Task
Essay:
Discuss both of the following questions:
Why is resistance to change frequently demonised by managers, as a problem that must be managed?
What are the ethical implications of this and how else can resistance be understood?
Use examples from your own organisation, or other sources, to illustrate your essay.
To help you to answer these two essay questions, it can be useful to break them down into a set of sub-questions:
Drawing on your subject material (topic material, textbook, relevant required readings, online material) and your wider reading from the academic literature,
1. Identify and examine why employees resist change; critically discuss the range of different understandings of resistance in the literature; explain why managers frequently consider resistance as a problem that has to be managed.
2. From a critical perspective, examine the relationship between power and resistance in the context of organisational change.
3. Identify the key ethicial issues associated with power and resistance, and drawing upon a relevant ethical framework, analyse the ethics of the managerial and of resistant positions.
4. Assess the implications of the managerial and of resistant positions for achieving an effective change management programme.
5. Draw conclusions that summarise your work and directly address the two essay questions.
You must follow an essay structure that is at a minimum:
an introduction that provides an overview of the key issues and argument of the essay; a main body that uses relevant sub-headings, a conclusion that summaries the essay and that directly answers the two essay questions, a reference list.
Use appropriate sub-headings in the main body. Your writing style must follow professional literacy: Citations and a final reference list that follows the APA6 guidelines accurately; Quality in writing and presentation through: use of topic and linking sentences, connected paragraphs organised in a logical flow of ideas; accurate mechanics (spelling, grammar, punctuation, sematics, etc.); follow the guidelines on the presentation, use respectful language to discuss all people; avoid emotive language; employ inclusive, non-sexist language; not opinionated, i.e. support ideas and observations with evidence and logical argument.
A minimum of twelve appropriate and relevant peer-reviewed references should be used.
Online submission via Turnitin is required for this assignment. Details will be provided by your subject lecturer.
Rationale
The aims of this assessment task are to:
Assist you in developing your analytical and critical thinking skills by using them to deepen your understanding of key concepts, issues and debates related to organisational change management.
To provide you with experience to develop and refine you academic literacy skills To assess learning outcome 4 - Identify, analyse and critically evaluate resistance to organisational change from a range of positions.
To assess learning outcome 5 - Analyse and assess the ethical nature of organisational change.
To assess learning outcome 6 - Assess an organisational change management programme and propose, justify and evaluate an alternative to this.
Article - 1 The ethics of conscious capitalism: Wicked problems in leading change and changing leaders by Jeremy P Fyke and Patrice M Buzzanell
Article - 2 Between a rock and a hard place: career guidance practitioner resistance and the construction of professional identity by Fiona Douglas
Article - 3 Leadership and Change: The Case for Greater Ethical Clarity Bernard Burnes by Rune Todnem
Article - 4 Sharing the Culture: Embedding Storytelling and Ethics in the Culture Change Management Process by Simon L. Dolan, Yuanjie Bao