Introduction
Do you see change as opportunity or danger?
In today's constantly changing environment, success requires that effective managers recognise change in terms of organisational survival. The famous Helen Keller once said: 'Life is either a daring adventure or nothing'.
On an individual level you are somebody who knows about, or feels empowered to deal with change or you are one of the people who are on the receiving end of it all.
As you work your way through this chapter you will discover that whether change is desired or feared, expected or unexpected, it is generally accompanied by a degree of discomfort that often brings about a measure of conflict. The manner in which the process of change is managed often makes the difference between success and failure. The management of change and conflict can be classified as part of the organising and coordination processes within an organisation.
You will often hear people say:
I have always done it that way, or
We've been doing it the same way for the last 20 years...
These comments emphasise both how much things change and how hard change can be to deal with. Actually one of the few constant things in life is that it is continually changing. Evidence of change is seen daily, and yet many people still find it difficult to anticipate and handle change. A ll around us we see organisations changing and developing. We also see many organisations failing to change and develop successfully.
Political changes both internationally and domestically over the past 10 years and the demise of the media empires of Skase and Bond attest to this circumstance. What distinguishes the present, and more particularly the future, from the past is the response time to the forces of change.
Whereas in the past, organisations, and individuals, had the luxury of being able to respond gradually to changes in the environment, today the response from the organisation must be faster.
Our fixation with 'what is' obscures the necessity of considering what 'might be' and 'what isn't'.
In this chapter, we discuss some of the problems with change and enable you to understand that certain changes in the development of individuals and organisations are inevitable. To get started on the topic, complete the following textbook reading. Concentrate your efforts on the 'Nature of change and innovation' and 'Promoting innovation: the change and innovation process' and 'The value of knowledge'.
In your text
Bartol, K M; Martin, D C; Tein, M H and Matthews, G W (2001), pages 234-252.