Managing Organizational Change: An Integrative Perspective

An integrative approach to managing organizational change is presented. This approach is based on a congruence model of organizational behavior which views the organization as an interdependent set of elements including tasks, individuals, formal organizational arrangements, and the informal organization. Within the context of the organization, change is seen as presenting three major problems: resistance, control, and power. These imply a need to motivate people to change, a need to manage the transition, and a need to shape the political dynamics of change. Specific action steps related to each of these three needs are discussed. A brief illustrative case is described.