Page 341 - DMGT402_MANAGEMENT_PRACTICES_AND_ORGANIZATIONAL_BEHAVIOUR

Management Practices and Organisational Behaviour

Notes organisations that will succeed in meeting the competitive challenges that businesses face.
There are two basic forms of change in organisations: Planned change and unplanned change.
1. Planned Change: Planned change is change resulting from a deliberate decision to alter
the organisation. It is an intentional, goal-oriented activity. The goals of planned change
are:
First, it seeks to improve the ability of the organisation to adapt to changes in its
environment.
Second, it seeks to change the behaviour of its employees.
2. Unplanned Change: Not all change is planned. Unplanned change is imposed on the
organisation and is often unforeseen. Responsiveness to unplanned change requires
tremendous flexibility and adaptability on the part of organisations. Examples of unplanned
changes are changes in government regulations and changes in the economy.
The Role of Change Agents: Change in organisations is inevitable, but change is a process
that can be managed. The individual or group that undertakes the task of introducing and
managing a change in an organisation is known as a change agent. Change agents can be
of two types:
(a) Internal Change Agents: Change agents can be internal, such as managers or employees
who are appointed to oversee the change process.
Internal change agents have certain advantages in managing the change process.
They are:
(i) They know the organisation's past history, its political system, and its culture.
(ii) Internal change agents are likely to be very careful about managing change
because they must live with the results of their change efforts.

There are also disadvantages of using internal change agents. They are:
(i) They may be associated with certain factions within the organisation and may
easily be accused of favouritism.
(ii) Internal change agents may be too close to the situation to have an objective
view of what needs to be done.
(b) External Change Agents: Change agents can also be external, such as outside
consultants. They bring an outsider's objective view to the organisation.
External change agents have certain advantages:
(i) They may be preferred by employees because of their impartiality.
(ii) They have more power in directing changes if employees perceive the change
agents as being trustworthy, possessing important expertise, and having a
track record that establishes credibility.
There are also disadvantages of using external change agents. They are:
(i) External change agents face certain problems, including their limited
knowledge of the organisation's history.
(ii) They may be viewed with suspicion by organisation members.

336 LOVELY PROFESSIONAL UNIVERSITY