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1.0 Introduction 144

2.0 Objectives

3.1 The Concept of Change 3.2 The Sources of Change

E n v i r o n m e n t T e c h n o l o g y S t r u c t u r e

M a n a g e m e n t P r o c e s s D e c i s i o n P r o c e s s

Stud en ts Ass essmen t Exe rcis e 3.3 Forces for Change

3.4 The Management of Change I n i t i a t i o n P a t t e r n s

3.5 Managing Resistance to Change R easo ns for R es is tan ce to Change

F o r c e d F i e l d A n a l y s i s S tu d e n ts A s s e s s m e n t Ex e r c i s e 4.0 Conclusion

5.0 Summary

6.0 References and Further Reading 7.0 Tutor-Marked Assignment

1.0 Introduction

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You are welcome to the last Unit of this course-Management of Change. Without doubt, you still can recollect that this course is on Management Theory. Wait a minute. Let us for the sake of

exercise, remind ourselves of what management is, and what a theory is. The term Management

as defined in Unitl, refers to the process of coordinating work activities so that they are completed efficiently and

effectively with and through other people.

A Theory as defined in Unit six is a cohefent group of assumptions put forth to explain the relationship between two or more observable facts.

We have also covered in this course the various theories of management largely ranging form classical to behavioural, to quantitative, and finally to contempOrary views. All the theories

focused on ways by which management can achieve productivity, efficiently and effectively.

When we talk about productivity, we should not forget that things change a lot, hence the study need change and its

management.

To date, according to John P.Kotter (1996) major cnange efforts have helped some organisation adapt significantly to shifting conditions; have improved the competitive standing of others; and have positioned a few for a far better future. But in too many situations, the improvements have

been disappointing and the carnage has been appalling, with wasted resources and burned-out, scared, or

frustrated employees.

To some degree, the downside of *change is inevitable. For instance, whenever human communities are forced to adjust to shifting conditions, pain is ever present.

In this Unit therefore, you will learn about what change is. You will also learn about the sources of change, the management of change, resistance to change and management of resistance.

2.0 Objectives

After studying this unit, you should be able to:

I. Define change.

2. D isc u ss th e so u rc e s o f ch a n ge . 3. Exp la in th e ma n a ge m ent o f ch an ge .

4. Explain the factors militating a gainst change.

5. Dikuss the implication of change on management.

3.1 the Concept of Change

Change is an ever-present reality of organisational life. Among other things, managers are agents c change. And given the pace of change existing in most organisations today, being a change agent is

big part of every manager's job, so says A. Toffler (1970).

Simply put, change is any alteration of the status quo. Our orientation and emphasis in this unit

is c planned change. This does not however mean that an organisation cannot change without plannin In this unit a planned change is defined as any alteration in the environment,

technology, structur management process, or decision process designed to help achieve organizational goals.

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3.2 The Sources of Change

Change normally originates with the identification of a problem or opportunity. Such problems and opportunities may exist inside or outside the organisation or both.

In the past, most enivironmental stimuli to change centered on competitors, the internal stimuli involved difficulties with growth. Today, the impetus for change comes from all sides.

Let us consider those very important sources of change: environment, technology, structure, manager, process and decision process.

Environment. General environmental conditions (economic, technological, legal-political

and socio-cultural) interrelate and cycle freely between tranquility and crisis.

Environment can cause stresses or strains on other parts of the organizational system, for

example, if the growing uncertainty in the environment outstrips the capacity of an existing organizational structure to handle such conditions.

Technology. This is an obvious source of organizational change. The knowledge, m4hods,

and machinery used in producing goods and services provide both problems and opportunities. For example, with new technologies the problems are also new, such as the

maintenance problems on a new type of engine, or the management problems that arise when a company introduces a new data processing system.

Structure. You still can remember what we said in Unit 6 about structure. Let us remind ourselves. It is that one of the attributes of structure is that it defines relationships that

persist over time. Note however, that these variables can lead to problems and

opportunities. One basic problem is

that although structures bring orderliness to human affairs, they can place severe constraints on behaviours.

You should also note that stresses and strains exist between structures and other organzational factors all the time.

stimulate two types of changes: Management Process. This is another source of change. Management activities can

(i) Goals, plans, reward systems, control standards, grievance systems, and staffing policies are all the result of management processes that are themselves sources of change.

(ii) The second type is stimulated by the process itself. Management processes by their very nature respond to problems and opportunities.

Decision Processes. This is the last source of change. The part of decision process that involves the search for solutions and surveillance for opportunities also stimulate change.

S t u d e n t s A s s e s s me n t E x e r c i s e

1 . W h a t i s p l a n n e d c h a n g e ?

2. Explain the main sources of change that you know: