Change Management
Articles 2022/2023
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MD 2022/2023 UvA Change Management
,Inhoudsopgave
Week 1: Introduction to Organizational Change and Change Management................................................................................3
§1.1 Article 1: Hayes, J. (2014). The theory and practice of change management. Asingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave
Macmillan (Chapter 1: Managing change: a process perspective)................................................................................................3
§1.2 Article 2: Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading change, Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Review, 73, 59–67......6
§1.3 Reflection.................................................................................................................................................................................9
Week 2: Understanding Reactions to Change................................................................................................................................10
§2.1 Article 1: Stouten, J., Rousseau, D. M., & De Cremer, D. (2018). Successful organizational change: Integrating the
management practice and scholarly literatures. Academy of management Annals, 12(2), 752-788............................................10
§2.2 Article 2: Ford, J. D., Ford, L. W., & D’Amelio, A. (2008). Resistance to change: The rest of the story. Academy of
Management Review, 33(2), 362-377............................................................................................................................................14
§2.3 Article 3: Choi, M. (2011). Employees’ attitudes toward organizational change: A literature review. Human Resource
Management, 50(4), 479-500.........................................................................................................................................................16
§2.3 Reflection...............................................................................................................................................................................17
Week 3: Effective Change Management Practices and Change Leadership...............................................................................18
§3.1 Article 1: Oreg, S., & van Dam, K. (2009). Organisational justice in the context of organizational change. Netherlands
Journal of Psychology, 65(4), 127-135..........................................................................................................................................18
§3.2 Article 2: Bommer, W. H., Rich, G. A., & Rubin, R. S. (2005). Changing attitudes about change: Longitudinal effects of
transformational leader behavior on employee cynicism about organizational change. Journal of Organizational Behavior,
26(7), 733-753................................................................................................................................................................................20
§3.3 Article 3: Venus, M., Stam, D., & Van Knippenberg, D. (2019). Visions of change as visions of continuity. Academy of
Management Journal, 62(3), 667-690...........................................................................................................................................21
§3.3 Reflection...............................................................................................................................................................................22
Week 4: “Meaning” Emergent Change and the Role of Middle Managers................................................................................23
§4.1 Article 1: Heyden, M. L., Fourn ́ e, S. P., Koene, B. A., Werkman, R., & Ansari, S. S. (2017). Rethinking ‘top-down’ and
‘bottomup’ roles of top and middle managers in organizational change: Implications for employee support. Journal of
Management Studies, 54: 961–985................................................................................................................................................23
§4.2 Article 2: Mowbray, P. K., Wilkinson, A., & Tse, H. H. M. (2015). An Integrative Review of Employee Voice: Identifying a
Common Conceptualization and Research Agenda. International Journal of Management Reviews, 17(3), 382-400................26
§4.3 Reflection...............................................................................................................................................................................28
Week 5: Culture Diagnosis & Change............................................................................................................................................29
cul§5.1 Article 1: Cameron, K., & Quinn, R.E. (2011). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the
Competing Values Framework. Wiley CHAPTER 3: The Competing Values Framework...........................................................29
§5.1 Article 2: Cameron, K., & Quinn, R.E. (2011). Diagnosing and Changing Organizational Culture: Based on the
Competing Values Framework. Wiley CHAPTER 5: Using the framework to Diagnose and Change Organizational Culture. .31
§5.3 Reflection...............................................................................................................................................................................35
Week 6: Presentations (No articles).................................................................................................................................................36
§6.1 Article 1: Presentations.........................................................................................................................................................36
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MD 2022/2023 UvA Change Management
, Week 1: Introduction to Organizational Change and
Change Management
Purpose:
- An overview of the course and introduction to the field of change management
§1.1 Article 1: Hayes, J. (2014). The theory and practice of change management.
Asingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan (Chapter 1: Managing change: a process
perspective)
This chapter examines change from a process perspective, that is, the ‘how’ of change and the way a transformation
occurs.
States and processes
The state perspective focuses attention on ‘what’ it is that needs to be changed, is being changed or has been
changed.
The process perspective attends to the ‘how’ of change and focuses on the way a transformation occurs. It draws
attention to issues such as the pace of change and the sequence of activities, the way decisions are made and
communicated, and the ways in which people respond to the actions of others. Change managers play a key role in
this transformation process.
The change process
4 ideal types of process theories:
- Teleological theories: Assume that organizations are purposeful and adaptive, and present change as an
unfolding cycle of goal formulation, implementation, evaluation, and learning. Learning is important because
it can lead to the modification of goals, or the actions taken to achieve them.
- Dialectical theories: Focus on conflicting goals between different interest groups and explain stability and
change in terms of confrontation and the balance of power between the opposing entities.
- Life cycle theories: Assume that change is a process that progresses through a necessary sequence of stages
that are cumulative, in the sense that each stage contributes a piece to the final outcome, and related – each
stage is a necessary precursor for the next.
- Evolutionary theories: Posit that change proceeds through a continuous cycle of variation, selection, and
retention.
o Variations just happen and are not therefore purposeful but are then selected on the basis of best fit
with available resources and environmental demands.
o Retention is the perpetuation and maintenance of the organizational forms that arise from these
variations via forces of inertia and persistence.
Ordering of stages
Some theories place more emphasis on the order of the stages in the change process
- Life cycle theories are more prescriptive about this
- Teleological theories are less prescriptive about the ordering of stages. They present development and
change as a repetitive sequence of goal formulation, implementation and evaluation, leading to the
modification of an envisioned end state based on what was learned or intended by the people involved. The
sequence does not have to unfold in a way that follows the ordered linear sequence.
Predetermined vs. constructed trajectories
- Life cycle and evolutionary theories present change as a predetermined process that unfolds over time in a
prespecified direction. This kind of change involves incrementally adapting organizational forms in
predictable ways. The process may be prescribed by some inherent code or by the limits imposed by a wider
system. For example, an organization’s institutional context can limit the possibilities for change.
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MD 2022/2023 UvA Change Management
, - Teleological and dialectical theories view change trajectories as constructed, in the sense that goals, and the
steps taken to achieve goals, can be changed at the will of those involved in the process. The process is not
unduly constrained by an inherent code or factors external to the immediate system. Those leading the
change have the power to intervene and act in ways that can make a real difference. Teleological and
dialectical theories highlight the role of human agency and assert that change agents can act to affect
change.
The impact of sequence on outcome
The nature of the change sequence, whether reactive or self-reinforcing, will affect the extent to which those leading
the change will be able to realize this possibility.
Reactive sequences
Dialectical theories focus on the conflicting goals of those involved in a situation. These conflicts give rise to reactive
sequences, which are subsequent events that challenge, rather than reinforce, earlier events. This highlights the
importance of not only working to set a viable direction for change, but also acting in ways that will align all those
involved to support it.
Self-reinforcing sequences
Occur when a decision or action produces positive feedback that reinforces earlier events and supports the direction
of change. This reinforcement induces further movement in the same direction.
While self-reinforcing sequences can deliver benefits over the short term, change managers need to be alert to the
possibility that they may draw them into a path that will deliver suboptimal outcomes over the longer term. Three
drivers of self-reinforcing sequences:
- Increasing returns:
o A particular technology that is first to market or widely adopted by early users, may generate
increasing returns and achieve a decisive advantage over competing technologies.
o Four conditions that can promote increasing returns:
Set-up costs: If set-up costs are high, there is an incentive to stick with a chosen option so as
to spread costs over a longer run of activity.
Learning: Knowledge gained from repetitive use can lead to increased proficiency and
continuous improvement.
Coordination: Benefits received from a particular activity increase as others adopt the same
(more electric cars > more chargers > more electric cars).
Betting on the right horse: Options that fail to win broad acceptance will have drawbacks
later on. Therefore, people are motivated to select the option they think will be adopted by
most others. They anticipate that persisting with this choice will generate increasing returns
in the future.
o Increasing returns can create a situation where a company sticks with a winning formula too long
and fails to respond to new opportunities and threats as they emerge.
- Psychological commitment to past decisions:
o Escalation of commitment: When faced whit negative outcomes following a decision, leaders may
commit additional resources in order to justify the earlier decision and demonstrate the ultimate
rationality of their original course of action. But the additional investment may not rescue the
situation. Instead, it might lead to further negative consequences, which, in turn, trigger another
decision to invest yet more in an attempt to secure a positive outcome. Two factors encourage this:
Leaders feel a need to demonstrate their own competence and justify earlier decisions
self-justification.
Leaders’ perceived pressure for consistency.
o Lecture: Sunk cost bias: continue behavior as a result of previous invested resources.
- Cognitive bias and interpretive frames
o Cognitive bias: Seek for information that confirms our beliefs as opposed to alternative viewpoints.
This cognitive bias may be reinforced if change managers have a history of past successes, because a
successful track record can promote a sense of self-belief and the perception that they are able to
exercise sufficient control to achieve desired outcomes (trap of success).
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MD 2022/2023 UvA Change Management