WHY IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC CHANGE IS SO DIFFICULT?:Change Typology, Technical Change

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Change Management MGMT625

Lesson # 36

WHY IMPLEMENTING STRATEGIC CHANGE IS SO DIFFICULT?

In the last lesson, we discussed four variables out of six which the author Alex Miller cited in his book

about the generic dynamics of resistance to strategy implementation. These variables are:

Numerous complex variables are at work

Organization Immune system

Interconnectedness of various element

The need to change every thing at once

The remaining two variables are:

5. Activity centered change

6. Focus on quantity or numbers

Before we proceed to the next two variables, let me discuss some significance about the change

implementation process.

Significance of the Strategic Change Implementation Process

The weakness of many change results is often attributed to failures in the implementation process

rather than strategy itself.

(Beer et al 1990)

This quotation is indicating about a post-implementation phenomenon which an organization

faces after an unsuccessful attempt of change implementation. The blame game often directed

toward implementation process rather than strategic change itself.

One problem is that research has long been characterised by search for the one best way

to implement change

(Dunphy & Griffiths 1998)

This quotation is describing a dilemma that the research in change management mostly work around to

searching a universal solution or a roadmap for implementing change in organizations but unable to

deliver it. The school of thought is quite predominant in its assertion that management is a universal

phenomenon.

Activity Centered Change

It is a one of the dominant reasons for failure in the implementation of change program. This failure is

largely depend upon the difference between the real nature of change and the perceptual nature of

change in terms of execution. In other words change program should be activity centered or

transformation centered. For instance, a change programs' outcome demands the transformation

centered approach but it is mostly executed through activity centered approach. And also such appraisal

is a typical fallacy that culminates into to the failure of a change programme or strategy. For instance,

an organization introduces a training program for the purpose of behavioral modification, or values

transformation. So, the imperative in this training program is the transformation of behaviors or values

rather than to measure its success on activity centered factors such as: the way it is organized, how

many participants attended it, etc. What happens is that the training program which is a means to

achieve certain ends (of values transformation) becomes end in itself.

Focus on quantity or numbers

Sometimes, it is called revenue centric approach in which number matters. From change management

perspective, the results of any change program could be measured in terms of numerical values rather

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than on the basis of desired characteristics. In corporate organizations context, for instance, budgets

setting is based on numeric rather than on objectives. So, it is imperative for organizations to focus on

both, qualitative and quantitative aspects while going through policy making.

Change Implementation Approaches:

Two broad categories of implementation approaches are:

1. Participative Approach

2. Unilateral Approach

Participative approaches:

Participative approach is the most famous approach in today's business environment. It is comparable

to the organization development (OD) model that focuses on the planned and controlled change of

organizations in the desired directions. The fundamental assumption behind OD structure and

participative change implementation approach is the same and that is `Attitudinal Change'. And both

are using the same techniques for attitudinal change, like:

Sensitivity training,

Teams building

Participation

Job-redesign

Participation is also a means of recognition. It satisfies the need for affiliation and acceptance of the

people which is the third need in Maslow's hierarchy. In general, people are not motivated by being

consulted but by being "in to the act." Hence the key mechanism of attitudinal change in this method is

the generation of the support among the workforce which leads to empowerment of people by being

them in the act. As a consequence, the right kind of participation yields both motivation and knowledge

valuable for successful change implementation and enterprise success.

Unilateral Approach

It is a unilateral type of change and comparable with the Behavioural Modification (BM) model. The

BM model is extension of some wider concepts such as of Motivation, Rewards, Learning and

Organizational Culture. It is an attempt to understand and reduce complex change processes in the

organizations to explicit rules, procedures and strategic actions to deal with all possible contingencies

including legal compliance.

Similarly, the philosophy of unilateral approach or traditional way of management is based on actions

rather than on attitudes. If actions goes right then automatically the attitudes and behaviors goes right. It

is, sometimes, also called the classical school of bureaucratic approach. Unilateral approach is

measured through outward actions and focuses on process design or redesign, job redesign,

restructuring particularly the restructuring of authority, communication, and work rules. And it is a

typical top-down phenomenon. As for legal compliance, technology is another mean for achieving the

unilateral approach because it is considered universal. For instance, managers have a tendency to rely

on technology in order to enhance productivity and efficiency in organizations. On the other hand, the

modern participative approach is based on attitudes. Attitudinal change will lead to change in behaviors

and actions automatically.

Change Typology

Before implementation process deployment, there must be some issues that need to be addressed. For

instance, at what circumstances which kind of change implementation approach is valid? However, it

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depends upon industry and nature and size of the organizations. But before going for comparison, we

must differentiate between change classifications.

1. Technical-Structural

2. BehavioralSocial

Focus of Unilateral Change

The successes experienced by the workforce from forced changes will ultimately lead to workforce

satisfaction and support. In forced change, there is an element of push or threat from top to down that

makes the people to comply on all policies and procedures. People get experiences, support and

ultimately satisfaction from the forced compliance by the senior executives. Also people mechanize

themselves according to certain actions which are now standards until the next level of standards

introduced. The unilateral approach has some indicators which are followings:

These are based on prescriptive, control and authority which modify objective or formal aspect of the

work place.

1. Prescriptive means there is an element of consultation.

2. Control means that this is a planned or contingent change

3. Authority means force that is used for changing people's behaviours and this leads eventually

to attitudinal change

This approach tend to be top-down, procedural, focussed on resource allocation and follows authority

lines. Those who believe in unilateral approach argue that participation bring chaos and disorder

because it is abstractive in nature and cannot be measurable. The successful change results can only be

achieved through work itself instead of participatory and empowerment oriented organization culture.

Advocates of this type of change participation and culture things are too abstract to enhance

productivity.

On the other hand, peoples who believe on participative approach argue that this is focus on

consultation or consensus oriented techniques that change values, attitudes, skills and untimely cause a

change in behaviour which is a permanent phenomenon. The other consequences are reflected in the

following ways:

Because employees are involved they develop an ownership of the change plan initiated which gets

translated into commitment and motivation to make the change work.

Comparison

In comparison, we are analyzing the change effectiveness or successful implementation which is

contingent upon the interaction between types of change and techniques of change. At first, Lawrence

observed the distinction between both technical and social aspects of change:

Technical Change:

The technical aspect of change involves making measurable modifications to the physical routines of

the job. Conversely,

Social change refers to the modification of established relationship.

Lawrence concludes that the technical change could be introduced without social change if the social

relations were accustomed to change. It means that technical change can only be introduced when there

is frequent change in social relations in organization. Otherwise, if the rate of change in social

relationship is static or well established then change could not be easily introduced. Nonetheless, a

change may be primarily technical, but can create social effects that may impact on the outcome of

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change. Therefore, it is imperative here is that the type of change (technicalstructural or behavioural-

social) should correspond to the corresponding technique of change. Lawrence describe social

relationships are essentially based on "give and take" relationship or two way relationship on the other

hand technical approach is unilateral in nature. That is why he advocated participation as the one best

method for introducing change because it corresponds to social relationship.

Similarly, another author Leavitt expanded the technical-social framework by adding a third category

into the framework and that is structural change. According to him:

1. Technical change means change in actions measurement, computers, and in communication

system

2. Social change means change in large set of goals establishes around people

3. Structural change means change in empowered work force, collaborative work arrangements,

and in matching personal fulfilments to organizational needs

As a third valuable, the purpose of structural change is to enhance organisation performance through

design and redesign of organization structure which means the redesigning areas of responsibility,

authority, decentralising profit centres and reorganizing work flow.

Yet there is another scholar Michael Beer who just gave a single category of change instead of two or

three that is the change in knowledge which automatically leads to an attitudinal change instead of

structural, technical and social change.

Key contingencies in change types

1. Strategystyle (leadership attributes) matching theory in effective implementation

2. Personality is the primary determinant and background of the manager (socio-psyche orientation)

for what manager does. (Managers cannot alter their behaviour to suit a situation)

Researches on both types of contingencies; strategy-style or personality, has linked them to the locus of

control which is helpful in strategy execution like that of product innovation or differentiation strategy.

In overall analysis, the issue is how to lower resistance and increase support for the change program or

plan. Therefore, some key lessons are: first to identify or diagnose the type or nature of change program

and the second is the implementation method which should be contingent upon types of change

(Dunphy & Stace 1990). By addressing the second issue we have the following findings by the author:

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