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Ch4ChangeManagement06.10.02.doc6.10.02Chapter4.ChangeManagement1ByKristiM.BranchChangemanagement,whichfallswithinthebroadertheoreticalframeworkofsocialchange(Lewin1951,1958),hasbeenaperenniallypopulartopicintheorganizationaleffectivenessandmanagementliterature.Identifyingtheneedfororganization-widechange,andleadingorganizationsthroughthatchangeiswidelyrecognizedasoneofthemostcriticalandchallengingresponsibilitiesoforganizationalleadership.Theseresponsibilitieshavebecomeevenmoreimportantinrecentyearsasorganizationsare…livingthroughatimeoftremendousseachanges….Globalization,thedisruptiveinfluenceofnewtechnologies,theemergenceofe-business,andgrowingelectronicconnectivityamongfar-flungfinancialmarketsareallacceleratingthepaceofcommercethroughouttheworldtoday–invirtuallyeveryindustry.Addderegulation,politicalinstability,emergingneweconomiesinthePacificRim,andanexplodingnumberofnewscientificdiscoveries(manyofwhichleadquicklytonewproductsandcommercialapplications),andyouhavearecipenotonlyformarketturbulence,butalsofor…“disruptivephaseshifts”inhowbusinessisconducted.(BurkeandTrahant2000:xi).Theneedtodealwithdisruptivephaseshiftsisastrueforpublicscienceorganizationsasitisforprivatesectorbusinessorganizations.Familiaritywiththisliteraturecanhelpmanagersofscienceorganizationspreparethemselvesandtheirorganizationstodealmoreeffectivelywiththechallengesofintentionalorganization-widechangebyunderstandingthefactorsthatstimulateorganizationalchange,thetypesofchangesinitiativesthatotherorganizationshaveusedtorespondtosuchstimuli,andthelessonslearnedaboutimplementingthosechangesandaboutmanagingthebehavioral,motivational,andperformancedynamicsthatariseduringthechangeprocess.Effortstodesignandimplementchangeacrossfederalagencieshaveincluded,mostrecently,the“re-invention”strategiesoftheearlyandmid-1990sandcurrentstrategiesresultingfromthePresident’sManagementAgenda.Sucheffortsusuallyfocusonstreamlining,achievingmorewithfewerresources,modernizingstructuresandprocesses,andaligningpublic-servicegoals(perhapsnewgoals)withoutcomes.Thesekindsofchangesfitthedefinitioninthechangemanagementliteratureofintentional,organization-widechangethatisundertakentoachievesomeorganizationalgoal.Thisfocusonmanagingchangeintheorganizationasawhole,ratherthanchangethatpertainstosmallworkgroupsorsingledepartments,representsasignificantdeparturefrompastmanagerialthinking(Greiner1967:119)andhighlightstherelationshipbetweenstrategyandchangemanagement.Theneedforintentionalorganization-widechangeinscienceorganizationscanresultfromchanginginternalconditions(forexample,transitionswithintheorganizationallifecycleorchanginggoals,budgets,ormissions)orchangingexternalconditions(forexample,transformationsduetonewtechnologies,policies,regulations,economicconditions,orinternationalevents).PresidentialdirectivesandfederallegislationsuchastheGovernmentPerformanceandResultsActhavethepotentialtoprovokelarge-scaleorganizationalchangesinscience-fundingandscience-performingorganizations.1Relatedchaptersinclude:Strategy,Leadership,Competencies,OrganizationalCommunication,andParticipativeManagementCh4ChangeManagement06.10.02.doc206.10.02Overthepastseveraldecades,therehasbeenanincreasinginterestinunderstandinghoworganizationsevolveovertime–adaptingorfailingtoadapt,initiatingchangeandrespondingtochange–andinthecumulative,system-wideconsequencesofindividualorganization’sresponses,bothplannedandunplanned.MohrmanandMohrman(1993:87)echomanyothersinobservingthat“organizationalenvironmentshavebecomelessbenign,morecomplex,moreinterconnected,andmoredynamic”…producingconditionsthat“posetheneedforchangewhilemakingitdifficulttolearnandchangebyoverloadingtheinformation-processingcapabilitiesoforganizationalmembers.”ProvokedbythechallengesposedtoAmericanindustry,firstbythesuccessofJapanesefirmsandtheAsianeconomiesandthenbythe“disruptive”technologicalinnovationsoftheneweconomy,therecentliteratureonchangemanagementhastendedtoarguethatorganizationsarefacinganacceleratingandpervasiveneedforcontinual,andincreasinglyrapidanddramatic,change(seeforexampleDrucker1980;FradetteandMichaud1998;MillerandMorris1999;Mohrmanetal.1989).Thishasledtogreaterattentiontothetensionbetweenvision-ledandproblem-drivenchangestrategies.RecentarticlesbyChristensenandOverdorf(2000),MillerandMorris(1999),andTushmanetal.(1997)illustratetheimperativefor,andthechallengesof,managingorganizationsthroughperiodsofdisruptivechangeintheexternalenvironment,suchasthatcurrentlybeingexperiencedasaconsequenceofglobalization,advancementsincommunicationsandinformationtechnologies,changinginternationalrelationships,andbreakthroughsinthebiologicalsciences.Thishasbeenidentifiedasparticularlytrueforresearchanddevelopmentorganizations,whichhaveahighneedtobeflexible,innovative,learningorganizations(Sapienza1995;Senge1990;HargadonandSutton2000).Addingtothechallenge,theliteratureclearlydemonstratesthattheattributesthatenableanorganizationtobesuccessfulatonestageinitslifecycleorinaparticularhistoricalcontextdonotensuresuccessinanother.Recentchange