10.4Some tactical guidelines for introducing changes in work methods

In this section we summarize a few practical guidelines on how to introduce new work methods and help people to master them without major difficulties. Here again, the purpose of the guidelines is not to provide universal recipes for handling any situation, but to alert the consultant to what might happen and suggest in what direction to search for a remedy. The guidelines that follow should be read in conjunction with Chapter 4.

Tactic 1: The best method

It was mentioned in Chapter 4 that the process of change involves (i) identification with the change, and (ii) internalization of the change. Whether these phases occur in sequence or simultaneously is not important. The essential point is that they require commitment, involvement or participation by the person doing the changing. The change must be tested by the individual as he or she moves from the general (identification) to the specific (internalization).

Therefore the people concerned in the change process should be involved as early as possible, so that these two vital elements can be comprehensively covered. However, a strong note of warning is offered as to how participation might be achieved. Apart from attending meetings or brainstorming sessions for specific purposes (such as to build up a data bank of ideas for the creative solution of problems), individuals should not start using their own new methods for performing tasks if the idea is to develop a best method for general use. Studies have shown that where individuals are encouraged to adopt their own approaches and the best method or approved solution is later imposed, those people will exhibit some conformity to the new proposal but will still diverge significantly from the approved method in following their own.

However, where groups are provided with a best method or approved approach in the first instance, individuals will subsequently vary only insignificantly from the set procedures. Diagrammatically, these results are shown in figure 10.1.

In case 1 the end result is that individuals perform in a manner significantly different from the approved method, although not quite as widely different as