Reconsidering Change Management

Foreword -- List of contributors -- Introduction -- Why reconsider change management? -- Story of change : 18 leading assumptions in change practice -- Methodology -- Examining the story of change : Part I -- Examining the story of change: Part II -- Examining the story of change: Part III -- The story of change reconsidered -- Appendix a: overview of authors and researchers -- Appendix b: allocation of researchers per assumption -- Appendix C: List of firms referred to in Chapter 3 -- Appendix D: Bibliography -- Index

Despite the popularity of organizational change management, the question arises whether its prescriptions and dominant beliefs and practices are based on solid and convergent evidence. Organizational change management entails interventions intended to influence the task-related behavior and associated results of an individual, team, or entire organization. There is a perception that a lot of change initiatives fail and limited understanding about what works and what does not and why. Drawing on the field of psychology and based on primary research, Reconsidering Change Management identifies 18 popular and relevant commonly held assumptions with regard to change management that are then analyzed and compared to the four specific themes laid out in the book (people, leadership, organization, and change process), resulting in their own set of assumptions. Each assumption will have a brief introduction in which its relevance and popularity is explained. By studying the scientific evidence, in particular meta-analytic evidence, the book provides students and academics in the fields of change management, organizational behavior, and business strategy the best available evidence for the acceptance or dropping of certain (change) management assumptions and their accompanying practices. By exploring the topics people, leadership, organization, and process, and the related assumptions, change management is restructured and reframed in a prudent, positive, and practical way.

Despite the popularity of organizational change management, the question arises whether its prescriptions and dominant beliefs and practices are based on solid and convergent evidence. Organizational change management entails interventions intended to influence the task-related behavior and associated results of an individual, team, or entire organization. There is a perception that a lot of change initiatives fail and limited understanding about what works and what does not and why. Drawing on the field of psychology and based on primary research, Reconsidering Change Management identifies 18 popular and relevant commonly held assumptions with regard to change management that are then analyzed and compared to the four specific themes laid out in the book (people, leadership, organization, and change process), resulting in their own set of assumptions. Each assumption will have a brief introduction in which its relevance and popularity is explained. By studying the scientific evidence, in particular meta-analytic evidence, the book provides students and academics in the fields of change management, organizational behavior, and business strategy the best available evidence for the acceptance or dropping of certain (change) management assumptions and their accompanying practices. By exploring the topics people, leadership, organization, and process, and the related assumptions, change management is restructured and reframed in a prudent, positive, and practical way.

After Matt Watson had run his last workforce reduction project, he felt troubled. Disturbed with how much organizational change forces impact on the workforce. Realizing that the constant is change, he shifted his focus to creating something new. In turn, he created a change approach that would partner the organization with the employees. Change models are relatively new to organizational management and have made a positive impact on helping companies navigate change. However, there are still gaps in each change model leaving managers with incomplete blueprints. Rethinking Change Management addresses those gaps and explains the 9X change model. This approach curates the best practices from each change model to help build a comprehensive change strategy. Unique to the 9X model is that the approach to change focuses on engaging the workforce with nudges and empowered decision making. This 45-minute read will help ignite your thinking on looking at change through a new window and how you apply change management at your organization.

Changes are rarely accomplished by individuals. People are social animals and changes are social processes which have to be organized. Social psychology is essential for the effectiveness and development of the field of change management. It is necessary to understand people in change processes. Social psychology also teaches us that meaning is key during change and intervention. Social psychology makes change management comprehensible to people and allows them to consider their actions in groups and the organization on their merits. They may seem obvious and self-evident, but practice and science, as well as the popular change management literature, show that it is not. Drawing on the field of social psychology and based on primary research, The Social Psychology of Change Management presents more than forty social psychological theories and concepts that are relevant for the field of change management. The theories and concepts are analyzed and categorized following Fiske’s five core social motives; belonging, understanding, controlling, enhancing self, and trusting. Each theory will have an introduction in which its assumptions and relevance is explained. By studying the scientific evidence, including meta-analytic evidence, the book provides practitioners, students and academics in the field of change management, organizational behaviour and business strategy the most relevant social psychological ideas and best available evidence, thereby further unleashing the potential of social psychology in order to feed the field of change management. By categorizing and integrating the relevant theories and concepts, change management is enriched and restructured in a prudent, positive and practical way. The overarching goal, however, inspired by the ideas and perspective of leading thinkers like Kurt Lewin, James Q. Wilson and Susan T. Fiske, is to make the world a better place. Social psychologists (being social scientists) study practical social issues, in our case issues related to change management, and application to real-world problems is a key goal. Therefore, this book goes beyond the domain of organizational sciences.

Humans are social animals, and change is a social process. To understand this social process and explain the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours of individuals, knowledge of how the presence of others influences people is crucial. In this regard, bias is a concept with a lot of potential. Because cognitive and social biases influence human thinking, feelings, and behaviour, these provide insights and knowledge that are helpful, if not essential, for the field of organizational behaviour and change management. The preceding statements may seem obvious and self-evident, but practice as well as science show that they are neither. Organizational Behaviour and Change Management: The Impact of Cognitive and Social Bias aims at unleashing the potential of cognitive and social biases to develop a more effective change management theory and practice. To do so, we analysed and assessed thousands of scientific articles. The most prominent biases are structured by using a practical and comprehensible framework based on five core social motives (belonging, understanding, controlling, trusting, and self-enhancing). With its evidence-based, systematic, and integrative approach, this book provides scientists and practitioners in the field of organizational behaviour and change management with the best-available evidence, linking biases to organizational behaviour and change and further enriching the field of change management.

Rethinking Organizational Change: The Role of Dialogue, Dialectic & Polyphony in the Organization makes an important scholarly contribution to our understanding of dialogue applied to the management of change. Muayyad Jabri offers an involved assessment of the differences between 'dialogue’ and ‘dialectic’ and an intriguing invitation to rely on both for managing creative interventions into the change process. The book provides a surplus of new insights that will help to promote scholarly work in the area of managing change and to develop a more creative practice associated with the processes of managing change. The call for polyphony facilitates a crossover from sameness to diversity and from univocal to multivocal representations. In reading patterns of managing change, whether from within or across organizational borders, it is found that a vital part of the reading is, at present, ‘unreadable’ because we lack involved knowledge of how diversity and polyphony are interrelated. This book seeks to change this; based on a rendition of Mikhail Bakhtin’s anthropological concept of polyphony applied to organizational change. The reader is treated to a cutting-edge discussion of a variety of contemporary ontological and epistemological themes centered on process, dialectic, dialogue and social construction.

Transform your organization with speed and efficiency using this insightful new resource Incremental improvement is no longer sufficient in helping organizations navigate the complexity, uncertainty and volatility of today's world. In Change: How Organizations Achieve Hard-to-Imagine Results in Uncertain and Volatile Times, authors John P. Kotter, Vanessa Akhtar, and Gaurav Gupta explore how to create non-linear, dramatic change in your organization. You'll discover the emerging science of change that teaches us about how to build organizations – from businesses to governments – that change and adapt rapidly. In Change you'll discover: Why the ability of organizations to deal with threats and take advantage of opportunities in the face of ever greater complexity and uncertainty is being severely challenged In-depth, evidence-based, actionable solutions for dealing with institutional resistance to change Case studies and success stories that describe organizations who have successfully built the ability to change quickly into their DNA A universal approach for how to dramatically improve outcomes from various change efforts, including: strategy execution, digital transformation, restructuring, and more Perfect for managers, executives, and leaders at companies of all types and sizes, Change will also prove to be a valuable asset to other professionals who serve these organizations. This book is for anyone seeking a proven approach for delivering fast, sustainable and comprehensive results.

This text explores the experiences of tempered radicals. These are people who want to become valued and successful members of their organisations without selling out on who they are and what they believe in.

Organizational change impacts upon all organizations regardless of size and sector. In this unique organizational change textbook, important ongoing debates about managing change and leading change are combined, giving a broader perspective that encourages readers to engage with both management and leadership. In combination, management and leadership insights inform how organizations are changing and how we can make a positive difference in such processes of change. Managing and Leading Organizational Change speaks both to the applied and practical aspects of organizational change, as well as questioning the research and evidence base of organizational change practices. Chapters begin with real-world insights, followed by coverage of the major theories. The ongoing nature of these debates is signposted through the inclusion of questioning sections with research case studies showcased. This textbook will be particularly beneficial for final year undergraduates and postgraduates studying organizational change, strategic change, change management and change leadership modules.