Chapter 6: Navigating Organizational
Politics and Culture
Chapter Overview
• Change leaders need to understand the informal
components of organizations—culture and power
• Understanding the cultural and power dynamics in
an organization is critical to a successful change
• Force Field Analysis and Stakeholder Analysis
are two key tools to analyze the informal
organizational system and how to change it
• Change leaders need to know themselves. They
are both stakeholder and key actors in the process
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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The Change Path Model
Awakening
Chapter 4
Mobilization
Chapters 5 through 8
Navigating Organizational
Politics and Culture
• Power Dynamics
• Perception of change and
the change equation
• Force field analysis
• Stakeholder analysis
Acceleration
Chapter 9
Institutionalization
Chapter 10
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Power Dynamics:
Sources of Individual Power
• Position or authority power
• Network power
• Knowledge power
• Expert power
• Information power
• Personality power
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Power Dynamics:
Other Sources of Power
• Ability to cope with and absorb environmental
uncertainty
• Low Substitutability
• What you have to offer is scarce and not easy
substituted for
• Centrality to decision making, resources critical to
strategy or survival, or to work that others rely on
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Resource, Process & Meaning Power
• Resource Power
• The access to valued resources in an organization
• Process Power
• The control over formal decision making arenas
and agendas
• Meaning Power
• The ability to define the meaning of things. Thus,
the meaning of symbols and rituals and the use of
language provide meaning power
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Usage Frequency of Different Power Tactics
When Managers
Influence
Superiors
Most Popular
Tactic
Least Popular
Tactic
When Managers
Influence
Subordinates
Using & Giving Reasons
Using & Giving Reasons
Developing Coalitions
Being Assertive
Friendliness
Friendliness
Bargaining
Developing Coalitions
Being Assertive
Bargaining
Referring to Higher
Authority
Referring to Higher
Authority
Applying Sanctions
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Toolkit Exercise 6.2
Assessing Your Power
1. What sources of power are you comfortable with and
which do you have access to?
2. Consider a particular context that you regularly find
yourself in. What could you do to increase the power you
have available? What types of power are involved?
3. How do the key players, structures, and systems in the
particular context influence the types and amount of
power available to you? How could you change this?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Toolkit Exercise 6.2
Where Does Power Lie in Your Organization?
Pick an organization you know well:
1. What factors lead to power? Which departments carry more
weight? What behaviors are associated with having power?
2. Think of a change situation it faced. What types of power were
at play?
3. In Hardy’s terms, who controlled resources? Who had process
power? Meaning power?
4. Who had “yea-saying” and “nay-saying” power? On what
issues?
5. If you examine Table 6.1 in the book, what types of power were
used most often? What types are you most comfortable using
when you are attempting to influence others?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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When Does Change Occur?
Change Occurs When:
Perceived Benefits
of Change
Perceived Cost
of Change
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Modified Change Equation
Change Occurs When:
Perception of Dissatisfaction
with the Status Quo
Perception of the Benefits
of Change
Perceived Cost of Change
Perception of the Probability
of Success
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Reactions to Change
• People react to change for many reasons
• Don’t equate support with friends and resistance with
enemies
• It may be ambivalence and not resistance you’re seeing
• People experience ambivalence and/or resist for many
reasons. Listen carefully so you can learn and refine
initiatives
• Don’t be blind to learning opportunities to refine analysis,
avoid problems areas, and strengthen initiatives
• The prospects of moving someone from resistance to
support increase when they feel their concerns and
insights have been understood and received
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Resistance to Change
• Resistance to change is normal and there
are often good reasons for it
• Don’t assume resistance is “bad” or
“negative”. It might be helpful
• Resistance usually contains information
that is useful—people have reasons that
they resist change
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Reasons for Resistance
• Self-interest
• Misunderstanding and lack of trust
• Different assessments of the
consequences
• Low tolerance for change
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Organizational / Individual
Consequences & Support for Change
Perceived Impact
of the Change on
the Organization
Perceived Impact of
the Change on the
Individual
Direction of Support of
the Change
Positive
Positive
Strong support for
change
Positive
Negative
Indeterminate, with
possible resistance
Neutral
Positive
Support for change
Neutral
Negative
Resistance to change
Negative
Positive
Indeterminate support
for change
Negative
Negative
Strong resistance to
change
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Perceived Impact of Change
1. Consider the impact of a change on an organization you know
and consider the impact on the individuals concerned.
a) Were the impacts on the organization and affected
individuals both positive? Were they perceived that way?
2. What were the perceived costs of change? Were the
perceptions accurate? How could they be influenced?
3. What were the perceived benefits? What was the probability of
achieving these benefits? Were people dissatisfied with the
present state? What were the costs of not changing?
4. Were significant costs incurred prior to gaining benefits? Why
did they take the risk (incurring definite costs but indefinite
benefits)?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Force Field Analysis
Desired
State
Restraining
Forces
Current
State
Driving Forces
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Forces For and Against Change
Strong
R
E
S
I
S
T
A
N
C
E
No
Change
F
O
R
C
E
S
Discontinuous
Change
(Breakpoints)
No change
Weak
Sporadic
Change
Weak
Continuous
Change
CHANGE FORCE
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
Strong
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Stakeholder Analysis
A stakeholder is…
Anyone who is influenced or could influence
the change you wish to make happen.
A stakeholder analysis is…
The process of understanding of the
motives, power base, alliances, goals, etc.
of all crucial stakeholders.
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stakeholder Analysis (cont.)
• Who are the stakeholders?
• What do they want?
• Do they support you? Why? Why not?
• What prevents them from supporting you?
• Who influences these stakeholders? Can you
influence the influencers?
• Can stakeholders be co-opted or involved in a
positive way?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stakeholder Management: Savage et al.
Stakeholder Potential Threat
Low
High
High
Stakeholder
Potential
For
Cooperation
Mixed Blessing:
Collaborate
Supportive:
Involved
Non-Supportive:
Defend
Marginal:
Monitor
Low
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stakeholder Map
Stakeholder # 1
(issues, needs, etc.)
Stakeholder # 3
(issues, needs, etc.)
Stakeholder # 5
(issues, needs, etc.)
Stakeholder # 2
(issues, needs, etc.)
Stakeholder # 4
(issues, needs, etc.)
Change Agent
Stakeholder # 6
(issues, needs, etc.)
Stakeholder # 8
Stakeholder # 7
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stakeholder Roles in Networks
• Central Connectors
• People who link most people in an informal network with
each other
• Boundary Spanners
• Who connect an informal network with other parts of the
organization or other organizations
• Information Brokers
• Who join the different sub-groups together (and prevent
fragmentation)
• Peripheral Specialists
• Who have specialized expertise (and need freedom from
connections to maintain that expertise)
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Dimensions of Networks
• Source of information
• Inside or outside of the functional area
• Social restrictions
• Tenure, hierarchy, and location determining
the network
• Source of connections
• Planned interactions or happenstance hallway
encounters
• Quality of the connections
• Relationship quality (short vs. long term, level
of trust and confidence in the information, etc.)
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stages in the Change Process
Initial
Awareness
Interested
in the
Change
Wanting the
Change to
Happen
Ready to
Take Action
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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General Orientation Towards Change
• Innovators
• Early Adopters
• Early Majority
• Late Majority
• Late Adopters
Similar to consumer
adaptation profiles in
marketing, except
you are urging the
adoption of a
change, not a
product or service
• Non-adopters
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Type of Commitment Exhibited
• Opposed to the change
• Let it happen
• Help it happen
• Make it happen
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Managing the Strategic Consensus
High Understanding Low Understanding of
of the Change
the Change
High, Positive
Commitment to
the Change
Strong Consensus
Blind Devotion
Low, Positive
Commitment to
the Change
Informed Sceptics
Weak Consensus
Negative
Commitment to
the Change
Informed Opponents
Fanatical Opponents
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Analysis of the Stakeholders’
Readiness to Take Action
Predisposition to Change:
innovator, early adopter, early
Stakeholder’s
Name
majority, late majority, laggard
Current Commitment Profile:
resistant, ambivalent, neutral,
supportive or committed
Jones
Smith
Douglas
Green
Etc.
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Toolkit Exercise 6.3
Force Field Analysis
Consider an organization change situation you are familiar with:
• What are the forces for change? Who is championing the
change? How strong and committed are these forces (Who will let
it happen; who will help it happen; who will make it happen)?
• How could these forces be augmented or increased? What forces
could be added to those that exist?
• What are the forces that oppose change?
• How could these forces be weakened or removed? What things
might create major resentment in these forces?
• Can you identify any points of leverage you could employ to
advance the change?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stakeholder Analysis Checklist
1. Who are the key stakeholders?
2. Is there a formal decision-maker with authority to authorize or
deny the change project? What are his/her attitudes to the
project?
3. What is the commitment profile of stakeholders? Do a
commitment analysis for each stakeholder.
4. Are they typically initiators, early adopters, early majority, late
majority, or laggards when it comes to change?
5. Why do stakeholders respond as they do? Does the reward
system drive them to support or oppose your proposal? What
consequences does your change have on each stakeholder?
Do the stakeholders perceive these as positive, neutral or
negative?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Stakeholder Analysis Checklist (cont.)
6. What would change the stakeholders’ views? Can the reward
system be altered? Would information or education help?
7. Who influences the stakeholders? Can you influence the
influencers? How might this help?
8. What coalitions might be formed amongst stakeholders?
What alliances might you form? What ones might form to
prevent the change you wish?
9. By altering your position, can you keep the essentials of your
change and yet satisfy some of the needs of those opposing
change?
10. Can you appeal to higher order values and/or goals which
will make others view their opposition to the change as petty
or selfish?
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Summary
• Change agents need to understand the power structures and
people in their organization—much of which may be informal and
emergent in nature
• Ambivalence to change is a natural reaction. Resistance to change
is likely (but not inevitable) and there is potential to use ambivalence
and resistance in a positive way. People react to change for good
reasons and change agents need to know those reasons.
• Force field analysis helps plot the major structural, system and people
forces at work in the situation and to anticipate ways to alter these
forces.
• Stakeholder analysis helps us understand the interactions between
key individuals and the relationships and power dynamics that
underpin the web of relationships
.Deszca, Ingols & Cawsey, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, 4th ed.. © 2020 SAGE Pub.
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Power Dynamics and Change Management Plans
Not all changes are positive nor well received. Change agents need to explore how various
factors can impact the change initiative and must recognize the impact that certain changes have
on individuals, teams, and organizations as a whole. Due to economic turbulence, and the impact
of external factors, many organizations have needed to make tough decisions throughout the past
two years. Globally, we have seen companies make changes that are positive, in order to remain
afloat, and also changes that have resulted in scrutiny, loss of productivity, etc.
Consider the following scenario:
Throughout 2019, until the onset of the pandemic, a large national clothing brand was
performing the best it had in 20 years. Unfortunately, when COVID-19 hit, many consumers
were unwilling to visit local shopping malls, which resulted in massive profit losses. The large
clothing brand was no exception to this phenomenon. The majority of individuals who shop at
this retailer are 45 years of age and older and have no desire to frequent the mall anytime soon.
As an external change agent for this organization, you have been asked to sit with members of
the C-suite (i.e., the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Human
Resource Officer, the Chief Operating Officer, and the Chief Technological Officer) and discuss
the proposed change initiative. Specifically, leadership is proposing that 25% of all retail
locations are closed within the next six months and that the retail organization focuses on
enhancing its ePlatform, thereby resulting in increased online sales.
After meeting with members of the C-suite, you were asked to meet with 10 senior-level
employees. These employees expressed their concerns and frustration about the rumors that the
company was shutting down select retail locations.
Using Table 6.3, explain the consequences that might occur if the decision to shut down 25% of
stores occurs. Specifically, explain likely concerns that employees will express. Then, justify the
impact associated with closing 25% of stores in terms of the organization’s reputation. Finally,
given the fact that the organization may experience pushback from the workforce, when shutting
down 25% of stores, is it possible to please C-Suite leaders and senior employees? If so, how? If
not, why? Explain and justify your rationale.
Your well-written paper should meet the following requirements:
•
Be 4-5 pages in length, which does not include the title and reference pages, which are never a
part of the content minimum requirements.
•
Use writing standards and APA 7th style guidelines.
•
Support your submission with course material concepts, principles, and theories from the
textbook and at least three scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles.
•
It is strongly encouraged that you submit all assignments into the Turnitin Originality Check
prior to submitting it to your instructor for grading. If you are unsure how to submit an
assignment into the Originality Check tool, review the Turnitin Originality Check – Student
Guide for step-by-step instructions.
Tools to Assess the Need for Change
Individuals choose to consider and adopt a proposed organizational
change—or choose not to. Sometimes they do this willingly and other
times they choose reluctantly, either feeling forced or mixed about their
decisions. This perspective is valuable when thinking about increasing
the success of organizational change, for it is at the individual level that
people decide to change. Their choices depend on their views of the
situation and how it impacts their lives.
In the recent past, many change programs have been focused on cost
cutting, including the downsizing of the number of employees in an
organization. People are bright. They understand what is happening.
And if a program will cost them their jobs, why would you expect them
to be enthusiastic and positive? Such resistance demonstrates the
point that individuals will choose to cooperate or not depending on their
personal circumstances and their assessment of how the change will
impact them personally. Individuals will adopt or accept change only
when they think that their perceived personal benefits are greater than
the perceived costs of change. This can be summarized as follows:
Change Occurs When
Perceived Benefits of Change > Perceived Cost of Change
This simple formula highlights several things. First, change agents
have to deal with both the reality of change and its perceptions. Again,
perception counts as much as reality. Second, in many situations, the
costs of changing are more evident than the benefits of change. In
most change situations, first the costs are incurred and then the
benefits follow. The perceived benefits of change depend on whether
people think the benefits are likely—that is, the probability of the
change being successful in ways that count for them. As well, the
benefits of change depend on the state of happiness or dissatisfaction
with the status quo. Interestingly, people also tend to focus on the
consequences of the change rather than the consequences of
remaining the same. The more dissatisfied people are, the more they
as individuals will be willing to change. The change equation can be
modified to capture this as follows:
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Change occurs when
Dissatisfaction × Benefits × Success > Cost
Where
Dissatisfaction = Perception of dissatisfaction with the status quo
Benefits = Perception of the benefits of change
Success = Perception of the probability of success
Cost = Perceived cost of change
Thus, change agents need to build the case for change by increasing
the dissatisfaction with the status quo by providing data that
demonstrate that other options are better, demonstrating that the
overall benefits are worth the effort of the change, and showing that the
change effort is likely to succeed. When discussing these factors with
others, it’s useful to extend the assessment beyond the rational, “headrelated” factors such as cost savings, market share, improved
profitability, and competitive advantage. The assessment should
extend to “heart-related” matters, such as the human impact of the
change on employees, work teams, the department/division, customers
and the community. Doing your homework, engaging others in
conversations about the change, and early successes are important
parts of the change agent’s toolkit in the early stages of a change
initiative.
It is important to differentiate between the costs and benefits to the
organization and the costs and benefits to individuals. Too often,
change leaders focus on the organizational benefits and miss the
impact at the individual level. The earlier example highlighted this. If an
individual sees that the change will increase profits and result in job
loss, why would a manager expect support? It takes very secure
people who feel they have alternatives and are being equitably treated
to be positive under these circumstances even if they believe the
change is needed for the organization.
Table 6.3 captures this. It contrasts the impact on individuals with the
impact on the organization to predict the resulting support for a change
initiative. The purpose of Table 6.3 is to encourage change leaders to
avoid the trap of assuming that positive organizational outcomes will
automatically be supported by individuals.
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In addition to considering the direct impact of a change on a person,
individuals will also think about and be influenced by the effects of the
change on their coworkers and teammates. The strength of
interpersonal bonds, including the shared values, goals, and norms
within an organization, can have a significant impact on attitudes and
actions. The traditions of how work is divided, how people and
departments interact or do not, and simply the way of doing business
create a culture within an organization. The desire to maintain the
organization’s traditions, even if there is a mutual understanding for a
need to move on, can hinder the acceptance of changes. This
challenge is greater if there are shifts in roles and responsibilities and
therefore a shift in power. A change leader needs to understand and
respect individuals’ and organizational history and the individual
members’ perceptions of that history to effectively negotiate the
change process and appropriately engage stakeholders.
Table 6.3 Organizational and Individual
Consequences and the Support for Change
Table 6.3 Organizational and Individual Consequences and the
Support for Change
Perceived Impact Perceived Impact of
of the Change on the Change on the
the Organization Individual
Direction of Support
of the Change
Positive
consequences
for the
organization
Positive outcome for
the individual (e.g.,
less work, better
work)
Strong support for
change
Positive
consequences
for the
organization
Negative outcome for
the individual (e.g.,
more work, worse
work)
Indeterminate
support for change
but very possibly
resistance
Neutral
consequences
for the
organization
Positive outcome for
the individual (e.g.,
less work, better
work)
Positive support for
change
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Perceived Impact Perceived Impact of
of the Change on the Change on the
the Organization Individual
Direction of Support
of the Change
Neutral
consequences
for the
organization
Negative outcome for
the individual (e.g.,
more work, worse
work)
Resistance to
change
Negative
consequences
for the
organization
Positive outcome for
the individual (e.g.,
less work, better
work)
Indeterminate
support for change
Negative
consequences
for the
organization
Negative outcome for
the individual (e.g.,
more work, worse
work)
Resistance to
change
Change agents need to think of the impact on individuals—particularly
people critical to the change. When doing so, consider also the people
who will actually have to change and how they will view the change
equation and assess the benefits, costs, and risks. A general manager
may decide that new systems are needed, but it is the individual who
will be operating the systems who will have to learn how to work with
them and change his or her behavior.
To consider the perceived impact of change see Toolkit Exercise 6.3.
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