Critically analyse the role of senior managers as barriers to Essay

Critically analyse the role of senior managers as barriers to organizational change and explore how this can be addressed - Essay Example It is the objective of this study to delve deeper into this controversial premise, explore how management overcome resistance to change, compare how differing and contrasting theories impact the work organization, and finally to present methodologies to address resistance to proposed change(s) in the organizational, administrative and technological structures. As the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, â€Å"Change is the only ever constant in this world†, and change is inevitable for evolution, development and fulfillment of any tangible or intangible object, concept or idea. Change creates opportunity for growth (Baker).It is the basic nature of man to resist change, and as Dr. Claude Brodeur states â€Å"We resist change. We choose to keep our habits, rather, the comfort of our habits† (Barriers†¦cited by E-commerce Expert ) It is this becoming too comfortable and complacent with our habits that gives rise to our distinct culture or behavior which often are not r eceptive to any disturbance or change,and as such, habit has become our individual culture and custom. Change cannot be easily undertaken by clashing with this individual culture, but rather by focusing on the work itself (Beer and Spector,1990). Change can be implemented on three potential areas: organizational structure, technology and people (Understanding and Managing Organizational Behavior,2006; Aladwani, 2001) and each area has its own definite, peculiar concerns that can impact and affect over-all employee attitude and behavior. Some changes may call for a company’s organizational upgrading and this may cover the company’s own policies, rules and regulations; the creation or abolishment of certain departments, altering the number of employees under each supervisor, or can be much simpler like clarifying someone’s job description (UnderstandingBehavior†¦ 2006). Technological change refers to new gadgets or equipment for better efficiency, while chang es in people refer to changing employees’ set behavioral patterns and attitudes. Of all these changes, change in people offer the most challenge and level of difficulty, and this is the area where this paper will focus thoroughly. Changing employees’ behavioral patterns and attitude perspective is a challenge for management, as employees are creatures of habit, and habits, as the saying goes, are hard to break. Early studies on change and resistance to change was undertaken by Kurt Lewin (Dent and Goldberg 1999; Burke, Lake and Paine, 2008) and clearly explained how habits are hard nuts to crack, and enumerates three steps to assimilate change. This three-step model is widely accepted when studying change theories and these can be summarized as unfreezing, moving and refreezing (Burke, Lake and Paine, 2008, p. 233). Lewin refers to a person as a â€Å"complex, energy field in which all behavior could be conceived of as a change in some site of a field† (Marrow, 1969). Marrow’s further research showed that David Bowers and Stanley Seashore , both pioneers of organizational behavior, acknowledged Lewin’s view that a person’s biological system of homeostasis, i.e., man’s natural ability to resist change should undergo a three step cycle: first, an unfreezing or disruption of an already existing steady state,