Change Management Process Research Articles

Using the United Kingdom standards for public involvement to evaluate the impact of public involvement in a multinational clinical study

BackgroundThe publication of the United Kingdom (UK) Standards for Public Involvement (PI) (UK Standards) in research drew a clear line in the sand regarding the importance of utilising the unique experience, skills and expertise that lay people may offer to the development, conduct and dissemination of clinical research. The UK Standards provide a benchmark which researchers should aim to achieve, yet its implementation continues to be a step wise iterative process of change management. A recent evaluation by a regional research group has suggested that our understanding of PI is enhanced through reflection on the UK Standards. We report on the utility of PI in the design, conduct and dissemination of the HIDDen study, a national, multicentre clinical study based across three UK centres.MethodsA retrospective review of PI within the HIDDen study was conducted using field notes taken by the lead author from interactions throughout their involvement as a lay representative on the study. Key members of the HIDDen study were interviewed and data analysed to explore adherence to the UK Standards.ResultsThere was universal support for PI across the study management group with genuine inclusivity of lay members of the committee. All six of the UK Standards were met to varying degrees. The greatest opportunities lay in ‘working together’ and ‘support and learning’. There were challenges meeting ‘governance’ with evidence of participation in decision making but less evidence of opportunities in management, regulation, leadership.ConclusionThis study concurs with previous research supporting the utility of the Standards in the conduct and evaluation of PI in clinical research. To our knowledge this is the first multi-national study to be evaluated against the UK Standards.

The Influence of Educational Leadership in Successful Change Management in Education Office of Wolaita Zone

This study aimed to examine the influence of educational leadership in successful change management in Wolaita zone some selected woreda education offices. The target populations for this study were from Wolaita zone woreda educational offices. In Wolaita zone, there are 22 woredas/districts and 3 city administrations; among them three woreda education offices and one city administration education office were selected through simple random sampling and purposive sampling respectively. Therefore, total population of the study was 230; among them 63 expertise, 6 educational office leaders, 40 supervisors and 121 principals were selected by purposive sampling method. In order to collect data, questionnaires, was employed. This study was carried through descriptive survey design. The study revealed that the leader’s ability to influence the followers was poor and leaders not playing their leadership role appropriately. The finding also shows strong effect of leadership on successfully implementing change management process in the sampled study areas. Thus, one can recommend that leaders should motivate follower and change agent by being role mode land participatory. The leaders should develop and institutionalize appropriate strategy to implement change in the institutions.

A conceptual model for adoption of BIM in construction projects: ADKAR as an integrative model of change management

ABSTRACT The use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has facilitated storage and reuse of information throughout the lifecycle of construction projects. Despite its benefits, construction industry has witnessed several obstacles in adopting BIM technology in terms of people management. This paper investigates how ADKAR model (an acronym for five stages of effective lasting people change: awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement) can contribute to successful adoption of BIM in construction sector. This study was conducted in two main stages: a rigorous literature review process followed by data collection using eight in-depth interviews with construction project managers. Data was analyzed following Bryman and Bell’s [(2007). Business Research Methods. Oxford: Oxford University Press] steps for thematic analysis. The results from interviews combined with results of literature review contribute to the development of an integrated conceptual model of change management. The conceptual model identifies two main phases of determinants for successful change management process towards the adoption of BIM technology using ADKAR model. Firstly, engineers as designers with different specialist (i.e., architectural, civil, electrical, mechanical), engineers as contractors, and clients require the enhancement of all five dimensions of ADKAR for a lasting change. Secondly, government requires the enhancement of three main dimensions of ADKAR model, namely awareness, desire, and reinforcement.

KAITOS PROCESO IR POKYČIŲ VALDYMO SINERGIJA UGDYMO ĮSTAIGOSE: metodologinis tyrimo konstruktas

This article invites for a scientific discussion while discussing the synergy between the process of change and the change management in the system of education and emphasizing that two different factors give larger impact and socioeconomic benefits if they are used together. In this article the concept of the process of change and change management in the educational institutions is analysed. It is noted that in a process of change it is very important to properly plan the changes and to identify the expected results but also it is very important to understand how all above mentioned process will be implemented. Questions to discuss: when the processes of change are implemented properly? Answer: when the changes are managed properly. How to ensure the implementation of the process of change management? Answer: the implementation of the process of change management is held in a field of change management systematically enabling all the processes of change management. The methodological construct of the research is presented in this article, revealing the synergy of the process of change and change management of the chosen school.

An analysis of factors that impact the change management process

Business are facing new threats or opportunities due to globalization, changes in costumers demands, new technologies, new expectations from society. Business change to stay competitive and to survive. It is very important to find the proper change and to manage it effectively. Many researchers, (Lewin, 1951; Kotter, 1996; Peddle et al., 1998; Paton and McCalman, 2000), have developed change models which describe important stages involved in effective change management process. Organizational change can be planned or unplanned. Organizations may change their products, structure, strategy or people. Although, what type of change an organization is undertaking, it had been argued that organizational change will fail without effective communication, appropriate leadership, employee commitment and readiness to change. Managers, know that a change to be successful needs to be managed effectively.
 There are many factors that create effective change management. In this paper we will focus on the impact of leadership, communication and employee commitment to change. Employees implement changes in organization and if they do not have the necessary information why organization needs the change and what is the outcome of proposed change they probably will refuse it. Also, leadership has an important role in change management. Employees need to feel security from their leader that change will improve their organization and will bring benefits to all of them. Employees are very concern to know if organization has the capacity to implement the proposed change.

Employee’s Resistance and Organizational Change Factors

Organizations need to change due to challenges they are facing caused by the dynamic environment where they operate. Also, organizations undertake changes because they have new ideas to improve their performance. So, organizational changes are imposed by factors of external or internal environment. The aim of every change is to improve organizational performance by increasing its effectiveness. Sometimes, changes are proposed during crises time. In crisis’s situation, organizations need to cut their costs, and the most common change is reducing staff.
 In every situation, change is something new for employees. Change affect employees because they are going to implement it. They can show positive attitude/behavior (readiness to change) or negative attitude/behavior (resistance to change) to proposed change. When employees show positive attitude, they agree on change and they are motivated to implement it. On the other hand, negative attitudes reflect that employees do not agree to organizational change. They are not motivated to involve in organizational change and sometimes they refuse it. Change managers are interested to have employees which are motivated and opened to change because this can lead to a successful change management process. On the other side, resistance to change can lead to the failure of change, because resistance may create costs and delays into change management process.
 This paper will explain which factors impose organizations to undertake changes time to time. Also, it will analyze how employees behave during organizational change. The aim of this paper is to explain why employees resist to organizational change and how can change managers reduce employees resistance.

Higher Education in China, a Paradigm Shift from Conventional to Online Teaching

The entire education system, from elementary school to higher education, distorted during the lockdown period. The latest 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is not only recorded in China, but also globally. This research is an account of the online teaching paradigm assumed in the teaching method by most of universities in China and subsequent tests over the course. It looks forward to offering resources rich in knowledge for future academic decision-making in any adversity. The aim of this research paper is to explain the prerequisites for online education and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to effectively turn formal education into online education through the use of virtual classrooms and other main online instruments in an ever-changing educational setting by leveraging existing educational tools. The paper uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches to analyses the views of online teachers and students on the learning regime, with specific attention to the online learning regime implementation process. In the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak, the purpose of this article is to provide an in-depth overview of online learning. These activities took place during a time of isolation, including the creation of a link between the process of change management and the online learning process in the education system to tackle current issues of academic interference and, however, the re-establishment of educational practice and debate as a normal system of procedural education.

Improving the success rate of business process re-engineering projects: A business process re-engineering framework

Background: Financial institutions in South Africa are implementing business process re-engineering (BPR) on a regular basis because of the fast-changing industry. However, the success of these projects is low because of the lack of clearly defined roles, an unclear definition of what BPR is, the inability to link BPR projects to organisation strategies and the lack of documentation to guide BPR activities. Accordingly, there is a need to define a framework to guide the implementation of BPR projects. Objectives: The researchers embarked on this study in order to define a framework to ensure improvement of BPR in financial institutions. The framework should assist in providing guidelines when conducting BPR activities and will enable plans for BPR projects in terms of knowing which skills and roles to source for these projects. Method: A conceptual BPR framework was developed and BPR experts from financial institutions were then engaged to determine whether the framework would work. The engagements included understanding the challenges faced and how they could be combated, understanding the roles involved and determining if organisations had BPR frameworks in place. This subsequently led to a final framework being consolidated. Results: This study presents the recommended BPR framework that can be used by financial institutions to achieve success in their projects. The framework incorporates project management and change management processes and ensures alignment of BPR activities with the project phases. It also ensures that the activities are clearly stipulated and the roles performing the activities are clearly defined. It considers time management, planning aspects and effective communication within BPR projects. Conclusion: The proposed framework can be used by financial institutions to manage their re-engineering projects. This framework overcomes most of the known challenges and combines two disciplines, that is, project management and business process re-engineering.

Examining change management theories through case studies

The objective of the present paper is to examine the already established change management success factors and respective theories, in the light of personal experience in five organizations as a change agent. And examine whether these theories are sufficient to explain the success and failure of change management in Indian organisations. We took the constructivists approach while studying the change management phenomenon. Hence, we relied on a qualitative method. As there is no single truth, the reality needs to be interpreted and the truth discovered based on the collective experiences of the researchers. Therefore, the theoretical perspective of our research is interpretivism. We have used narrative inquiry based on memory as we have first-hand knowledge over a period in each of the five cases and in some cases; we both have experience in a different time period. This approach is appropriate in this case of knowledge of change management, which is unquantifiable and where it is not easy to transfer the experience. Our findings mostly support the existing theories and steps in change management. Out of the ten steps one step is ““Form partnership with stakeholders for guiding coalition” is not supported. Existence of good management practices are a perquisite for a successful change. Institutionalize change is an important step. As there is a gap between observation and articulation of this paper there are chances of missing important observations that could have considered for drawing more insightful conclusion. The study is based on individual’s observation therefore it may have cognitive biases. The case study narratives will give an insight to a practitioner how different organisations management change management process. The findings presented will also be helpful to a practitioner. The strongest new finding is the need to have the good management practices in place before going ahead with change.

Social network analysis of project procurement in Iranian construction mega projects

Several construction projects, worldwide, are suffering from delays and budget overruns; and Western Asia is not an exception. Studies have identified delays in progress payments and change order approvals as two of the main root causes of overruns in large building projects in the Middle East. In this study, the effect of procurement methods on these two factors has been investigated by analyzing the structure of social networks formed during these processes and evaluating the efficiency of information diffusion in such networks. Three contract types are focused, i.e., unit-rate; lump-sum; and EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) to evaluate the functional performance of actor networks associated with them, and social network analysis (SNA) is used as the main analysis tool. After extracting the social networks formed in the mega-projects from the public domain in the Iranian construction industry, metrics from SNA were used to evaluate their functional performance concerning progress payment and change order management. The processes were compared at both network-level and the individuals involved. The observations were turned into an industry questionnaire and the key stakeholders involved in the projects were surveyed for validation and additional insights. The results identified the actors/roles of the most prominence in change and invoice networks of projects, as well as the strength and weaknesses of the three forms of standard contracts reviewed, as manifested in the performance of invoice and change management processes. It was observed that the formation of flat actor-networks in more modern contracts (such as the EPC) effectively supports a better flow of information, hence improves the performance of the processes under the study.

Rethinking the past to manage the future: Participating in complex contexts informed by biblical perspectives

Change is the new normal, but so it has been for ages. Experience to navigate change is something you get just after you needed it, unless you tap into age-old experience. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is bringing about wide-ranging changes. With people having to adjust, the question is whether Christianity, with its roots in preindustrial times, may support people to navigate these changes. This conceptual article focusses on the relationships amongst constructs, exploring logical arguments about how these constructs are associated. The 4IR is briefly described from differing vantage points, as to whether it is a valid description thereof. Whether a revolution or evolution, it is a complex system, and therefore the theory of complex systems is used, with the conclusion that one may merely participate in such systems. Being novel situations, one needs to participate creatively, based on a cognitive understanding of creativity. Creative solutions do not materialise out of thin air but are the novel use of existing knowledge structures. Christian traditions include institutional memories of how people managed situations of radical change, as reflected in Genesis 1 and Lamentations 4. These passages provide building blocks that may be used in creative coping strategies during times of change. Both passages suggest the strategy to juxtapose order and chaos, and borrowing from that, a ‘Grip-Grapple-Grow’ scaffolding system is suggested. To test the usability thereof, the issue of face masks during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic was touched upon, to evaluate how the interplay amongst 4IR, disruption, (Christian) beliefs and technological advancement may play out. Contribution: The Fourth Industrial Revolution is speeding up the pace of change, with people having to adapt. This article explores processes of change management, juxtaposing the theory of complex systems, the cognitive science understanding of creativity and institutional memories afforded by some Christian traditions reflecting on how people managed order and chaos.

Rethinking the past to manage the future: Participating in complex contexts informed by biblical perspectives

Change is the new normal, but so it has been for ages. Experience to navigate change is something you get just after you needed it, unless you tap into age-old experience. The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is bringing about wide-ranging changes. With people having to adjust, the question is whether Christianity, with its roots in preindustrial times, may support people to navigate these changes. This conceptual article focusses on the relationships amongst constructs, exploring logical arguments about how these constructs are associated. The 4IR is briefly described from differing vantage points, as to whether it is a valid description thereof. Whether a revolution or evolution, it is a complex system, and therefore the theory of complex systems is used, with the conclusion that one may merely participate in such systems. Being novel situations, one needs to participate creatively, based on a cognitive understanding of creativity. Creative solutions do not materialise out of thin air but are the novel use of existing knowledge structures. Christian traditions include institutional memories of how people managed situations of radical change, as reflected in Genesis 1 and Lamentations 4. These passages provide building blocks that may be used in creative coping strategies during times of change. Both passages suggest the strategy to juxtapose order and chaos, and borrowing from that, a ‘Grip-Grapple-Grow’ scaffolding system is suggested. To test the usability thereof, the issue of face masks during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 pandemic was touched upon, to evaluate how the interplay amongst 4IR, disruption, (Christian) beliefs and technological advancement may play out. Contribution: The Fourth Industrial Revolution is speeding up the pace of change, with people having to adapt. This article explores processes of change management, juxtaposing the theory of complex systems, the cognitive science understanding of creativity and institutional memories afforded by some Christian traditions reflecting on how people managed order and chaos.

The Shared Storage Facility in Poland: A Pilot Project of the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections (NIMOZ)

The safe storage of collections for future generations is the most important statutory activity of every museum worldwide. Although this objective is a long-held one, statistics show that, regrettably, a historical and global problem still exists in this field, including for Polish museums. Fortunately, positive changes have been implemented since the end of the 20th century, resulting not only in new infrastructure projects, but also in new approaches to the longstanding problem. Contemporary museum storage facilities are perceived not only as restricted museum spaces, but also, and primarily, as a combination of places, people and processes. Storage can therefore represent an optimum tool for museum conservation, when understood as a change management process whose purpose is to exercise conscious and real influence on the durability of collections. Importantly, this process should correspond to contemporary environmental protection practices. Then, and only then, will museums be capable of protecting cultural heritage appropriately, without increasing risks to future generations. In Poland, the National Institute for Museums and Public Collections (NIMOZ) is currently implementing an infrastructure project entitled ‘The Central Storage Facility for Museum Collections’ (CMZM), whose concept encompasses the questions and problems referred to above. In effect, a shared storage facility will be built in the suburbs of Warsaw to provide high-quality protection for collections, while employing cost-efficient construction processes and low-energy solutions while in operation. The pilot project and case study represents a model solution: one that can be followed by museum professionals planning new collection storage facilities in other regions of Poland.

Change Management in the Irish Defence Forces during Technological Change

Extant literature fails to address change management in the military during technological change. Few researchers have examined how military organisations, undergo change and what, if any, processes do they use to manage this change. As such, whether change management processes are found to have a positive impact on military organisations or not, the extant literature in the sociology and military domains are being added to by the findings of this research. The aim of this paper is to determine if the Irish Defence Forces would benefit from the introduction of change management processes when implementing new technological systems. The extant theory has neglected to examine the application of change management processes in military organisations, a shortcoming this paper addresses. The research draws on semi-structured interviews undertaken with military and civil servant professionals from the Irish Defence Forces and the Department of Defence. A primary outcome identified the urgent need for the Irish Defence Forces to develop and implement a change management process for managing technological change. The current ‘ad-hoc approach’ which relies on key personnel highlights the lack of competence which exists at the leadership level and is further exacerbated by the personnel rotation policy currently used in the Irish Defence Forces, thereby having a detrimental impact on organisational efficiency. The study is significant as it informs theoretical understanding of change management processes by introducing a focus on the Irish Defence Forces, hitherto lacking, and informs the understanding of organisational change in a military organisation. Finally, the combination of the theoretical and empirical research contributes to the extant body of knowledge.

The change management process in the contemporary environment

The success of change management is vital to every organisation as it ensures changes are implemented smoothly and have the planned impact. The literature review raises different questions regards to the change management process as only a few of articles copes with it profoundly. The fact is that organisations have been experiencing tremendous pressure for strategic change in last decade and even more intense in the last year. The central aim of this article is to provide a critical review of the main theories to change management with the focus on the change process. The article also provides fresh empirical data on change management process from top management point of view. The article concludes with constructing a change process model and recommendations for managing change in the contemporary fast-changing environment.

Implementing Strategies for Strengthening Australia’s Rural Allied Health Workforce

Purpose: In many rural places, health services struggle to maintain an adequate health workforce to meet their communities’ health care needs. Shortages of allied health professionals are of particular and growing concern. To address this challenge, a two-year Whole-of-Person Retention Improvement Project was developed involving a research partnership with two rural public health services in Victoria, Australia. This project was informed by the author’s Whole-of-Person Retention Improvement Framework (WoP-RIF), aimed to produce new knowledge for rural health services to attract, recruit, and improve the retention of allied health professionals. A set of evidence-informed and contextually relevant recommendations were made in the project’s initial observational phase to strengthen each service’s allied health workforce, 10 of which were shared. The objective of this phase of the project was to explore the challenges and enablers that two rural health services experienced in developing and implementing strategies for allied health workforce improvement. Method: The methodological approaches used for this intervention study were participatory action research and a realist evaluation. The data sources used for the realist evaluation included qualitative (focus group) and observational (project documents and fieldnotes). Results: The results outline the key responses made by the regional and rural health service to implement the 10 shared recommendations and are presented under their relevant WoP-RIF domains: workplace/organisational, role/career, and community/place. The key and shared contexts, drivers, mechanisms, outputs, and outcomes are presented under each recommendation, and where possible, an assessment is made regarding sustainability beyond the project period. Conclusions: The implementation of the recommendations is a complex process requiring whole-of-organisation support by the participating rural public health services. This study identifies five facilitators for successful implementation: 1) the project is considered a strategic human resources initiative and overseen by the executive; 2) it has strong champion(s) in the executive staff; 3) human resources is part of the strategic decision-making arrangements; 4) the change management process is facilitated and led by staff from the target clinical workforce(s); and 5) a partnership approach with local council is adopted for strategies requiring community support and engagement.

An International Comparison of Enablers of Individual Readiness for Change: The Case of Executives Working in France, GCC and India

The purpose of this paper is to examine the components that foster individual readiness for organizational change. To address this question, we conducted an international comparison of the perception of managers at different levels of organizational hierarchy. This research employed a quantitative survey research design administrated to two hundred and fifty-six employees, in different hierarchical levels in organizations, from France, GCC (Arab states of the Gulf Cooperation Council) and India enrolled in several executive training programs. Our research supports the idea the perception of the change process unlike the context of change is a significant determinant of employees’ readiness for change. The study controls for key individual antecedents of change readiness. Accordingly, we have shown that readiness for change may vary according to nationality and hierarchical position of an individual. We conclude that successful implementation of change cannot be reached without a need for change being established, which can be triggered and nurtured through the appropriate change management processes.

A Methodology for Flexible Configuration of Change Management Processes

The short product life cycles combined with individual products, permanent cost pressure, and rapid technological innovation make change management an indispensable element of manufacturing companies. The ability to react efficiently towards the dynamic market and its requirements represents a key success factor in the manufacturing industry. Hence, this paper introduces a methodology for flexible change management processes, supporting companies in an efficient and individual configuration of their processes based on change project.

Review of the main sources of organisational resistance and how such resistance could be managed: Critical Analysis of Volta River Authority and Ghana Maritime Authority

Change has become inevitable in this global world making it imperative for organisations to change. Whatever form the change takes the individuals affected must be willing to accept the change. This research paper analyses resistance in two public organizations i.e. the Volta River Authority (VRA) and the Ghana Maritime Authority which occurred between 2003 and 2018. This paper dwells on Lewin's force field analysis of driving and restraining forces, and identifies reasons why resistance occurred in these two organizations during the period identified. Theories of Resistance identified as cognitive dissonance, the depth intervention, violation of the psychological contract and/or dispositional resistance in the form of inappropriate management style and leadership (Burnes, 2017) are discussed,. It has been found that Resistance to change is not uniform among human beings. Reasons for resistance are identified and strategies to overcome resistance are proposed. Lewin's three step model of Unfreeze, Change, and refreeze are revisited and Kotter's six ways of overcoming resistance are reviewed. Evidence gathered indicate that resistance occurred in these organizations mainly because of inappropriate leadership style. Transactional leadership is unlikely to establish a good psychological contract inside businesses during the change management process, which will reduce morale and performance. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, is likely to emphasize relationships, trust, commitment, and involvement, which may be required to keep employee loyalty and stimulate creativity. Transformational leadership style is therefore recommended in periods of change. Transformational leaders will rely on Kotter's eight step model to bring about change. Change must not be imposed in public organizations as it will definitely meet resistance. The focus of any change effort must first be to change attitudes. Communication is also very important in changing attitudes. A communications strategy should be linked with the broad stages of a planned change as well as the associated information requirements (Klein, 1996). Before implementing the change, personnel should be educated about it through one-on-one talks, group presentations, or memoranda and reports. Regular and effective communication may minimize employee uncertainty while involving them increases their commitment (Burnes 2017). Incentives might also be provided to active or potential resisters, such as providing a union a higher salary rate in exchange for a change in work rules. Manipulation, co-optation, and coercion are not viable strategies for bringing about change in public institutions. The resistance will have risen as a result of their use. Managers should, according to Lewin, first minimize the opposing forces before boosting the driving forces (Lewin, 1947).

The change management process in the contemporary environment

The change management process in the contemporary environment