Chapter 6 vision and the direction of changecopyright ©

1. Chapter 6
Vision and the Direction of Change
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
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Providing the Skills to Successfully Manage Change
Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives
Approach, 3e, by Palmer,
Dunford, and Buchanan, offers managers a multiple
perspectives approach to managing
change that recognizes the variety of ways to facilitate change
and reinforces the need
for a tailored and creative approach to fit different contexts.
The third edition offers timely updates to previous content,
while introducing new
and emerging trends, developments, themes, debates, and
practices.
Highlights of the third edition include:
• New coverage of contemporary topics throughout, such as
“depth of change”
(Chapters 1, 4, and 12), change in a recession (Chapter 3), the
built-to-change
organization (Chapter 4), and the impact of social media and the

2. communication
“escalator” (Chapter 7).
• A new chapter, “The Effective Change Manager: What Does
It Take?” (Chapter
12), exploring competency frameworks, interpersonal
communication processes
and skills, issue-selling tactics, and the need for the change
manager to be
politically skilled.
• Improved visual appeal with more graphics and occasional
memorable cartoons.
Now available with
—the leading adaptive learning resource.
connect.mheducation.com
Providing the Skills to Successfully Manage Change
Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspectives
Approach, 3e, by Palmer, Dunford,
and Buchanan, offers managers a multiple perspectives
approach to managing change that recognizes
the variety of ways to facilitate change and reinforces the need
for a tailored and creative approach to fit
different contexts.
The third edition offers timely updates to previous content,
while introducing new and emerging trends,
developments, themes, debates, and practices.
Highlights of the third edition include:
• New coverage of contemporary topics throughout, such as

3. “depth of change” (Chapters 1, 4, and 12),
change in a recession (Chapter 3), the built-to-change
organization (Chapter 4), and the impact of
social media and the communication “escalator” (Chapter 7).
• A new chapter, “The Effective Change Manager: What Does
It Take?” (Chapter 12), exploring
competency frameworks, interpersonal communication
processes and skills, issue-selling tactics,
and the need for the change manager to be politically skill ed.
• Improved visual appeal with more graphics and occasional
memorable cartoons.
Now available with
—the leading adaptive learning resource.
connect.mheducation.com
VisionHaving a vision is often linked to why successful
organizational change is achievedConversely, lack of vision is
frequently associated with organizational declineThe concept of
vision is controversial because of the cynicism that can exists
around bland or too grandiose vision statementsVisions are
useful when they couple an engaging picture of the future with
sufficient detail to be meaningful to the ‘targets’ of the
visionOrganizational change is linked to the image one has of
managing change Vision is commonly thought of as a guide for
the organization in identifying the appropriateness of particular
changes that are proposed
Vision

4. Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Images of Managing Change
Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change

5. 9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.ImagesLink Vision and
ChangeDirectorVision is something that is essential to
producing successful organizational change. It should be
articulated early on and it is up to leaders to do this.
NavigatorVision is important but not necessarily able to be
achieved because of competing visions that exist among various
organizational parties and stakeholders.CaretakerVision is in
many ways immaterial to the way change will proceed. Change
is rarely the outcome of visionary actionsCoachVision is
something that is important and is more likely to emerge
through the facilitation skills of the change leader interacting
with his or her followers, shaping their agendas and desired
futures.InterpreterVision is the ability to articulate the inner
voice of the organization, that which is lived, be it core
ideology or values, and that underpins the identity of the
organization. NurturerVision is emergent from the clash of
chaotic and unpredictable change forces. Visions are likely to
be temporary and always in the process of being rewritten.
Characteristics of Effective VisionsFocused yet flexible (Kotter,
2006)
Vision components (Boal & Hooijberg, 2001)
Cognitive - focuses on identifying outcomes and how they will
be achieved
Affective – focuses on appealing to values and beliefs to build
motivation and commitment
Four generic characteristics of vision (Nutt & Backoff, 1997):

6. Possibility - what can be achieved
Desirability - why what’s achievable is attractive
Actionability - how vision can be achieved
Articulation - powerful imagery about future
Three components of vision (Pendlebury et al, 1998):
why the change is needed
the aim of the change
the change actions that will be taken
Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Content of Meaningful VisionVision as stories
This allows a vivid description of the change to which people
can relate. Stories are more effective than simple vision
statements because people can imagine themselves and their
actions in the future.Relationship to mission and goals

7. Vision is often confused with other terms such as mission
statements, goals and values
Whereas vision usually paints a picture of the future and is
inspirational, mission statements are more purposive and
instrumental in outlining what needs to be done. Relationship of
Vision to Market Strategy:
It has been argued that having a well-specified market vision
such as this helps to identify how the company will grow and
compete.
Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
How Context Affects VisionThere are four organizational
contexts in terms of their ability to produce visionary change
that should be considered. These are:
Rigid organizations

8. Bold organizations
Overmanaged organizations
Liberated organizations A vision will “take” in an organization
depending on whether there is a contextual “trigger” that alerts
people to the need for a new vision. The national and cultural
context in which the organization is embedded is also
important.
Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Processes by Which Vision EmergesApproaches to creating
vision include:
Crafting the vision: this can be either leader-dominated, pump-
priming or facilitated
Questions that help to develop a vision: this can be done
through an intuitive, analytic or benchmarking approach

9. Connecting the vision to the organization’s ‘inner voice’: this
connects the vision to the underlying values and beliefs that are
held within the organization.
Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Failure of Vision
Visions can fail for a number of reasons including when they
are (Pendlebury et al., 1998):
- too specific - too complex
- too vague - inadequate
- irrelevant - blurred
- unrealistic - a ‘rearview mirror’

10. Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision
How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Debates linking Vision and ChangeThere are three key debates
that link vision and change.
Does vision drive change or emerge during change?
Does vision help or hinder change?
Is vision an attribute of heroic leaders or of heroic
organizations?
Vision
Images of Managing Change
Characteristics of Effective Visions
Content of Meaningful Vision

11. How Context Affects Vision
Processes by which Vision Emerges
Failure of Vision
Debates linking Vision and Change
9-*
Copyright © 2017 McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved.
No reproduction or distribution without the prior written
consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
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Printed by: [email protected] Printing is for personal, private
use only. No part of this book
may be reproduced or transmitted without publisher's prior
permission. Violators will be prosecuted.