Chapter 18 of your textbook, will examine change. Indeed, change is happening in every organization today. Managers are tasked with implementing new technologies, reengineering processes, pursuing a transformation around customer experience, or orchestrating an overall increase in effectiveness and efficiency. Every day, new initiatives and projects are discussed, developed, and launched to improve performance, increase profits, and enhance the organization’s competitive advantage.
Organizational change is simply the shift from the organization’s present state toward a desired state in order to increase performance and/or effectiveness. This can involve virtually any organizational segment but typically affects the lines of organizational authority, the levels of responsibility held by various organizational members, and the established lines of organizational communication. The business environment is constantly dynamic and ever evolving—thus, organizations must adapt to changes accordingly in order to survive.
Organizational theorists often draw a distinction between two types of organizational change: evolutionary change and revolutionary change. Evolutionary change is carried out incrementally in a methodical, step-by-step process that is highly focused and controlled. Revolutionary change, also known as radical change, is explosive, organization-wide, disruptive, and in most instances all-or-nothing.
Organizations that simply react to change will find their performance lacking. Organizations must consider change as a continuous process, adapting to the shifts in their competitive environment rather than viewing change as a singular project or event. Therefore, managers must proactively anticipate change and, ideally, be the creators of change.
An organization’s culture, mission, and vision determine the direction and measure of control. In turn, organizational control frameworks keep business functions, processes, and tasks on track. Control processes help managers review and evaluate workplace activities and determine if those activities are on target to help the company meet its goals.
Strategic plans are translated into departmental goals and objectives with specific performance measures. Throughout the process, managers monitor and evaluate their department’s strategy, structure, and workplace activities to determine if they are working as intended. If performance does not meet standards, then managers are responsible for correcting the deficiency, and if standards are met, then managers are responsible for improving processes and procedures. Organizational control also focuses on challenges facing the company, anticipation of future events, and working to take advantage of strategic opportunities.
If performance does not meet standards, then managers are responsible for correcting the deficiency, and if standards are met, then managers are responsible for improving processes and procedures.
Chapter 19, Organizational Control and Individual Power, will examine two foundational building blocks of organizational behavior - the concepts of control and power. Control systems exist in all spheres of the operations of the organization and are a necessary part of the organization and the management process. Workplaces are complex systems of hierarchies, social relationships, status, and power. In order to be effective, managers must understand the nature of power and control in their organization.
The first half of chapter 19 will examine the three different types of organizational control: normative, regulative, and bureaucratic. In addition, we will take a look at how organizations use control systems and processes to empower or restrict the actions of employees. The second half of chapter 19 will discuss the distinction between power and control in organizations, the six power bases that lay the groundwork for power and authority in organizations, and examine the subtle differences between control types and individual power bases. You will learn how managers and supervisors identify controlling behaviors.
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