Change Management
Essay by Paulos1 • August 19, 2016 • Thesis • 4,523 Words (19 Pages) • 1,007 Views
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The University of Lusaka
School of Postgraduate Studies
Name: Paul
Student Number:
Course: Research Methods
Course Code: GBS 700
Due Date: OCTOBER, 2016
Lecturer:
Research Proposal: An analysis of Change Management in Public Organizations - Why do employees resist Change?
Contents
Page Number
- Introduction 3
- Background 4
- Statement of the Problem 5
- Research Objectives 5
- Research Questions 6
- Rationale 7
- Literature Review 7
- Theoretical and Conceptual Framework 11
- Research Methodology 15
- Time Table 16
- References. 17
- Introduction
Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with change both from the perspective of an organization and the individual.
Change Management: activities are involved in:
(1) defining and instilling new values, attitudes, norms, and behaviors within an organization that support new ways of doing work and overcome resistance to change;
(2) building consensus among customers and stakeholders on specific changes designed to better meet their needs; and
(3) planning, testing, and implementing all aspects of the transition from one organizational structure or business process to another.
- Background
Change is a common thread that runs through all businesses regardless of size, industry and age. Our world is changing fast and, as such, organizations must change quickly too. Organizations that handle change will strive, whilst those that do not may struggle to survive.
The concept of "change management" is a familiar one in most businesses today. But how businesses manage change (and how successful they are at it) varies enormously depending on the nature of the business, the market, the political, economical, social and technological forces, the change itself and the people involved. And a key part of this depends on how far people within it understand the change process.
One of the cornerstone models for understanding organizational change was developed by Kurt Lewin back in the 1950s, and still holds true today. His model is known as Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze, refers to the three-stage process of change he describes. Lewin, a physicist as well as social scientist, explained organizational change using the analogy of changing the shape of a block of ice.
Understanding Lewin’s Change Management Model
If you have a large cube of ice, but realize that what you want is a cone of ice, what do you do? First you must melt the ice to make it amenable to change (unfreeze). Then you must mold the iced water into the shape you want (change). Finally, you must solidify the new shape (refreeze).
By looking at change as process with distinct stages, you can prepare yourself for what is coming and make a plan to manage the transition – looking before you leap, so to speak. All too often, people go into change blindly, causing much unnecessary turmoil and chaos. Lewin, K. Field Theory in Social Science, Harper and Row (1951).
- Statement of the Problem
Resistance to change
Resistance to change is the action taken by individuals and groups when they perceive that a change that is occurring as a threat to them.
Key words here are 'perceive' and 'threat'. The threat need not be real or large for resistance to occur.
In its usual description it refers to change within organizations, although it also is found elsewhere in other forms. Resistance is the equivalent of objections in sales and disagreement in general discussions.
Resistance may take many forms, including active or passive, overt or covert, individual or organized, aggressive or timid.
Being persuaded is something that happens to all of us at various times. The problem is that many of us later regret having been taken in and wish we were more skilled at resisting the smooth talk of others.
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