Effectiveness Change Management in London Libraries Essay Example

be seen on a graduated table moving from stable to turbulent. Burnes ( 2004 ) describes recent theoretical accounts of alteration as the incremental, punctuated equilibrium, and uninterrupted transmutation theoretical accounts of alteration. Writers such as Dawson ( 2003 ) and Pettigrew ( cited in Buchanan and Boddy, 1992 ) set out an emanation position, which recognizes competing narratives and multiple histories, and considers the politics, context, and substance of alteration, while others refer to complexity theories and chaos theory ( Fitzgerald, 2002, for case ) .

Based on these academic perspectives, this thesis aims to make a detailed assessment of a case study in the practical management of change. The study focuses on changes from 2005 onwards in London's Community Libraries.

In recent times, library services have faced significant pressure to change due to changes in usage. This is partly because of the availability of information on the Internet and the affordability of books. Visits to public libraries and book loans have declined nationally and locally, highlighting the importance of promoting reading, providing access to digital skills and services, and addressing social exclusion and community development. As part of its response, London Libraries restructured staffing in its Community Libraries, refurbished many libraries using new technology such as self-service book checkout, and tried to implement what is called "new ways of working" in their documentation.

' These modifications aimed at ensuring that staff prioritize clients, release professional staff time for improvement and advancement of the service, improve performance indicators, and simultaneously reduce costs.

Reasoning for the Research

"Many argue, and some suggest the majority, of change projects fail to achieve their intended outcomes.'' A

recent study of managers' experience with organizational change in both theory and practice discovered that those interviewed "identified a significant gap in the development process of organizational change theory, specifically the failure to monitor and evaluate changes in order to build theory based on experiential knowledge.'' The authors also believed that this supported the perspectives of other writers.

The proposed research for this thesis will facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of a case study. The research has practical significance for London Libraries as it enables the organization to ascertain the outcomes of a thorough assessment of change management and gather perspectives from all levels of staff. Typically, there is limited time and effort allocated to consistently monitoring change, consulting with all employees, evaluating any potential impact, and examining how it has been managed.

Thus, this study offers a distinct chance for individuals engaged in the planning or facilitation of additional change to gain insight from past experiences.

Literature Overview

This section critically evaluates theories and methodologies pertaining to change. Initially, it will discuss key theories related to both general change and specifically restructuring. It will then demonstrate how the research issue aligns with this body of knowledge by examining crucial aspects of change and identifying research inquiries. Additionally, recent government literature on libraries will be analyzed.

The text uses theoretical accounts to create a conceptual framework for addressing the research question. There is extensive literature on change and its ongoing importance, as well as ongoing discussions on the most effective approaches. Research has been conducted in textbooks and journals such as the Journal of Organizational Change Management, Harvard Business Review, and Human Relations. Furthermore, studies have explored how change intersects with

subjects like culture, psychology, leadership, strategy, and human resource management.

In addition to Internet and database searches, planned change is described by Burnes (2004) as a conscious and directed alteration undertaken by an Organization, as opposed to change that may be forced or accidental. Lewin (1963) coined the term and his approach consisted of four interconnected elements: Field Theory, Group Dynamics, Action Research, and the Three-Step model of change. Lewin explains that a change towards improved group performance is often temporary, so the permanence of the new level should be included in the goal of a planned change. He states that a successful change should therefore include three aspects: unfreezing, transitioning to the new level, and refreezing group life at the new level.

The act of unfreezing will require a catharsis: "In order to break free from the shell of complacency and self-righteousness, it is sometimes necessary to deliberately provoke an emotional disturbance."

Emergent Change

The approach to change known as emergent change acknowledges that change is ongoing and unpredictable, involving continuous adjustments and realignments in response to a disruptive environment. Gradual change can be achieved through a process of continuous adaptation, which involves adapting work processes and social patterns through improvisation and learning. Context, situation, environment, and the desired depth and speed of change are all important considerations.

The attack to alteration must be carefully selected based on an analysis of the situation and available resources. An 'ambidextrous' organization should be able to handle both incremental and transformational changes simultaneously or sequentially. In some cases, significant results can be achieved through small interventions. Incremental changes can bring about various benefits, such as the development of small victories,

building momentum, gaining support and capability, bringing about positive cultural changes, improving efficiency and performance, and potentially facing less resistance. This thesis includes a case study that attempts to promote or stimulate emergent change after a partial restructuring. The research will also evaluate the effectiveness of this approach. Complexity theories address how order is created in dynamic, non-linear systems (Burnes 2010). These theories suggest that change is intricate and messy, and that there is interconnectivity between individuals, groups, organizations, and society.

The understanding of power and political relations is important in recognizing the struggle for dominance. According to Dawson (2003) and Pettigrew (cited in Buchanan and Boddy, 1992), there are competing narratives and multiple histories at play, leading to ongoing reshaping of change. This perspective acknowledges the interconnection between power, politics, and change (Buchanan and Badham, 1999). Politics can be both internal and external, and may be hidden beneath the surface, while context involves both internal and external factors with competing narratives. Substance includes aspects such as scale, defining characteristics, and timeframe.

Change cannot be seen as a single event or separate series of episodes, and there is often no clear beginning or end. According to Dawson (2003), in-depth longitudinal fieldwork is used to go beyond brief accounts of radical change. However, he argues against referring to the emergence perspective as purely "emergent." It does not only consider non-linear dynamics of change in a disruptive environment, nor does it completely reject the idea of planning. Change is unpredictable and must allow for unexpected twists and turns, skips and alterations.

Individual, group or Organizational alteration and deepness of alteration

There are three main schools of thought underpinning approaches to

change management distinguished by their respective concentration on the individual, group, or organization (Cameron and Green, 2005, and Burnes, 2004). To change individuals, it is important to create a desire for change and decrease anxiety. This approach believes that people have a desire for self-development. Options include using training and learning, getting reward systems right, linking goals to motivation, and understanding the emotions and stages which individuals will go through when experiencing change at different times and different rates, for example, going through denial, loss, and anger, to acceptance. Approaching change at a team or group level may be more effective. However, there is a need to understand culture, values, ambiguity, and role conflict.

According to Cameron and Green (2005), the impact of change on group formation, norming, ramping, and acting should be considered, but it is more common for management teams to prioritize the implementation of change and close off options rather than keeping them open. Additionally, there is a lack of significant research on the relationship between organizational change and team working. The metaphors and models used to implement change at an organizational level vary and are not completely effective. The Open Systems schools emphasize the importance of viewing the organization as a whole (Burnes 2004).

The text underscores the significance of interconnected sub-systems within an Organization and their interaction with the external environment. It emphasizes the need for synergy and collaboration among groups and individuals to drive change. Although training is acknowledged as valuable, it alone cannot suffice; effectively utilizing the talent and motivation of the workforce is crucial.

Restructuring is often seen as a solution for various issues but frequently proves ineffective and costly

in terms of time, morale, and efficiency. This holds particularly true in the short to medium term. According to Schwarz and Shulman (2007), literature on change consistently reveals that organizations tend to rely on familiar methods even during significant structural changes.

It can sometimes indicate alteration, but not always on its own, and cultural change also needs to be addressed (Mullins, 2008, and Schwarz and Shulman, 2007). "Major structural change is one of the most disruptive types of change because it deeply affects the informal organization, the network of interpersonal relationships and communication that members have established over time'' (Heffron, 1989).
The partial restructure, which is part of the topic of this case study, will be examined in light of these concerns and will assess whether it was justified and effective, as well as what worked well and what did not.

Key aspects of change

There may not be one best way to manage change that is effective in all situations, but there are certain important aspects of change to consider when attempting to plan or stimulate change. These will now be discussed as the approaches to them are examined in this research.

Culture and Leadership

Culture is a powerful force that lies beneath the surface and requires understanding. It is a dynamic phenomenon that is continuously shaped by our interactions with others, encompassing constructions, rules, and norms that influence behavior. When directors aim to change staff behavior and attitudes, they may face seemingly unreasonable resistance. Leaders must interpret the culture of the organization and various groups at different levels, including artifacts, beliefs and values, as well as underlying assumptions. The depiction of corporate culture

as clear, strong, and homogeneous often does not correspond to reality.

Leadership's Crucial Role in Driving Change

The role of leadership is essential in driving change. Leaders must effectively inspire, persuade, mobilize, empower, and navigate to facilitate change within organizations. Today, leadership is seen as both an individual responsibility and a team effort.

Leadership requires clarity of vision and values, the ability to communicate and demonstrate these values through words and actions, and emotional strength. Although there are various definitions of leadership, the following quote is relevant: "Leadership is the creative act of building new worlds." Leaders need to continuously improve themselves and learn from their mistakes. They should also be conscious of and allow organizational members to make progress through the natural process of human adaptation by using empathy, encouraging engagement, motivating employees, and reinforcing changes. Leaders are advised not to declare victory too soon or lose focus, but instead to initiate change within themselves, reinforce appropriate behavior and performance, and provide training and support.

Engagement

According to many, implementing change effectively is considered to be nearly impossible. Trying to enforce change strictly from the top-down approach often leads to unexpected consequences, inactivity, or reluctant compliance at best. Parish's research shows that factors such as alignment with the vision, the quality of employee-manager relationships, job motivation, and role autonomy all have an influence on commitment to change. Emotional commitment has the most significant impact on the success of implementation and improved performance. They also mention other authors who argue that there is a lack of research on how employees react to change.

This research aims to focus on the country in question. Effective engagement can

bring positive outcomes for both individuals and organizations, but it requires reliable engagement and proper preparation for participation. Certain organizations have experienced benefits by creating a significant number of agents of change through providing opportunities for reflection, dialogue, and building networks of staff members who are open to change. It is essential to carefully design the social structure of engagement within large groups in order to bring about change and avoid dividing them into a small, active minority and a passive, dependent majority.

Communication, preparation and support

The critical role of effective communication is closely related to the important aspects of change mentioned above. To create readiness for a major reorganization, it is necessary to communicate a consistent message persuasively. Kotter warns that under-communicating the vision by a factor of 10, 100, or even 1000 is a common mistake in organizational change efforts. Therefore, it is essential for those leading the change to employ every possible method and vehicle to consistently convey the new vision and strategy. The message should be kept simple, and metaphor and analogy should be used. Additionally, the guiding alliance should model the behavior expected from employees and make sure that employees' expectations are aligned.

Change agent

The role and skills of the change agent play a crucial part in effectively delivering or facilitating change.

Some authors argue that having a 'change bureau' is more valuable than relying solely on a remarkable alteration agent because effective change usually requires a group of individuals, known as alteration agents, to drive the process. It is important for a alteration agent to have political skills and be willing to intervene in internal political processes, advocate

for certain agendas, influence decision-making and determinants, handle criticism and challenges, deal with opposition, and maintain their reputation. The alteration agent must support the public performance of well thought out and inclusive change while also engaging in behind-the-scenes activities to secure support and overcome opposition.

Resistance to change

Resistance to change is a typical reaction that varies depending on an individual's personality, conflicting commitments, the nature of the change, attitudes towards it, and influences from the group, organization, and environmental context. The form of resistance can range from passive surrender to indifference, passive opposition, and active opposition. While resistance to change is often discussed in a negative light, it can actually help modify and refine the change process to make it more effective and feasible.

Much of the resistance to change is actually resistance to uncertainty. Measuring the effectiveness and impact of change is a topic that many authors have discussed. They argue that change often fails to achieve its intended consequences due to unclear goals. Carnall suggests a comprehensive approach to measuring change, consisting of 32 steps across five key areas: people, finance, marketing, operations and service, and corporate or business developments. The public sector Balanced Scorecard is also a useful tool for assessing change, considering vision, strategy, stakeholders' perspectives, finance, operational excellence, and innovation and learning. It is important to analyze both successful and unsuccessful aspects of change in order to learn from them.

Change should be evaluated based on its intended, sustainable outcomes, desired speed of implementation, and sharing of lessons learned. This case study aims to assess the effectiveness of a specific change and the lessons learned from it.

Research Design

A literature review is conducted to

explore theories on change management. Various models are examined, and a conceptual framework is developed for this research.

The article examines governmental policies regarding the renovation of libraries and the London Libraries certification. The goal is to analyze the context, background, objectives, approach, and implementation of these changes.

Research

A survey is created for all staff members who participated in the restructuring and subsequent changes in Community Libraries as recipients of the alterations. The objective is to gather input from as many staff members as possible. The survey explores their opinions on the execution and perceived impact of the restructuring and further alterations.

The survey method is carefully designed to avoid negative and leading questions. The sequencing, layout, and design are given careful consideration, and the questionnaire is pre-tested. The subjects for the survey are based on literature research and the conceptual framework, but only include those that could be influenced or experienced by the recipients of change. The questionnaire is not intended to be used by the change manager and main change agent. It covers perspectives on the key aspects of change outlined in the conceptual framework.

The text discusses the various aspects of understanding the vision for change, including alteration, engagement, communication, preparation, and support. The inquiries in the questionnaire aim to gather information about staff's understanding of the need for change, their views on audience and engagement, inspiration from the vision for change, the effectiveness of communication, training and development, and the impact of the changes on themselves and the service to users. There is an open-ended section for staff to express their views and a final section to assess the

representativeness of respondents and ensure that no sections of staff are omitted. This section also allows for further analysis by asking staff for information on their class, gender, length of service, and the type of library they work in. This can include libraries that have undergone transformational renovation with self-service for users, moderate renovations, or no renovations. The option for semi-structured interviews with willing staff members is also included.

After receiving the questionnaires and conducting preliminary analysis, the alteration manager, alteration agent, and five staff members from various classes and different types of libraries in the city will be invited to participate in one-to-one semi-structured interviews. This will allow for cross-validation and obtaining deeper perspectives from a diverse range of staff members due to the limitations of questionnaires.

London Libraries certification

The certification of London Libraries was examined before, during, and after 2005 in order to assess the impact, effectiveness, and outcomes, if any, of the alterations. This evaluation includes performance indicators such as library visits and book borrowings, user surveys, and user feedback forms submitted through the Council's "Have Your Say" system for comments, compliments, and complaints. This helps to provide some triangulation for the research findings, but acknowledges the challenges of establishing connections between alterations and performance measures, particularly in a local government setting with multiple stakeholders and complex environmental factors affecting performance. The temporary closure of some libraries for renovation during the aforementioned period also needs to be considered.

In addition, there was a significant amount of documentation available from the alteration agent regarding service appraisals in 2004 prior to the restructure. The documentation includes information about the process of the restructure itself, including council reports,

meeting notes with staff and Trade Union representatives, emails from staff with management responses, recruitment and selection documentation, and detailed information about in-house and external training programs provided to staff.

Ethical consideration

It was made clear from the beginning that staff members would like to provide comments in strict confidence. A commitment was made to ensure that the information provided through questionnaires and interviews would remain anonymous and stored securely and confidentially. This promise has been faithfully upheld. Those who completed questionnaires were given the option to return them in hard copy with no identifying information, and some individuals chose this option.

The interviewees will remain anonymous, except for the alteration manager and alteration agent as it was not possible to keep their identities hidden. The recordings are labelled in a way that only the researcher knows who the interviewees were. We will maintain an impersonal approach in the questionnaires and interviews as much as possible. I know that some staff may be suspicious of someone from outside the Community Libraries staff collecting data, but I will try to clarify the purpose in order to alleviate any fears.

The decision has been made to send difficult transcript questionnaires to all staff members who do not have personal, individual email addresses. This allows them to respond confidentially, rather than using a group email address. It also eliminates the need for their line manager to request their completion of a form, potentially influencing the outcome and responses received.

Regarding timescale and resources, the research project has a planned schedule as shown in the table below. A Gantt chart will be created when the Dissertation is submitted.

In summary, the project plan includes the

following considerations:
- Literature review: A background literature search has already been conducted to help develop research ideas. Further extended research will be done before writing the Literature Review. A final literature report will also be included to cover any newly published work.
- Questionnaire/Interview Design: The questionnaire form needs to be adapted for use. The structured interview and questionnaire design will be developed after most of the literature review is completed. Both will be piloted and their design reviewed.
- Interviews and Surveys: Visits to participant Organizations will be made to conduct interviews and surveys. Quick and efficient responses are expected as surveys are issued and collected while at the participant Organizations.

• Data Analysis - The structured interviews will be conducted and the responses will be analyzed qualitatively. The surveys will be coded and the responses will be analyzed quantitatively.
• Dissertation Drafts - I will produce drafts of the thesis subsections for content discussion with my supervisor within the given timeline. The draft thesis will meet the required standard with only minor revisions needed before submission.

Submission of Dissertation To carry out the research, my main resource is my time. I have the support of my employers to conduct this research and I can take days off work to visit the participant Organizations. I have the means to visit the participants, who are all located in the UK, and also analyze the data and write up the thesis.