The Lewin's Theory and Different Kinds of Management Models - Case Study Example

? Centre Doncaster Doncaster Business School BA in Business Management Organisational Psychology Assignment Two Fao: Jackie Kaye Submitted: 18/05/2012 Student I.D: DC00384985 Word Count: 2544 Acknowledgements I’d like to thank all my fellow students along with the teaching staff for their input during my research and implementation of this assignment, their help during class and discussion surrounding this paper has helped me to achieve the completed task. Table of Content Acknowledgements 2 INTRODUCTION 4 CASE PERSPECTIVE 4 MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE WITH REFERENCE TO CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODELS 6 LEWIN’s THREE STEP CHANGE THEORY 6 LIPPITT’s PHASES OF CHANGE THEORY 7 Lippitts’ theory aims at the further degree of analysis of the changes in an organisation. This is necessary for all the implications of the change in any organisation. The change has been analysed according to the model. They are as follows: 7 PROCHASKA AND DICLEMENTE’S CHANGE THEORY 8 ANALYSIS OF THE INDIVIDUAL POWER AND POLITICAL RELATIONSHIPS ON THE MANAGEMENT STYLES OF THE ORGANISATION 10 UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF THE POWER 11 POWER MODEL 11 EXPERT MODEL 12 CONCLUSION 13 INTRODUCTION CASE PERSPECTIVE The use of the change management in any organisation is subject to a number of factors that are inherent to the nature of the organisation. The development of the resources is one of the primal factors that decide the shape of the organisation. The use of the different kind of parameters is one of the ways in which the change management of an organisation is accomplished. After the careful observation of this case study in a very objective manner, there has been the identification of the change initiatives to the various kinds of models of the change management. The college, Pearmount College is a medium sized institution in the field of the further education. The college has a part of the social responsibility being the only college that has the post-graduation facility in this place. All the sixteen courses are run in the manner of the post-graduation. The use of the resources is also an area of concern. The performance for the A level was found to be satisfactory (albeit average), but the sixth form colleges were having a very bad performance. This could be attributed to the teaching methods. The new principal of the institution took to the steps of reform for a change in the existing facilities. The aim was to provide the best type of sixth form in the country. There were a number of inherent issues that need to be taken in the context for the use of the data. The factors that triggered the change management measures were as follows- The quality of the full time course was under the scanner. There was differential gradient that existed between the vocational and the full time courses. The staffs of the institution are ageing. The distribution of the workload was also seen to be uneven. In the case of the removal of the vocational course, it was seen that the level of the activity reduced by a great extent. This created a lot of functional problems in the field of the allotment of the appropriate kind of the workload. The efficiency of the programs was also to be questioned due to the rapid kind of the changes being faced by the institution. The changes proposed were as follows: The restructuring of the staff. The increase of the number of the working hours of the students and the staff. This was done to enable more amount of the teaching to happen. This shall also allow the development of the college. The impact of the changes would also be higher in this context. The pay structure of the institution was to change, with the introduction of some higher paid posts and the lower paid posts. The existing lecturer could re-apply without the assured chances of the re-instatement in the college. The major positions had been given a 90 day period by teaching staff, and rapid progress was made in its implementation. There are a number of theories that can be applied in the context of the organisational change. They could have been applied in this case for the management of the changes that were planned. MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE WITH REFERENCE TO CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODELS LEWIN’s THREE STEP CHANGE THEORY This model looks at the interplay of the various kinds of forces in the development of the equilibrium in the organisation. The use of the various kinds of details helps in the analysis of the change management in any organisation. There is a degree of introspection required for the change in the organisation. The employment of the change should have factored all the forces available (Argyris, 2000). Some of the forces of the organisation try to accept the change, while the others hinder the process of the change. The interplay of both the forces has a great impact on the development of the appropriate kind of the methodology of the forces (Baratz, 2002). In this case, the principal had to look at all the factors that were against the change and all the factors that supported it. The first step of the process is the unfreezing of the existent situation. This step was done perfectly by the help of the initiation of new plans for extended work hours and the decrease of the vocational courses. The next part of the plan looks at the change of the behaviour among the coordinates. The third part of the process is the use of the different kind of the methodologies for freezing the desired state. Now, the features of the change were very abrupt. The principal jumped from the first step to the third step without giving adequate time for the restructuring of the needs of the individual stakeholders. This led to the growth of the opposition towards the changes and the resultant strikes. LEWIN’S THREE STEP CHANGE MODEL (Bass, 2000, Pg.89) LIPPITT’s PHASES OF CHANGE THEORY Lippitts’ theory aims at the further degree of analysis of the changes in an organisation. This is necessary for all the implications of the change in any organisation. The change has been analysed according to the model. They are as follows: 1. The diagnosis of the problem. This includes the lack of the quality and the kind of grading used by the rating agencies. 2. The assessment of the motivation of change. 3. The assessment of the various kinds of the forces of the change. This was one of the areas in which the institution misplaced the priorities. 4. The progression of the change objects are also chosen accordingly (Bass, 2000). 5. The institution did not look at the possibility of the selection of the agents of the change in the organisation. The agents of the change in the organisation could have included the various senior level teachers. This part of the process was skipped. It was replaced by the immediate change in the personnel. 6. The level of the communication and the feedback was also not improvised in the proper manner for the change to happen. 7. The degree of the change should be a gradual process, rather than an abrupt one. This would mean that theories of the change should take all the factors into the account at any of the points of time. This has allowed a number of the forces to gain control of the process. The resistance to the change was also an effect of the change. LIPPITT’s PHASES OF CHANGE THEORY (Clegg, 2007, Pg.161) PROCHASKA AND DICLEMENTE’S CHANGE THEORY There are a number of steps of this theory that can be used in the organisation. The variation of the steps may take place according to the different kind of needs. Now, let us take a look at this model of the change. The steps involved are as follows: Pre-contemplation. Contemplations. (The step of the acknowledgement of the problem, this includes the period of the attribution of the change by the help of the resources and the other kind of behaviours of the change). The preparation of the change included the use of the sources for the exercise of the differential kinds of requirements of the change. The stages of the preparation of the changes include the use of the resources for all the actions to have taken place. The configuration of the resources helps in the development of ideas for the change. The maintenance of the change is the last step in the process of the management of the change. This step requires the use of the various kinds of the faculties for the maintenance. This may include the use of the different kind of the motivational factors (Beer, 2000). These may range from the rewards to the various techniques of the performance management. The other kinds of the theories that find a mention in the literature are the theories of the Social cognition and the use of the Theory of the Reasoned Action. The analysis of this case study from the various angles has revealed a number of the interesting points. One of the factors is the use of the methods of the change. The first steps of the change looked at the process of the conciliation among the different coordinates. This included the use of the consensus for the development of the appropriate kinds of the methodologies for the change. The Principal (Mr MerryWeather) allowed at the introduction of the change by the concentration on the different needs of the organisation. This has helped in the development of the regime change. The second part of the change management should have included the use of the resources for the change. This has also led to the development of a differential kind of mechanism. The second step of the process needed a period of the acclimatisation. This was not followed by principal. The step was to go in for period of immediate kind of the restructuring. This hurt the morale of the employees, as the automatic re-election was not ensured under this scheme .This also led to the development of a lot of the problems. These were some of the factors that should have been taken into the consideration while making the changes. The use of the buffer period between the steps would have avoided the development of any kind of the friction among the employees. This would have reduced the amount of the opposition to all the problems faced in the implementation of the change. ANALYSIS OF THE INDIVIDUAL POWER AND POLITICAL RELATIONSHIPS ON THE MANAGEMENT STYLES OF THE ORGANISATION The exercise of power has always been one of the primary areas of the pursuit of a man. The relevance of the power increases even more in the area of the corporate governance. The use of the different kind of the models has been a standard protocol in the definition of the changes of the power in an organisation. There are a number of styles of the management in an organisation. They stem from the ability of any individual to exercise the appropriate level of control on the process. The impact of the personal relationships on the power can be analysed with the help of a number of perspectives (Habermas, 2004). Any kind of change in the organisation is warranted by the demand of the managers at any of the points. This serves as the primary model for the exercise of the equations of the power. The exercise of the individual power in the organisation has a number of viewpoints. One of the viewpoints is the use of leverage for the manipulation of the power dynamics. The other factor is the use of appropriate kind of methodologies, which involve the use of the expert processes for use of the power .The degree of the changes, are involved in the gaining of power from the various sources. The other part of the usage of power perspective is the development of the norms of the change. This includes the development of the different kinds of elements of power within the organisation. This may range from the use of the physical processes to the implementation or the norms of the exchange of the power (Bass, 2000). UNDERSTANDING THE DYNAMICS OF THE POWER POWER MODEL This model helps in the distribution of the power among the different kinds of the model bases. The use of the appropriate kinds of power is one of the primal needs of this model. The influence of this kind of power in an organisation has a number of element factors. One of the basal parts of this model is the dynamics of use of power. There are two different kinds of power that attain relevance. One is the use of personal power and the other is the position power. The degree of the correlation of power elements look at the development of the bases of the power in the various parts of an organisation (Giddens, 2009). Let us look at certain elements of this power and hyperbolae it to the needs of the organisation. If an individual has a very high degree of personal power, it shall have an impact on the kind of management style being followed. The style of management tends to be very autocratic in nature, with the quantum of the flexibility being very less among the different employees. The decisions are based on the personal opinion of the individuals. If the personal power is very less, the style of the management tends to be either Laissez Faire or transactional (Kanter, 1993). The high degree of the personal power may also manifest in the form of a charismatic kind of leadership. In this kind of leadership, all the processes are driven by the individual. If the amount of personal power is very less, but the amount of the position power is very high; this may lead to the development of the bureaucratic kind of leadership. The process of the company would be driven by the protocols set by the rules. The impact of the personal relations on this management style is very less (Mintzberg, 1983). The violation of the rules is only taken against the firm and not the individual. EXPERT MODEL The expert model is one of the other kinds of models that explain the use of the power in the organisations. The different kinds of the bases of the power in the organisation are driven by the expert knowledge. The amount of power is dependent on the amount of level of knowledge on the subject. Since, this kind of the power is not dependent on the personal kind of the relationship; it has no impact on the personal being of the employees. The level of power increases with the corresponding rise of the subject knowledge. The creation of the systems for the governance is one of the requisites of this kind of the governance (Mintzberg, 1983). The types of management espoused by this model include the use of transactional kind of leadership. In certain cases, it may also lead to the master-servant type of management. The various kinds of theories have been used in the exploration of the case study. The principal exercised his position power to make the changes. The degree of the personal power in this case was very less. This can be attributed to the fact that the principal had newly joined, and the development of any kind of the personal power would require a certain amount of the time. This was in opposition to the Lewin’s Theory. If these factors are taken into the consideration, it can be seen that the decision was made out of the personal power. The first change was welcomed and supported by the groups of the teachers and the students. This was also successful as the change was incremental, and it did not infringe on the personal power of the teachers. The sudden advertisement of the jobs was a drastic step, which should have been taken after sometime. This led to the vehement opposition of the teachers, who were supported by the students. The use of the expert model would indicate that the changes were being made in an area, where the teachers were involved. This was a specialized field .So, the principal, did not have an expert power to make any changes. The expert power is also driven by a number of expert bases (the teachers belong to an expert base of knowledge). This is in accordance of the Expert model. This process would have been successful; if it had been taken with the consensus of the teachers. The other point is the lack of the gradual progress in the changes. All the changes were made suddenly. The analysis has revealed certain types of flaws in the application of the theories. CONCLUSION The case study has discussed the various elements of the use of personal power. The implementation of the policies is one of the primary areas of application of the various kinds of theories of change management. The Lewin’s Theory has been given a lot of prominence in the analysis of the requirements. The basal flaw of the implementation of the changes was in the speed of the application. The different stages of the application were done in a hurried manner. This also led to dissidence among the different class of employees. The exercise of the individual power is an integral part of the management of any organisation. It shapes the different equations in an organisation (Schein, 2004). The use of the different kinds of model has allowed the formation of the necessary idea about the configuration of power. The other model and the expert model have been developed in this regard. The different kinds of management methods were also discussed as an additional kind of feature. The different kinds of management models depend on the practice of the appropriate types of individual power dimensions in an organisation. There have been appropriate references to the existent parallels in the case study. REFERENCES Alvesson, M. (2006). Communication, power and organisation. Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. Argyris, C. (2000). Overcoming organizational defences: Facilitating organizational learning. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Bachrach, P., & Baratz, M. (2002). Two faces of power. American Political Science Review, 56,947–952. Bass, B.M. (2000). Leadership, psychology and organizational behavior. New York: Harper. Beer, M. (2000). Organization Change and development: A systems view. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear. Beer, M. (2008). The critical path to change: Keys to success and failure in six companies. In R.H. Killmann & T.J. Covin (Eds.), Revitalizing organizations. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass. Clegg, S. (2007). The power of language, the language of power. Organization Studies, 8, 60–70. Clegg, S. (2004). Social theory for the study of organizations: Weber and Foucault. Organization ,1, 149–178. Dunphy, D.C., & Stace, D.A. (2008). Transformational and coercive strategies for planned organizational change: Beyond the OD model. Organizational Studies, 9, 317–334. Gergen, K.J. (2001). The social construction of reality. London: Sage. Giddens, A. (2009). Central problems in social theory. London: Macmillan. Greiner, L.E. & Schein, V.E. (2008). Mobilizing power to implement change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Habermas, J. (2002). Knowledge, and human interests. London: Heinemann. Habermas, J. (2004). The theory of communicative action. Boston: Beacon Press. Kanter, R.M. (1993). The change masters: Corporate entrepreneurs at work (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. Kelley, H.H., & Thibaut, J.T. (2008). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. NewYork: Wiley. Lukes, S. (1974). Power: A radical view. London: Macmillan. Mintzberg, H. (1983). Power in and around organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Pfeffer, J. (1981). Power in organizations. Marshfield, MA: Pitman. Pfeffer, J. (1992). Politics and influence in organizations. Boston:Harvard Business School Press. Schein, E. (2004). On dialogue, culture, and organizational learning. Organizational dynamic. 22, 40–51. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alvesson, M. (2006). Communication, power and organization. Berlin, Germany: Walter de Gruyter. Argyris, C. (2000). Overcoming organizational defenses: Facilitating organizational learning.Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Bachrach, P., & Baratz, M. (2002). Two faces of power. American Political Science Review, 56,947–952. Bass, B.M. (2000). Leadership, psychology and organizational behavior. New York: Harper. Beer, M. (2000). Organization Change and development: A systems view. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear. Beer, M. (2008). The critical path to change: Keys to success and failure in six companies. In R.H. Killmann & T.J. Covin (Eds.), Revitalizing organizations. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass. Clegg, S. (2007). The power of language, the language of power. Organization Studies, 8, 60–70. Clegg, S. (2004). Social theory for the study of organizations: Weber and Foucault. Organization ,1, 149–178. Dunphy, D.C., & Stace, D.A. (2008). Transformational and coercive strategies for planned organizational change: Beyond the OD model. Organizational Studies, 9, 317–334. Gergen, K.J. (2001). The social construction of reality. London: Sage. Giddens, A. (2009). Central problems in social theory. London: Macmillan. Greiner, L.E. & Schein, V.E. (2008). Mobilizing power to implement change. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley. Habermas, J. (2002). Knowledge, and human interests. London: Heinemann. Habermas, J. (2004). The theory of communicative action. Boston: Beacon Press. Kanter, R.M. (1993). The change masters: Corporate entrepreneurs at work (2nd ed.). London: Routledge. Kelley, H.H., & Thibaut, J.T. (2008). Interpersonal relations: A theory of interdependence. NewYork: Wiley. Lukes, S. (1974). Power: A radical view. London: Macmillan. Mintzberg, H. (1983). Power in and around organizations. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Pfeffer, J. (1981). Power in organizations. Marshfield, MA: Pitman. Pfeffer, J. (1992). Politics and influence in organizations. Boston:Harvard Business School Press. Schein, E. (2004). On dialogue, culture, and organizational learning. Organizational dynamic. 22, 40–51. Read More