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Drazen, Australia
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Relevance of Change Management Theories?
My interpretation of change management theory in a practical sense is that change theories are never used, but are more sub-consciously instilled within managers. Although it could possibly be proved that some approaches which are implemented are based on some change management theories.
⇨ What relevance would you believe change management models and methods hold in a practical context? Do you as a manager ever even consider them?
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Adrian Labuschagne
CEO, South Africa
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Relevance of Change Management Theories I believe the theories are very sound - but only humans can induce change. Having participated in a number of large projects I am apt to agree that "bottom line" metrics override all other operational management considerations. In a country where we dismally failed at mass change management my view is that we must not "throw out the baby with the bathwater". But how do we make acceptance of change as a positive force practical?
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davide storni, Italy
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Relevance of Change Management Theories? In my opinion, there is no contrast between theory and practice, theories come from experience and you cannot act if you don't have a theory in mind (even if only rough, wrong, but you need an idea of what you're going to do).
Secondly, the change will happen when people understand that the benefits override the disadvantages of the change. So, as a change manager, you ought to clarify for yourself what are the advantages for all stakeholders, then talk, talk and talk to let them know the advantages. A model can also be quite useful in this communication.
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Arunas Beksta, Lithuania
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Relevance of Change Management Theories According to Einstein If I am not mistaken Einstein said that there is nothing more practical than good theory :-) . The problem is to find the relevant theory for your concrete change situation. What is the problem: leadership, organisation, planning, implementation, human behavior etc.?
Unfortunately, (or luckily) there is no one single best (most relevant) theory. My experience shows that theories are very important for understanding the processes around change. They help in planning, preparing for change, but the most valuable thing in change management is leadership of change and experience of the change manager.
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Denis Cavallucci
Professor, France
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Relevance of Change Management Theories: First Step Theories are (only) the first step of a change. The world doesn't feel it needs theories, but does feels it needs a translation into methods and tools to be efficiently applied.
I like this question very much, but the answer will undoubtedly come by itself. Like for organizing the switchover between production era towards quality era (in the fifties) we are now ahead of a change of (at least) the same magnitude: the switchover from quality era towards innovation era. This will not come without a change in management practices (induced by the emergence of new theories).
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Brendan Dunphy
Business Consultant, France
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Relevance of Change Management Theories: Foundation I think the theories are essential but only the beginning or foundation for understanding and making change. In reality, most change projects benefit only a sub-set of stakeholders and no amount of theory can change or be responsible for that!
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Relevance of Change Management Theories: Training Most managers need to be trained to handle change. The problem is many organizations try to change without strategies, plans, structures, systems, etc. There is also a need to ensure the vision is created, communicated, credible, and consolidated. Theory is great, but you also need committed leadership. I find John P. Kotter has a good model to follow - Leading Change (1996).
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Bomo Albert-Oguara, Nigeria
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Theories Illuminate Practice Theories depend on the empirical. They illuminate practice and without them managers and the management of enterprises will flounder. Managing change in the organization is the leaders forte. Change can be incremental or strategic, whatever. The most important factor is in the leader realizing that change is necessary and needs to bring in ideas (theories) on how to go about it. The environment of business is dynamic, both at the micro and macro levels. Change management theories therefore help in grappling with these.
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Weijand
Manager, Netherlands
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Relevance of Change Management Theories: Learn from Past Experience Since the beginning of mankind, mankind have been changing things. People were hardly thinking about theories... My opinion is that the relevance of these theories is that it can be a great help for the less talented change managers (like myself). The theories are lessons learned from the natural talented and/or experienced and therefore appreciated.
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Gary Uptigrove
HR Consultant, United States
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Relevance of Change Management Theories - If you are in a very "top-down" managed organization then change happens because a senior executive drives it without much thought to "managing it".
- In a matrixed or decentralized organization change management should start from the inception of the project/initiative. Kotter's model or the ADKAR model are very useful guides for creating a change management plan.
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Geoff Atkinson, United Kingdom
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Relevance of Change Management Theories for Individuals I think we have to deal with everyone as we find them. All the useful models about individual response to change emphasise difference (and indeed its value). Some respond to theory, others can't stand it and are only interested in hearing specifics relevant to their situation. The "Yin and Yang" change notions (not theories I think) can help us to stay balanced in our work.
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Corbette Doyle
Professor, United States
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My Reflections on the Relevance of Change Management Theories I spent the last 15 of a 30 year corporate role responsible for major change management initiatives. Honestly, I learned more about effective change strategies in the last 2 years teaching leadership and change management than I did in all those years in the midst of trying to achieve the desired results.
Why? Because now I am forced to take a step back and think about what worked - or didn't - and why. I think about what myself or my colleagues could have done differently. This role of reflection is a critical attribute of effective leaders, but it is one most of us decide, "we don't have time for."
The empirical nature of theory, as pointed out above, provides insight about what worked in the past, when it worked, and why it worked. It gives us the opportunity, BEFORE we make mistakes, to avoid them.
The key is to adapt theory to your specific circumstances--and then to do your own self-reflection exercise afterward to enhance your personal change management skills for the next time around.
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Franz Barth, Austria
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Change Management Theories: Feel Comfortable The Greek philosopher Heraklit said. "Panta rhei". We need a theory to feel comfortable and it helps us to change the present. The eight-stage process of creating change is very useful to bring a team...
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James MacQueen
Consultant, United States
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Change Management Theories Need Augmentation After 20 years of practice in organizational change and development, I'm not aware of any change management theories. Models such as Kotter's and ADKAR, are based on empirical research and practice st...
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Drazen, Australia
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Update to Change Management Theories How many of you would say that you don't use theories because the organisation simply doesn't allow it? Or are there other restrictions in place for not using theories such as it interfering within th...
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Change Management Theories: Involve Whole Organization Change management is not well managed in most organizations and thus it seems complicated. Successful leaders involve the whole organization using a "change champion" and a “coalition of the willing”....
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Keith Brockbank
Lecturer, United Kingdom
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Individual and Group Theories for Change Management Change management involves people as both individuals and as groups. Most theories tend to be directed at one or the other. However, Rosabeth Moss Kanter has developed a set of capabilities/competenci...
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David Bovis
Business Consultant, United Kingdom
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Sub-conscious Change Management All credit to Drazen for the question. There is a degree of irony in the fact that change management focuses on tools and what people 'do' rather than how they are 'being' (logic vs emotion) . This is...
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Rafael Acosta
Coach, United States
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Relevance of Change Management Theories: Have Options The theories are great to understand the problem and develop an options list. Choosing the right options is the "art". Once you're on the path the Pareto principle kicks in and you have to celebrate 8...
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Milind Kotwal
Consultant, India
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Theories Vanish When We Have Knowledge Theories are empirical in nature and are based on one's understanding of reality. Generally this understanding is not complete and is based on personal experiences. That is why there are so many diffe...
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tan liong choon
Management Consultant, Singapore
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Change Management Theory is an Essential Tool My sense is that change management theory is just a tool.
The success or failure will depend very much on the application of the theory in developing the appropriate change management plan and execut...
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Lisa Buchan
Manager, New Zealand
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What Lies Beneath I think David Bovis has hit the nail on the head here - without dealing with what lies beneath behaviour (call it attitude, authenticity or way of being) it is impossible to apply behavioural and stru...
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David Bovis
Business Consultant, United Kingdom
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Sub-conscious Change Management - Cont Once belief-performance links are clearly understood, it can also be seen that many current 'theories' and standard systems actually promote actions that provoke people to unconsciously oppose change ...
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Change Management Frameworks Based on David Bovis' comments regarding sustainable change - does that mean we can use the McKinsey 7S or Galbraith Star Model as frameworks for looking at change?...
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David Bovis
Business Consultant, United Kingdom
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Change Management David, I've looked at mcKinsey's 7S etc. And as much as it recognises 'people' just as Nadler and Tushman do in their Congruence model, systems thinking did with closed loop deterministic vs open loop...
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Drazen, Australia
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The Use of Models and Frameworks for When Looking at Change Models and frameworks which I find to be most relevant when looking at change initiatives / situations are that of the congruence model, more so because of its simplistic view / approach towards chang...
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Philip Oldfield
Project Manager, United Kingdom
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Triangles of Fire and Change Change must have a value, often this is placed in terms of cashable benefits (organisationally), however, don't dismiss the importance of non-cashable benefits especially those of motivation and moral...
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Schon Beechler, USA
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What's Missing in many Change Management Theories The best article I have ever read on this topic is "The real reason why people won't change" by Kegan and Laslow, Harvard Business Review, 2001. It highlights the emotional and psychological barriers,...
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Roger Dugas, Canada
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Change Management Theories Make Things to Complicated Once we label something as a “change”, we immediately begin to make things more complicated than they are. People regularly face much bigger personal change than anything an organization could throw a...
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Change Management Vision I agree that organizations need to tell people what's changing. The failure of many major change initiatives, is that the executives driving the change too often have a hidden agenda. People need lead...
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D P BABU
Strategy Consultant, India
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Change Management Insights Shall we then simply say these are not theories, but only insights during management practices which keep on changing constantly....
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Drazen, Australia
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Change Theories Have a Lot of Value but Need to be Molded Based on the comments which have been received and my own interpretations of various literature and reflecting on my personal work experience I would like to say that theories shouldn't be discarded a...
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David Bovis
Business Consultant, United Kingdom
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Relevance of Change Management Theories Labelling something as 'change' when 'change' is inevitable and eternal is a mistake that sets the wrong context. Suggesting any change is "deeply emotional and negative" is, as said above, irresponsi...
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Drazen, Australia
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Consider Behaviour in Change Theories! I find behaviour is linked to change, I also find that psychology gets discarded when it comes to the implementation of change. Although I mention psychology here loosely, I imply that it means that i...
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Schon Beechler, USA
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The Problem with Change Management Theories Building on the comments above, I think that part of the "problem" with our theories, as well as our practice, is that we continue to treat complex situations as driven by simple, linear causes. Why p...
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Rebecca Roe
United States
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Change Theories are Tools You Can Use I see relevance in change management theories because change is inevitable in order to grow and progress. I agree with many in this forum who wonder about the practicality.
My opinion is that I am th...
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ravin albert
Manager, South Africa
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Relevance of Change Management Theories It is crucial to understand the theoretical fundamentals underpinning change management. After all, theory without practice is sterile and practice without theory is blind.
Culture. Remember that emp...
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Jon M. Huegli
Management Consultant, United States
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Scientific Application of Change Management Theory As one of the pioneers contributing in organization development and change management, both as a behavioral scientist and as an executive practitioner in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s when the fields were...
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Bomo Albert-Oguara, Nigeria
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Change Models Must Put People in the Center The only change theory or model that matters to me is one that puts people right in the middle of change management. Change management involves the leader(person), people to drive the change, people t...
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David Bovis
Business Consultant, United Kingdom
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The Detail of the People System I agree with Bomo in many respects. To fully understand the people system, i.e. the root cause of behaviours that become performance and generate profit, it is imperative to understand imprinting phas...
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temitayo olutoye, Nigeria
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Relevance of Change Management Theory I believe the theories give us a direction and can also act as a propeller for the change. But the human angle to change must not be overlooked. Change must be driven by the leader and the leader must...
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ernest agbenohevi
Consultant, Ghana
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Relevance of Change Management Theories: Do Managers even Consider it? Change management theories can serve as a guide as well as providing an understanding to the process of change and the required responses.
Managers require a better insight into change management the...
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Jeff Washburn
Strategy Consultant, United States
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Palomino Unicorns and Change Management It is theory that there is such a KSA (Editor: ~knowledge, skills, and abilities) as Change Management. Another way of saying it is that the term "change management" arises from one sense made of an i...
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Marc Van de Velde
Management Consultant, Belgium
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What Relevance Would You Believe Change Management Theory Holds in a Practical Context? do You as a Manager Ever Even Consider It? In all the above there's already said very valuable info related to the initial question. When studying for the craftsmanship of managing change I try to absorb as many of the theories I could grab be...
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David Hodgen
Management Consultant, Australia
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Change Management Theory by Ambrose The most useful change management theory I have worked with is that based on the work of Delores Ambrose.
Where change requires Vision, Resources, Incentive. Skills and Action Plan. If any item is mi...
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Love Lonnroth
Management Consultant, Sweden
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Change Theories Fall Short of a more Messy Reality @Drazen: I think one reason why theories and models are less useful is because CM is the equivalent of decathlon in the field of management. There is no model that will work in all situations and theo...
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Omondi
Manager, Kenya
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Change Theories Fall Short of a More Messy Reality @Philip Oldfield: I like the triangle of fire analogy in the discussion. Management theories borrow a lot from confirmed theories on natural activities and these help us understand practical applicati...
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Maurice Hogarth
Consultant, United Kingdom
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Theory or Model? Wow!
For me we need to distinguish between theory and model.
A theory is to do with an (unconfirmed) opinion/suggestion-explanation for something. (When confirmed it is no longer a theory.)
A model...
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Albin Xavier
Business Consultant, India
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Change Experts and IT/Domain Experts Being a consultant in the realm of IT transformation, I've often seen consultants specializing in Organizational Change Management (OCM) collaborate with technology modernization or industry domain co...
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Dr. Alan Williams
Professor, Thailand
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The Value of Change Management Theories in Practice All staff and stakeholders (internal & external) must see/feel that things have changed, and that includes observing that behaviors & attitudes have actually changed.
As a regional director of a majo...
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Joe Marchese
Business Consultant, United States
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Are we Focusing on the Right Aspect of Change? "Some people think change takes time. Not true; change happens in an instant. Preparing for change and accepting it: that takes time." – Chris Westfall....
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PeterMaria van Herpen
Switzerland
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Change Theory Never Used Well, it may sound cynical, but I do agree that change theories are never (or hardly ever) used.
Where I do not agree is the 'instilled in managers'. Most changes in most companies work according to ...
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Dr. Arup Barman
Professor, India
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We Need Change Theory to Transform Unplanned Into a Planned Change I do believe in the applications of the change theory in the context of planned change when we wish to control the change for the future.
In the context of a chaotic situation, change becomes automat...
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Dr. Alan Williams
Professor, Thailand
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Using Change Management Theories Requires Reflection @Corbette Doyle: Well said. I share the same reflective thoughts but from the view of a consulting company. During and after every change project with clients I always found time to have an internal r...
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Molokanova
Professor, Ukraine
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Relevance of Change Management Theory All managers understand that there is no single best theory, just as there is no single best tool. Theories are important for understanding processes, tools are important for the practice of implement...
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Francis Kabwechere
Management Consultant, Uganda
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Relevance of Change Management Theories @Brendan Dunphy: My experience with Change Management theories in a practical sense is that they are the conceptualized, seriously thought through and written as the basic foundation for the change pr...
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Kim Troll
HR Consultant, United Kingdom
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Relevance of Change Management Theories Depends on the Organisational Context If you are using them in an organisation which buys into management thinking and discipline, they can be very useful for structuring approach, engaging stakeholders, building a business case and commu...
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Bernice A
Ghana
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Relevance of Change Management Theories This was a very interesting topic.
So, in brief, the essence of change management theories is to serve as a basis and guide for one to understand what needs to be done, with respect to one's situatio...
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Michael Manuel
Professor, Sweden
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Who Said: There is Nothing More Practical than Good Theory @Arunas Beksta: Very much agree, Arunas. By the way, that was Kurt Lewin (who developed his own change theory 😃 ) and not Einstein....
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