Organisational Change and Stress Management

Questions To what do people really respond / react when they need to cause / suffer change? Have you ever heard of anyone who reacted to change which had positive consequences? Therefore people don’t react to change because they will cause / suffer change but they react to …

Reaction To the type of change To the way with which this type of change is implemented To their individual concerns for the negative consequences that this change could have

The best way of dealing with change … Appropriate and honest communication Analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of change The involvement of all those who are going to be affected by change in the actual implementation of change

Reaction to change – individual sources Habit Security Financial reasons Fear of the unknown Selective processing of information

Reaction to change – organisational sources Structural incompetence / inertia Limited range of changes Team incompetence / inertia Threat of, further, strengthening the power / formal / authority / hierarchical relations Threat of establishing an unfair distribution of resources

Beating resistance Training and information Involvement Creation of support and commitment Development of positive relationships Fair application of changes Guidance and selection / recruitment Choice of people who accept change Force change

Dealing with organisational change – Lewin’s Model Unfreeze Movement Refreeze - Commit to change - Clarification of objectives - Evaluation of resources - Creation of alternative courses of action - Implementation of action plan -Enactment of change - Evaluation of change

Dealing with organisational change – Lewin’s Model

Dealing with organisational change - Kotter Create a sense of urgency Creating the guiding coalition Developing a change vision Communicating the vision for buy-in Empowering broad-based action Generating short-term wins Never letting up Incorporating changes into the culture

Organisational Development The selection and implementation of change methods which aim to improve the organisational efficiency and effectiveness and the employees’ prosperity Values Respect towards people Trust and support through an environment of authenticity Open confrontment Formal authority is not important Involvement

Organisational Development in practice

Organisational Development: Strategic Human Resource Management practices

Organisational Development techniques that lead to change Feedback through research Counsel throughout the process Team structure Intra-team and inter-team development Inquiring minds

Change and a Culture of Innovation Innovation is a more specialised form of change, a new idea which is applicable on the introduction / improvement of a product, procedure or service Sources of innovation: - Organisational structure, e.g. a low level of formality - Long-term managerial service

Change and a Culture of Innovation - Richness of resources - High levels of communication between organisational departments - A culture of experimentation - Failure as a means towards achieving success through the research of the unknown - Alex Rodriguez’s example!

Human Resources and Innovation Training and development High job security Idea champions High levels of confidence Energetic and persistence Risk taking Mobilisation of others towards individual and organisational vision Strong faith towards the mission of change Win the commitment of colleagues

Stress What is stress? What does it relate to? Which are the symptoms and the consequences? How can we handle them?

Stress: definition A dynamic situation of anxiety usually when a person is confronted with an opportunity, demand or a source which is related to this person and the outcome of which is uncertain and important Stress in relation to (maximum) performance Workload, effort to get the job done Part of our development!

Consequences of Stress Relates to demands: - Responsibilities - Pressures - Commitments - Uncertainties Relates to resources: - Anything that is within reach / use for the fulfilment of the demands

Consequences of Stress Organisational symptoms: - Job demands Psychological symptoms: - The less the individual control, the more the stress Behavioural symptoms: - Changes in productivity, absence rates, reduced mobility

Dealing with Stress Difference in the perceptions between employees and management for what constitutes an acceptable level of stress: Individual approach Organisational approach - Job redesign - Increase of employee involvement in the decision making processes - Increase of organisational communication