You can read about our change model, the Change Context Map®, types of change and change outcomes.
Change Model
Click here to view the model.
Our model shows that a planned organizational change initiative has its roots in the past. After there has been recognition of the need to change, a change initiative is started, and this has certain intended outcomes. Change management is the the activity of trying to achieve these outcomes. (Outcomes are discussed further below.)
Then once the organizational change initiative is under way, it enters a phase of transition, where activities are carried out and decisions are made that affect the way the change develops over time. The way the change initiative develops is through change processes that take place at the organizational, group and individual level.
At the same time, the change context influences the processes that are taking place at the different levels. The outer context of organizational change includes the economic and social environment of the organization, and the inner context includes the history and culture of the organization.
The various types of change are discussed below.
Change Context Map
Our research and experience have led to the development of the Change Context Map®. Click here to see an example. Change leaders and change managers can use the Change Context Map® to plan and manage organizational change. It allows them to understand what is happening in their organization, and it shows the factors that will influence the outcome of the change as managers carry out their change management activities.
The change context comprises the change processes that are unfolding in and around organization at any particular moment, as well as those that have occurred in the more recent or more distant past. A single change cannot be managed in isolation, but needs to be treated as one of several changes that are happening at the moment or have recently happened.
The Change Context Map® allows the manager to chart the various change processes in two dimensions – time and level (organizational, group or individual). This simplified change context map shows the change context from the view of one individual brand manager in a pharmaceutical company. ‘X’ shows when a change initiative starts, and the grey bars are approximations of how long a change process lasts until a state of equilibrium is reached (shown by ‘||’ where the change process is not too short).
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of PageTypes of change
Aspects of change that are central to any understanding of 'organizational change' include the pace of the change, the extent of the change, and whether or not the change was deliberately conceived and implemented.
- Tempo of change: There is differentiate between continuous change, that involves the continuing updating of work processes, and episodic change, which is a move from equilibrium.
- Scale of change: Incremental change involves parts or segments of an organization, while radical change addresses organizational wholes.
- Planned and emergent change: Planned change happens when a deliberate decision is made by management to change something and where it is assumed that the results of the change can be anticipated. This may be contrasted with emergent change, where outcomes of change are unexpected and the consequences of change are unanticipated.
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of PageChange outcomes
There are three aspects to the concept change outcome.
First, there is the issue of intentionality. Managers undertake planned organizational change initiatives with certain outcomes in mind – these are intended outcomes. However, the unpredictable nature of change processes means that there will be unexpected outcomes which were not predicted. These develop as the change initiative progresses. An example of how this happens is provided here.
Next, when a change outcome is classified as intended, there is the issue of how well it meets its goals, i.e. whether its intended results have been achieved fully, or not achieved at all – or something in between. In fact, there can be different views within the same organization about the extent to which an intended change outcome has been achieved.
A third aspect of the concept ‘change outcome’ relates to the level where the change has an effect. A planned change initiative could be introduced which is intended to have a specific effect at the level of the organization, group or individual.