Consider and discuss the following statement: "In any organizational change it is inevitable that there will be 'winners' and 'losers'; conflict between individuals and groups is only to be expected."

Essay by alphawangUniversity, Master'sB+, August 2008

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Today's organizations become more complex, ambiguous and more unpredictable, it is experiencing extraordinary change and transformation in all sectors. Change has therefore become a way of life the world over. The companies need to be susceptible and ready to acknowledge the challenges that change presents with and try to overcome these for the benefit of the company as a whole. However, is it inevitable that there will be 'winners' or 'losers' in any organizational change, conflict between individuals and groups is only to be expected? To answer this question, firstly this essay will talk about some key concepts and theories that relate to organizational change, it will help us to understand this question deeply, and easier to start the discussion in the future; after that, I will try to find out who will be winners or losers and discuss how to identify the wining and lose in change, why they become winners or losers; at last, I will talk about the conflict between individuals and groups in the organizational change.

Organizational change can be described as the process of moving away from a current condition to realize some future state (Nickols, 2004). it can be in response to external forces, such as market shifts, competitive pressures, and technological innovations, or it can be internally motivated, such as by managers trying to improve existing methods and practices. Regardless of its origins, change does affect people and their relationships in organizations.

Otherwise, what are the levels of change? Refer to Smith (2007), who identifies seven non-progressive levels of change:Effectiveness---doing the right thingsEfficiency---doing the right things rightImproving---doing things betterCutting---doing away with somethingCopying---doing things others are doingDifferent---doing things no one else is doingImpossible---doing things that can not be doneWhile all levels are beneficial, Smith states that 'effectiveness' and 'efficiency' represent normal thinking, 'improving' represents...