Choosing to change an alternative understanding of change management

Choosing to Change It is commonly quoted that the majority of change initiatives fail, and equally common is the reasoning that failure is due to a lack of adequate planning and robust processes to deliver change to the organisation However, organisations cannot change; it is only the people in the organisation, and those connected with it, that can change the way they work, think and behave Choosing to Change takes an alternative view of the change process, applying thinking from the studies of complexity to explore how change in organisations is driven by individual choice: how the totality of our individual experiences and our aspirations for the future shapes our thinking both consciously and unconsciously, setting out an approach that brings change by choice rather than process Through the reflections of those who have experienced change, the book is an exploration of how choice is the basis of all successful change programmes, and how that affects the theory of change management This book tackles how our future expectations will determine the choices made, and is a vital tool for managers, practitioners and advanced management students David Bentley is an independent Change Management Consultant, Visiting Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire Business School, UK, and Management Trainer He specialises in leading change, business improvement and leadership development for organisations from global companies to small businesses and charities This page intentionally left blank Choosing to Change An Alternative Understanding of Change Management David Bentley First published 2018 by Routledge Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2018 David Bentley The right of David Bentley to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Names: Bentley, David, 1952- author Title: Choosing to change : an alternative understanding of change management / David Bentley Description: Edition | New York : Routledge, 2018 | Includes bibliographical references and index Identifiers: LCCN 2017036298 (print) | LCCN 2017037783 (ebook) | ISBN 9781315298795 (eBook) | ISBN 9781138237889 (hardback : alk paper) | ISBN 9781138237896 (pbk : alk paper) Subjects: LCSH: Organizational change | Leadership | Strategic planning Classification: LCC HD58.8 (ebook) | LCC HD58.8 B4626 2018 (print) | DDC 658.4/06 dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017036298 ISBN: 978-1-138-23788-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-1-138-23789-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-315-29879-5 (ebk) Typeset in Times New Roman by Taylor & Francis Books To Jane, Laila and John Contents Acknowledgement viii Introduction 1 Experiencing change: The depot manager’s story The managed approach to change: The management view of the change process 19 A complexity view of change: An alternative approach 29 Facilitating change: A story of change leadership 53 Choosing to change in the face of the unknown 69 Storytelling: The power and influence of narrative learning 83 Putting choice at the centre of change management: Easing the path to change 94 Index 109 This page intentionally left blank Acknowledgement The author would like to thank Jim and Ruth for allowing their stories to be told Introduction How often have I said, ‘I hate change’? But then, having made a career out of bringing about change in various guises, that may seem a bit of a contradiction As a young civil engineer in the 1980s I worked on a couple of bypass construction projects that were promoted as ‘Turning rail into road’ By constructing the new road along the line of a disused rail track we were improving the local transport network by changing the old for the new Change in many forms has ironically been a constant in my career It is one of the eternal paradoxes of life, that through the ages we constantly seek the security of continuity, sticking to the status quo, whilst life, and the world that we live in, inevitably changes Politicians and financiers call for stability in the economy, markets and international relations knowing full well that it cannot and does not happen Harold Macmillan, Britain’s prime minister from 1957 to 1963, is reputed to have answered the question put to him by a journalist – ‘What is most likely to blow governments off course?’ saying ‘Events, dear boy, events.’ The exact words spoken and indeed the attribution is questioned, but the observation is clear The best formulated policies and detailed planning will always be victim to the unpredictable – those events that continually emerge creating unexpected change Over the course of the past half century I have witnessed a rapid and accelerating pace of change In technology, the advent of the computer and the revolution in access to information through the internet that has enabled me to research and write this book; in transport, from the postwar spread of the motor car replacing horse drawn transport to the prospect of driverless cars; and in health, evidenced by the extension of life expectancy In all areas of modern life we are constantly experiencing change, but still we tend to be taken by surprise when it happens and resist it happening I have spent my career managing many facets of change As a construction project manager, I was involved in the planning and creating of change Whilst it was, on the face of it, the physical change of building roads, utility plants and buildings, it was in fact that most of my time in that role was spent dealing with the unexpected However detailed the planning and scheduling of the works, a three-dimensional structure is being created from a twodimensional plan or nowadays perhaps a virtual image The interpretation of ... view of the change process 19 A complexity view of change: An alternative approach 29 Facilitating change: A story of change leadership 53 Choosing to change in the face of the unknown 69 Storytelling:... and Social Change Human Relations 1: 5–41 1 Experiencing change The depot manager’s story We start our exploration of change with a story of experiencing change: an account of a successful change. .. provides us with an understanding of what motivates people to accept or reject change, providing an approach to managing change that works with individuals to make the choice to change and determines