Page 231 - Managing Change in Organizations

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Chapter 12 ■ Diagnosing change

capital projects) was being put out to tender with no guarantee that internal depart-
ments would get the work if they were to bid. Now, for the first time in their careers,
technical managers needed to understand costing and pricing. These were dramatic
changes.
Part-way through this process, the board and senior management (approximately
100 people) completed an organizational diagnosis and assessment as a means of tak-
ing stock and looking to the future. All those involved completed the diagnostic ques-
tionnaire, described earlier in this chapter, in preparation for discussion of how to
achieve further change in the future. In Table 12.4 I summarize the strengths and weak-
nesses of the organization as defined by these managers from the questionnaire results.
They identified key tasks, people and attitude to change as strengths. People understood
their own and the organization’s objectives, felt motivated by their own work and
understood priorities and their own work role. Relationships between individuals and
within teams were good.

Table 12.4 Strengths and weaknesses of the organization

Strengths Weaknesses
Key tasks
People
Attitude to change
Structure
Performance
Communication
Support
Motivation
Leadership

There was a strong commitment to the organization and the need for change among
employees. Technological change had been a regular feature of the organization’s his-

tory. It had an international reputation in its own field.
Structure and performance were identified as neither strengths nor weaknesses.
The managers generally felt that the management structure had changed dramati-
cally and that these changes had yet to stabilize. Performance had declined some-
what because of the energy absorbed in making the changes that were already
underway.
Communication, support, motivation and leadership were all rated as weaknesses.
Managers felt under considerable pressure in consequence of the changes being made.
Moreover, the changes had included staffing reviews which had led to staff reductions
in many areas.
This combination of staff losses and pressure of work led to many managers report-
ing support as a weakness. One consequence of these problems was that many
departments took an increasingly departmental focus, doing only those things that
they needed, giving work for other departments (e.g. providing information) a lower
priority.

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