Management, Teamwork and Change

Dr David BamfordManchester Business School

Key questions and focus…

What direct impact does a difficult or stressful context have on the nature and quality of management and teamwork?

What is the wider learning and practical implications from your experience?

Management Theories Classical Human Relations Contingency Theory

Organisational Change Planned approach Emergent approach

Various Holistic Models

Corporate Culture patterns, personalities & stories

Role of strategy with change link personnel & business strategy

use of change as a strategy organisation cultures adapt to external environment

Role of the manager influence upon change?

Management Theories

Key organisationalchange theories

Acknowledgement ofculture as a factor

Management strategiesuse change

Managers control, defineand implement change

1. The Literature!

KeyManagement

Theories Keyorganisational

change theories

Acknowledgementof culture as

a factor

Managementstrategies

use change

Managerscontrol, define& implement

change

OrganisationalChange

The Envir

onment

A Conceptual Model of the Literature1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

(Bamford & Forrester, 2003)

2. Research within the private sector

Background Employ 21k people in 41 countries Turnover approximately £2B Manufacturing Sector researched= 1.6k people,

£116M turnover Objectives: they wanted an appreciation of how

change was carried out…

INITIATIVES Yr1 Yr2 Yr3 Yr4 Yr5 Yr6 Ongoing

Continuous

Improvement

Health & Safety

Actioned Ideas

Mean Success

Progress

through Quality

Good

Manufacturing

Practice

Quality Systems

Table 1 – Company Initiative Timeframes

Findings…(1)

Initiative Planned or emergent?

Background

Continuous Improvement

Emergent Pharmaceutical customer influence forced company to develop a programme

Health &Safety Planned / Emergent

Following some near-fatalities at production sites B.o.D implemented H&S training

Actioned Ideas Mean Success

Planned / Emergent

Came after CI and the H&S initiatives as a simple way of measuring improvement initiatives

Progress through Quality

Emergent Response to falling share price. The initiative focused on cost benefits and operational effectiveness

Good Manufacturing Practice

Emergent Pharmaceutical customer influence forced formal training to take place

Quality Systems (ISO 9000, Clean Room Codes of Practice)

Emergent Customer influence forced the implementation (would not be able to supply if no ISO certificate or full compliance to C/R Codes of Practice )

Employee training Emergent Any specific training was usually in direct response to some ‘failing’ within the organisation

Table 2 – Emergent or planned?

Findings…(2)

Internal influences Initial influence Eventual influence Operational management +ve: followed company

line +ve/-ve: seen to adopt their own strategies

Other senior management +ve: follow the company line

+ve/-ve: seen to adopt their own strategies

Internal legislation (ISO) +ve: created a control mechanism

+ve/-ve: largely ignored

Management structure +ve: existing frustrations promoted change

-ve: frustrations at the ‘status-quo’ did not allow time for consolidation of initiatives

Prevailing culture +ve: existing frustrations promoted change

-ve: frustrations at the ‘status-quo’ did not allow time for consolidation of initiatives

History +ve: building on what already achieved

-ve: history of failed initiatives created failure

New employees +ve: catalysts for change

+ve/-ve: once incorporated into company develop own agenda

Table 3 - Internal influences

Findings…(3)

Outside influences Initial influence Eventual influence Economic (raw material, component price, etc)

+ve: forced improvements

-ve: company sold

External legislation (ISO) +ve: acted as an improvement catalyst

Negligible: once set-up has no discernible effect

Popular literature +ve: enabled up to date thinking

Negligible: change tended to be driven by the market

Change consultants +ve: change catalyst -ve: caused resentment Social setting Negligible Negligible Shareholders -ve: cash constraints -ve: forced business sale Customers (existing) +ve: forced to keep up

to date +ve: tangible improvements made

Customers (potential) +ve: forced to keep up to date, to look good

+ve: tangible improvements made and plans set for future

Table 4 - Outside influences

Findings…(4)

Positive perspectives Negative perspectives PtQ is a new approach PtQ is just another fad PtQ should be part of the normal job PtQ projects are extra to everything else PtQ will assure the survival of the company

PtQ will not make any difference in the long run

PtQ concepts and techniques are now fully integrated.

PtQ methods are largely ignored

PtQ is primarily focused on quality and efficiency

PtQ is all about increasing the number of products going out the door every week

Change initiatives stress the need for involvement and empowerment

Change programmes create a ‘vital few from the trivial many’

New rules apply now: challenge the status quo, open and non-confrontational dialogue, clear communication, employees not afraid of senior managers

The old rules still apply: don’t rattle any cages, don’t rock the boat, freedom of speech we have not.

Instances of co-operation: increased teamwork and ownership of problems, senior managers more open to criticism, better awareness of customers’ needs

Instances of defensiveness: extreme uncertainty due to lack of orders and falling business, managers overworked by too many different projects at once, resentment against the cost of external consultants.

Table 5 - Summary of varying perspectives

Findings…(5)

‘Middle-out’ change

InfluencesPotentialchangescreened / filtered

Suggestedchangescreened / filtered

Implementationinstructed

Changebegins

Customers

Potentialcustomers- fromvisits/audits

Suppliers- suggestionsmade

Personalcontacts- within otherindustries

Own knowledge-college courses-university courses-professionaljournals-ambition-knowledge fromprevious jobs

Departmentmembers-personal insights

MiddleManagement

Filter

SeniorManagement

Filter

MiddleManagement

SeniorManagement

MiddleManagement

ChangeImplemented

Time

Previous changeprogrammes

Analysis(1)What is the nature & quality of personal insight & reflective practice of middle/senior management?

What significance and implications do these have when handled well?

External Influences•economic•legislation•popular literature•change consultants•social setting•shareholders•customers (existing & potential)

Internal Influences•Financial reporting•operational mgt•other senior mgt•internal legislation•mgt structure•prevailing culture•history of organisation•new employees

Seefig 1.0

Changeliteraturemostlyignored

ChangeProgramme

A

ChangeProgramme

B

ChangeProgramme

C

ChangeProgramme

D

THE ORGANISATION

initial influence+ve

initial influence+ve

initial influence+ve

initial influence+ve

1

2

3

4

5

Emergent influences & aspects of change (EIAC) Model

Repeats

Fails tocompleteobjectives

Achievesobjectives

Change projects pass into organisation history 6

Analysis(2)Why is the change literature mostly ignored?

What is the potential for the quality of the management and teamwork if it were paid greater attention?

What are good sources of change literature?

Some conclusions from the research…

Underlying logic that steers change programmes identified - highly reactive

Operational managers fully aware of issues surrounding change and believed ‘official’ communication ignores the complex reality

Organisational change was mainly emergent

Link between change programmes & ‘improvement’ is contingent - certain groups have a vested interest

2. Some results from research within the NHS

Background NHS the 2nd largest organisation in the world!

Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) now disbanded – most of the

lab network transferred to the newly created Health Protection

Agency (HPA). Various other functions to be transferred from other

organisation

Change initiated by Chief Medical Officer for England's strategy for

combating infectious diseases (‘Getting ahead of the curve’, 2002)

Analysis of the process of change

Evaluate the validity of existing change management models

Findings…(1) Failure to make key appointments sooner was

identified as a significant problem by the majority Only one quarter felt they had any real involvement in

shaping the way the changes were taken forward Half commented on poor project management (e.g.

Coram & Burnes (2001) - the remoteness of change leaders in many public sector change programmes, can present problems)

Half thought the short time scale had an adverse impact on the process of change

Findings…(2)

The majority felt well informed about the proposed changes But only a third felt well informed about the reasons for

change

Half thought the change process was well managed

The formal process of consultation with Trades Unions was acknowledged, but appeared to have negligible impact at local level

LEWIN’S CHANGE MODEL:

(Planned Change)

CHANGE EVENTS establishing the HPA and transferring PHLS laboratories to the NHS:

UNFREEZING: Dismantle the PHLS Disestablishing the NRPB and MRA Remove some Health Protection activities from parts of the NHS Remove some aspects of chemical hazard response from a number of University Departments

MOVEMENT: Transfer some PHLS Laboratories to the NHS Transfer the remainder of the PHLS to the HPA Transfer all the assets of the NRPB and MRA to the HPA Transfer staff and some assets from parts of the NHS and some Universities to the HPA All movements to be completed by set date

REFREEZING: Combine all the functions transferred to the HPA, into a coherent single organisation delivering high quality health protection services Integrate the PHLS Laboratories transferring to the NHS into the local NHS, Pathology Service

Comparison of Lewin’s Organisational Change Model to the changes involved in establishing the HPA and transferring PHLS laboratories to

the NHSTable 1

HAYES MODEL: OBSERVATIONS:

1. Level of Urgency The response to terrorist threats imposes an urgent need for change

2. Clarity of End State The creation of the HPA and transfer of laboratories to the NHS is clear.

3. Level of Resistance This will be discussed in more detail later, but the evidence suggests that whilst there was adverse press coverage about some aspects of the changes, there is primarily broad support or a neutral response to the changes

4. Change Managers have all the information they need

This is difficult to assess from the evidence.

5. Level of Trust in Change Managers

The evidence suggests that the change managers were not well known

6.Plan can be Implemented by

Change Managers without Commitment

from Others

The establishment of the HPA and transfer of laboratories could be achieved without widespread commitment. However the medium term project of organisational development within the HPA will require widespread commitment.

Evaluation of the approach to Change taken in creating the HPA and transferring PHLS Laboratories to the NHS using Hayes Model

Table 2

Some conclusions from the research…

1. The reasons for the change, together with a vision for the future need to be clearly stated and effectively communicated

2. Through effective and positive leadership, the organisation needs to become committed to the change process and develop a culture, supportive of change

3. The organisational change process needs to be well managed in a way that is: sensitive to the impact of organisational change on the whole

organisation and individuals within it appropriate to the contingent environmental conditions at the time

Key Issues from these cases?

What implications can be drawn from these?

What ways are there of enhancing management practice and team working?

Key Issues…(1)

1. Reliance on ‘successful’ models…2. Outcomes tend to take precedence over

process…3. Perceived gap between talk and action…4. Positive value of change is never

questioned in any of the cases5. An emphasis on quantifiable

results/outcomes for senior management…

Key Issues…(2)

6. History of past change makes long-standing members very sceptical of new efforts to implement significant change programmes

7. Mechanisms used to institutionalise changes fall victim to same organisational deficiencies they are trying to remedy

8. The important of culture and subculture