Fundamentals of Management, 8th ed

Chapter 7: Organization Change and Innovation

2 1 5

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Questions for Analysis

1.

What symptoms should a manager look for in

determining whether an organization needs to

change? What symptoms indicate that an organi-

zation has been through too much change?

2.

Assume that you are the manager of an organiza-

tion that has a routine way of performing a task

and now faces a major change in how it performs

that task. Using the Lewin model, tell what steps

you would take to implement the change. Using

the comprehensive approach, tell what steps you

would take. For each step, give specific examples

of actions you would take at that step.

3.

Think back to a time when a professor announced

a change that you, the student, did not want to

adopt. What were the reasons for your resistance

to change? Was the professor able to overcome

your resistance? If so, tell what he or she did. If

not, tell what he or she could have done that

might have been successful.

4.

Some people resist change, whereas others wel-

come it enthusiastically. To deal with the first

group, one needs to overcome resistance to

change; to deal with the second, one needs to over-

come resistance to stability. What advice can you

give a manager facing the latter situation?

5.

Can a change made in one area of an organization—

in technology, for instance—not lead to change

in other areas? If you think that change in one

area must lead to change in other areas, describe

an example of an organization change to illus-

trate your point. If you think that change

can occur in just one area without causing

change in other areas, describe an example of

an organization change that illustrates your

point.

BUILDING EFFECTIVE DECISION-MAKING SKILLS