Running Head: MANAGING CHANGE 1

Managing Change

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Institutional Affiliation

Date
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Abstract

In this assignment, the six images of change management within an organization are discussed to

understand how each image affects an organization. The various ways through which a manager

or organizational leader can determine whether an organization is ready for change are also

discussed. Lastly, the various reasons why people within an organization may resist change are

identified and discussed to determine how a skilled manager should handle resistance to

overcome it.
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Managing Change

The Images of Managing Change

The various images of change management within organizations influence how the

operations or proceedings within an organization are interpreted. By influencing the

interpretation of the operations, they affect the probable outcome. These images develop from

the management of an organization as shaping and control procedures meant to ensure that an

organization is effectively steered towards achieving organizational development and growth.

The change manager as a director is the first change management image, which relates to

a manager as the controller of change and the outcomes of change. The director image is

responsible for the provision of direction to an organization in a way that will ensure the

successful implementation of the change (Palmer et al., 2009). Proper change steering and

provision of direction results in the belief that change is achievable, a belief that evokes

organization growth and improvement of competitiveness through successful change

implementation.

The navigator image is the second image of managing change, which relates to the

control of change implementation. Control and navigation through change are at the middle of

management responsibility since there are many external factors that may affect change

management and implementation. Only a skilled manager is able to navigate through the various

hurdles encountered to achieve successful implementation. Since there are no available controls

for external factors, the manager can only embrace these factors and respond effectively to

ensure that the organization survives any turbulence that may be encountered.
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The change manager as a caretaker is the third image, relating to the ability of a change

manager to effectively respond to the external and internal forces affecting change

implementation (Palmer et al., 2009). The caretaker image is responsible for elevating the

management ability to respond to external and internal influences.

The change manager as a coach is the fourth image in change management. A change

manager has to have the ability to shape the functioning capabilities of an organization. As a

coach, a manager focuses on establishing the necessary set of values and skills within his or her

workforce in order to steer the operations of the company towards effective change adoption.

The change manager as an interpreter is the fifth image in change management. The

manager is responsible for creating meaning of the change to the other members of the

organization so as to ensure that they understand the change (Palmer et al., 2009). The manager

should help the other members of the organization make sense of the operations and activities

during the change process. He or she should be able to provide arguments and reasoning that is

legitimate and factual for all actions and operations.

The final image of change is the manager as a nurturer. This image is developed with the

assumption that even a small change may have a huge impact on an organization. As such, the

manager has to ensure that the members of the organization buy the idea of change and look at

the change in a positive way. Any opportunity that may be available for the improvement of an

organization has to be maximized through the efforts of the manager.

Determining Whether an Organization is Change Ready

In order to determine whether an organization is ready for change, a manager has to be

thorough and keen to identify the best time for introducing change. The selection of an
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appropriate time for change introduction determines whether the change will be successful or not

(Weiner, 2009). The determination of the readiness of an organization can be done through the

development of an assessment to evaluate the capacity and the resources available for ensuring

that the change implementation achieves success. By establishing the required resources and the

resources that are available, a manager is able to determine whether an organization is ready for

change. If the available resources are adequate, the manager can introduce the change. If not, the

change introduction can be put on hold until the organization is ready.

The manager should also involve the employees of the company in the process so as to

determine whether they are ready for the change (Weiner, 2009). This is because the employees

are the people that will be involved in the change implementation. The level of expertise of the

employees, as well as their attitudes towards change, have to be evaluated.

Why People Resist Change

Numerous reasons exist why people or employees resist change. Resistance to change has

the capability of undermining the entire change process and its success. Some of the reasons why

people may resist change include the lack of employee involvement in the drafting and

implementation of the change and the lack of proper communication to ensure that employees

are fully aware of the change and its objectives. When employees are left in the dark, they may

feel alienated and that they are not part of the change, which may result in resistance and

rebellion (Wittig, 2012). To overcome resistance to change, managers need to bring their

employees on board by effectively communicating whatever is going on. This way, a healthy

relationship is established within an organization and acceptance of the change is promoted.

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References

Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2009). Managing organizational change: A multiple

perspectives approach. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science,

4(1),

Wittig, C. (2012). Employees’ reactions to organizational change. OD Practitioner, 44(2), 23-28.