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Soft systems models of change

12 important questions on Soft systems models of change

Asking a number of questions about a change situation may help to identify whether it is characterized by hard or soft complexity and whether it is more a difficulty or more of a mess. Using the terms ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ to distinguish these two types of problem, Paton and McCalman (2000) have devised what they call the TROPICS test to help locate a change situation on a continuum from hard to soft. Looking at the TROPICS test for soft complexity it gives us:

Timescale is ill-defined / medium to long term;
Resources needed for the change are uncertain;
Change objectives are subjectives and ambiguous;
No consensus on what constitutes the problem / conflict of interest;
Interest in the problem is widespread and ill-defined;
Control is shared with people outside the managing group;
Sources of the problem originates from outside the organization.

Paton and McCalman (2008) offer three ‘fundamental’ concepts with respect to the management of people and gaining their commitment to their work and organization:

Organizations are about people.
Management assumption about people often lead to ineffective design of organizations and this hinders performance.
People are most important assets and their commitment goes a long way in determining effective organization design and development.

The significance of organizations as systems

Organizations are systems of interconnected and interrelated subsystems and components that include more formal organizational structures and processes as well as culture, politics and styles of leadership which are closely bound up with the values and attitudes people bring to their workplace.

The significance of organizations as learning organizations

For organizations operating in increasingly complex and turbulent environments, the only way to survive and prosper is to be a learning organization.

The concept of organizational learning is built upon the proposition that there is more than one type of learning.

Argyris and Schön distinguish between single-loop and double-loop learning. These concepts can be explained in terms of systems for change that are either goal oriented or process oriented.

A goal-oriented approach to change is directed towards changing the means by which goals are achieved. Concerned with doing things better.

Hard change / difficulty

A process-oriented approach focus more on fostering a change process that enables the goals to be challenged. Concerned with doing the right things.

Soft change / messy

OD - an action research-based model of change Organizational development is a collaborative effort between leaders and facilitators of any change and those who have to enact it. It involves the following steps:

Management and staff perception of problem(s).
Data gathering and preliminary diagnosis by those concerned with leading the change.
Feedback to key people, management and those involved in the change.
Joint agreement of the problem(s).
Joint action planning.
Implementation of the change.
Reinforcement and continuous assessment of the change, which could lead to further data collection, rediagnosis and further action.

5 stages of the OD model for change

Stages 1a: diagnose current situation
Stage 1b: develop a vision for change
Stage 2: gain commitment to the vision and the need for change
Stage 3: develop an action plan
Stage 4: implement the change
Stage 5: assess and reinforce the change

Stages 1a: diagnose current situation

Diagnostic processes such as these clearly call upon the datagathering component of the action research aspects of the OD model and the feedback of the results for discussion and verification by those concerned with, and involved in, the subsequent change. This stage forms the foundation for all the subsequent stages of the OD cycle.

Stage 1b: develop a vision for change

An organization’s sense of what needs to change comes out of the process of organizational diagnosis and creative thinking

Stage 4: implement the change Change methodology contains details of different techniques and methods for initiating and implementing change

Organizational mirroring;
Inter-group confrontation (with third-party assistance);
Role negotiation;
Process consultation;
Team building;
Life and career planning;
The role of short-term wins;

Stage 5: assess and reinforce the change

It is pointless expecting people’s behaviour to change if this is not reinforced by concomitant changes in personnel policies and practices.

An assessment of the OD model for change Organizational development as a philosophy and a process can be critiqued according to a number of criticisms:

OD does not alway face up to harsh realities of change;
OD is limited when change situations are ‘constrained’;
OD requires ‘out of the ordinary’ leadership;
OD fits uneasily with the structures and culture in the public sector;
OD does not ‘work’ in all cultures.

The question on the page originate from the summary of the following study material:

Organizational Change for Pre-MSc

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Soft systems models of change

12 important questions on Soft systems models of change

Paton and McCalman (2008) offer three ‘fundamental’ concepts with respect to the management of people and gaining their commitment to their work and organization:

The significance of organizations as systems

The significance of organizations as learning organizations

The concept of organizational learning is built upon the proposition that there is more than one type of learning.

OD - an action research-based model of change Organizational development is a collaborative effort between leaders and facilitators of any change and those who have to enact it. It involves the following steps:

5 stages of the OD model for change

Stages 1a: diagnose current situation

Stage 1b: develop a vision for change

Stage 4: implement the change Change methodology contains details of different techniques and methods for initiating and implementing change

Stage 5: assess and reinforce the change

An assessment of the OD model for change Organizational development as a philosophy and a process can be critiqued according to a number of criticisms:

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