OB-Chapter 15 organizational change

Change process

• Change is a series of organizational events or psychological steps happening over time.

• It has three main stages:

  1. Unfreezing — Realizing the current state is unsatisfactory.

  2. Changing — Implementing the new ways or behaviors.

  3. Refreezing — Making the new ways permanent and stable.

What organizations can change

• Organizations can change many things (processes, structures, culture, technology, etc.).

• Key points about change:

  1. Change in one area usually leads to change in others.

  2. Most changes affect people and need careful management of those changes.

  3. Change requires both individuals and the organization to learn and adapt.

Issues in the change process

Organizations face key challenges during change that must be managed for success:

• Diagnosis: Correctly identifying what needs to change.

• Resistance: Overcoming pushback from people affected by the change.

• Evaluation & Institutionalization: Assessing the change’s impact and making it a lasting part of the organization.

Organizational developement

Planned effort to improve how an organization works and how people feel at work. It uses the knowledge of behavioural science to foster a culture of organizational self-examination and readiness for change.
• A strong emphasis is placed on interpersonal and group processes.
• OD efforts tend to be ongoing.
• OD seeks to modify cultural norms and roles.
• Organizational change affects members and their cooperation
is necessary to implement change.
• OD has a joint concern with both people and performance.

Organizational developement strat

• job enrichment: Enhancing job roles to increase motivation and satisfaction.

• Management by objectives: Setting clear, measurable goals collaboratively.

• Diversity training: Promoting inclusion and understanding among employees.

• Self-managed teams: Teams that organize and manage their own work.

• Cross-functional teams: Groups with members from different departments working together.

• Empowerment: Giving employees authority and motivation to take initiativ

Four key OD strategies demonstrating diversity:

1. Team building: Activities to improve team cohesion and cooperation.

2. Survey feedback: Collecting and analyzing employee opinions to guide change.

3. Total Quality Management (TQM): Continuous improvement focusing on quality in all processes.

4. Reengineering: Radical redesign of core business processes to improve performance.

Creative Deviance:

When employees ignore management orders to stop working on a creative idea.
Example: An engineer keeps developing a new product feature despite a manager telling them to halt.

Gatekeepers

Individuals who connect the organization with outside information, adapt it, and spread it internally.
Example: A marketing manager attends industry conferences and shares new trends with their team.