Page 263 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

250 C o n t i n u o u s I m p r o v e m e n t e f f e c t i v e C h a n g e M a n a g e m e n t 251

• People may be apprehensive or even fearful of change. Organizational
change requires that we adopt new policies or procedures, which can
be unsettling to some members of the organization. There is security
in the status quo, and fear of the unknown is a barrier to change.
• It is natural, perhaps even productive, to be skeptical of change. Change
is not always for the better, at least in everyone’s eyes, and even
marginal improvements in some areas may require accommoda-
tion in others. Even when there is general acknowledgment that
change could result in improvement, there may be skepticism that
the improvement will be attained.

Forsha (1992) pro vides the process for personal change shown in
Fig. 12.2.
The adjustment path results in preservation of the status quo. The
action path results in change. The well-known PDCA cycle can be used
once a commitment to action has been made by the individual. The goal
of such change is continuous self-improvement.
Within an organizational context, the individual’s reference group plays
a part in personal resistance to change. A reference group is the aggregation
of people a person thinks of when he or she uses the word “we.” If “we”
refers to the company, then the company is the individual’s reference group
and he or she feels connected to the company’s success or failure. However,
“we” might refer to the individual’s profession or trade group, for example,
“We doctors,” “We engineers,” “We union members.” In this case the
leaders shown on the formal organization chart will have little influence
on the individual’s attitude toward the success or failure of the project.
When a project involves external reference groups with competing agendas,
the task of building buy-in and consensus is daunting indeed.

Denial

Anger

Negotiation

Depression Decision

Acceptance Action
Adjustment path Action path
Figure 12.2 The process of personal change.

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