Managing Change Enquiry and Action

□ Introduction

In organisations, much time is spent managing change through the deliberate selection of practices that are hoped to produce particular results. The triggers for such change work may emanate either from within the organisation or from shifts in the external environment. They may be optional or unavoidable, and they may be disruptive, rapid and radical, or slow and evolutionary. There are many tools and techniques that pertain to change situations, but choosing what to do, and how to do it, is not straightforward.

In this book we elaborate on a framework that does not dictate a prescribed path to managing change but, rather, treats the process as one of enquiry and action. This entails being skilled at asking questions so that the circumstances and purpose can be understood and matched to action. In the field of change management, action is normally somewhat experimental, as even the most popular ‘tried and tested’ practices can fail in new situations. Therefore, the approach we advise is to build up a repertoire of options and to be active both in the selection of which action option (or combination of options) to take and in the adaptation and development of change practices. We regard change management as being based on the skills of judging situations, selecting from and adapting prior practices in order to develop new ones, and then being able to understand and evaluate how these actions are working and thus make appropriate adjustments. In short, the change manager is an active learner, engaged in a continuous cycle of enquiry and action.

▄ Foundations of change and change work

We refer to the activities relating to planning, executing and responding to organisational change as ‘change work’. Change is complex. Managing change is very likely to entail some degree of disruption. Often the situations that managers encounter are difficult, perhaps even intractable. It is not that all change is inherently problematic but, rather, that when things are simple and doable there is less call for management intervention. As a result, it is normal for change managers to find themselves in the midst of so-called ‘sticky’ or ‘wicked’ problems that are not easy to resolve. Such problems are composed of divergent perspectives and tensions.