1. Targeting Change Efforts
Intervening at a Subsystem Level

2. Organizational change interventions
– transformation arenas
• Each arena carries its
own unique
– Change perspectives
– Change problems
– Change points
– Change promoters
– Change perils
– Change promises

3. Decision-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
• Empirical
• Rational
Promises Problems
• Clear perceptions • Ill-made decisions
• Rational priorities and • Ill-informed decisions
plans
Perils Points
• Underestimating the • Logic
people factor • Information
• Managing by the
numbers
Promotes
• Robust information flows
• Reasoned decisions

4. Psychologically/Socially-focused
change interventions
Perspectives
• Psychological
• Sociological
Promises
• Emotional honesty and Problems
openness • Individual insecurity
• Individual support • Relational instability
• Interpersonal sensitivity
Perils Points
• Satisfaction>productivity • Emotions
• Managers ill-fitted to be • Relations
counselors
Promotes
• Psychological affirmation
• Social support

5. Learning-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
• Developmental
• Instructional
Promises
• Enhanced abilities Problems
• Energized and expanded • Undeveloped capacities
self confidence • Weak self concept
Perils Points
• Unlearning/learning • Skills
resistance • Self concept
• Individual learning ceilings
Promotes
• Equipping
• Encouragement

6. Economics-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
• Monetization
• Competition
Promise
• Strategic resource
acquisition
Problems
• Strategic resource
• Inadequate resources
allocation
• Unavailable resources
Perils Point
• Things >People • Resources
• Measuring short/long • Distribution systems
term costs/benefits
Promotes
• Resource development
• Resource distribution

7. Politically-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
• Political
• Alliances
Promises
• Power is acquired
• Power is appreciated Problems
• Power is applied with • Low power
principle • Poor negotiation skills
Perils Points
• Unprincipled manipulation • Power
• People treated as means • Networking
rather than ends
Promotes
• Power development
• Political maneuvering

8. Entrepreneurially-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
• Innovation
• Alliances
Promises Problems
• Quick on the OUDA Loop • Organizational timidity (risk
• Aggressive opportunism aversion)
• Lean organizations • Organization bureaucracy
• Appetite for risk taking
Perils Points
• Inadequate discussion and • Opportunity recognition
debate about options • Opportunity analysis
• Action prized over thinking • Risk management
Promotions
• Courage and creativity
• Removing organizational structural and procedural impediments

9. Bureaucratically-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
Promises
• Incremental
• Identifying small, high-
• Experimental
success probability targets of
Problems
opportunity
• Lack of experience with
• Achievable change
change
expectations
• All-or-nothing mentality
• Slow, steady progress up the
• Rush to judgment
learning curve
Perils Points
• Too little change, too late • Phased, limited change
• Assumes evolution will • Feedback
triumph over revolution
Promotion
• A variety of small adaptations
• Growing accumulation of small successes

10. Value-focused change interventions
Perspectives
• Inspirational
• Emotional
Promises
Problems
• Articulation of deeply held
• Lack of passion for change
values
• Lack of sustained
• Alignment of personal values
commitment for change
with group causes
Perils Points
• Mere cheerleading • Ideals and values
• Triumph of emotion over • Motivation
substantive development
Promotion
• Charismatic leadership rooted in passionate vision
• Compelling devotion to change

11. Environmentally-focused change
interventions
Perspectives
• Environmental
Promises • Catalytic
• Environmental opportunity Problems
perspective • Ignorance of environmental
• Alignment of personal values realities
with group causes • Intransigence in the face of
environmental pressures
Perils
• Inaction because of the desire Points
for more certainty • Environmental sensitivity
• Reactive rather than proactive • Environmental adaptability
responses
Promotion
• Environmental awareness and analysis
• Early and sustained adaptability

12. Organizational change interventions:
some observations
• Change is occurring
somewhere, somehow,
in every organization.
• Changes occur in
different degrees and
stages in various places
throughout the
organization

13. Organizational change interventions:
some observations
• However, change is also resisted
– there are very real (and
sometimes just imagined)
individual, interpersonal and
institutional reasons for
resistance
• Not all resistance is bad –
organizations are designed to
bring stability and predictability
and some resistance is normal
even among change advocates
• Responding positively and
creatively to resistance can help
us build a better strategy for
change

14. Organizational change interventions:
some observations
• Effective change management
requires managing the
MEANING of the change:
– What the existing state is and
what the desired state is and
WHY the desired state is both
preferable and necessary
– What elements need to be
changed to reach the desired
state
– How and when the changes
needed can best be achieved

15. Organizational change interventions:
some observations
• There are a variety of change
levers and a variety of change
approaches.
– Different leverage points will be
appropriate in different situations
– Different change approaches will be
effective in different situations
– NO change point or approach will be
totally effective – each has potential
positive and negative impacts

16. Organizational change interventions:
some observations
• Change advocates often have a
“personal preference” for
particular change points and
leverage approaches
– The problem is that change
agents may choose an approach
to change that is comfortable
for them personally but
inappropriate for the subsystem
involved.
– The most effective change
agents are committed to the
change rather than to a
particular change modality.