Page 255 - Managing Change in Organizations

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Chapter 13 ■ Managing major changes

Coping with change

So far we have reviewed some of the processes by which people come to decide
on a new strategy, a new product, a new organizational structure, to close down
a factory and so on. What then? The easy answer is to say that the changes
must be implemented; the resources must be obtained, the constraints consid-
ered and dealt with in one way or another. To say this is really to see the prob-
lem of organizational change from the perspective of those concerned in its
introduction.
Now we consider the process of implementation of change from the per-
spective of those who are directly affected: the people who must take on new
tasks, develop new skills, be transferred, regraded and retrained. Here, then, I
refer to middle managers and other employees. Whether or not they partici-
pated in the planning, once the changes take concrete form they must learn to
cope with them. Our concern is to describe a simple model of how people expe-
rience change as a precursor to considering how people come to cope with the
pressures created by change. Better understanding of these processes will enable
senior managers who implement change to develop a richer understanding of
the issues they must face. Thus they will be better able to provide help and
support for the people concerned and, perhaps more importantly, avoid creat-
ing constraints on the people involved which makes their personal task of cop-
ing with change more difficult. I start from the assumption that the individual
concerned must be the prime mover if change is to be assimilated and if adap-
tation is to occur.
Often, the problems of implementing change are discussed largely as if ‘resist-
ance to change’ is the main concern. In this chapter we see that the situation is,
first, more complex than this and, second, is capable of much more positive or
optimistic construction. Indeed, it is often possible to encourage ‘resistance to
change’ by dealing with people as if that is the only response one expects. We
have discussed various responses to change in an earlier chapter when our focus
was on planning and implementation of change. Now we pick up the threads of
this argument in order to consider the practical and positive steps which can be

taken to support people as they cope with change.
Change creates anxiety, uncertainty and stress, even for those managing
change, and even if they are fully committed to change. Seldom are there any
guarantees that the new approach will work, will deliver the goods. Those who
wish the change to be successful often find themselves working long hours, deal-
ing with problems, trying to overcome the doubts of others and doing everything
needed to see the changes through. In working life, change and role strain are
two important sources of stress. Role strain can be caused by not being involved
in decisions, having inadequate managerial support, having to cope with tech-
nological or other changes, having to maintain standards of performance even
under difficult circumstances, having responsibility for people who are uncoop-
erative – all likely in a period of change. In non-working life ‘moving home’ is a
key source of stress and this sometimes flows from change. Thus we should not
be surprised by the links between change and stress.

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