Information Technology Project

Management by Jack T. Marchewka

Power Point Slides by Jack T Marchewka, Northern Illinois University

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Chapter 11 Managing Organizational Change, Resistance, and

Conflict

Learning Objectives Describe the discipline of organizational change management and its

role in assessing the organizations readiness and capability to support and assimilate a change initiative.

Describe how change can be viewed as a process and identify the emotional responses people might have when faced with change.

Describe the framework for managing change that will be introduced. Apply the concepts and ideas in this chapter in order to develop a

change management plan. This plan should focus on assessing the organizations willingness and ability to change, developing a change strategy, implementing and tracking the progress toward achieving the change and then evaluating whether the change was successful, and documenting the lessons learned from those experiences.

Discuss the nature of resistance and conflict and apply several techniques for dealing with conflict and resistance in an efficient and effective way.

IT Systems can be a technical success but an

organizational failure.

False Beliefs

People want this change. Monday morning well turn on the new system and

theyll use it. A good training program will answer all of their

questions and then theyll love it. Our people have been through a lot of changewhats

one more change going to matter? We see the need for helping our people adjust, but we

had to cut something They have two choices: they can change or they can

leave.

However, the results may be quite different

The change may not occur. People will comply for a time and then do

things to get around the change. Users will accept only a portion of the

change. The full benefits of the project are never

realized or are realized only after a great deal of time and resources have been expended.

Change Management

The transforming of the organization so it is aligned with the execution of a chosen corporate business strategy. It is the management of the human element in a large-scale change project.

Gartner Group

Reactions to Change

What changes are you currently experiencing? School Family Personal

We have all been through change - but how do we think about and manage it?

Future Shock

Change Threshold

Ass

imila

tion

Poin

ts U

sed

Assimilation is the process we use to adjust to positive or negative changes.

Figure 11.1

The Nature of Change

Whether we view change as positive (anticipation) or negative (dread), there is a certain amount of stress that accompanies each change. Change is a Process Change is Emotional Change has an Impact

Change is a Process

Present State

Transition State Desired

State

Driving Forces Resisting Forces

Unfreezing Changing Refreezing

Force Field Analysis Lewin, 1951 Figure 11.2

Change Can be Emotional

shock denial

anger bargaining

depression

testing

acceptance

Time

Emotional Response

pass

ive

activ

e

stability

Elizabeth Kubler- Ross, 1969

People

Technology

Task

Structure

Change Has an Impact On Different Areas of the Organization

Figure 11.4: Leavitts Model of Organizational Change

Reactions to Change

Change may be an ending mean giving something up be stressful be easier for those initiating the change provide a basis for resistance and conflict change the rules for success

The Change Management Plan

Figure 11.3

Assess Willingness, Readiness, and Ability to Change

Sponsor Initiating vs. sustaining sponsor

Change Agents The project manager and team

Targets of Change The users Must understand

The real impacts of the change The breadth of change Whats over and whats not Whether the rules for success have changed

Develop or Adopt a Strategy for Change

RationalEmpirical Approach Picture, Purpose, Part to Play

Normative-Reeducation Approach Focus on the core values, beliefs, and established

relationships that make up the culture of the group. Power-Coercive Approach

Compliance through the exercise of power Environmental-Adaptive Approach

Although people may avoid disruption and loss, they can still adapt to change

Implement the Change Management Plan and Track Progress

Communication Watch out for the rumor mill! Media is important Must flow in both directions What you dont say is as important as what

you do say! Hit the circle!

Evaluate Experience and Develop Lessons Learned

Experiences should be documented and made available to other project teams

Lessons learned provide a foundation for knowledge management and can be used to create new best practices

DEALING WITH RESISTANCE AND CONFLICT

Resistance should be anticipated from the outset of the project. Rumors and gossip will add fuel to the fire and the change effort can easily run out of steam if those affected by the change begin to resist. Resistance can be either overt, in the form of memos, meetings, etc., or covert, in the form of sabotage, foot dragging, politicking, etc. Once the change is compromised, management and the project team will lose credibility, and the organization may become resistant to all future changes.

Although conflict is one of the things most of us dislike intensely, it is inevitable. Most often when we try to avoid conflict, it will nevertheless seek us out. Some people wrongly hope that conflict will go away if it is ignored. In fact, conflict ignored is more likely to get worse, which can significantly reduce project performance. The best way to reduce conflict is to confront it. (Verma, 1998, p. 367)

Types of Conflict Traditional View

All conflict should be avoided why cant we all just get along?

Contemporary View Conflict is inevitable and natural Positive conflict stimulates ideas

Lets agree to disagree! Negative Conflict can be damaging

Interactionist View Conflict is necessary for performance

Devils advocate

Approaches to Conflict Avoidance

Retreat, withdraw, or ignore conflict Accommodation

Appease the parties in conflict Forcing

Dominant authority resolves conflict Compromise

Bargaining Collaboration

Confronting and attempting to solve the problem by incorporating different ideas, viewpoints, and perspectives.

Choosing the Best Approach

Each conflict situation is unique and the choice of an approach to resolve conflict depends on: Type of conflict and its relative importance to the

project. Time pressure to resolve the conflict. Position of power or authority of the parties involved. Whether the emphasis is on maintaining the goals or

objectives of the project or maintaining relationships.

A dilemma seeks to obtain both goals simultaneously, not eschew either.

Robert McLaren Organizational Dilemmas

Overcoming Resistance

Polarity Mapping (Barry Johnson: Polarity Mapping:Identifying &

Managing Unsolvable Problems) Polarities are defined as any pair of

independent opposites centralization vs. decentralization individual vs. team stability vs. change

We often frame pairs of choices, when in fact a better approach is to recognize the good/bad of each and strive for the best of both.

Polarity Mapping

Helps people get away from seeing only their current initiative as being the solution to the problem

Recognizes that one half of the polarity must be managed -

Not a case of choosing one idea over another

New Terminology

Crusaders those who want to shift emphasis to a

different pole Tradition Bearers

those who recognize the upside of the current pole and the downside of the pole the Crusaders are advocating

Everyones concerns are valid to ensure the success of the shift - not inhibit it

Polarity Mapping

Polarity Mapping

Pursue the upsides Attempt to avoid the downsides Provides relief for those with valid concerns Avoids labeling one as not being a team

player or as a resistor

For those advocating a change, it forces them to recognize that an initiative can only be successful if the upsides, or positive aspects, are carried forward in the new environment.

Successful change management means understanding that change is difficult, treating people humanely, allowing time for them to turn the corner, and trading your control for their individual self- direction and ingenuity.

Hamilton Strategic Management Group, Inc.