Change Management
LITERATURE REVIEW ESSAY
As competitions within the global market continue to intensify, change is arguably the only element that ensures organisation survival. Nadler and Tushman (1986) supported the view that organisations must accept change as the corporate way of life to remain competitive. Albeit the notion “change or else perish” sounded relatively simple, it can be difficult to execute to perfection given that change comes in many shapes and forms. Meyerson (2001) stipulated that there is no one right way to manage change and what work for one individual under one set of circumstances may not work for others under different conditions. In other words, there is no one panacea to managing change. In the subsequent parts of this essay, we will explore the various types of change and its characteristics bounded by its scope and pace of change, and further examine some of the ways in which change can best be implemented in the least painful way for organisations.
Grundy (1993) suggested that change comes in three forms - smooth incremental, bumpy incremental and discontinuous. “Smooth incremental change evolves slowly in a systematic and predictable way” (Gundy, 1993). This type of change usually paced at a constant speed and in a relatively clam manner. On the other hand, Gundy (1993) stipulated that bumpy incremental change is like a roller coaster ride where organisation goes through sudden spur periods of interrupted change, triggered by the external environment causing a need to respond imposed by the organisation for achieving efficiency. The third type of change involves a rapid transformation shift in the organisation’s strategy, structure and/or culture where the organisation embraces a new breakpoint in strategy, structure and/or culture and detached itself from the old state (Grundy, 1993).
However, Senior and Swailes (2010) argued that change in itself is far more complicated than what Grundy (1993) had suggested. Plowman, Baker, Beck, Kulkarni,
As competitions within the global market continue to intensify, change is arguably the only element that ensures organisation survival. Nadler and Tushman (1986) supported the view that organisations must accept change as the corporate way of life to remain competitive. Albeit the notion “change or else perish” sounded relatively simple, it can be difficult to execute to perfection given that change comes in many shapes and forms. Meyerson (2001) stipulated that there is no one right way to manage change and what work for one individual under one set of circumstances may not work for others under different conditions. In other words, there is no one panacea to managing change. In the subsequent parts of this essay, we will explore the various types of change and its characteristics bounded by its scope and pace of change, and further examine some of the ways in which change can best be implemented in the least painful way for organisations.
Grundy (1993) suggested that change comes in three forms - smooth incremental, bumpy incremental and discontinuous. “Smooth incremental change evolves slowly in a systematic and predictable way” (Gundy, 1993). This type of change usually paced at a constant speed and in a relatively clam manner. On the other hand, Gundy (1993) stipulated that bumpy incremental change is like a roller coaster ride where organisation goes through sudden spur periods of interrupted change, triggered by the external environment causing a need to respond imposed by the organisation for achieving efficiency. The third type of change involves a rapid transformation shift in the organisation’s strategy, structure and/or culture where the organisation embraces a new breakpoint in strategy, structure and/or culture and detached itself from the old state (Grundy, 1993).
However, Senior and Swailes (2010) argued that change in itself is far more complicated than what Grundy (1993) had suggested. Plowman, Baker, Beck, Kulkarni,
References: Abrahamson, E. (2000) ‘Change Without Pain’, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 78, Iss.4, July-August: 75-79. Armenakis, A.A, Harris, S.G. and Mossholder, K.W. (1993) ‘Creating Readiness for Organizational Change’, Human Relations, Vol.46 Beitler, M. (2005) ‘Overcoming Resistance to Change: A Practitioner’s Guide For Change Leaders and Consultants’. Burns, T. and Stalker, G. M. (1961) The Management of Innovation, London Dunphy, D Ford, J.D. and Ford, L.W. (1994) ‘Logics of Identity, Contradiction, and Attraction in Change’, Academy of Management Review, Vol.18: 756-785 Gingerella, L.F. (1993). ‘Moving From Vision to Reality: The Introduction of Change’. Performance Improvement, Vol.32, Iss.10, December:1-4. Grundy, T. (1993) ‘Managing Stategic Change’, London: Kogan Page. Kotter, J. (1995) ‘Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail’, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 73, Iss.2, March-April: 59-67. Meyerson, D. (2001) ‘Radical Change, The Quite Way’, Harvard Business Review, Vol.79, Iss.9, October: 92- 100. Nadler, D. and Tushman, M. (1986) Organizing for Innovation, California Management Review, Vol. 28, No, 3, California Plowman, D.A., Baker, L.T., Beck, T.E., Kulkani, M., Solansky, S.T. and Travis, D.V. (2007) ‘Radical Change Accidentally: The Emergence and Amplification of Small Change’, Academy of Management Journal, Reardon, K.K, Reardon, K.J. and Rowe, A.J. (1998) ‘Leadership Styles for the Five Stages of Radical Change’, Acquisition Review Quarterly, Spring: 129-146 Roberts, N. (1998) Radical Change by Entrepreneurial Design, Acquisition Review Quarterly, Spring: 107-128 Romanelli, E Empirical Test’, Academy of Management Journal, Vol.37. 1141 - 1166 Scott, C.D Senior, B. and Swailes, S. (2010) Organizational Change 4th Edition, Prentice Hall, Harlow England. Welsh, J. (2005) Winning, Harper Collins, New York.