• To appreciate the complex nature of change in organizations
• To explain the theoretical perspectives relating to the types of change that organizations experience
• To identify the different types of change

• Change can emerge through a planned approach. Planned change is deliberate, a product of conscious reasoning and action. In contrast, change sometimes unfolds in an apparently spontaneous and unplanned way. This type of change is known as emergent change.
• The magnitude or scale of change can range along a continuum from small-scale discrete change (incremental) to a large scale transformation. Incremental change aims to provide improvements. In contrast to incremental change, transformational change aims to redefine an organization’s strategic direction, form, cultural assumptions and identity. This kind of change is also referred to as ‘strategic’, ‘radical’ or ‘revolutionary’.
• An alternative position to viewing change as either incremental or transformational is punctuated equilibrium. This theory posits that organizations evolve through periods of incremental change, and periods of transformation, in which the deep structures of the organization are fundamentally altered.
• The focus of organizational change can be strategic or operational.
• The level of the change process can be at an individual, group, team, or organization level. The targets for this dimension of change tend to be behaviour, skills, knowledge, and attitudes. Although the three levels are related, changes affecting each require different strategies and tactics. 

• This exercise helps students to compare and contrast the prescriptive guidelines on major change programmes. Ask students to read the following articles Nadler and Tushman (1989),[1] Beer et al. (1990)[2] and Kotter (1995)[3] and complete the table below. Then ask students to share what prescriptions or recommendations there are in common.

• In your experience, which is the most frequently used theoretical approach? What are the reasons for this?
• In your opinion can a change strategy that combines both a top-down approach and the development of organizational capability (Theory E & Theory O) offer a better chance of achieving sustained high performance than one that focuses one either results or capability. Why?

• This class can start by looking at the populist and academic views of change.
• Showing the video from YouTube about ‘Who moved my cheese’ is a good way to stimulate debate about how the populist approach to change over simplifies the concept of change.
• When discussing the planned approach to change – walk through Kotter’s model with the students. Ask them what are the benefits and disadvantages of the linear approach. There are also a number of videos by Kotter on YouTube which can be used to illustrate his step model.
• Ask students to discuss the question about whether or not change is a neat, rationale, linear process, and to justify the reasons for their answer.
• Use the cases in the book to highlight the differences between incremental (John Lewis case) and transformational (Alibaba case) change.

YouTube and Ted Talks are invaluable resources for studying change in organizations. Listed below are some which I found useful in delivering Chapter 1

On YouTube: Who moved my cheese – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91YxXk3fmw8

This can be used to demonstrate the populist approach to change.

Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter talks about his book Our Iceberg Is Melting

On YouTube: John P Kotter, Our Iceberg Is Melting www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gh2xc6vXQgk&list=PLACBBC80BA6A74917

This can be used to demonstrate the populist approach to change.

To illustrate incremental change for individuals a fun video to show is the following:

BJ Fogg shows us that the key to lasting change does not lie in planning big, monumental changes, but in thinking really, really small.

On YouTube: Forget big change, start with a tiny habit – BJ Fogg at TEDxFremont www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdKUJxjn-R8

• Compare and contrast two of the theories of change. Identify the strengths and weakness of each.
• Critically evaluate if change can be planned in a linear, neat way.
• Critically assess the proposition that radical transformational change is triggered because managers fail to create continuously adaptive organizations.