Running head: Change Management 1

Change Management

Anntashamonique L. Fejeran

University of Guam

NOTE: I, the original author of this BA440-01 Research Report, hereby give Dr. A. Valentine,
SBPA, and UOG permission to make use of this report (without any evaluative notations or
marks) as appropriate for educational purposes, including (but not limited to):
 As an Assessment Example
 As a student writing/research example, and
 As a Research Report Example or “classroom resource” available to other SBPA
and UOG Students.

Date: October 26, 2022

Signed: _________________________
Anntashamonique L. Fejeran

Author Note: This paper was created for Leadership and Collaboration in Organizations and
Societies, BA440-01, for Dr. A. Valentine in the School of Business and Public Administration
on October 26, 2022.
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Abstract

This paper presents the concept of change in general and within a business company. The

concept of change is either presented with a good or bad approach toward a goal. As time moves

forward at a rapid pace, companies and organizations will encounter change no matter how. It is

the company’s decision whether to move forward at its own pace by staying on course without

change or adapting slowly/quickly to change. This study will show the various collected data

from theories to models that companies utilize to approach change. Based on scholarly articles,

the gathered information is shared to comprehend and support the concept of change to move

forward with the rapid pace in the environment. The findings in this paper will share an

organization that had a change program that resulted in a pass or failure. On this basis, the

concept of change needs to be approached more often to keep up with generations, the

environment, and their competitors.

Keywords: Change, Change Management, Change Models, Lewin Change Model, Burke-

Litwin Change Model, Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, Teleological Theory, Life Cycle Theory,

Evolutionary Theory, Dialectical Theory

Word Count: 163

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Contents

Abstract................................................................................................................................2

What is Change and Why Do We Need It?.........................................................................4

What is Change Management?............................................................................................4

What Makes Change Occur?...............................................................................................5

Change Management Theories............................................................................................5

Organizations Utilize Change Models: Lewin Change Model............................................6

Burke-Litwin Change Model...........................................................................................7

Kotter 8-Step Change Model...........................................................................................7

Why Do Change Programs Fail?.........................................................................................8

Pan Am and Its Change Failure...........................................................................................9

Conclusion...........................................................................................................................9

Appendix............................................................................................................................11

References..........................................................................................................................22
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What is Change and Why Do We Need It?

The term change has various definitions like the terms love, life, leadership, etc.

(Reissner, 2010). The term change is defined as adjusting, altering, or modifying something or

someone (Reissner, 2010). Change can replace something with something else, replace

something that is the same but in the latest version, or substitute one thing for another (Reissner,

2010). The purpose of the change is to have the ability to adapt and grow within yourself, a team,

and/or an organization (Saif, Razzaq, Rehman, Javed, & Ahmad, 2013). In other words, the

purpose of the change is a way for yourself and/or your organization to grow (Saif, Razzaq,

Rehman, Javed, Ahmad, 2013). In business, change can be viewed through an institutional, such

as an organizational view or group work, and individual, which is a role or job, level (Saif,

Razzaq, Rehman, Javed, & Ahmad, 2013). In other words, change can be viewed from various

perspectives (Saif, Razzaq, Rehman, Javed, Ahmad, 2013). Therefore, the change allows us to

challenge, adapt, and grow when moving forward in life and experiencing new and exciting

things (Saif, Razzaq, Rehman, Javed, Ahmad, 2013).

What is Change Management?

Change management is a systematic approach to dealing with the transition or

transformation of an organization’s goals, processes, or technologies (Mento, Jones, &

Dirndorfer, 2002). This topic is defined as the management of change and development within a

business or organization (By, 2005). The purpose of change management is to implement

strategies for effecting, controlling, and helping individuals adapt to the concept of change

(Metro, Jones, & Dirndorfer, 2002). It is a way to control the life cycle of all changes, enabling

beneficial changes to be made with minimum disruption (By, 2005). Overall, change
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management is a process of continuous renewal of an organization's direction, structure, and

capabilities of service to the ever-changing external and internal customers (By, 2005).

What Makes Change Occur?

The change would occur in various incidents and issues at different points in time

(Reissner, 2010). The first force of change would be keeping up with current news and

technology, such as the latest programs to boost productivity in the workforce (By, 2005). The

second force of change would be people’s generations, which would involve various cultural

differences between individuals and their perspectives on an organization’s views (Sreih,

Lussier, & Sonfield, 2019). The third force of change is the process of information and

communication. Through this aspect, which is one of my favorite soft skills that I continue to

work on, an organization’s goal is to make sure that they are prepared to stay up to date with

current news/issues that would need a faster response (Sreih, Lussier, & Sonfield, 2019). Finally,

the last force of change is competition. The aspect of having competition in an organization’s

business is a good motivator and would challenge them to be open-minded and be able to adapt

to external and internal views (Sreih, Lussier, & Sonfield, 2019). Overall, these changes are

challenges for businesses to either adapt and create or stay on the same path due to what their

company believes in such as a change in leadership, new software for a business program, death

of a founder/Chief Executive Officer, organization’s culture, etc. (Sreih, Lussier, & Sonfield,

2019).

Change Management Theories

The first theory that will be discussed in this paper is Teleological Theory. This theory

proposes that organizational change progresses toward a goal through a repetitive process of goal

formation, implementation, evaluation, and modification (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). The
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teleological theory focuses on the activities involved in the change process that implies

development toward an outcome (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). In other words, teleological

theories are characterized by representing an organization directed toward specific objectives

(Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). The second theory of change management is the dialectical theory.

The dialectical theory is founded on the assumption that organizational entities exist in a

pluralistic world (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). In this case, this is where opposition and

distribution of power and control constantly fluctuate (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). In other

words, the dialectical theory is based on the process of change due to conflict (Van de Ven &

Poole, 1995).

The third theory of change management is the life cycle theory. The life cycle theory is

the organizational change that follows a cycle of development (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). For

example, start-up, growth, harvest, termination, and start-up. The life cycle theory’s change is

imminent and follows a prescribed sequence (Van de Ven & Poole, 1995). The final theory of

change management is the evolutionary theory. The evolutionary theory proposes that

organizations are influenced by pressures similar to those in Darwin’s theory of evolution (Van

de Ven & Poole, 1995). This theory involves variation, selection, and retention (Van de Ven &

Poole, 1995). Overall, these change management theories are frameworks of an approach to

transitioning people, processes, and resources to achieve a better outcome (Van de Ven & Poole,

1995).

Organizations Utilize Change Models: Lewin Change Model

As organizations begin to transition and adapt to change, their goal is to aim to provide a

guide to making changes, navigating the transformation process, and ensuring that changes are

accepted and put into practice (Cameron & Green, 2019). Change management models are
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concepts, theories, and methodologies that provide an in-depth approach to organizational

change (Cameron & Green, 2019). Lewin’s Change Model is a simple and easy-to-understand

framework to humanize the change management process (Levasseur, 2001). This model allows

you to plan and implement the required change (Levasseur, 2001). The three distinct stages of

change, are unfreeze, change and freeze (Levasseur, 2001). In the first stage, called unfreeze,

effective change communication plays a vital role in getting the desired team member buy-in and

support of the people (Levasseur, 2001). The second stage, called change, considers an agile and

iterative approach that incorporates employee feedback to smoothen the transition. The final

stage, called refreeze, is to stabilize or accept the final change (Levasseur, 2001).

Burke-Litwin Change Model

The Burke-Litwin Change Model seeks to show where change arises and how it flows

between different parts of organizations (Filej, Skela-Savič, Vicic, & Hudorovic, 2009). There

are 12 key factors that organizations when considering a change (Filej, Skela-Savič, Vicic, &

Hudorovic, 2009). The Burke-Litwin change model shows various drivers of change and ranks

them in terms of importance (Filej, Skela-Savič, Vicic, & Hudorovic, 2009). This model is

expressed diagrammatically, with the most important factors featured at the top (Filej, Skela-

Savič, Vicic, & Hudorovic, 2009). The lower layers become gradually less important but still a

part of the group for communication (Filej, Skela-Savič, Vicic, & Hudorovic, 2009).

Kotter 8-Step Change Model

The Kotter 8-Step Change Model begins with creating urgency by identifying and

highlighting the potential threats and the repercussions which might crop up in the future

(Auguste, 2013). The second step is to form powerful guiding coalitions by identifying the

effective change leaders in organizations by requesting their involvement and commitment to the
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entire process (Auguste, 2013). The third step is to develop a vision and a strategy by

determining the core values, defining the ultimate vision, and the strategies for realizing a change

in an organization (Auguste, 2013). The fourth set is to communicate the vision by

communicating the change and connecting the vision with all the crucial aspects like

performance, review, training, etc. (Auguste, 2013). The fifth step is to remove obstacles by

ensuring the organizational process and structure are in place and aligned with the overall

organizational vision (Auguste, 2013). The sixth step is to create short-term wins for the

organization so you can feel a victory in the early stages of change (Auguste, 2013). The seventh

step is to consolidate gains by achieving continuous improvement by analyzing the success

stories individually and improving the experiences (Auguste, 2013). The final step is to anchor

change in the corporate culture by discussing the success related to change initiatives for

everyone given an opportunity (Auguste, 2013).

Why Do Change Programs Fail?

When companies accept change, they can either start on a good path or end with a terrible

price (Asif, de Bruijn, Douglas, & Fisscher, 2009). The majority of the major corporate change

programs fail is due to the human side of change (Asif, de Bruijn, Douglas, & Fisscher, 2009).

The human side of change is the lack of employee involvement and motivation are overlooked

(Asif, de Bruijn, Douglas, & Fisscher, 2009). We, as human beings, want to contemplate,

question, and even resist change (Asif, de Bruijn, Douglas, & Fisscher, 2009). However, the top

reason why change programs fail is the lack of leadership direction (Asif, de Bruijn, Douglas, &

Fisscher, 2009).
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Pan Am and Its Change Failure

Founded in 1927, Pan Am or Pan American World Airways is a former American airline

(Britannica, 2018). Pan Am has called itself “The World’s Most Experienced Airline,”

(Britannica, 2018). The company was incorporated by Juan Terry Trippe, a former World War I

naval aviator (Britannica, 2018). Pan Am has served its customers in various countries such as

North and South America, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean Islands

(Britannica, 2018). The first passenger airline services occurred in 1928 when the company

acquired a 12,000-mile route linking the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic,

British Honduras, Panama, Colombia, and Haiti 1929 (Britannica, 2018). As time moved, Pan

Am filed for bankruptcy in January 1991 (Boon, 2018). Pan Am’s downfall was mostly towards

the rising cost of fuel and their inability to operate on domestic routes (Boon, 2018). Therefore,

Pan Am’s main focus on international flights got them to officially shut down their doors in

December 1991 (Boon, 2018).

Conclusion

The term change has various definitions due to the amount of time and research

(Reissner, 2010). Change is needed in an organization and in each individual’s life to adapt and

grow (Reissner, 2010). Change management is the systematic approach to dealing with the

organization’s transition and/or transformation of goals, processes, and/or technologies (Mento,

Jones, & Dirndorfer, 2002). The purpose of change management is to implement strategies for

effecting change (Mento, Jones, & Dirndorfer, 2002). Change is needed for a company to keep

up with the current times that are moving at a rapid pace (Reissner, 2010). Change can either be

seen as a good or bad event and it all depends on how you approach and adapt it (Reissner,

2010). A company/organization can either make its change program work or let the company fall
Change Management 10

to its grave (Reissner, 2010). Therefore, change is seen as a challenge for an individual and the

institution (Reissner, 2010).

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Appendix
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References

Auguste, J. (2013). Applying Kotter’s 8-step process for leading change to the digital

transformation of an orthopedic surgical practice group in Toronto, Canada. J Health Med

Informat, 4(3), 129.

Asif, M., de Bruijn, E. J., Douglas, A., & Fisscher, O. A. (2009). Why quality management

programs fail: a strategic and operations management perspective. International Journal

of Quality & Reliability Management.

Boon, T. (2018, October 12). The story of Pan American World Airways. Simple Flying.

Retrieved October 26, 2022, from https://simpleflying.com/the-story-of-pan-american-

world-airways/

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2018, May 7). Pan American World Airways, Inc.

Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pan-American-World-

Airways-Inc

By, R. T. (2005). Organizational change management: A critical review. Journal of change

management, 5(4), 369-380.

Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2019). Making sense of change management: A complete guide to

the models, tools, and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Eaton, M. (2010). Why change programs fail. Human Resource Management International

Digest.

Filej, B., Skela-Savič, B., Vicic, V. H., & Hudorovic, N. (2009). Necessary organizational

changes according to Burke–Litwin model in the head nurses system of management in

healthcare and social welfare institutions—The Slovenia experience. Health policy, 90(2-

3), 166-174.
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Levasseur, R. E. (2001). People skills: Change management tools—Lewin's change model.

Interfaces, 31(4), 71-73.

Mento, A., Jones, R., & Dirndorfer, W. (2002). A change management process: Grounded in

both theory and practice. Journal of change management, 3(1), 45-59.

Reissner, S. C. (2010). Change, meaning, and identity at the workplace. Journal of

Organizational Change Management.

Saif, N., Razzaq, N., Rehman, S. U., Javed, A., & Ahmad, B. (2013). The concept of change

management in today’s business world. In Information and Knowledge Management

(Vol. 3, No. 6, pp. 28-34).

Sreih, J. F., Lussier, R. N., & Sonfield, M. C. (2019). Differences in management styles, levels

of profitability, and performance across generations, and the development of the family

business success model. Journal of Organizational Change Management.

Van de Ven, A. H., & Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations.

Academy of management review, 20(3), 510-540.