Unit 1: Organisation change models
Organisation Change and Development notes · PTU syllabus (BBA 532-18)
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Unit summary
Organisations must change to survive — new technology, competition and customer needs demand it. This unit covers the importance and types of organisational change, forces of change, the systems model of change, Lewin's force field analysis and the change management process.
After this unit you can
- Explain the importance and types of organisational change
- Identify internal and external forces of change
- Explain the systems model and Lewin's force field analysis
- Describe the change management process
PTU syllabus topics
- Introduction
- importance and types of organisational change
- forces of change
- systems model of change
- Lewin's Force Field Analysis Model
- the change management process
- 1Unfreeze
Create the need for change
- 2Change (move)
Introduce new ways
- 3Refreeze
Make the new ways stick
Topic 1
Importance and types of change
Organisational change is the alteration of an organisation's structure, technology, processes, people or culture.
Planned vs unplanned
Deliberate vs forced by events
Restructuring vs reacting to a crisis
Incremental vs transformational
Small steps vs fundamental shift
Process improvement vs new business model
Structural
Changing hierarchy and roles
Delayering
Technological
New tools and systems
ERP implementation
People and cultural
Attitudes, skills, values
Customer-first culture
Topic 2
Forces of change
- External: competition, technology, government regulation, economic conditions, customer expectations, globalisation, social trends.
- Internal: new leadership, low performance, employee dissatisfaction, growth, new strategy.
Topic 3
Systems model and force field analysis
The systems model views the organisation as interrelated subsystems (people, structure, technology, tasks, culture); a change in one affects the others. Lewin's force field analysis: any situation is held in balance by driving forces (pushing for change) and restraining forces (resisting it). Change happens by strengthening drivers or, more effectively, weakening restraints.
Efficiency
Faster processing
Fear of learning new skills
Management
Top management support
Comfort with old system
Market
Competitors already use it
Cost of training and downtime
- 1Unfreeze
Create readiness; reduce resistance
- 2Change (move)
Implement new ways
- 3Refreeze
Stabilise through policies and rewards
Topic 4
The change management process
- 1
Recognise the need
- 2
Diagnose the problem
- 3
Plan the change
Goals, approach, people
- 4
Communicate and involve
- 5
Implement
- 6
Evaluate and reinforce
Kotter's eight steps are a popular extension: urgency, guiding coalition, vision, communicate, empower, short-term wins, consolidate, anchor in culture.
Key terms
- Organisational change
- Altering structure, technology, processes, people or culture
- Driving forces
- Forces pushing for change
- Restraining forces
- Forces resisting change
- Unfreezing
- Preparing people for change
- Refreezing
- Making new behaviour permanent
Quick revision
- Change types: planned/unplanned, incremental/transformational.
- Forces: external and internal.
- Force field: weaken restraints rather than only push.
- Lewin: unfreeze → change → refreeze.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Define organisational change.
- Q2.List three external forces of change.
- Q3.What is force field analysis?
- Q4.Name Lewin's three steps.
- Q5.Differentiate between incremental and transformational change.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Explain the types and forces of organisational change.
- Q2.Explain Lewin's force field analysis and three-step model.
- Q3.Explain the process of managing change.
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