CHEAT SHEET Leren in organisaties - veranderingsinterventies Versie: 2019
Hoorcollege 1
Organizational change: what is it and what does (not) work?
Boonstra. J.J. (2004). Introduction. In J.J. Boonstra (Ed.), Dynamics of Organizational Change and
Learning (pp. 1-21). Chichester: Wiley Publishers.
Weick, K. E., & Quinn, R. E. (1999). Organizational change and development. Annual review of
psychology, 50(1), 361-386.
Oreg, S., Vakola, M., & Armenakis, A. (2011). Change recipients’ reactions to organizational change:
A 60-year review of quantitative studies. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(4), 461-
524.
Key concepts and learning goals:
Organizational change = the process by which an organisation moves from a present state to a
desired future state with the goal of increasing its ability to create value.
Organizational dynamics = the assumption that organisations are complex, dynamic systems in which
actors constantly interact with one another and give meaning to the events around them.
Planned change (PC) = a conscious and deliberate effort to adapt and improve the operations of a
human system through the utilisation of scientific knowledge.
Organizational development (OD) = a systematic process for applying behavioural science principles
and practices in organisations to increase individual and organisational effectiveness.
Continuous change (CC) = a continual process of small innovations that are made by everyone in the
organisation.
First order change = change within a frame of reference (technical).
Second order change = replacing one frame of reference with another (transition).
Third order change = dealing with unclear situations/problems (renewal).
First order learning = learning from mistakes; improving actions based on experience.
Second order learning = reflecting when surprises are encountered during routine actions.
Third order learning = meta-reflection, i.e. reflecting on your own thinking patterns.
Experiential learning = learning from experiences, i.e. learning through reflection on doing.
Interactive learning = building solutions together through socialisation in situations that are difficult
to understand.
Lewin's three stages of change (unfreeze, change, freeze) = (creating the conditions for) getting rid
of old habits, making the change, and imbedding the new behaviour into routines.
Incremental change = making alterations within an existing frame of reference.
Radical change = changing or replacing the existing frame of reference with a new one.
Episodic change = unfreeze-transition-freeze; discontinuous, planned, breaks with the status quo.
Continuous change = freeze-rebalance-unfreeze; evolving, unplanned, cumulative.
, I can explain/provide examples of:
- Differences and similarities between PC, OD, and CC (Boonstra, 2004)
Planned change Organisational development Continuous change
One ‘best’ way Input of employees Collective inquiry
Top-down steering Top-down + bottom-up Non-hierarchical
Consultants are product expert Consultants are process expert Everyone is expert
Episodic change Gradual change Continuous change
Focus on problem-solving Focus on improvement Focus on innovation
Generalistic approach General & local approach Historical & local approach
- Why organizational change is difficult (from five perspectives) (Boonstra, 2004)
1) management en beleid: problemen met de implementatie, te weinig support voor de beslissingen
2) bestaande organisatiestructuren: onhandige taakverdelingen, beperkte beschikbare technologie
3) macht en politiek: bestaande relaties, machtige personen die hun macht willen behouden
4) organisatiecultuur: bestaande normen en waarden binnen een organisatie
5) individuele twijfels of psychologische weerstand: stabiliteit wil len, geen vertrouwen/angst hebben
- How org. problems, solutions, and approach/interventions are related (Boonstra, 2004) (Fig. 0.1)
De aard van een probleem heeft betrekking op de soort interventie en oplossing die benodigd is om
het probleem op te lossen. Met andere woorden: verschillende soorten problemen hebben
verschillende soorten oplossingen nodig. Een cultuurverandering is bijvoorbeeld niet tewe eg te
brengen door het invoeren van een nieuw computersysteem.
- What org. change has to do with (interactive, experiential) learning (Boonstra, 2004)
Change, learning, and innovation interact > any change requires learning (of new attitudes,
knowledge, behaviour)
- Differences between episodic and continuous change (Weick & Quinn, 1999) (Table 1)
1) perspectief op organisaties: episodisch > verandering komt weinig voor en is intentioneel +
doorlopend > verandering is constant gaande
2) analytisch kader: episodisch > verandering is een reactie op het falend aanpassingsvermogen van
de organisatie + doorlopend > verandering is een patroon van heel veel kleine, cumulatieve
veranderingen, gedreven door reacties op dagelijkse gevallen
3) interventie: episodisch > unfreeze-change-freeze + doorlopend > freeze-rebalance-unfreeze
4) rol van de veranderaar: episodisch > van bovenaf wordt verandering doorgevoerd + doorlopend >
van onderaf wordt richting gegeven aan verandering
- The role of change agent in episodic and continuous change (Weick & Quinn, 1999)
Episodisch: de veranderaar zet aan tot verandering en creëert deze.
Doorlopend: degenen die definitie geven aan het dagelijkse werk sturen de verandering.
- Reactions to change (affective, cognitive, behavioral) (Oreg, Vakola, & Armenakis, 2011)
Affectief > emotioneel: gevoelens bij de verandering
Cognitief > gedachtes: ervaringen met en meningen over de verandering