x Change Management

7/30/2019 x Change Management

1/22

Change Management

StrategyM.L. Markus and R.I. Benjamin


2/22

Purpose

To stimulate information systems

specialists efforts to become more

effective and credible agent of

organizational change

To improve organizational effectiveness in

order to avoid IT implementation failures

at great cost in money, organizational

competitiveness, and individual careers.


3/22

Introduction Why do IS specialists need to become better

agents of organizational change?

Reasons

New IT is an organizational intervention

Need to know how to market How IT is implemented is a major factor in the

results organizations achieve from new ITs.

Change Agentry will become a large part of IS

work Outsourcing of in-house technical IS work

Organization-specific knowledge stays in-house

IT Implementation and change management issuesare unlikely to diminish


4/22

Introduction (contd)

Reasons (contd)

To improve IS specialist credibility

Strong mutual relationship between credibility andchange management skill

Effective IS specialists act out of the box

Transform not only their interpersonal

relationships with clients, but also behavior ofmanagers and users in IT projects and decision

making


5/22

Issues Disagreement in both theory and practice

3 models on what change agents do andwhy

Traditional IS model

Facilitator model Identified in various Organizational Development

(OD) text, (Schwarz (1944)and Cummings and Huse(1989))

Advocate model Originated from the innovation, management, and

change politics literatures, (Kanter et al.,1992;Rogers, 1995)


6/22

Traditional IS model

Technology causes change

No change responsibilities beyond building

technology

The managers pair of hands Not responsible for achieving change or

improvements in organizational

performances


7/22

Consequences Widespread systems failures for social reasons

Perspective in handling users training

Groupware Implementation

IS inhibiting change

Technology standards

Personal/group interest: Learning & Costs

Low IS credibility

Outsourcing: Poor financial performances

Poor interpersonal skills Heterophilous (different in background, beliefs systems &interests

Lack value congruence


8/22

Structural Conditions

IS specialists are sole providers of services

Clients have limited technical and sourcing

options

Low budget pressure existsLack of external competitions

IS specialists rewarded based on functional

unit goals


9/22

The Facilitator model

Clients make change using technology;technology does not

Facilitators

Promote change

Avoid exert power/other power over clients

Serve interests of all clients

Not responsible for changes; clients areresponsible


10/22

Consequences

Greater attention to building user capacityTo increase project success and IS credibility

Emphasis on client self-sufficiency

To reduce client resentment & increase IScredibility

New information technologies provide

greater opportunities to IS specialists as

facilitators than as experts/builders


11/22

Structured Conditions

FacilitatorNot a client group member

Lies outside the hierarchical chain-of-command

Not formally responsible for business resultsValuable expertise will be negated

Authority for organizational control

Sending mixed messages

Authority for technical outcomes

Concerns about locus of employment


12/22

The Advocate Model

People make changeIdentifying and direction of change

Advocate influence change target as

desirable More flexible in accepting change

Whatever works

Serve the organizations best interests eventhere are personal or professional conflicts


13/22

Consequences

Benefits from using advocate model Managers unaware of how IT can be deployed

Sharing traditional IS specialists belief

Technology to create organizational change

IS specialists to add business value

Advocating process change & user skill training

Emphasis on communication

Lack of communications

CIOs, CEOs, Managers, IS analyst and users

Change agentry is a contact sport Increase Credibility and communications


14/22

Consequences (Contd)

The advocate role may fit the issues of ITinfrastructure

Todays challenge

To ensure levels of commonality

Interoperability to support internal/externalcommunication & future flexibility

Public goods problem

Advocate uses consensus decision-making

approach To negotiate the political shoals of IT infrastructure

development


15/22


2 assumptions to define the change agentsrole

1st assumption

Involve in govt funded/public organizationsTactics:

communicating/empathizing with change targets

Gaining targets confidence (social station &

attitudes)

Working through the targets opinion leaders


16/22


2nd assumption on change agents roleAdvocates are line managers

Mandate and enforce changes do not work

Applying behavior modeling, changingorganizational symbols, displaying of power

Problems:

Lack of line mgmt authority

Lack of direct authority over users and the managerswho funded the project

Require Senior executive to initiate and support thechange project


17/22

Implications

IS specialist have different levels of skill inclient contact & involvement in bringing

organizational change Suggestions:

Intellectually familiar with, behaviorallyskilled in, and highly adaptable to the 3

models

To increase credibility and contribute toorganizational success with IT


18/22

Research Agenda

Educational Reform To improve interpersonal or soft skills

Debate about the place of soft skills training in IS and other

technical curricula.

Proposed a change in the relevant content and outline a program

structure in IS academics.

Role plays using case scenarios are the best ways to foster

affective and behavioral learning. computers and society course be the first course in the track.

Effectively engage them in the intellectual level, setting the stage

for later behavioral and affective growth.


19/22

Research Agenda (contd)

Educational Reform (cont) Promotes the development of insight and perspective before

the student takes more technical subjects later on.

Second course will focus on interpersonal skills in the IS

context to complement cognitive skills development. It will cover individual differences (cognitive, affective,

behavioral) and the students own personal style.

Active listening skills, interpersonal conflict, interviewingtechniques.

Recognition of, and intervention in, group and intergroup

dynamics. The last course will be the course in change agentry, the last in

the soft skills track.


20/22


In-house training and development is necessary because the structural aspects of their jobs are likely

to jeopardize their credibility.

Partner with neutral internal training staff or academics to

design/conduct training.

Make participation voluntary and avoid including bosses and

their subordinates.

Dont worry excessively about the training materials at first.

Document and disseminate the key lessons learned to buildinterest in others in attending subsequent trainings.


21/22


IS professional ethics Ethical dilemma arises from their change agent roles: when

interests differ, whose interests are to be served?

Ethical codes prepared for computer science community did

not address these issues.

IS community needs a separate code that specifically addresses

the ethical dilemmas faced by in-house IS professionals, to

tackle in house change agentry role in particular.


22/22

Conclusion Obstacles

Differing views about what it means to be a change agent,

inhibiting progress.

Many IS specialists do not see any need to change.

Structural barriers to change in the change agentry role, esp.over-reliance on technical expertise, control authority, and an

inappropriate reward system.

Positive Prospect

IS managers and executives structural abilities as effectivechange advocates

Voluntary efforts on the part of IS departments to relinquish or

share the control that their clients resent.

x Change Management

Documents

Transcript of x Change Management