Showing papers in "Journal of Change Management in 2017"
TL;DR: In this paper, a new three-step model was introduced as a replica of the classic three step model while integrating it with the theory of planned behaviour, which has been criticised for its linearity, unsuitability for continuous change and inability to incorporate leader and follower relationship dynamics.
Abstract: Kurt Lewin has been regarded as the father of planned change. His classical three-step model though has provided the basis for different models of change, yet has been criticized for its linearity, unsuitability for continuous change and inability to incorporate leader–follower relationship dynamics. This study has responded to various criticisms by introducing new three-step model as a replica of the three-step model while integrating it with the theory of planned behaviour. For leader–follower relationship dynamics, this study tested the impact of well-needed authentic leadership on employee perceptions during change. Following positivistic approach and deductive reasoning, this study used causal design to collect primary data through Questionnaire survey based on simple random sampling technique. The data were collected from 258 employees of three public sector hospitals of Pakistan undergoing restructuring and analysed through structural equation modelling using AMOS. The results suggest that ...
125 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the relationship between perceived management support and readiness for change was examined in a public sector organization undergoing a change initiative.
Abstract: Although the relationship between management support and readiness for change is a well-studied topic, mediating variables in this relationship are rarely examined. This paper presents the findings of an investigation into the mediating role of psychological capital (PsyCap) in the relationship between perceived management support and readiness for change. A questionnaire was administered to employees (N = 120) of a public sector organization undergoing a change initiative. Results of structural equation modelling demonstrated that PsyCap partially mediated the relationship between management support and employees’ readiness for change. This indicates that employees’ responses to change are shaped by both their personal psychological resources and their perceptions of the organizational environment. The findings offer a platform for positive future developments in research and practice.
89 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors introduce a special issue devoted to evaluating the continuing influence of Kurt Lewin, and briefly examine his life, followed by a more detailed examination of the concep...
Abstract: In introducing this Special Issue devoted to evaluating the continuing influence of Kurt Lewin, we begin by briefly examining his life. This is followed by a more detailed examination of the concep...
48 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a practical concept for raising the level of employees' energy-saving behaviours to a higher standard is presented. But the usefulness of this concept is highlighted on the basis of qualitative (a force field analysis) and quantitative (an increase of energy saving norms and behaviours).
Abstract: Although more than seven decades have passed since Lewin laid the foundation for how employees’ behaviour could be changed within organizations, his ideas are far from being obsolescent. Accordingly, this article demonstrates how Lewin’s concepts can still be of use in tackling current issues (i.e. the need to raise energy-saving behaviours within organizations). In order to revive Lewin’s concepts, we combine his approaches on organization change with Motivational Interviewing (MI), a facilitation approach that fits well with his democratic and participatory mind-set. After a theoretical consideration of how Lewin’s ideas could be accompanied by MI principles, we outline a practical concept for raising the level of employees’ energy-saving behaviours to a higher standard. The usefulness of our concept is highlighted on the basis of qualitative (a force field analysis) and quantitative (an increase of energy-saving norms and – behaviours) data. Lewin’s legacy for current organization development, ...
27 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take Lewin's notion of defining the field at a given time and bring it into the arena of action research to make explicit links between attending and inquiring in the present tense and the collaborative dynamics of activity research within the social space of a change process.
Abstract: Lewin’s contribution to social science is extensive. This paper takes Lewin’s notion of defining the field at a given time and brings it into the arena of action research to make explicit links between attending and inquiring in the present tense and the collaborative dynamics of action research within the social space of a change process. Inquiring in the present tense in the field as it exists at a given time has hitherto not been explored explicitly. The paper highlights the unfolding and emergent nature of action research in terms of the inquiry process of first-, second- and third-person practices as they take place in the present tense. It advances a framework that can guide the action researcher in the practice of action research that enhances the integration of present tense into the collaborative effort. In doing so, it extends our knowledge of the richness of the Lewin legacy and elaborates a neglected and necessary mechanism in the field of organization development and action research.
27 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the potential of intentional arenas and tools to promote collective sensemaking during major structural and technical transformations in a specialist organization in the Finnish forestry sector is examined, and the results suggest that sensemaking processes in complex change situations are intimately linked to the temporal development of tensions concerning new ways and structures of working.
Abstract: In this case study, the potential of intentional arenas and tools to promote collective sensemaking during major structural and technical transformations in a specialist organization in the Finnish forestry sector is examined. The results suggest that sensemaking processes in complex change situations are intimately linked to the temporal development of tensions concerning new ways and structures of working. The article demonstrates how Change Workshops, based on activity theoretical methods and tools, shaped sensemaking by offering means to collectively investigate developmental tensions and their potential resolutions and promoted the creation of a systemic view of changing work. This research thus provides an insight into ways in which to foster systemic and future-orientated perspectives in collective sensemaking processes, which in turn improve the management of organizational change.
25 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors identify threat appraisal as a key mechanism explaining the relationship between four changerelated variables (quality of change communication, procedural fairness in restructuring, change management history, and anxiety about change) and employee turnover intentions.
Abstract: The past two decades have seen a significant rise in both frequency and size of mergers and acquisitions in the US, many of which have been associated with considerable interruption of organizational activities and a host of negative outcomes for employees. In this study of 763 US-based airline employees, we identify threat appraisal as a key mechanism explaining the relationship between four change-related variables (quality of change communication, procedural fairness in restructuring, change management history, and anxiety about change) and employee turnover intentions. Results indicate that turnover intentions are influenced by quality of change communication, procedural fairness in restructuring, and anxiety about change as mediated by threat appraisal. We also found that job embeddedness moderated the relationships of quality of change communication and procedural fairness in restructuring with threat appraisal. Our focus on malleable levers of withdrawal offers theoretical and practical ins...
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined a case where organizational commitment increased among the remaining workers after a workforce reduction program and identified several elements in the way the workforce reduction was implemented that may have contributed to the increasing commitment among remaining workers.
Abstract: Workforce reduction is often found to have a negative impact on the remaining workers. This study examines a case where organizational commitment increased among the remaining workers after a workforce reduction programme. Following the process in which the workforce reduction programme was implemented, the paper identifies several elements in the way the workforce reduction was implemented that may have contributed to the increasing commitment among the remaining workers. More specifically, the involvement of workers’ representatives, the way the workforce reduction was communicated, how the future of the workplace was framed and how workers were offered a choice to leave voluntarily, were identified as important for the remaining workers’ reactions. The paper thus contributes to previous research by adding to our understanding of how involvement and the nature of voluntary redundancies can affect the remaining workers, and can therefore also provide more specific recommendations to change manage...
18 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a detailed analysis of the collective sense-making efforts of an inter-organizational team of railway coordinators in the Operational Control Center Rail was conducted, based on team meetings observations during the days preceding a large and potentially disruptive winter storm in December 2013.
Abstract: This paper studies the ways in which members of inter-organizational teams collectively make sense of unexpected events and how they decide upon engaging in action. Frequently, ambiguity dominates such change processes aimed to create common understanding. Using the notion of the duality of intrinsic and constructed ambiguity, a detailed analysis of the collective sensemaking efforts of an inter-organizational team of railway coordinators in the Operational Control Center Rail was conducted. Building on team meetings observations during the days preceding a large and potentially disruptive winter storm in December 2013, the case study describes the process of collectively making sense of the disruptiveness of the storm. The findings show that contextual and temporal factors determine whether collective sensemaking unfolds as either a shared or a negotiated process.
17 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors used conservation of resources theory (COR) to construct a conditional process model of key resources and change agent influence, and tested the direct effects of General Cognitive Ability (GCA), Five Factor Model (FFM) personality facets, and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) on simulated change agent performance.
Abstract: Organizational change is a system-wide process that begins at the individual level. Individuals who act as catalysts for change are often referred to as “change agents” and are lower level employees rather than designated leaders. In the current study Conservation of Resources Theory (COR) is utilized to construct a conditional process model of key resources and change agent influence. Specifically, this model tests the direct effects of General Cognitive Ability (GCA), Five Factor Model (FFM) personality facets, and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) – as well as the mediating role of PsyCap – on simulated change agent performance. Results suggest PsyCap positively correlates with performance, and, mediates the relationship between GCA and performance. Related narrow FFM facets moderate both stages of the mediation. These findings provide theoretical implication for COR as well as practical implications for human resource development interventions geared towards identification and development of chan...
14 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated the relation between organizational change and bullying behavior and found that the effect of organizational change varies depending on the type of preceding organizational change (task-related or relational change).
Abstract: This paper investigates the relation between organizational change and enacted or experienced workplace bullying. We find that there is a longitudinal relation between organizational change and bullying behaviour and that this effect varies depending on the type of preceding organizational change (task-related or relational change). Task-related change predicts experienced bullying behaviours and relational change predicts enacted bullying behaviours. Within a relationistic process precipitation framework, we find that among moderators at the organizational level (leadership quality) and individual level (affectivity), only positive affectivity slightly moderates the relation between relational change and enacted bullying behaviours. The findings are relevant for the development of evidence-based strategies for the prevention of workplace bullying during different types of organizational change.
TL;DR: The Journal of Change Management (JCM) as mentioned in this paper is the leading international academic journal focusing on organizational change, its leadership, and management, and it has been published for 70 years.
Abstract: Welcome to what will be another exciting year with Journal of Change Management. Thanks to you – our authors, reviewers, readers, and editorial staff – we are well on the way towards becoming the leading international academic journal focusing on organizational change, its leadership, and management. As part of our dedicated journey, we will this year mark the 70th anniversary of Kurt Lewin’s death, and in celebration of his seminal contribution to the understanding, leadership and management of organizational change, Bernard Burnes and David Bargal have guest edited Kurt Lewin: 70 Years On, our second issue of the year (out in June in any good university library). As a Journal, we may still be small, but we are persistent like a terrier and ambitious like the great Muhammad Ali who sadly passed away with so many other influential people in the year gone by. We have already published the work of some of the greatest in our field, and the current editorial challenge is to continue attracting what will become the seminal work of the future. Representing an ever-growing community of change scholars and practitioners, we continue working towards a well-deserved inclusion in the Social Sciences Citation Index. (SSCI, Thomson Reuters). We are also working towards an increase of the Academic Journal Guide rating (Chartered Association of Business Schools) in acknowledgement of our international standing and impact. However, it is challenging playing a game where the rules are (a) not shared with all the players and (b) where different players are treated differently. For example, it has been suggested to us that for any new journal to be included in SSCI, the publisher must provide a mock-up Impact Factor establishing the new journal in the top half of the relevant subject category. Hence, for JCM to be included, we need a mock-up Impact Factor greater than the real Impact Factor of half the journals already included. And to make the hill just a tiny bit steeper: the Impact Factor of SSCI journals include self-citations. In fact, for some journals, it is the self-citations that secure high Impact Factor scores and continued SSCI inclusion. Another side to this stark reality is a situation where academics and academia are not necessarily first and foremost concerned with generating new knowledge, and disseminating and applying this in society. The job of academics has become one of conforming to career informing privately owned lists that protect status quo. Simply put, the sole purpose of these stone tablets has evolved into becoming one of supporting management, league table, and funding decisions. Unfortunately, and most likely unintentionally, the result of these lists and how they are currently being operated and implemented is that academics are more and more engaged in conforming behaviour. Only a few years back colleagues would ask WHAT you have published. Now, the question is WHERE. And it does not stop there. The current lists and their management and funding utilization are dictating not only where we publish, but also what we research, how we undertake our research, and what we finally report on.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors argue that the effectiveness of management concepts would benefit from being understood as part of a network of configurators for organizational change, and analyse two empirical cases of management concept implementation (i.e. BPR and the 80/20 Pareto principle) and how the concepts configured change in mutual learning processes characterized by conflict, trial a...
Abstract: Management concepts are increasingly defining the way we perceive the needs, possibilities and potential outcomes of organizational change. While management concepts such as business process reengineering (BPR), lean manufacturing and stage gate models have been subject to study and debate, key concerns centre on outcomes (or the lack thereof) and the translation of concepts as they are spread and adopted. However, their role in shaping actual organizational change is poorly understood. Very little has been said about how management concepts are used in organizations, and what managers actually do with them. In this paper, we argue that the effectiveness of management concepts would benefit from being understood as part of a network of configurators for organizational change. To this end, we analyse two empirical cases of management concept implementation (i.e. BPR and the 80/20 Pareto principle) and how the concepts configured change in mutual learning processes characterized by conflict, trial a...
TL;DR: In this article, a method for change management in Danish emergency management organizations is presented, based on Lewin's field theory in arguing that change processes must derive from the way in which individuals collectively perceive the situation, and the methodological design must concentrate on the way employees perceive changes.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to answer how the work of Kurt Lewin can inspire researchers today, which is one of the important questions raised by the call for papers for this special issue. The answer will be grounded in theoretical and empirical insights from recent research, conducted to develop a method for change management in Danish emergency management organizations. The theoretical insight builds on Lewin’s field theory in arguing that change processes must derive from the way in which individuals collectively perceive the situation. To respect this argument, the methodological design must concentrate on the way employees perceive changes. Another invention of Lewin proved to be relevant in this regard, notably action research. The application of a dialogical action research method resulted in rich empirical data, which proved the relevance of Lewin’s theoretical constructs and fed forward to newer theoretical perspectives on change, which have all in some respect revived Lewin’s original thou...
TL;DR: In this paper, transition is viewed as continuous and ubiquitous and not as step-wise processes limited between a starting and an ending point, and transition is at the same time continuation and modification, and part of the natural evolution of life.
Abstract: This paper focuses on transition as an important concept in the current theories of change. In the Western thought, transition and change are concepts used interchangeably. Defined as transformations from one frozen state to another, they are perceived to be led and ‘owned’ by managers and leaders. In order to shed a new light on the concept of transition, we use the traditional Chinese thought interpreted by the French philosopher Francois Jullien who brings our attention to the potential of the situation beyond the human agency. Transitions are viewed as continuous and ubiquitous and not as step-wise processes limited between a starting and an ending point. In fact, this generic process is at the same time continuation and modification, and part of the natural evolution of life. Therefore, we advocate for pragmatic institutions in order to manage the transition periods as well as leaders ‘in shadow’ who do not ‘own’ the process of change and thus, can better accompany the transition periods with...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe the strategic change efforts of a university in the United Kingdom, which changed its form and resource deployments to focus on the production of interdisciplinary research.
Abstract: This study describes the strategic change efforts of a university in the United Kingdom which changed its form and resource deployments to focus on the production of interdisciplinary research. A problem-oriented case study method was used to chronicle and analyse the leadership strategies and tactics employed and their consequences. We found that the reliance on a vertical leadership (controlling) strategy led to external legitimization but not internal legitimacy. We also found instances these strategies created unintended consequences which inhibited the strategic change initiative. In particular, horizontal leadership (enabling) strategies that spoke to the academic heartland were muted. We concluded that in universities undertaking major strategic change efforts controlling influence actions may be necessary but they are insufficient to levers of strategic change. The study is particularly important because it contributes to an understanding of strategic change in universities at a time when ...
TL;DR: The significance of a fit between characteristic features of the organization and goal-setting practices and the low level of resistance and conflict in the case studied here stands out from the experience of other major organizational changes in the Norwegian hospital sector.
Abstract: Most studies on goal-setting practices and organizational change examine their effects on employee motivation and performance. Goal-setting practices are treated as an independent variable, stimulating some social or individual response. Relatively few studies of organizational change have considered requirements of goal-setting practices linked to the characteristic features of the organization. In this study, we examined the significance of a fit between characteristic features of the organization and goal-setting practices. Empirical studies suggest that characteristics of the organization should be considered to fully understand the effects of goal-setting practices. A large hospital region in Norway indicated that the goal-setting practice resembles what is commonly known as ‘hairy goals’. These goals were well adapted to the characteristics of the case organization. In particular, they reduced the risk of a collision of rationalities among hospital employees. The low level of resistance and ...
TL;DR: This article reviewed the contributions made to the fields of communication and organization studies by Professor Linda Putnam and proposed a "dialectical sensibility" as a means by which to address the challenges posed by the oppositional tensions, power and politics that are associated with change, and specifically with the role of the change facilitator.
Abstract: In this article, we review the contributions made to the fields of communication and organization studies by Professor Linda Putnam. In conversation with the authors, Professor Putnam discusses her intellectual roots and reflects on her contributions to understanding the role that discourse plays in theorizing, analysing, and managing tensions in contemporary organizational settings. The extent to which these contributions align with new developments in the field of Organization Development, notably dialogic OD, and inform our understanding of the increasingly important role of social media in relation to organization and organizing is also considered. The article concludes by proposing ‘dialectical sensibility’ as a means by which to address the challenges posed by the oppositional tensions, power and politics that are associated with change, and, more specifically, with the role of the change facilitator.
TL;DR: In this article, a qualitative study examined the paradox of difficult, yet meaningful, helping as part of employees' jobs in a social services organization and identified how employees alter their understanding of workplace challenges, such as emotional distress and unsafe client behaviours, in order to find new meaning in the other-oriented value of their work.
Abstract: This qualitative study examined the paradox of difficult, yet meaningful, helping as part of employees’ jobs in a social services organization. Incorporating an emergent design using employee interviews the study identified how employees alter their understanding of workplace challenges, such as emotional distress and unsafe client behaviours, in order to find new meaning in the other-oriented value of their work. The resulting framework of employees’ experiences through challenging, yet meaningful, helping extends the research in customer service by proposing the reconciliation process, achieved through cognitive change strategies (i.e. visualization techniques, cognitive reframing and mindfulness of experience) serves as a conceptual bridge that helps the management of this apparent paradox. We first describe the workplace challenges and then outline the distinct cognitive change strategies that engendered the reconciliation process. Implications for practice and future researchers are then disc...