Organization: Contemporary Principles and Practice, 2nd Edition

CHAPTER 13

Managing Organizational Change

WHAT THIS CHAPTER COVERS

This chapter examines the main approaches to achieving organizational change. Change has become a normal feature of organizational life, and it is widely appreciated today that organizations must evolve continually in order to survive. However, it is difficult to get change right. Many change initiatives fail and the types of change required vary according to different circumstances. After an introduction to the subject, the chapter discusses the various external and internal drivers of organizational change. It then identifies the different forms of change. These are compared and contrasted in terms of three main features: whether the change is radical or incremental, whether it is planned or emergent, and the focus of the change. Identifying these dimensions assists both in defining what organizational change is and in clarifying alternative approaches that suit different situations. The chapter concludes with a review of policies that support successful planned change and it summarizes key guidelines including those for addressing resistance to change.

The Challenge of Achieving Organizational Change

Organizational change refers to changes in how people's responsibilities, tasks and relationships are organized. Companies have had to adjust from a world in which they only needed to make organizational changes ...