Lewin theorized, based on his observations, that change was most effectively brought about in organization through a three-step process. The process he identified and outlined is often confused with the "plan, implement, review" mechanistic approach to implementing program or organizational change, but Lewin's model for change management is far more rooted in psychology than in any purely mechanistic approach to business (Cameron & Green 2004)
There is, quite simply, a need to overcome the natural "freezing" tendency that exists for most individuals and organizations, and it is through the explicit and direct attention of managerial practices and principles towards the development and implementation of desired changes that this can be accomplished (Felkins, Chakiris, & Chakiris 2001). Lewin analyzed and discussed this far more extensively in developing his change management model, of course, but his understanding of the change management process is remarkably straightforward and simplistic -- overly simplistic, according to some (Carter 2008)
Throughout all phases of the change management process, careful control and ongoing observation and adjustment -- in other words, management -- is necessary to maintain the proper course of action to implement the desired changes. This becomes more difficult as the desired changes become more fundamental and complex, two terms that definitely apply to an organization's seeking to increase its level of social responsibility (Commissaris, Schoenmaker, Beune & Elkhout 2006)
In order to be effective and truly implemented, change has to be managed, with the desired modifications in practices, behaviors, and attitudes being specifically and explicitly developed and communicated to the individuals that make up the organization. There is, quite simply, a need to overcome the natural "freezing" tendency that exists for most individuals and organizations, and it is through the explicit and direct attention of managerial practices and principles towards the development and implementation of desired changes that this can be accomplished (Felkins, Chakiris, & Chakiris 2001)
Lewin saw change and the organizational resistance to it as primarily a human difficulty, and his method for addressing this difficulty is equally humanistic. The first step in implementing meaningful and lasting change is "unfreezing," which consists of making the individuals affected by the change able to see the reasons that the suggested change is needed, motivating them to the potential of the change (Griffin 2008)
As noted above, the first phase in the model -- "unfreezing" -- consists of convincing individuals within the organization of the necessity for the desired change(s) (Griffin 2008). Often, this consists of calling individuals' attention to the changes in external circumstances that warrant and/or necessitate internal organizational changes in response (Lee, Pena-Mora & Park 2005)
Lewin's Model of Change Management In the 1950s, psychologist Kurt Lewin examined the problem of organizational change, noting that it was far more difficult than might be expected and observing a strong resistance in most individuals to any changes in the work process, especially after comfort in a position and/or within an organization had set in (Blokdijk 2008). What Lewin suggested, in essence, was that people had a natural tendency to "freeze," causing fundamental organizational behaviors and attitudes to also "freeze" due to the desired perpetuation for the status quo of the individuals that comprise any given organization (Nilakant & Ramnarayan 2006)
What Lewin suggested, in essence, was that people had a natural tendency to "freeze," causing fundamental organizational behaviors and attitudes to also "freeze" due to the desired perpetuation for the status quo of the individuals that comprise any given organization (Nilakant & Ramnarayan 2006). Obviously, this makes most organizations very resistant to change, and this resistance can become stronger as the number of individuals within the organization grows (Zou & Lee 2009)
Finally, the manager has to maintain constant communication with his/her employees throughout the change process so as to reduce the extent of employees' resistance to change. he/she needs to communicate with their employees on, among other things, why the change is necessary, and how they (employees) and the greater organization stand to benefit from the same (Hornstein, 2008)
he/she then formulates the specific objectives he/she intends the additional training to achieve, based on the identified need; and develops a training program for addressing the specific needs. In-house training, where everyone learns at their own pace, would, for instance, be appropriate if it is established that the initial training may have been inadequate as a result of the trainer not taking into account the learning differences of employees (Ministry of Business, Innovation, and Employment -- New Zealand, 2014)
Strategy #2 for Building Organizational Leadership Capacity to Support Change The second suggested strategy for building organizational leadership capacity to support organizational change is for management to schedule presentations well in advance of the implementation of the proposed changes designed to raise awareness about mental models and mindsets, particularly in relation to areas pertaining to the anticipated changes. This particular strategy is helpful because mental models and mindsets typically present barriers to effective change implementation by virtue of their tacit or unconscious nature and the degree to which they are responsible for biases and expectations that may conflict with the proposed changes (Duffy, 2009)
Education Change Management Strategy #1 for Building Organizational Leadership Capacity to Support Change The first suggested strategy for building organizational leadership capacity to support organizational change is to appoint supervisors to receive advanced training in the areas of proposed change to enable them to facilitate effective change within their respective working units or groups. This particular strategy is helpful because unit supervisors can foresee potential difficulties and task-specific challenges potentially associated with change that are unique to or especially relevant to the responsibilities of their subordinates and their teams (MacDonald, 2007)
What might you do to keep the Mini "fresh" and at the forefront of its market niche? Mini needs appreciate that the demand for their product line is increasing steadily but not too fast to deter competitors from taking their idea and running with it. With the current favorable condition influencing demand for small vehicles, Mini can become a leader in the sale of small cars to both new and old car owners (George 38)
This preference is highly attached to the American consumer culture. This situation makes a sudden switch by an automobile company to small cars somewhat like a wild-goose-chase (Kohler and Keller 710)
Change Management and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems The change management initiatives involved in implementing a new Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system are multitudinous and complex, requiring the optimal selection of management framework, leadership direction and organizational structure. In short, for change management strategies on ERP projects to be successful there needs to be a significant level of orchestration at the people, process and information technologies (it) level of any organization (Aladwani, 2001)
Of these six images of managing, the majority of studies indicate that transformational leaders are by far the most effective, or the Coach style in the context of the matrix (Carton, Adam, Sammon, 2008). Given the depth and breadth of complexity inherent in ERP implementations, transformational leadership is critically important, as employees must see themselves and their roles in the broader vision of change (Ash, Burn, 2003) Application Analysis Change management initiatives surrounding ERP system planning, implementation and continual refinement are highly dependent on ensuring the new system aligns with the specific business strategies and needs of the enterprise
The Images Concept as studied in class and in the text is directly relevant to ERP system implementation strategies as each of the six management and leadership styles as defined by the matrix of Images of Change Outcomes by Images of Managing illustrate the full spectrum of styles used in organizations attempting to replace or upgrade their existing ERP systems. Of these six images of managing, the majority of studies indicate that transformational leaders are by far the most effective, or the Coach style in the context of the matrix (Carton, Adam, Sammon, 2008)
Changing these systems will often lead to initial resistance and a tendency to push back on legacy process, procedures and applications. Change management strategies often begin with a comprehensive overview of what the overriding objectives are of the implementation, what the specific system functions are, ands how each employee involved in the implementation will have a voice in how the end system is designed (Kemp, Low, 2008)
The next consideration is the way in which the change occurs, there are two main typos of change; continuous and discontinuous. Continuous Change Continuous change may also be called evolutionary change or incremental change (Buchanan & Huczynski, 2010)
org, 2014). The firm places a high level of reliance in the employees, but despite this the firm appears to have ongoing problems with its employee relations; the firm is regularly accused of discrimination, excessively low wages, and unfair practices (Halkias, 2014; RT