The document discusses the significance of change management and adaptation, particularly in multinational companies where cross-cultural issues complicate the process. It highlights the need for businesses to continuously reinvent themselves and the importance of understanding cultural differences in response to change. Various models of change are presented, emphasizing that existing project management methodologies often overlook cultural factors that impact successful change implementation.

1. MDBE for Change Management
and Adaptation
Harris Apostolopoulos BEng(Hons), MSc, MBA, MIET, FITSE
harris.apostolopoulos@gmail.com

2. Agenda
Introduction to Change and Adaptationg p
Significance
Change Management and AdaptationChange Management and Adaptation
models
MDBE for Change and Adaptation
Summaryy

3. Types of Change
Two major categories, individual change management and organisational
change management.g g
Especially in multinational companies, cross‐cultural issues can affectEspecially in multinational companies, cross cultural issues can affect
planned changes and the process can get complicated.
However, the transitional period of change (which may lead to adaptation)
is not only a time consuming but also a risky process; due to cultural or
even organisational reasons the whole process is subject to fail.even organisational reasons the whole process is subject to fail.

4. Types of Change (Cont.)
Duck (1993) argued that change is intensely personal
Luecke (2003) separated change into four types; structural, cost cutting,Luecke (2003) separated change into four types; structural, cost cutting,
process and cultural
Cultural change mainly concerns the organisation’s general approach to
doing business or the relationship between managers and employees.
Schaffer (2000) discussed discontinuous versus continuous incremental
change
Johnson et. al., (2006:) explained that “it is for the benefit of an
i ti th t f h t b i t l” f f torganisation the nature of change to be incremental” of four types:
 Adaptation
 Reconstruction Reconstruction
 Evolution
 Revolution

5. Agenda
Introduction to Change and Adaptationg p
Significance
Change Management and AdaptationChange Management and Adaptation
models
f h d dMDBE for Change and Adaptation
Summaryy

6. Significance
Market needs are constantly changing; market adaptation, strategic business
planning, flexibility, speed, cultural changes are more than mandatory.
Most of the common project management methodologies such as critical chain
project management (CCPM), and PRINCE2. focus on:
 Time
 Cost
 Qualityy
 Those project management methodologies do not take into account Business
Cultural Issues Change Management and AdaptationCultural Issues, Change Management and Adaptation.

7. Significance (Cont.)
Too much emphasis on deliverables or outcomes (e g capabilities) whichToo much emphasis on deliverables or outcomes (e.g. capabilities) which
on their own do not deliver specific benefits, or even in the processes (the
way things have to be done).
The main difficultly arises from the fact that culture itself is difficult to be
defined because it differs among organisations and individuals.
 Kroeber (1985); there are more than 160 different definitions of culture.
• As Kanungo (2006) argued “people in different cultures respond in different
ways” in effect understanding and adapting to changes.

8. Agenda
Introduction to Change and Adaptationg p
Significance
Change Management and AdaptationChange Management and Adaptation
models
MDBE for Change and Adaptation
Summaryy

9. Change and Adaptation
Pascale (1990); “change requires that businesses continuously reinvent
themselves”themselves
Sinclair (1993);culture can be managed and this is a responsibility of the
management itself.management itself.
Tichy (1983);“we are all beings of habit and tend to repeat what we are
comfortable with.”
Schlossberg (1981) , Successful adaptation might involve establishing a
structured methodology for responding to changes such as new policies, or
technologies.
Parkes (1971); “First, abandoning one set of assumptions and then
l f h f h h hdeveloping a fresher frame, so as the person to cope with the new
changes”.

10. Cultural Change
Hofstede (1980) argued that the cultural differences between nationalities
were evident when employees of the same organisation were spread overp y g p
many countries.
Stuttard (2000) concluded that “one common mistake is that, foreign
managers fail to realize how pervasive it is”.
Pitta et.al, (1999); managers’ business behaviour is directly related to the , ( ); g y
country’s culture.
Dealing with culture has the difficulty to define it universally.

11. Models of Change
Briefly, Lewin (1951)described change as a three‐stage process:
 Unfreezingg
 Confusion
 Refreezing
• Bridges (1991) come up with a similar model:
 Ending
 N t l Neutral
 New beginning
Bullock and Baten (1985) named their model stages as:Bullock and Baten (1985) named their model stages as:
 Exploration
 Planning Planning
 Action
 Integration

12. Agenda
Introduction to Change and Adaptationg p
Significance
Change Management and AdaptationChange Management and Adaptation
models
MDBE for Change and Adaptation
Summaryy

13. The Model Driven Business Engineering Framework
Environment Model
Framework Independent
Model
Framework Specific Model
Business Solution
Business Culture, Change and Adaptation Issues will be examined under
the Environment frame of MDBE.

14. Environment Models Frame
During MDBE Framework and more specifically, Enviroment Frame,
several key questions will be examined like for example:
 What to Change?
 Why to Change?
 How to Change?
 Why to Resist?

15. Agenda
Introduction to Change and Adaptationg p
Significance
Change Management and AdaptationChange Management and Adaptation
models
MDBE for Change and Adaptation
Summaryy

16. Summary
Modern business processes usually demand the utilization of a variety of business frameworks
and methodologies in order to offer a concrete business solution.
Most of project management methodologies do not take into account Business Cultural Issues,
Change Management and Adaptation.
Especially in multinational companies, cross‐cultural issues can affect planned changes and the
process can get complicated.
As Kanungo (2006) argued “people in different cultures respond in different ways” in effectAs Kanungo (2006) argued people in different cultures respond in different ways in effect
understanding and adapting to changes.
Hofstede (1980) argued that the cultural differences between nationalities were evident when
employees of the same organisation were spread over many countries.employees of the same organisation were spread over many countries.
MDBE can be utilised as a solution generation tool to offer optimum results given the
appropriate meta model or pool of meta models, transformation models and reusable
framework specific solutions.

17. “Everything is constantly changing
All is flux, nothing stays still…
Τa πάντα ῥεῖ καὶ οὐδὲν μένει”
Heraclitus, (540 BC - 480 BC)
Thank You!