Managing organizational change a multiple perspectives approach 2nd edition palmer solutions manual

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Chapter 06 - Resistance to Change

Chapter 6 Resistance to Change Learning Objectives On completion of this chapter you should be able to: • Identify signs of resistance to change.

• Understand reasons for resistance to change.

• Be alert to resistance from within the ranks of management.

• Recognize the strengths and weaknesses of various approaches to the management of resistance to change.

Chapter Summary Resistance is a very real and common issue that is faced by change managers during the process of change. The signs of, and reasons why employees resist change can vary greatly, and it is important that change managers are aware of these variations. It can be considered “tridimensional” involving affective, behavioural and cognitive components - how a person feels about change, what they think about it and how they act in the face of change.

The behavioural response may take active or passive forms. Examples of active resistance are: being critical, finding fault, ridiculing, appealing to fear, using facts selectively, blaming or accusing, sabotaging, intimidating or threatening, manipulating, distorting facts, blocking, undermining, starting rumors, and arguing. Examples of passive resistance are: agreeing verbally but not following through (“malicious compliance”);failing to implement change; procrastinating or dragging one’s feet; feigning ignorance; withholding information, suggestions, help, or support; standing by and allowing change to fail.

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Chapter 06 - Resistance to Change

Images of Resistance to Change Image of Managing Change Director Navigator

Caretaker Coach Interpreter

Nurturer

Perspective on Resistance to Change

Resistance signifies that not everyone is on board with the change program. Managerial skills can be acquired to overcome this.

Resistance is expected and represents different interests within the organization. It should be overcome but this is not always possible.

Resistance is short-lived; change occurs despite attempts to stop it.

Resistance is to be expected and managers need to show others that the resistance does not promote effective teamwork.

Resistance occurs when the change is not interpreted well or understood. The manager’s role is to clarify the meaning of change.

Resistance is irrelevant to whether the change will occur.

Resistance is a matter of guesswork by the resistor.

People resist change for a number of reasons, including: • dislike of change • discomfort with uncertainty • perceived negative effect on interests • attachment to organizational culture/identity • perceived breach of psychological contract • lack of conviction that change is needed • lack of clarity as to what is expected • belief that specific change being proposed is inappropriate • belief that the timing is wrong • excessive change • cumulative effect of other changes in one’s life • perceived clash with ethics • reaction to the experience of previous changes • disagreement with the way change is being managed It is often assumed that resistance is a problem that originates with employees at the operational level of an organization. However, resistance can also come from those at the managerial level

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There are number of strategies that can be used to manage resistance and overcome barriers to change. These strategies are: • A “Situational” Approach: this proposes six methods for managing resistance that should be chosen based on contextual factors.

• The Resistance Cycle, aka “Let Nature Take Its Course”: here resistance has four psychological states through which people progress – denial, resistance, exploration and commitment. This means that manager’s intervention is minimized as these psychological states are the natural course for individuals.

• “Creative Counters” to Expressions of Resistance: This suggests specific statements that can be used in the face of general resisting comments.

• Thought Self-Leadership: Resistance to change can be overcome by influencing the perceptions of individuals’ that drive the way they react to change.

• Tinkering, Kludging, and Pacing: This reconfigures existing business practices and models to make change successful.

• The “Power of Resistance”: Resistance can be used to build support for change in the organization.

Case Study Discussion: Problems at Perrier 1. Identify the key elements of the resistance to change described in this situation.

This question gives students the opportunity to apply the types of resistance to the case study. The signs of resistance by the employees include: • Being critical (of Nestle’s intentions) • Undermining: When challenged by management with bottles of Badoit Rouge in the cafeteria, employees responded by dumping the bottles in front of the director’s door to block his way.

Students could go through the list of signs of resistance and the others that are applicable.

2. Construct a change management strategy for dealing with this situation. In so doing, identify what approach(es) to managing resistance you recommend and provide a clear justification for your choice.

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In groups, students should create the underlying change strategy that Perrier management could use. Its focus would be on managing the ongoing resistance from employees that have been faced since the company’s financial decline.

Students could use and apply any one of these approaches.

A “Situational” Approach: This approach outlines six methods that can be used to manage resistance to change. They are: 1. Education and communication 2. Participation and involvement 3. Facilitation and support 4. Negotiation and agreement 5. Manipulation and cooptation 6. Explicit and implicit coercion In the case of Perrier it would seem that methods 1-4 could be effectively used – participation is the key to dealing with the workers and the union, not coercion or manipulation.

The Resistance Cycle: This approach allows the process of resistance to take its course with little direct action by change managers. It is said that the cycle of resistance goes through four stages: shock, defensive retreat, acknowledgement and adaptation, and change. This appears to be the strategic approach management has taken without success. This, therefore, may not be the most successful way forward for Perrier.

“Creative Encounters” to Expressions of Resistance: This is a way of using expressions of resistance to interpret the reason behind change. This is an effective way of understanding the various viewpoints that may arise during the change process and may give management a more in-depth understanding of the change at Perrier.

Thought Self-Leadership: This approach focuses on the way a leader’s influence and power can be used to control the thoughts and beliefs of employees. As with methods 5 and 6 of the situational approach, thought selfleadership would not be the most valuable way of mending the damaged relationships between the employees and management at Perrier. The thoughts and beliefs of employees, however, are an important area for change and demand attention at Perrier. An evaluation of the organizational culture could help facilitate change.

Tinkering, Kludging, and Pacing: This approach focuses on the different scales of management that are necessary – depending on the nature of the change and resistance that results from it. This process of scaling the approach to resistance would be a useful way of management not “blowing things out of proportion” and keeping the level of resistance in perspective.

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The “Power of Resistance”: This approach highlights the benefits of embracing resistance and resistors and using them as vehicles to promote change. By respecting the views of resistors, the underlying issues can be better understood and joining forces can reduce the perceived distance between management and employees.

Tables from the Text The following provides a brief summary of the key points in each of the tables in the text.

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The Dilbert Principle on Change • change is often seen as negative and only of real benefit for those at the top of an organization.

• being aware of this attitude and the issues involved will help the change manager to be better equipped to think through the issues from the point of view of those who do not benefit from change.

Images of Resistance to Change • this table reintroduces the six images of managing change and relates their attitude to resistance to change.

• understanding how each “image” interprets resistance is important - this will help the student be sensitive to differing perspectives.

Merger in Adland • graphic vignettes are a powerful way to illustrate change issues.

• encourage students to have an array of their own short stories to help increase their awareness of the issues involved in managing change.

• with a bit of thought most managers could find a number of examples like these from their own experience in change situations.

The Aircraft Carrier of Madison Avenue • The example of Madison Avenue is used to illustrate that changing the name and work style of an organization can result in resistance • Students should recognise that resistance as fence sitting can result in inertia in the organization A Personal View on Change • people view change in many different ways, and this can differ depending on the situation • someone who embraces change in their work may adhere strongly to routines in other areas. Acceptance to change is not always predictable, as it can depend on circumstances.

The FBI Revisited • The FBI example is used gain (see Chapter 4 for previous example) • overcoming ingrained organizational culture and identity issues can be very difficult for larger organizations and result in resistance

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Moneyball • change can be embraced by outside organizations but still resisted inside the organization • challenging peoples roles and redistributing their power basis can cause resistance The Organizational Effects of Excessive Change • change can have a negative effect on an organization.

• this short description of the effects of “excessive change” can be used to initiate a discussion on symptoms students experienced.

Change Scripts: Implications for Managing Change • a short list of how to effectively manage change scripts.

• this table has information that raises awareness of the issues involved in change, and will help students to be aware of potential reactions.

Liz Claiborne • “mental maps” can be based on incorrect assumptions that over time results in errors of management.

• while most of us follow “mental maps” it is important for the change manager to be aware of this.

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TABLE Table Heading 6.11

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Kotter and Schlesinger’s Methods for Managing Resistance…

• managing resistance to change is one of the important skills needed for a change manager.

• this table illustrates one approach to managing resistance.

The Situational Approach Made Simple • the context of the change is important when deciding on how to deal with the resistance to change • a possible outcome is the removal of resisters Expressions of Resistance and Management Responses • roles plays and scenarios help illustrate the situations that a change manager could find themselves in.

• this table has some of the more common resistance scripts.

• possibly one approach to this table it to use it for discussions in class, and for students to realize what their areas of resistance.

The Value of Pricing • leadership involves the skill of knowing what to change, when to change it, and when to stop.

• many change management programs are excellent, yet fail because management doesn’t know when to stop making changes – being aware of “change fatigue” in an organization is an important step in the process and should not be left to chance.

Dealing with Resistance: Default Options • identifying and understanding the source of resistance is important.

• more important is to be able to deal with resistance from a number of differing approaches. This table lists the default positions, characteristics as well as limitations of a number of approaches that the change manager could use when confronted with resistance.

• students could use the table as a starting point for finding examples in the press and from their own experience.

Chapter Reflections for the Practicing Change Manager • the aim of this section is to try to crystallize the lessons learnt from the chapter and for the student to understand more about their own approach.

• outcome of reviewing these reflections is to have clearer understanding of the nature of resistance in management and in change situations.

• answering these questions individually and then discussing their answers in a small group will help students to understand the complexities of this often volatile area of managing change.

Additional Case Studies • supplementary cases for further study.

• more details on these cases are provided below.

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Video The Charlie Rose Website http://www.charlierose.com/home The interview with Lee Scott of Wal-Mart discusses various issues relating to change management. A specific section that can be highlighted for students is the controversy surrounding the company’s labor practices and resistance in the workplace. Students can discuss how resistance was managed at Wal-Mart and what could have been improved.

Exercises and Answers EXERCISE 6.1 (p.167)

Identify Your Change Script Purpose Previous experiences in life can often influence the way we see the world. These tightly held assumptions/beliefs are often subconsciously affecting our attitude to situations in such a way that there is a strong bias. The aim of this exercise is to increase the awareness of some of the “scripts” that students have in relation to change.

Options/Techniques/Requirements Format: • Individual only Materials: • Read through the sections on support and resistance to change (p.159-169) Time Required: This exercise is estimated to take 5-15 minutes (excluding above reading) depending on the student’s experiences and their willingness and/or ability to identify their assumptions.

Undergraduate: Students with limited professional experience may need to select another type of organization other than a business to be able to draw on their past experience of change.

MBA/Executive: Students with professional experience would probably have more experience of change than the undergraduates but may not be very aware of their attitude to previous change.

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Potential Problems and Helpful Hints • Students without professional work experience may feel they don’t have an example to use to answer this question. The criteria for the exercise could be broadened to be an organizational routine they experienced (or are familiar with because of the experience of a partner or family member) while at school, in a club (sport or association), while in a summer job, or in a church or formalised group (debating team, or as a volunteer on a project).

The main criteria would be that they were involved over time, and they are familiar with the procedure of “how things were done”.

• This is an awareness exercise, so some students may find this uncomfortable and have difficulty analysing their responses. This will especially be true for the students who are looking for the “right” answers. This could be a challenging or threatening exercise for some students, and the instructor can help the process by emphasizing that any written work submitted for this exercise will be kept confidential on request.

• Possibly this exercise should only be graded pass/fail in relation to effort made to complete the work, not in relation to the revelations that they share in their answers.

• It may be useful to set a length limit on the answer, eg, one page.

Debriefing The scripts that people have produced can provide an interesting basis for discussion of people’s experiences of change. They can also be used to make the point that managers who are placed in the situation of managing change are likely to face a situation where the people they are dealing with have such scripts. These scripts will influence the reaction of people to proposed changes independent of the actions of the current manager of change.

Guidelines for Answers to Questions The answers to the questions in the exercises will need to be assessed according to the experience and education level of the students. The answers given here are only a guide.

People’s previous experiences of change provide them with a “script”- a set of assumptions/beliefs as to what happens in a situation of organizational change. Based on your previous experiences of organizational change, what are your expectations in terms of what events/actions/outcomes will follow the announcement of a program of change in an organization?

Note: Choose the format that suits you; for example, one option is bullet points; another is a narrative (story-like) approach.

A good answer would reveal the student’s thoughts and feelings about change.

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EXERCISE 6.2 ( p.169)

Preventing Resistance Purpose Resistance takes many forms, and can be the cause for the failure of a potentially good change program. Understanding resistance involves the ability to identify it, and then take action to diminish its effect. The reason for resistance to a change can vary from one person to another and from one situation to the next. This exercise is to help equip students with some options for dealing with resistance.

Options/Techniques/Requirements Format: • Individual or small groups of three to four students.

Materials: • Read through the sections on support and resistance to change (Text pp159169), • Flip chart/easel and paper if exercise is completed in groups.

Time Required: This exercise lists fourteen reasons for resistance that can be applied to almost any situation. If class time is limited the list could be split in two, with each group having to find proposed actions for only seven of the reasons for resistance. Completing the exercise in this manner would only take 20 minutes. At the end of the time the groups could present their information back to the whole class. If a longer time for the exercise is available, then students could work in smaller groups. If this is presented as an individual exercise for assessment the time required to complete the exercise would be up to two hours.

Undergraduate: Students may not be sure how to complete the exercise. To avoid this problem, the instructor can select four of the reasons for resistance (from the list) and discuss the associated proposed actions in class. These examples should help students to understand how to work with the other ten reasons for resistance in the exercise. The exercise could then be completed individually or in small groups.

MBA/Executive: This exercise could be very dynamic if completed in groups of three to four, with each group assigned two or three reasons for resistance being required to find at least three proposed actions for each one. This could then be presented by the groups back to the whole class. The exercise could then be extended to have the students try to rank the proposed action for each resistance to change in order of assessed effectiveness.

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Potential Problems and Helpful Hints • Lack of business experience could be overcome by challenging students to think of situations in school, people they know from clubs, children who do not want to do something, or even ideas from movies they have seen.

Debriefing If the instructor has a few humorous stories describing the extent to which people will go to resist change, this will illustrate the topic well and make the information more memorable. Remind students that even though some of the stories are funny, the situations for those involved were often very serious. After listening to these stories of resistance, students could be asked to suggest what they think would be a proposed action that would be appropriate.

Guidelines for Answers to Questions The answers to the questions in the exercises will need to be assessed according to the experience and education level of the students.

Listed below are a number of reasons why people may be resistant to a change. For each of the reasons, identify at least one action that could be taken by management to reduce the prospect that it will be a significant source of resistance.

Reason for Resistance Dislike of change Discomfort with uncertainty Perceived negative effects on interests Attachment to established culture/ways of doing things Perceived breach of psychological contract Lack of conviction that change is needed Lack of clarity as to what is expected Belief that the specific change being proposed is inappropriate Belief that the timing is wrong Excessive change Cumulative effect of other changes in one’s life Perceived clash with ethics Reaction to the experience of previous changes Disagreement with the way the change is being managed

Proposed Action

The cited actions could include ideas like: communicating the problems associated with inaction, the value from communicating objectives, the value of allocating resources to the change, etc.

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EXERCISE 6.3 (p.178)

Responding to Resistance: Assessing Your Personal Style Purpose Here the challenge is for the students to increase their awareness of how they themselves behave in response to resistance.

Options/Techniques/Requirements Format: • Individual.

Materials: • Read through the sections on managing resistance (Text p.157-164).

Time Required: This exercise should take 20- 30 minutes (excluding the above reading).

Undergraduate: Students may need to select another type of organization other than a business to draw on their past experience of change.

MBA/Executive: Students with professional experience will be more likely to have experienced resistance.

Potential Problems and Helpful Hints • Although some students may have had professional experience, they may take some time to complete the exercise because they are unlikely to have reflected on the experience this consciously or directly, previously.

Debriefing Students need to realize that resistance may occur in many situations and be directed at a manager even though they did not instigate the change; they may just be the person who was accessible. Often an individual’s resistance or support in a change situation is interpreted in terms that are polarised or extreme e.g. bad/good or they like me/they don’t like me. A skilled change manager won’t react to resistance, rather they will be able to look beyond it and try to find the source of the real problem. Resistance to change is usually the symptom and not the cause of problems, as it is often a signal indicating other issues, such as poor communication, are present.

Guidelines for Answers to Questions The answers to the questions in the exercises will need to be assessed according to the experience and education level of the students. The answers given here are only a guide.

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Consider a past change in which you were involved that was seriously affected by resistance.

1. When did you first become aware of resistance?

Part of the learning from this question is for the student to assess their awareness of a resistance situation.

2. What form did the resistance take?

The answer to this should include a description of the actions of the person who was resisting the change.

3. What were your first thoughts (e.g., anger, betrayal, confusion, relief)?

The student’s response to this will give a good indicator of the student’s attitude to resistance.

4. What made you decide that you had to do something?

The motive given by the student for their decision will give some indication of their priorities and what they believed was the “right thing to do,” or what they felt they had to do.

5. What actions did you take?

The effectiveness of the actions of the student in this situation may be a reflection of a lack understanding or skill in dealing with resistance rather than a problem with reasoning or intelligence.

6. What was the impact in the (a) short term and (b) long term?

When students understand the consequences of their actions, it gives them more insight into the reality of the situation over time. An effective change manager needs to address both the short term and the long term impact of actions.

7. If you could “rewind the tape,” would you do anything differently? If so, what approach would you use?

The answer to this question may show what the student learned from the situation, or describe merely a reaction to the end result(s) or process. This is a good question for students to work through if they want to gain insight into what lessons they have taken away from a situation that was seriously affected by resistance.

EXERCISE 6.4 (pp.178-179)

Jack’s Dilemma Purpose This situation describes a dilemma in change management, and encourages the student to find what their answer would be in the described situation with Jack, the newly appointed general manager. This exercise serves two purposes. Firstly it gives the student a chance to consolidate the information learned in the other exercises in this chapter, and secondly, it gives them an opportunity to practice working with a case study scenario.

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Options/Techniques/Requirements Format: • Individual or small groups of two to three students.

Materials: • Read through the sections on managing resistance (pp.172-180) Time Required: Time for the class exercise is 15 to 30 minutes to work out the factors that would need to be considered and formulate an answer to the questions.

Undergraduate: Students may need more time if working individually on the exercise.

MBA/Executive: Students with professional experience will probably be more aware of their views in a given situation such as Jack’s because of past experience. The response of this group of students would be expected to be more detailed and sophisticated compared to the undergraduate student’s response.

Potential Problems and Helpful Hints • Students should be encouraged to be creative and told that there is no “wrong” answer, only a poor justification for the answer that is given, or a lack of good reasoning.

Debriefing The option for creativity in the answer could be illustrated by a few scenarios of “what I should tell Jack and why.” The students could be taken through a “how to” approach for this type of mini case that would help them with future situations. The debriefing after the exercise is completed will need to address the complexity of the situation and give some examples of simple steps that could have been taken by Jack.

Guidelines for Answers to Questions The answers to the questions in the exercises will need to be assessed according to the experience and education level of the students. The answers given here are only a guide.

Jack White is the newly appointed general manager of the pet food division of Strickland Corporation. He has completed a strategic review that has convinced him that the division needs to undergo substantial change in a number of areas and to do so relatively swiftly given the recent strategic moves of key competitors.

Although he is new, he is familiar enough with the company to know that there will be significant resistance to the changes from a number of quarters. He also suspects that some of this resistance will come from people with the capacity to act in ways that could seriously impede successful change.

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Jack reflects on the situation. He believes that it is important to introduce the proposed changes soon, but he also recognizes that if he acts speedily in this regard, he’ll have virtually no time to have a dialogue with staff about the proposed changes, much less involve them in any significant way.

One option is to act speedily and to make it clear that “consequences” will follow for anyone not cooperating. He certainly has the power to act on such a threat. The risk, Jack knows, is that even if no one outright resists, there’s a big difference between not cooperating and acting in a manner that reflects commitment. He knows that he needs the cooperation of key groups of employees and that sometimes “minimum-level compliance” can be as unhelpful as outright resistance when it comes to implementing change. “But maybe I’m exaggerating this problem,” he thinks to himself. “Maybe I should just go ahead with the change. If people don’t like it, they can leave; if they stay, they’ll come around.”

But Jack’s not sure. He reflects on another option: Maybe he should spend more time on building up support at least among key groups of managers and employees, if not more broadly within the organization. “Maybe,” he thinks, “the need to change is not quite as immediate as I think.” “I just know that I’d feel a whole lot better if this consultation could happen quickly.”

Your Task Jack respects your opinion on business matters and has asked you for your views on his situation. What factors would you suggest to Jack that he take into account in deciding what course of action to take?

The answer to the question would include the following considerations: • an explanation of the default options, characteristics, and limitations, of the different positions that Jack thinks the staff could take • an assessment of the positives, negatives and neutrals of each of the above positions in isolation using scenarios • ideas relevant to managing resistance should be discussed for each of the options • an assessment of the combined “best” and “worst” scenario of the groups together • a decision as to what options are not worth the risk, and what could be workable • reviewing the workable scenarios and determining if there are any actions that could improve the response

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EXERCISE 6.5 (p.180)

Ajax Minerals Purpose This situation describes the actions taken by senior managers in a change management situation. The idea is to assess the activities and actions of the management of Ajax Minerals, assess the effectiveness of the solution, and determine if the student would take the same action.

Options/Techniques/Requirements Format: • Individual or small groups of two to three students.

Materials: • Read through the sections on managing resistance (pp.172-180) Time Required: The time required for this exercise would be approximately 20 minutes as either an individual exercise, or as a group.

Undergraduate: It may be preferable for students to work on this as an individual exercise.

MBA/Executive: Students with professional experience would probably be more aware of what their views would be in a situation such as the one described in the mini case. The response of this group of students would be expected to be more detailed and sophisticated compared to the undergraduate student’s response.

Potential Problems and Helpful Hints • Interpreting the actions taken by another group is often difficult to assess if the student has limited experience in this type of situation.

Debriefing A good debriefing for the class would be through a class discussion of Question One, by assessing the options taken by Ajax and considering their strengths and weaknesses.

The MBA/Executive Group could work through Question Two in class as well as Question One by working out a course of action. Linking this back to the material in the text and lectures would help provide revision of the topic.

Guidelines for Answers to Questions The answers to the questions in the exercises will need to be assessed according to the experience and education level of the students.

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Ajax Minerals is a U.S. mining company. It has been operating at full capacity, but there are problems on the horizon. Within the next three or four years, Pacific Rim companies will be able to mine and ship the same minerals to the U.S. for less than Ajax can get them out of the ground. The leadership team saw this challenge and wanted to do something immediately. However, no one else in the company saw the threat. Supervisors and hourly workers could only see that work was going on around the clock and that they were earning a lot of overtime pay.

Although the current group of senior managers was fairly well respected, there is a history within Ajax of poorly run changes and even poorer management-labor relations. The latter had gotten so bad that if management asked for something, workers were immediately suspicious that management was up to something that would have unpleasant outcomes for the workers (e.g., layoffs, pay cuts). In light of this, the leadership team was aware that, at the very least, the workers’ reaction to any current initiative was likely to be a resigned “here we go again.” Similarly, they were concerned that the union would be likely to view any reference by management to “problems on the horizon” as a ploy to gain concessions during the next contract talks.

Given the history of their relationship, the leadership team expected workers to drag their feet on implementing any new approaches and by so doing undermine the prospects of success. History suggested that both supervisors and workers would do just enough to “get by,” that is, they would provide minimum compliance.

Ajax management responded to the situation by establishing interactive sessions involving both managers and supervisors. They decided that they needed to make a compelling case for change before they began thinking about specific strategies. In the past, they had done the planning before ever getting others involved in any way, and suspected that that had contributed to the subsequent resistance. During the interactive sessions, the general manager and the managers made the case for change. As part of this process they used stories about various companies that had faced similar situations and had suffered badly as a result of their inability to respond to competitive forces.

They also, for the first time, adopted an “open-book” approach in which employees were given unprecedented access to data on Ajax’s financial performance, particularly “the numbers that drive the business.” Following on from this, a practice was established whereby workers, supervisors and managers met weekly to share key performance numbers.

In the view of the Ajax management, they are already seeing a new level of cooperation between management and labor and are hopeful that it will help turn around the situation that has applied in the past in terms of management-labor relations.

Your Task: 1. Comment on the Ajax managers’ approach to the situation that they faced. Do you think that it will work long-term? Provide supporting arguments for your view.

Students are required to assess how this situation will work in the long-term based on the information in the case. They should cite examples to support their argument.

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2. If you were dealing with the situation that the Ajax managers faced, what approach would you have taken? Provide supporting arguments for your approach.

This question requires a personal answer based on the student’s experience and knowledge of business management. Whatever the approach taken by the student in their answer, they should give reasons. The various approaches discussed in the text (pp 172-180) provide options for consideration.

Additional Case Studies (p.184) Triangle Community Foundation Case & Teaching Note Dees, J.G. & Anderson, B. (2001) Stanford University A company changes its emphasis from prioritizing service to “not for profit” support organizations to its end customers (donors). This change had some internal resistance from employees as well as some pressure from external stakeholders. The case details some of the struggles at Triangle and the resulting solutions with an emphasis on communicating change.

Ballarpur Industries Limited (A) & (B) Video & Case Killing, P. (2003) IMD Lausanne An interesting video exposing the issues involved in promoting a junior member of a family-run business to CFO with the mandate to “fix the problem!” Ballarpur, India, required fairly fast changes to be implemented if the company was to be revitalized without alienating members of the family. Some complicated management issues are discussed, especially addressing “What had gone wrong?” This is a good case for illustrating issues from Chapter 10 as well.

Taking Charge at Dogus Holding (A) Case & Teaching Note Khurana, R.; Carioggia, G.M. & Simon, J. (2001) Harvard Business School Taking Charge at Dogus Holding (B) Case & Teaching Note Khurana, R. & Carioggia, G.M. (2002) Harvard Business School Supports (A) In a time of high instability and turbulent economic times in Turkey, Ferit Sahenk took over Dogus Holdings (a family-based business) from his father. His challenge was to increase the participation of the management board in the daily activities of the company and then to sell these changes in the business to the rest of the staff.

Resistance to change is addressed in this case, along with how to deal with it in a constructive way in order to build relationships and strengthen the company. This case also demonstrates the skills required for successful communication of change (Chapter 11).

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“Classic Case” Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (A) Gentile, M., under direction of Jick, T.D. (1986) Harvard Business School In 1985, Steve Jobs, founder and chairman of Apple Computer, proposed a change in the product distribution process of the company. These changes would result in a transfer of responsibilities away from the current distribution manager Donna Dubinsky who did not believe that the changes would work. The case presents an example of unsuccessful conflict management. This is a good case for examining the power issues and difficulties that can arise in business when senior managers are in conflict.

For those who want more…

Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (B) Case & Teaching Note Gentile, M., under direction of Jick, T.D. (1986) Harvard Business School Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (C) Case & Teaching Note Gentile, M., under direction of Jick, T.D. (1986) Harvard Business School Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (D) Gentile, M., under direction of Jick, T.D. (1986) Harvard Business School Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (E) Gentile, M., under direction of Jick, T.D. (1986) Harvard Business School These four cases extend and supplement the case Donna Dubinsky and Apple Computer, Inc. (A). They add background information to the original case from a number of differing perspectives, including a copy of some management style assessment questionnaires completed by Dubinsky and some more details on Debi Coleman.

Debi Coleman and Apple Computer, Inc. Case & Teaching Note Gentile, M., under direction of Jick, T.D. (1986) Harvard Business School This case describes the conflict with Donna Debinsky at Apple Computer, Inc. from the perspective of Debi Coleman. The issues seem different from her side of the story, and show how issues in management and conflict are complex and not always resolved.

This case extends the information found in the other cases on Apple Computer, Inc. to give a view of the situation from a number of viewpoints.

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