make an argumentative and analytical understanding of the practical implication of change management system. The paper emphasizes over an analytical purview of declarations made by Julia Balogun (2006). The motive is to justify the facts related to the declarations made by this author and to analyze the same on the ground of two practical case studies. The implementation of strategic planning along with a well bases management scenario can add profit to an organization, but there are also chances that these planned changes can lead to ‘unanticipated outcomes’ and ‘unintended consequences’. This is an aspect that has been analyzed in this paper to highlight over the basic consequences or possibilities in a change management system. The organizational support and the analytical declarations are also judged for a balanced kind of consequence. Understanding Change Management Change management has been understood so far as a structured approach for attaining transition in an organization or individuals. This managerial transition can be made applicable to selected teams, individuals and organizations, from a current state or position to a desired segment in the future (Nelson and Aaron, 2005). The idea of Change Management is inclusive of organizational change management processes along with the individual change management models (Hiatt and Creasey, 2003). These are the perspectives that are used together for the management of people and organizational peripheries. Balogun’s Point of View There are many approaches related to the process of managing change. Appreciative Inquiry is a collaborative approach structured for organizational change. It is partly based on assumption that the system of change is instantaneous. For the approach related to Scenario Planning, there is a provision for opting for change by asking management as well as employees for a developed future market possibilities. Apart from all these approaches the initiation led by Julia Balogun (2006) is on a much diversified domain. The research led by Julia Balogun focuses over the fact that the theoretical declarations made over the change management is not always favorable to an organization. The speculations show that changes are considerably generated as an emergent process for all round developments. It is an accepted notion that strategic changes are related to the context-dependent issues and are very much unpredictable. It is a means that intends to lead the strategies for both intended and unintended outcomes (Pettigrew and Whipp, 1991). It has been established that change are not always dynamic, emergent or non-linear in nature. They are equally frustrating as well as daunting (Pettigrew, et al. 1992). Similar kind of context has been forwarded by Rowley and Roevens (2007). For these two researchers, change is a process that demands for certain events getting managed, whereas on the contrary the other systems are 'under' managed state. Apart from change management all the other managerial aspects are subject to self-organized process and improve on natural counts. The theory U of Otto Scharmer (Senge, et.al 2004) considers change strategies as an activity based on the possibilities of emerging future than learning from the past. Balogun’s interpretations however try to see through the levels of uncertainties related to Change management. The below placed diagram shows that the process of adopted change management can definitely lead to reinforcing outcomes, but at the same time there are possibilities for counteracting outcomes. Figure 1 Processes of change and unintended outcomes The diagram specifically shows that even the best-laid plans go wrong without any prior intimation. The interventions are the sources for unanticipated outcomes that can be both reinforcing outcomes and is consistent with the selected direction of change as specifically desired by the designers. The designers groups are inclusive of the staff and the managerial initiators who show more commitment towards the implementation of change in the organization. These units anticipates more in the making the changes in work along with counteracting outcomes which are usually not supportive enough and are not as per the desired direction of change. The persuasion of well-meaning gestures, especially the genuine attempt for opening up to honest communication about the upcoming or possible uncertainties, needs to face by an organization. Balogun stated that the interpretations made over the changing plans, led by the senior managers without any comprehensive planning can lead to cynicism to their position. The research made by Balogun thus clarifies that change management can be unanticipative and can result to unintended outcomes. This in turn can become serious and result can come up with the derailing of the preconceived change programmed. The acts of reutilization of a specific cultural change or a process of adopting hijacked process exemplify these instances. On the contrary there is the also the Closework theory that intervene change as a driven process by the champions. The credit of any change is directly related to internal project teams as well as the consultants. The acknowledgement towards the working delivery team, added by the specified individuals and management proceedings are also considered as integral to the system. Balogun discovered that the approach towards the process of change management by a middle manager is directly related to the sensemaking approach. The traditional approaches in parallel to the modern adaptations show a kind of counteracting consequences with reinforcing outcomes that actually arise outside formal interventions. Balogun suggests two proceedings for a better outcome of change management. These can be noted as follows; Firstly, it is important to change the basics of our assumptions for the process of managing the planned change for the organization Secondly, to consider very well defined practical implications along with new assumptions to apply the strategies under change management. The research initiated by Balogun, further states that counteracting the organizational consequences cannot be always prevented. This is the reason that the unintended consequences should be minimized rather than waiting for it. In case of their arrival it is always important to detect the causes and to apply the right solution to it. The effort of reinforcing consequences can be very particularly unexpected, yet it is necessary to have enough support and adequate back-ups for an encouraged and balanced situation to handle it. Analyzing Balogun The declarations made by Balogun show that frequent failure of any kind of organizational change programmed can be identified through its lack of delivery process against the intended objectives and aims. This particular interpretation has been well acknowledged by some researchers. According to the forwarded support the estimated failure rates has been counted up to 70%1. The interpretation led by Balogun has added more to the investigatory prescriptive approaches. The idea is to design changes within an organization with the aim to improve the relevant success rates. This process is inclusive of acknowledging specialized role of both hard, that is economic and soft, that is interpersonal interventions. These approaches make change context-sensitive and add holistic outcomes to the change management process. The adaptation also gets guarded by the follow ups for basic rules and structured guidelines2. In reference to this declaration it is also necessary to consider and reconsider the management's responsibility. This package of responsibility also gets related to the administrative follow ups to meet the political changes (Carter and Goldsmith, 2001). The managerial profession or the employee that prefer for a change management in an organization must have the insight to detect relevant trends in the current macro environment. The responsibility is also directly related to the persuasion of the micro environment in order to identify the possible changes and then need to initiate the program. The demand for the estimation of the impact of the considered change is very necessary. A failure in this estimation can lead to unpredicted consequences and obvious losses become mandatory. There is definitely a kind of acceptance towards the ‘unanticipated outcomes’ and ‘unintended consequences’ for change management, however a well planned structure noted from the past experience can reduce the risk provoking factors. Change is thus necessary for an organization, but a preparation for ‘unanticipated outcomes’ and ‘unintended consequences’ is also important (Hiatt and Creasey, 2003). The detection of risk can be estimated on the basis of the following employee behavior patterns, work processes, technological requirements, and motivation Balogun is very particular about the dealings of intended as well as unintended outcomes. He declares that these consequences can result from the means through with the middle managers, or the recipients of a change strategy try to devise the strategy at the top. They eventually make sense of the senior management initiatives in making the plan a success or at the least in implementing the same. This is a very well recognized framework that highlights the impact of change recipients over the deciding factors of the outcomes achieved. Balogun further suggested that it is necessary to reconsider the aspects of ‘‘managing’’ change. This should also get supported by the way through which the experienced and the senior managers lead the whole framework of the change management programmed. The emphasis over the middle manager perspective is a domain that illustrates that the change management framework can result and get accounted for the phenomenal declaration of unintended outcomes. The role of the manager who is into the implementation process of change are usually is a managerial authority, who is prepared to face employees reactions in terms of unintended outcomes. If someone is not prepared than there are possibilities that conflicts might arise without any prior information (Tabrizi., 2007). For a management authority it is important to keep him prepared for the unwanted consequences. Management must be prepared to assess the employee reactions and thereby must have the ability to craft a changed program that can provide as well as support as the employees and the workers go through the decided process and accept the change. It is appropriate to recommend that the change program must get implemented, and then disseminated throughout the functions initiated by the organization. The whole scenario has been monitored for effectiveness. It is also very important to adopt the means to adjust the programmed wherever necessary. Organizations are more inclined to exist within a particularized and dynamic environment. This is subject to change and is very much due to while delivering its impact over the varied kind of changes that eventually "triggers", the operating system of the organization. This can be exemplified through the admission of specialists and experts, and also through the adoption of evolving technologies. In order to continue the operative system function effectively within the determined environmental turbulence, it is important for every organization to change its structure in response to the prevalent internal as well as external initiated change. It is universal to understand that these changes lay serious impact over the individuals functioning within the organization. Through effective changes management there is the need for understanding the possible effects related to the changes that come upon people, and the means to manage all kinds potential sources and resources resist to the determined changes. Balogun is thus very correct in considering change as a kind of occurrence where there is some room for managing imbalanced situation and to create a co-relation between the current state and the relevant environment. Case studies The analysis led by Balogun has been investigated here through two instances. These are the cases collected from Practical grounds and are analyzed on the basis of the declarations made by Balogun about the change management. The unpredictability and the application of the same is the core concern of this analysis. These two cases are that are from the sources delivered by Niki Ellis and are speculated under the comment made above. Case 1 The first case is about the Queensland RSPCA3. This is an organization that is independent charity, and provides animal care and related protection services. This organization hardly gets any support from any governmental programmed. The organization is increasing in the total numbers of strays and is very much filled with abandoned animals. The services that are provided are getting stretched to a great limit. The reason is that the organization accepts all kinds of animals that come to its doors. It never refuses any animal that is in need. However, there are many animals that left for RSPCA and are unsuitable for any kind of adoption. These are the categories that need to be put down. As a result the staffs of the organization suffer with heavy working hours and with lots of responsibilities. It has been discovered that the emotional drain is into a serious turn and is creating problems, like those of compassion fatigue. It is definitely an eroding situation where the RSPCA's ability to provide better and high level care to all the animals that come to it. This is a case that tries to find out solution regarding the possibilities through which the organization can get some support. The idea is to discover the means through which the organization can well establish its management and the process to distribute its responsibilities. The solution must needs to focus over the health and absolutely designed well being of all the people along with the animals. Analytical Speculation In order to provide the Queensland RSPCA with a well designed and a changed management there is the need to understand their present scenario. It has been discovered that the organization is having more animals to take care of, than the total number of staff. As it is not well financed by any association or any governmental funds it cannot employ more people to it. As the management is so much stretched with its problems it is unable to have a solution to the problems that persists and the problems that are coming up in the future. In this reference it is appropriate to follow the observations led by Julia Balogun. According to this researcher the foremost thing is related to the acceptance of change within the organization. The management and the staff must agree to some changes that can bring better working conditions the future. The management structure of Queensland RSPCA needs to adopt the process of change, and it needs to relate the changes with the initiatives, added activities and various events for all those who are a part of it. It will definitely function through their existing schemata act and as a matter of fact can turn as a sense-making trigger for a developed stage of organization. Individuals who are a part of the organizations are more conscious about the sense-making mode and that needs to be delivered through the persuasion of various differences that they are experiencing in the current situation. The adoptions to changes can be typically managed by means of sharing their experiences with others. It is sure that the individuals can do this by engaging various plans related to ‘social processes of interaction’. Through social interactions the supports are also made for the development of the organization. The everyday social interactions are very much inclusive of communication in the form of written and spoken structure. It can be equally formal and informal based on discussions, seminars, negotiations, and get-togethers. Inclusion of physical signals, made through behaviors and actions are some added advantages to the change management procedures. This needs to be implemented through various practices added by encouragements of the positives and the countering the negative declarations4. Adoption of the ‘social processes of interaction’ is one such means that can support the change management structure of the Queensland RSPCA. One solution can be of course solved by increasing the fund and this can be well attained by organizing some animal shows and competitions of pets. People who love animals will come to the organization and will of course make some donations. By some competitive occasions the organization can also collect a good amount of money for the welfare of the animals and the people who are working here. Case 2 The second case is about staff of the Police Communication centre5. The Police operations ‘call centre’ works 24x7 and is very busy round the clock. People who are working in this organization receive calls for 000 and the all kinds of general enquiry calls. They receive the information from the public and thereby dispatch the relevant jobs of security and safety to the police on the street. The operators of police communication centre are in charge of controlling all sorts of happening and guide the cop cars through every street under high speed pursuits. The Superintendant to this Police Communication centre; Alf Fordham has been in charge of increasing the level of efficiencies of these operators. These operators are already very much stretched and now are going to face more work loads and responsibilities. Alf has joined, just a few months back and has added improvement to the Police Communication centre. The matter related to change management here is about the acceptance that the operators must have added to their work list or some kind of processed formulation adopted by the Superintendent. Analytical Speculation This case is very much concerned about some kind of change that has been adopted by the Superintendant, Alf Fordham. This is a sensemaking perspective that made the operators work more efficiently within a few months. The basic fact here is all about introducing some well defined technological supports. Fordham has introduced some latest kinds of machines and computer generated programs for a better operational purpose. These operators were using computers but the programs that they were having were all out dated. Fordham added some new software and made the communicative system more systematic and appropriate. Earlier these operators need to go through a longer process to deliver their services, but by the changes brought by Fordham, they are now following much lesser time consuming proceedings. This is a kind of adaptation that needed more understand among the middle managers and the operators. The police authorities too were made aware of these improved communicative systems. The adoptions led by Fordham are related to the change recipients, that is the operators in general. The declarations made by Julia Balogun are very necessary to note here. According to Balogun to adopt a new kind of technological support there is the need for top-down strategies in the organization. This strategic adoption has been followed by Fordham and thus he involved even the cops in upgrading the operators. There were some workshops done for a more elaborate understanding of the upgraded mode of communication. There is the Balogun ‘shift in the shared assumptions’ added by the beliefs in the introduced system. As Balogun has stated that during the changing times there is always a demand for stability and this is the mode that the individuals need to respond in reference to a largely preprogrammed situation. The program and the software introduced by Fordham too were almost ‘taken-for-granted’ and there is a co-ordination and supportive behavior for the success of this new program. Balogun directed for a positive kind of behavior deliverance to gain new job roles through new technology and new working practices. Behavior is the content that can make a new program more considerable for individuals in seeking the means to re-establish the novel and modernized shared patterns of behavior. This is a mode of acceptance of change management that can return the organization to more stable working practices. It is necessary that the individuals move to more conscious sensemaking mode. This will add and properly assess the new program and will add efficiencies within the management groups and the staff of the organization6. Conclusion Eventually it can be well establish that organizational change management is inclusive of processes and novel tools for the purpose of managing people as well as the level of the organization. These tools are very much structured into relevant approaches and are used for an effectively adapted transitionable group (Rogers, 2003). There is a need for understanding between the individual change management along with the provision for the framework of managing the staff and management for the change within the organization. In this reference Balogun describes the usability of ‘top-down programms’ for an effective change management. The organization and the people within it need to have the positive attitude to reconsider both kinds of consequences. There should be a prepared psychology for ‘unanticipated outcomes’ and ‘unintended consequences’. It is very justifiable to accept the Balogun declaration about the process of ‘‘managing’’ change. He stressed on the proceedings led by senior managers. The plans for managing change on traditional ways needs to get equated with the senior managers’ exercising control. The process of prevarication, added by questioning, proper deviation and acceptance to all kinds of consequences can allow for all sorts of obstructive results and the unwarranted resistance within the organization. Acknowledgement towards the senior managers’ ability for a well established initiation along with influence led by interpretive approach are some of the characteristic features that an organization need to follow while undergoing change management. With clear words, Julia Balogun declared that any kind of change requires active involvement of the senior managers. The fact is that they have seen changes in their career and have dealt with adverse kind of situations. It is all about “managing by walking about”. They understand that reinforcing of the outcomes can lead to shared understanding and relevant commitment proceedings. It is thus important to consider that adopting a change management program is necessary for the development of an organization. It is however can lead to a failure instead of success. The organization along with the people concerned to it needs to get prepared for the risk that persists in the process of change. It is always thus recommended By Julia Balogun that initiation of change in an organization should be under the supervision of a senior manager, who has to be a good leader at the same time. REFERENCES Balogun, Julia. (2006) Managing Change: Steering a Course between Intended Strategies and Unanticipated Outcomes. Long Range Planning. 39, Elsevier Ltd. pp. 29-49 Carter, L. & Goldsmith, M. (2001) Best Practices in Organization Development and Change, San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Hiatt, Jeffrey and Timothy Creasey, (2003) Change Management, Prosci Research Nelson, K and Aaron, S (2005). The Change Management Pocket Guide, Change Guides LLC. Pettigrew and Whipp, Managing change for competitive success, Blackwell, Oxford (1991); Pettigrew, A. M. E. Ferlie and L. McKee, Shaping Strategic Change, Sage Publications, London (1992). Rogers, E. M., (2003). Diffusion Of Innovation, New York: Free Press Rowley, Robin; Joseph Roevens (2007). Organize with chaos. Cirencester: Management Books 2000. ISBN 1852525614. OCLC 170042193. Senge, Peter; C. Otto Scharmer, Joseph Jaworski, Betty Sue Flowers (March 2004). Presence. Cambridge, MA: SoL. ISBN 0974239011. OCLC 231987197 Tabrizi, N. B., (2007). Rapid Transformation, Harvard Business School Press. Electronic sources Dr Niki's RSPCA case, Episode 1 - Tuesday 8 April 2008, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/stressbuster/episodes/ep1.html [retrieved on 18th of sept.2009] Dr Niki's Police Communications case, Episode 4 - Tuesday 29 April 2008, http://www.abc.net.au/tv/stressbuster/episodes/ep4.html [retrieved on 18th of sept.2009] Read More