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Bouderlique, France
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Change Management: Theory versus Practice
I would like to make a comparison between theory and practice in change management. I am writing a paper in which I discuss the following sentence: " I smoke, I know it is bad for me, but I won't stop".
I would like to highlight the fact that theory is hard to put in practice, but I don't know how to.
I didn't find any website where I can find an answer.
Moreover, I need examples, one where a change theory has been successful in practice, and one were it was not succesfull.
I already have explained the way to change in a company, based on Lewin's process of change ( unfreezing, change, refreezing), and Force Field Analysis.
Could someone help and reply a tip, idea or experience? Thanks in advance.
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tasweer
Teacher, Pakistan
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Change Management Process and Examples of Change You will not stop smoking because your behavior is yet to allow a defreeze/unfreeze state.
Once you are aware about the effects of nicotine in your blood, carbon dioxide in your lungs and carboxyhemoglobin in your blood you will be able to unfreeze your concept and undergo change.
A good examples of successful change management is of Kennedy's bill of rights against the movement of production-ism.
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Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
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The Immediacy of Non-conformance One parallel aspect of smoking and organizational change is that the consequences of NOT changing are not immediately visible or noticeable. Take a peek at McGregor's Hot Stove Rule for a practical appreciation of the need for immediate consequences of non-conformance.
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David Wilson
Manager, Canada
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Change Theory and Practice Hi Bouderlique: I have just completed my master's thesis and I wrote that organizations and people need to be prepared for change before they can change.
Look at the following books: Great by Choice (Collins & Hansen, 2011), Built to Change (Lawler lll & Worley, 2006), Good to Great (Collins, 2001), and Built to Last (Collins & Porras, 1994).
Many change projects are doomed to fail. It's like trying to quit smoking - where you may have to try several times before you succeed.
I also think you could examine Kotter's 1996 book - "Leading Change" and the book by Liker & Franz (2011) - "The Toyota Way to Continuous Improvement."
I also like the idea that to change you have to have to relate it to mind (leadership), body (mission), and soul (vision) - do you have a clear vision, is there a guiding coalition, and do you have change leaders at the top of the organization. Regards, David.
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Gary Wong
Consultant, Canada
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Changing the Change Practice Your smoking sentence is an example of BF Skinner's operant conditioning. Aubrey Daniels designed an applied behaviour/consequence (ABC) approach and created a highly successful consulting business. I still use his ABC approach with clients.
When I was at Ernst & Young Consulting, we were licensed to use Darryl Conner's Managing at the Speed of Change methodology. It was used to manage the people issues associated with an IT ERP implementation. With a reportedly 70% ERP failure rate in the IT industry, we began questioning our change practice. Circa 2000, we decided to shift to the positive side of change and rebuilt our change management practice around Appreciative Inquiry.
For years my paradigm was TAP - Theory, Application, Practice. It worked well in a stable world where linear, sequential thinking was acceptable. But today we face volatility, unpredictability, and inconsistent people and system behaviour. My response has been to flip the paradigm - Practice, then Application, then Theory:
- First, probe the system and observe what happens. Find the pattern(s) that emerge. The term we use is safe-fail experimentation.
- Secondly, see where else the pattern(s) apply and make sense.
- Thirdly, construct a new solution based on the pattern(s). Proclaim a new theory if you are so inclined.
You can draw some strong similarities with Action Research. This is another neat example where seemingly dissociated management fields are actually related and how useful 12manage.com is in helping us to connect the dots.
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Rick Garlick
United States
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I Smoke, I Know it is Bad for Me, But I Won't Stop David Wilson has provided some good books. I would add it starts with one person (Black and Gregersen) and a sense of urgency John P. Kotter).
- When it comes to changing something for one person, the bottom line is to find that thing that is valued above smoking. Everyone knows it is bad for you, but they choose to do it because they value the experience more and the consequence may or may not happen, and is so far removed. Think about the smoker who meets the love of their life who doesn't smoke. The smoker must quit or risk losing their love. Internally, they decided that it is worth giving up the love of smoking for something greater. No matter how much we tell people what they should do, it really comes down to an internal decision, and that scale is tipped by any number of things that are only known to the individual.
- With groups, you only need to win over a percentage of people, buy with individuals you need to be totally on target 100% of the time.
Good luck with your paper!
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Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
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Quitting Smoking and Change Management @Rick Garlick: excellent reaction, Rick. You made me remember my own quitting smoking 10 years ago. Why was it successful that time, and not the few times I tried it before?
The reason was simple. The last time I - the person influenced by the change - made a conscious and firm decision. You also mentioned the word "decision" 2 times.
I believe this "decision" is even more important than finding the thing that is valued above the old habit.
When someone quits smoking while making a really firm, determined, conscious decision, this helps a lot to stop your brain to beg you for a cigarette. So at difficult moments / circumstances, for example when you're at a party, and drink quite a few beers (with some good friends who still smoke), this might help you through the difficult moment.
What can we learn from this parallel for change management? At least 4 things:
#1. It is important to involve the one(s) who are crucial for the change and the one(s) that will be affected by the change in taking the decision to change.
#2. We should ensure a firm, conscious decision is taken. Don't do the participation job under #1 half heartedly! As change managers we must insist on taking the time to allow everybody to realize why the change is needed and ensuring a determined decision to make the change happen.
#3. The tougher the required change is, the more time and effort we should spend on #1 and #2.
#4. Doing so not only builds great momentum to get the change started, but more importantly it will also help the change process to survive and overcome the many obstacles that will no doubt arise.
See also Appreciative Inquiry as @Gary Wong already suggested.
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Frank Hughes, United Kingdom
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I Smoke, I Know it is Bad for Me But I Won't Stop The point is that theory is just that, and tends to be based in a Utopian environment where all the variables are known and understood.
Theory will never take into account circumstances, environment...
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Bouderlique, France
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I Smoke, I Know it is Bad for Me But I Won't Stop Thank you all for your answers, I have handed my paper in, I'll see if the teachers think the same as me. Regards, Camille Bouderlique...
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JC de Jong
Director, Netherlands
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Keep Us Updated Dear MS Bouderlique, please keep us informed on what your teachers think and provide as feedback. And maybe you are willing to consider to share your paper with this community. Best regards....
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Sokolova Tatiana, Russian Federation
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Active Determination and Expectation of Organizational Change @Tasweer: The case comparing with stopping smoking shows the difference between passive recognition of the fact it is bad and the active determination of a person to act for change...
All changes are...
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Andrew Morrell, Australia
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I Smoke, I Know it is Bad for Me But I Won't Stop Aubrey Daniels writings on behavior modification techniques provide some useful models of why people do or do not want to change. The PIC/NIC's classification and dimension of motivation and response ...
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mohamed hesham khattab
Management Consultant, Egypt
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The Need for Immediate Consequences (Real Results): The Situation in the Middle East @Jaap de Jonge (Editor): I agree that immediate and useful results which can be seen and touched by all members in an organization are the secret of success for any suggested change.
Consider our rev...
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Jaap de Jonge
Editor, Netherlands
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Immense Changes in the Middle East @Mohamed hesham khattab: I understand and empathize with the frustrations you and probably many people in the Middle East are currently feeling .
Unfortunately the reality is that initiating immense ...
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Toor, Libya
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Change in Organizations is a Political Motivated Move Management Change or Change in Management is basically a political motivated move.
If leaders want to accept change they will change, but if they don't want it, then they will not change as we have s...
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mohamed hesham khattab
Management Consultant, Egypt
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The Secret of Success for Any Suggested Change Immediate and useful results which can be seen and touched by all staff members in any organization are representing the secret of success for any suggested change.. Look to our revolutions in the mi...
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