Research Proposal

Research Proposal and Work Plan
For
Applied Management Project

Managing Resistance to Change
In
xxx

Course Leader:

Submission Date: 9th December 2008

“This assignment is my own original work and has not been submitted elsewhere in fulfilment of the requirements of this or any other reward”

Signature:

Date:

Contents: Page:
1.0 Introduction 4
2.0 Definition of topic to be examined 5
3.0 Proposals aim and key research questions 6 3.1 What effect has change had on employees within the organisation? 6 3.2 What is the prevailing attitude to change in the organisation? 7 3.3 What are the Causes of Resistance to Change? 8 3.4 How can we minimize resistance to change? 9
4.0 The research perspectives and methods to be used 10
5.0 A research design for collecting primary data 12
6.0 The potential limitations of the research 14
7.0 The illustrative work plan. 16
8.0 Conclusion 17
8.0 References 19
Appendices 20

1.0 Introduction
This research proposal focuses upon the management problem of the implementation of change and specifically why staff resist change in XXX, the employer of the writer of this proposal. It provides the theoretical underpinning of this topic and presents the academic rationale for investigating the problem. The proposal then identifies the aim of the

References: Amis, J, Slack, T, Hinings C, R. 2002. Values and organizational change. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science 38, no. 4 (December 1): 436-465.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed November 27, 2008). Basler, Frank 1994,  Managing resistance and the unspoken fears. The Journal for Quality and Participation 17, no. 7 (December 1): 32.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed November 25, 2008). Bryman, A, Bell, E, 2003, Business Research Methods, (New York: Oxford University Press) Dent, E, Golberg, B, Galloway, S.(1999) Challenging resistance to change, Journal of Applied Behavioural Science, 35,25 Nelson, L. (2005). Managing the Human Resources in Organisational Change: A Case Study, Research and Practice in Human Resource Management, 13(1), 55-70. O Connor, Carol 1993. Managing resistance to change,. Management Development Review 6, no. 4 (January 1): 25.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed November 25, 2008). O Connor, Carol A 1993. Resistance: The repercussions of change. Leadership & Organization Development Journal 14, no. 6 (January 1): 30.  http://www.proquest.com/ (accessed November 25, 2008). Saunders, M, Lewis, P, Thornhill, A, 2003, Research Methods for Business Students 3rdedition, (London: Prentice Hall) Sherman, W,S , Garland, G, E, 2007. Where to Bury the Survivors? Exploring Possible Ex Post Effects of Resistance to Change. S.A.M Trader-Leigh, K, E (2002) Case Study: identifying resistance in managing change, Journal of Organisational Change Management, Vol 15, No 2, p138-155 Waddell, D, Sohal,A, S Washington, M, Hacker, M. (2006) Why change fails knowledge counts, Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, Vol 26, No 5, p400-411 (http://www.bia.ca/articles/chng-managing-resistance.htm#top, Lee, accessed 22/11/08