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Samenvatting Literatuur en Leesvragen
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Literatuur - Leading Change & ProjectsTheme A: Change dimensions...............................................................................................2
A1: Controllability, depth, and time.....................................................................................2
A2: The ‘old’ vs the ‘new’ in change...................................................................................9
Theme B: Change Barriers...................................................................................................15
B1: Change capacity........................................................................................................15
B2: change recipients......................................................................................................24
B3: Change resistance.....................................................................................................26
B4: Change spirals: Control vs collaboration spirals........................................................32
Theme C: Change tactics.....................................................................................................39
C1: Changing in steps......................................................................................................39
C2: Change logics: dialogical, diagnostic, cost-focus, people-focus................................46
C3: Change templates: Management fashions................................................................53
C4: Prognostic tactics – changing the future....................................................................58
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,Theme A: Change dimensions
A1: Controllability, depth, and time
Klein, J., Solinger, O. N., Graamans, E., & van Olffen, W. (2024). Horses for courses: A
Contingency approach to organizational change leadership. Manuscript under preparation.
Samenvatting:
The article, "A Typology of Planned Organizational Change: Towards a Situational Approach
for Organizational Change Leadership" by Klein et al. (2024), explores the fragmented nature of
organizational change literature. It addresses the lack of clarity in understanding planned
organizational changes and their leadership. The authors develop a typology of planned change based
on two key dimensions:
1. Change Depth: This refers to the extent to which a change affects superficial elements like
organizational processes or deeper aspects such as values and identities.
2. Change Controllability: This indicates how much the outcomes of a change and the
interventions required can be programmed and controlled.
Based on these dimensions, the authors outline four ideal types of planned change:
● Operational Change: Low depth, high controllability (e.g., process improvements).
● Tactical Change: High depth, high controllability (e.g., implementing cultural shifts).
● Innovative Change: Low depth, low controllability (e.g., product development).
● Transformational Change: High depth, low controllability (e.g., organizational identity
transformation).
Each type of change presents unique challenges and requires tailored leadership approaches. The
article calls for situational leadership, adjusting styles based on the type of change to improve
organizational outcomes.
By providing this framework, the authors aim to bridge disciplinary silos and help both scholars and
practitioners better understand and manage different types of planned organizational change.
2
,Leesvragen:
1. Is there one-best-way to lead change? Why (not)? Explain the reasoning laid out in this piece
to answer the question.
No, there is not a one-best-way to lead change. The article argues that successful leadership of
organizational change depends on the specific situation, including the depth of change required and
the controllability of the change process. These dimensions call for a situational or contingency
approach to leadership, where different types of changes (operational, tactical, innovative,
transformational) require different leadership styles. There is no single leadership method because
each change scenario presents unique challenges that need tailored approaches.
2. How would you define the (un)controllability of change/projects?
Controllability refers to the degree to which the outcomes of a change and the interventions to achieve
them can be planned, predicted, and controlled. If a change is highly controllable, it follows
predefined steps, and outcomes are predictable (e.g., operational change). On the other hand, low
controllability indicates that the outcomes are uncertain, emergent, and harder to manage, as seen in
innovative or transformational changes.
3. What are key characteristics and what are contextual characteristics? Explain the difference.
Key characteristics refer to the fundamental, intrinsic attributes of a change process, such as change
depth (whether it involves surface-level changes or deep transformations) and controllability (whether
outcomes can be predicted and controlled).
Contextual characteristics are external factors that affect the change, such as organizational culture,
stakeholder interests, and the political landscape. These characteristics shape how the change unfolds
in practice but are not part of the core change itself.
4. What do we mean with depth, as a dimension that distinguishes between change situations?
Depth refers to the extent to which a change affects the organization's internal structure. Shallow
changes involve adjustments to visible, formal aspects like processes or structures (low depth), while
deeper changes affect the organization’s values, identity, and culture (high depth). Deep changes
require a transformation in the underlying norms, assumptions, and behaviors of an organization.
5. The two dimensions are not binary categories but continuous scales. What does this mean and
can you give examples of change projects with different degrees of controllability? What
would be examples of different levels of change depth?
The dimensions of controllability and depth are continuous scales, meaning that change projects can
vary in degrees along these dimensions rather than fitting into rigid categories. For example:
- A highly controllable project could be an office relocation where steps are clear and outcomes
predictable, while a low controllability project might be developing a new disruptive technology.
- In terms of depth, a low-depth project might involve updating a software system without changing
user behaviors, whereas a high-depth project could involve a merger between two companies with
distinct cultures, requiring a redefinition of values and identity.
3
, 6. Explain the content of operational, tactical, innovative, and transformational change and their
relations to the change dimensions, and try to give examples.
- Operational Change: Low depth, high controllability. Focuses on formal, surface-level adjustments
like changes in processes or technology. Example: Implementing a new reporting system across
departments.
- Tactical Change: High depth, high controllability. Involves deeper organizational shifts that can
still be planned, such as introducing a new corporate responsibility strategy. Example: Changing a
company’s diversity and inclusion practices.
- Innovative Change: Low depth, low controllability. Involves emergent, experimental changes with
unpredictable outcomes. Example: Developing a new product in a competitive market.
- Transformational Change: High depth, low controllability. Entails fundamental shifts in
organizational identity or culture that are difficult to predict and control. Example: A company
transitioning from a traditional business model to a digital platform.
7. What type of change would you be the most comfortable with? Why?
This depends on personal strengths and preferences. If you are highly organized and prefer working
within defined structures, you may be more comfortable with operational change due to its
predictability. However, if you thrive in ambiguity and enjoy creativity and experimentation,
innovative change might suit you better.
8. The are many sub-literatures that discuss different aspects of organizational change (project
management, Organizational Behavior, Organization Development, strategic change,
institutional change). In this piece we try to show that they study different aspects of change.
How is that?
Each sub-literature focuses on different dimensions of change:
- Project Management: Focuses on operational change, emphasizing execution, control, and meeting
deadlines.
- Organizational Behavior (OB): Studies tactical change, emphasizing how individuals and teams
respond to changes, particularly in behavior and culture.
- Organizational Development (OD): Looks at deeper shifts in organizational values and learning.
- Strategic Change: Focuses on innovation, adaptability, and dealing with uncertainty.
- Institutional Change: Examines transformational changes that alter organizational identity and
long-standing practices.
9. Explain the logic behind change and criterion of success for the 5 sub-literatures discussed
above.
- Project Management: Success is defined by meeting time, cost, and scope objectives.
- OB: Success is measured by employee acceptance and adaptability to change.
-OD: Success is in achieving organizational learning and improvement in soft areas like culture and
relationships.
- Strategic Change: Success is in innovation, gaining competitive advantage, and responding
effectively to market opportunities.
- Institutional Change: Success lies in fundamentally altering the organization’s identity and gaining
legitimacy in a new environment.
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