Chapter 5

Starting the change

1
 • A key step in starting the
change process is translating
the need for change into a
desire for change.
• Organizational members may
be reluctant to pursue change
© Digital Vision/Punchstock
because they lack confidence
in their own and others’ ability
to make a difference.

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 2
Change agency
To what extent can managers intervene and make a
real difference to the effectiveness of an organization?

The deterministic view holds that managers are constrained

by external factors. © MACMILLAN/Paul Briknell

The voluntaristic view emphasizes the role of human agency

and asserts that managers can make an important difference.

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 3
• Effective change managers require:
• Confidence in their own ability to make a
difference
• The motivation to change
• Conceptual models and action
tools/interventions
• Change management skills
Beliefs about change agency
Two theories help to explain why some people lack confidence in their own
ability to affect outcomes.
Locus of control: People who attribute outcomes to their own efforts are referred
to as ‘internals’ and those who attribute outcomes to external factors, such as luck,
fate or other factors over which they have no control, are referred to as ‘externals’.
The theory asserts that externals are less likely to be proactive. Deterministic view

Learned helplessness: A person’s expectation about their ability to control

outcomes is learned.
People begin to question their ability to manage change if, when confronted
with a new problem or opportunity, their attempts to secure desired outcomes
are unsuccessful.

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 5
Readiness for change
1. Those who are most likely to want to change are those who are
basically successful but who are experiencing particular problems.
2. Next are those who are always successful

3. The least likely to understand and accept the need for change are the
unsuccessful.”
(Pugh, 1993)

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 6
 Conceptual models
Conceptual managers can require a range of
concepts and theories that they can use to
manage change .
- Process models that concerned how of CM
- Diagnostic models: what needs to be changed
Starting the change process

• Selecting the change agent

• Developing the change relationship
• Identifying the client/target group
• Clarifying the issues

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 8
Selecting the change agent: insider or outsider?

Insiders may take on the role when:

• they have the required competence and commitment
• there are insufficient resources to buy-in an outsider
• issues of confidentiality and trust prohibit use of an outsider
• it proves difficult to identify a suitable outsider

Outsiders may be invited to take on the role when:

• there is nobody on the inside who has the time or competence to lead the
change
• it is felt that all the competent insiders have a vested interest in the
outcome and therefore might be less acceptable to some stakeholders
than a neutral outsider.

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 9
Identifying the client and/or the target
group for change

• Who owns the problem and is responsible for doing

something about it?
• Who can have a direct impact on the change issue?

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 10
Clarifying the issues

• The presenting problem may only be a symptom of an

underlying problem

• The presenting problem may be proffered in terms of

solutions (we need help with team building)

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 11
Exercise

Based on your experience at work or elsewhere, list any

problems you have encountered in the early stages of the
change process that have been associated with:
• choice of change agent
• quality of the change relationship
• identification of the group to be targeted for change
• specification of the change issues.

© John Hayes (2014), The Theory and Practice of Change Management, 4th ed. 12