Planned Change
If an organization is to survive, it must respond to changes in its environment. When competitors introduce new products or services, government agencies enact new laws, important sources of supply go out of business, or similar environmental changes take place, the organization needs to adapt. Efforts to stimulates innovation, empower employees, and introduce work teams are examples of planned change activities directed at responding to changes in the environment. Planned change aims to prepare the total organisation, or a major portion of it, to adapt to significant changes in the organisation’s goals and direction.
Definition
According to Thomas and Bennis
Planned change is the deliberate design and implementation of a structural innovation, a new policy or goal, or a change in operating philosophy, climate or style.
Dimensions of Change
An organisation can usefully be viewed as a multivariate system, consisting of four interacting variables: Task, structure, technology and people.
1. Technology related Changes
Technology refers to the sum total of knowledge providing ways to do things. It may include inventions and techniques which affect the way of doing things that is designing, producing and distributing products. Technology related changes may include:
i. Changing problem-solving and decision making procedures.
ii. Introduction of automated data processing devices like computers to facilitate managerial planning and control.
iii. Change in methods of production like conversion of unit production to mass production.
Change in technology affects nature of task, organization structure, processes and people’s behavior in the organization. Thus, any change in technology necessitates change in all these factors.
2. Task related Changes
Technology related changes determine the types of tasks that may be required to complete an operation . A job consisting of several tasks may be designed in a number of ways ranging from job simplification to job enrichment. However, what alternatives are chosen must consider the core job characteristics – skill variety, task identity, task significance, autonomy and feedback from the job. Task related changes must focus on :
i. High internal work motivation, and
ii. High quality work performance.
3. Structure related Changes
Structural change aims at modifying the roles and expectations of workers by redefining man-man relationships in the organization. This can be done in following ways:
i. Changing the number of hierarchical levels.
ii. Changing one form of organization to another form.
iii. Changing span of management, and changing line-staff and functional authority.
When structural changes are effected, these may affect the formal reporting relationships, formal interaction pattern, and consequently informal relations.
4. People related changes
Changes of any type as pointed out above require changes in people in an organization. These changes may be of two types – skills and behavior. The magnitude of these changes depends on the type of change.
Schermerhorn, Hunt and Osborn identify a set of eight of organizational targets of change : People, purpose, Strategy, Structure, Objectives, Technology, Tasks, Culture.
Objectives of Planned Change
The planned change is needed to meet the overall objectives of the organization. Since there may be changes in the forces-both internal and external affecting organizational functioning, the organization has to make suitable change to meet its objectives.
1. Environmental Adaptation
Environment tends to be dynamic. An organization tries to maintain a parity with the environment by inviting and implementing changes on a continuous basis. Planned change involves undergoing necessary modifications inside the organization to adapt to environment forces.
2. Individual Adaptation
Planned change is aimed at changing people in an organization so that they can comfortably adapt themselves to useful changes, without any resistance to change. As per the need of the new situation, people’s attitudes, communication pattern, behavior pattern, their relations, leadership and work style, etc. must undergo change.
3. Structural adaptation
Organization structure is the pattern of relationships among various positions and among various position holders. Structural adaptation involves changing the internal structure of the organization. This change may be in the whole set of relationships, work assignment, and authority structure. Change in organisational structure is required because old relationships and interactions no longer remain valid and useful in the changed circumstances.
4. Technological Adaptation
Some changes demand technological alteration. Planned change can help in incorporating the technological adaptation. However, technological adaptation requires a huge outlay.
5. Task Adaptation
Task means the job to be performed. When old job structure may not suit the new situation i.e. the change, task must undergo necessary modifications. The important issue is to match new jobs with existing people. It creates many problems. Change in job relations, place or work, responsibility, equipment to perform the task, facilities and working conditions, work group etc. are necessary to adjust with new tasks. Job enlargement can facilitate adding new loads to tasks.