Managing Organizational Chapter

Change, Resistance, & Conflict 11

 Reactions to Change

At any given point in our lives, we all go various changes

School
Family
Personal
We have all been through change - but how do we think
about and manage it?
Dealing with the people issues, or soft side of technology, is
an area that most technical people do not enjoy.
Many technical people and managers naively believe that the
users within the organization will gladly embrace a new
 Managers & Technical People May Have
The False Beliefs
People want this change.
Monday morning well turn on the system and theyll
use it.
A good training program will answer all of their
questions and then theyll love it.
Our people have been through a lot of change
whats one more change going to matter?
We see the need for helping our people adjust, but
we had to cut something.
They have two choices. They can change or they can
 In Reality,
Some people believe that it is easier to gain
compliance than it is to gain acceptance
It assumes that everyone will comply and that compliance
is long lasting
Unfortunately,
The change may not occur
People will comply for a time and then do things to get
around the change
Users will accept only a portion of the change
And the full benefits of the project (MOV) are never
realized or only after a great deal of time and
 Change Management
Acceptance is much more powerful and longer lasting than
compliance
This requires that employees be prepared properly before the
system is implemented
A company going green requires employees to give up
individual printers and share printer servers. Losing
entitlements can cause resentment.
Change management helps smooth the transition and
implementation of the new IT solution
Defined by the Gartner Group
The transforming of the organization so it is aligned with the
execution of a chosen corporate business strategy. It is the
The Nature of Change

Whether we view change as positive

(anticipation) or negative (dread), there is
a certain amount of stress that
accompanies each change.
Change has an Impact.
Change is a Process.
Change is Emotional.
 Assimilating Change
Organizations must deal with change as an individual
would and manage within the change threshold
Positive (anticipation) or negative (dread) change causes
stress and anxiety
Assimilation is the process of adapting to change. How long
it takes is a function of the impact of the change
Not assimilating fast enough or too many changes at once
can lead to problems. Managing change is critical.
To much change can lead to organizational disfunction
Inability to take advantage of new opportunities
Inability to solve current problems
 Assimilating Change

Leavitts Model of Organizational Change suggest that

changes in people, technology, task or organizational
structure can influence or impact other areas

The four areas are interdependent a change in one

can result in a change in other areas

Implementing a new IT system (technology) can

lead to new roles and responsibilities (people) as
well as impact the work they perform (tasks) and
the structure of the organization (formal or
Impact of Organizational Change
(Leavitts Model)
People

Structure Technology

Task
Change Is a Process

Kurt Lewin Force Field Analysis / Change Theory

Help to analyze and understand the forces for and
against a particular plan or change initiative
FFA technique for developing a big picture that
involves all the forces in favor or against a particular
change
Driving forces facilitate change
Resisting forces act as barriers to change
By understanding all these forces, one may enact
strategies or decisions that take into account all of
the various interests
 Change Is a Process

The present state represents the status quo

To change from the current state, there must be driving forces
to initiate and motivate the change
This requires an unfreezing or an altering of the current states
habits, perceptions and stability (feeling of loss)
The transition state or neutral zone can be a limbo or
emotional wilderness for many individuals
Rushing individuals through the transition results in confusion and
the resisting forces (emotional/psychological barriers) tend to
push the individuals back to their present state or to escape
(leave the organization)
Staying too long in the transition state may lead to a compromise
and only a portion of the change may be implemented
 Change is a Process

Driving Forces Resisting Forces

Present Transition
State State Desired
State

Unfreezing Changing Refreezing -

New Status Quo

Force Field Analysis Lewin, 1951

 Emotional Response to Change

Change can also bring out emotional responses

An well established equilibrium is upset
Five stages of grieving (Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, On Death
and Dying) have been applied to handling change
Management may be way ahead of others in the
stages due to knowing about the change early on.
They must have patience to let other reach the same
stage.
Sense of loss of status quo
Acceptance accept but not necessarily like the change,
deal with it
 Five Stages of Grieving
Denial
Shock and disbelief - Are you serious? This cant be true!
Anger
Blaming others for the change - feel anger, dont act on it
Bargaining
Attempts to make deals to avoid the change, we can work things out
Looks for ways to extend the status quo
Depression
Admits that change is inevitable and understands the impact
Recognizes loss of the status quo
Acceptance
Coming to grips with the change, deals with it
Reactions to Change

Change may
Be an ending
Mean giving something up
Be stressful
Be easier for those initiating the
change
Be the basis for resistance and conflict
Change the rules for success
 Change Management Plan

To succeed with change, the key is to plan

and manage the change and the associated
transition effectively
Just creating a change management plan
sends a message that management cares
about its employees and will take seriously
their concerns
The project team and sponsor should address
and be clear on several important areas
Change Management Plan
Assess Willingness, Readiness, and
Ability to Change
Players involved in change
Sponsor
Initiating vs. sustaining sponsor
A major portion of the organizations ability and
willingness to support the change rests with the
sponsors commitment to the project and the
associated change that will impact the organization
Change Agents
The project manager and team make the change
happen
Report directly to the plan sponsor
Must consider how change impacts the rest of the
Assess Willingness, Readiness, and
Ability to Change

Targets of Change
The users, customers, etc.
Must understand
The real impacts of the change
The breadth of change
Whats over and whats not
Whether the rules for success have changed
New management now promotes based on
performance and not seniority
Develop or Adopt a Strategy for
Change
RationalEmpirical Approach
How will change benefit a particular person or
group identified as a target of the change
Message must be consistent, accurate and timely
Saying nothing can send the wrong message
Picture vision as to how the organization will look
or operate in the future
Purpose, - reason for the change, impact on entire
organization (current poor service)
Part to Play involvement in the change, WIIFM
(whats in it for me)
 Develop or Adopt a Strategy for
Change
Normative-Reeducation Approach
Focuses on helping people redefine their existing social
norms into a new set that supports the change effort
People are social beings and human behavior can be
changed by changing the social norms of a group
Focus on the core values, beliefs, and established
relationships that make up the culture of the group rather
than the individual
This approach can be very difficult and time consuming
because the change agents and sponsor must study the
existing values and beliefs of a group
Need to unfreeze the current norms and set new norms to replace
them
 Develop or Adopt a Strategy for
Change
Power-Coercive Approach
Compliance through the exercise of power,
authority, rewards or threat of punishment for
nonconformance
May lead to employees looking for other employment
Others may just wait out the storm and wait for the old
ways to return
OTOH, the shock may wake up employees to reality and
gain their acceptance. When time is of the essence, this
approach can work if employees have no other options
 Develop or Adopt a Strategy for
Change

Environmental-Adaptive Approach
Although people may avoid disruption
and loss, they can still adapt to change
Cortez burned the boats when he heard
grumbling from his men forced to press on
Switch word processor over weekend so on
Monday everyone is forced to use the new
version
Implement the Change Management
Plan and Track Progress

Communication
Watch out for the rumor mill!
Media is important
Face to face communication is generally preferable
when delivering important or bad news
Must flow in both directions.
What you dont say is as important as what you
do say!
Evaluate Experience and Develop
Lessons Learned

Experiences should be documented and

made available to other project teams
Overall success of the change management
plan should be evaluated
Help to determine the effectiveness of the
different players or a particular change
management strategy
Best Practices

Provide consistent communication and

involvement WIIFM (Whats In It For Me)
Determine support needs - where do people go
for help and information?
Measure and communicate progress (Quick Wins)
Build the need for change (Burning Platform)
Ensure visible, consistent sponsorship
Allow the disenchanted to vent
Listen, listen, and listen some more
 Resistance and Conflict
Resistance should be anticipated from the outset of
the project
Resistance can be either overt, in the form of memos,
meetings, etc., or covert, in the form of sabotage,
foot dragging, politicking, etc.
Resistance can arise for many valid reasons.
E.g., Response time of the system is too slow or lacks
requested features and functionality
Resistance due to cultural or behavioral reasons is
harder to rationalize, but still can keep a project from
reaching its intended goal
 Why Do People Resist Change?
People may perceive the change as requiring more time and
energy than they are willing to invest.
People may feel that a change will mean giving up
something that is familiar, comfortable, and predictable.
People may be annoyed with the disruption caused by the
change, even if they know that it will be beneficial in the
long run.
People may believe that the change is being imposed on
them externally, and their egos will not tolerate being told
what to do.
People may resist because of the way the decision to
 Conflict Management

Focuses on preventing, managing, or resolving

conflicts.
It is important to identify potential conflicts as early
as possible so that the conflict can be addressed.
Although conflict can be positive and help form new
ideas and establish commitment, negative conflict
left unresolved can lead to damaged relationships,
mistrust, unresolved issues, continued stress,
dysfunctional behavior, and low productivity and
morale.
Although conflict is one of the things most of
us dislike intensely, it is inevitable. Most
often when we try to avoid conflict, it will
nevertheless seek us out. Some people
wrongly hope that conflict will go away if it is
ignored. In fact, conflict ignored is more
likely to get worse, which can significantly
reduce project performance. The best way to
reduce conflict is to confront it.

(Verma, 1998, p. 367)

Types of Conflict
Traditional View
All conflict should be avoided
Why cant we all just get along?
Contemporary View
Conflict is inevitable and natural
Positive conflict stimulates ideas
Lets agree to disagree!
Negative conflict can be damaging
Interactionist View
Conflict is necessary for performance
Devils advocate
Stir the pot to encourage positive conflict
Tough to manage properly
 Types of Conflict

Verma points out that conflict within projects can

fit into one, or a combination, of three
categories
1. Conflicts associated with the goals, objectives
or specifications of the project
2. Conflicts associated with the administration,
management structures or underlying
philosophies of the project
3. Conflicts associated with the interpersonal
relationships among people based on work
ethics, styles, egos or personalities
 11-
Approaches to Conflict
33
Avoidance
Retreat, withdraw, or ignore conflict
Cooling off period may be a wise move
Accommodation
Appease the parties in conflict, may be only
useful in the short-term
Forcing
Dominant authority resolves conflict, useful when
time critical decision is needed
 Approaches to Conflict
Compromise
Involves aspects of forcing and accomodation
Bargaining important aspect of a project may be
compromised (e.g., quality standards
compromised to meet project schedule)
Collaboration
Confronting and attempting to solve the problem
by incorporating different ideas, viewpoints, and
perspectives.
Requires time and sincere desire to work out a
mutually acceptable solution
 Approach to Conflict Situation

Each conflict situation is unique and the choice of an

approach to resolve conflict depends on:
Type of conflict and its relative importance to the
project.
Time pressure to resolve the conflict.
Position of power or authority of the parties involved.
Whether the emphasis is on maintaining the goals,
objectives of the project or maintaining relationships.