Organizational Change. The Why, When & How

• According to Larry E. Griener's article on, "Evolution and Revolution as Organizations Grow" these 4 different theories will guide organizations throughout the growing period of change.

1. Life-cycle theory - Very incremental. This theory describes how an organization follows a single sequence of stages where change occurs, but maintains its identity throughout.  Greiner explains that there are five stages in an organization’s life cycle: creativity, direction, delegation, coordination, and collaboration.  Each one of those five stages works on something different within an organization and propels itself into the next stage of growth. 

2.  Teleological theory - Explains that an organization develops toward a goal or some end state. In this theory, organizations are never static.  Organizations change as they set new goals and purposes. So in order to effectively create change within an organization, a company must continuously set new goals based on knew knowledge of the external environment    

3. Dialectical theory - Explains that organizations change as two different viewpoints collide and some resolution is reached.  In this theory, organization change can be good or bad resulting from the dialectical process. 

4. Evolutionary theory -  This theory explains that organizations change according to a continuing cycle of variation, selection and retention among organizations and their competitors in the marketplace.    
 

Models 

• How does an organization change? In Burke's novel, "Organization Change: Theory and Practice"  he explains these models listed below to help an organization achieve the, "how" or process of change. Please select one of these models for your organization. 

The Burke-Litwin Model. These twelve components represent our choices of what we consider to be primary for organization change.  It is clear to determine that this model conforms to an open system where the external environment is the input and performance is the output.  The remaining ten boxes serve as throughputs and the feedback loop connects the input with the output.  This model is very effective because it involves components at each level of the organization.

Weisbord’s Six-Box Model. One of the strengths of Weisbord’s model is the position of the leadership box.  Being right in the middle, the leadership box connects with all of the other five components.  One major weakness with this model is the fact that there are only six components.  Many criticize his model saying that an organization is much more complex and the six components are simply not sufficient.

Tichy’s TPC Framework Model. Tichy’s nine components are viewed as change levers and not “boxes.”  His nine components are the external environment, mission, strategy, managing organizational mission and strategy processes, task, prescribed networks, organizational processes, people, and emergent networks. Technical, political, and cultural represent the three primary systems in the model.  The technical system is based on science, the political system is based on power dynamics, and the cultural system is based on shared values.