Abstract Change Paradigms: An Overview

1 Change Paradigms: An OverviewL on de Caluw and HansVermaakL on de Caluw Contact InformationL on de Caluw and Hans VermaakTwnstra Management ConsultantsPO Box 9073800 AX AmerfsfoortThe NetherlandsTelephone +31 33 4677761 Email: and/or authors present five fundamentally differentways of thinking about Change , each representingdifferent beliefs systems and convictions about howchange works, the kind of interventions that areeffective, how to Change people, etc. They are la-beled by color: yellow, blue, red, green, and whiteprint thinking. Each is based upon a family of theo-ries about Change . These five models function ascommunication and diagnostic tools and provide amap of possible Change search for the underlying values of the wordchange results in a whole range of meanings anddifferent rationalities. There is often a world ofdifference between them.

2 As a result, the practicalapplications of Change strategies or approachesvary widely. Conceptual clarity is desired to betterexpress the various meanings of the word changefor several facilitates clearer communication betweenthe people involved, for example,communication between and among managers,consultants, and and conflicts can and doarise, for instance, when Change strategies arediscussed in a management team betweenpeople who believe Change is essentially apower game versus people who believe it is arational endeavor. A new shorthand languagefor this complex subject matter creates thepossibility for shared interpretations It can be used to characterize dominantparadigms in groups or organizations, servingas a diagnostic tool for characterizingdifferent actors involved in a Change , the paradigms themselves representdifferent views of the organization and itsL on de Caluw , PhD, is social psy-chologist.

3 He is a part-time professor atthe Free University in Amsterdam wherehe leads the Center for Research inConsultancy. He is also a partner with theTwynstra Group of consultants. He has 25years of experience in consultancy andspecialized in Change , consultancy andinterventions. He published more than 80articles and more than 10 books. Severalof them are in English, one in dissertation was named Best Bookof the Year by the Dutch Association ofConsultants. FFFFF eaeaeaeaeaturturturturture e e e e ArArArArArticticticticticleslesleslesles Volume 22 Number 4 Winter 2004 Organization development Journal10 Hans VermaakHans Vermaak, MMC, PhD, is a partner withthe Twynstra Group. He has worked as aconsultant and coach for about 15 years. Hisprincipal area of consulting concernsorganizational development withinprofessional firms and institutions.

4 He headsthe knowledge center Change Management ofthe Twynstra Group and trains Change agentsin academic and client settings. He frequentlylectures and publishes on the subjects ofprofessionalism, Change , learning andcoaching in Dutch and in English and hasreceived several publication Such different viewpoints helppaint a more complete and complexpicture of organizational It provides a map of possible strategies todeal with organizational issues. The ideais that not that anything goes. It isrelevant to know what kind of approachesare available as well as to have somesense of indicators that facilitate a choiceof what approach is more fitting givenone certain situation rather than It offers Change agents a tool for reflectivequestioning: What are your ownassumptions? What is your (key)competence for bringing about Change ,and what are your limitations?

5 It canassist Change agents in delineating theirarea of expertise and their this article we touch on a meta-theoreticalconcept the colors that has been devel-oped in the last five years and has been exten-sively applied in both in management educa-tion and Change practice in the recently it is being applied in English-speaking arenas. It has proven to be bothrobust and versatile. The choice for colors as labels is based on the need for some type ofshorthand that would not stress any ThinkingYellow-print thinking is based on socio-political concepts about organizations inwhich interests, conflicts, and power playimportant roles ( , Greiner & Schein, 1988;Hanson, 1996; Pfeffer, 1981). Yellow-printthinking assumes that people Change theirstandpoints only if their own interests aretaken into account, or if compelled to acceptcertain ideas. Combining ideas or points ofview and forming coalitions or power blocksare favored methods in this type of Change FFFFF eaeaeaeaeaturturturturture e e e e ArArArArArticticticticticleslesleslesles 11process.

6 Change is seen as a negotiationexercise aimed at feasible thinkers believe that gettingeveryone on the same wavelength is achange in itself. In this view, enablingchange requires getting the powers-that-bebehind it, whether power based on formalposition or informal influence. It isthought that resistance is built in if keyplayers are not brought on board. Facilitat-ing communication, lobbying, negotiating,and third-party conflict resolution aremuch-used interventions. Stakeholderanalysis is crucial. Sticking to and realiz-ing the outcome of these processes goals,policies, or programs is a huge taskbecause the socio-political context is andstays dynamic. Consequently, the result ofchange is difficult to predict because itdepends on the distribution and shifts instandpoints and influence of the mostimportant players. Moreover, for a changeagent, the process is difficult to plan Change agent is a facilitator who hasan independent position.

7 Such facilitatorsguard their power base carefully. It isbased on their experience, reputation andconnections but can be augmented byspecific mandates. They have a good sensefor power structures and balances. Self-control, diplomacy, stability and flexibilityare important attributes of such a changeagent. The foremost consideration of theyellow-print Change agent is to alwaysbear in mind the conglomeration of inter-ests, parties, and players and strive foragreements and policies. We call this wayof thinking yellow-print thinking : Yel-low is the color of power ( , symbolslike the sun, fire) and the type of process(brooding and coalition formation around afire).TTTTThe fhe fhe fhe fhe forororororemost consideremost consideremost consideremost consideremost consideraaaaation oftion oftion oftion oftion ofthe ythe ythe ythe ythe yellow-print cellow-print cellow-print cellow-print cellow-print changhanghanghanghange ae ae ae ae agggggentententententis to alis to alis to alis to alis to alwwwwwaaaaayyyyys bear in mind thes bear in mind thes bear in mind thes bear in mind thes bear in mind thecongcongcongcongconglomerlomerlomerlo merlomeraaaaation oftion oftion oftion oftion of inter inter inter inter interestsestsestsestsests,,,,,parparparp arpartiestiestiestiesties, and pla, and pla, and pla, and pla.

8 And playyyyyererererers and strivs and strivs and strivs and strivs and striveeeeefffffor aor aor aor aor agggggrrrrreements and policieseements and policieseements and policieseements and policieseements and ThinkingBlue-print thinking is based on the ratio-nal design and implementation of Change ( , Hammer & Champy, 1993). Scien-tific management (Taylor, 1913) is aclassic example. Project management oneits strongest tools ( , Wijnen & Kor,2000). In blue-print thinking, it is as-sumed that people or things will Change ifa clearly specified result is laid downbeforehand. Controlling the Change bymanaging, planning, and monitoring theprogress is considered feasible. Theprocess and the result are deemed, more orless, independent of people. Managementis able to compel and effect the outcome and process are planneddown to the last detail. Change is consid-ered to be a rational process aimed at thebest possible solution.

9 There is continuousmonitoring based on pre-determinedindicators to check whether the activitiesare leading to the desired result asplanned. If not, adjustments are made toachieve that which has been agreed uponwithin the frameworks of time, money,quality, information, and interventions are analytical endeav-ors such as SWOT analyses,benchmarking, business process redesign,total quality management, restructuringand so on. There is a wide array of well-defined methods. The subject of thechange (the project leader) and its object(the target group) are often different FFFFF eaeaeaeaeaturturturturture e e e e ArArArArArticticticticticleslesleslesles Volume 22 Number 4 Winter 2004 Organization development Journal12people or entities. The approach is rational(planning) and empirical (indicators).Think first (define and design) and then do(implement) is the maxim.

10 Naturally thisapproach lends itself best to hard aspectsof organizations: structures, systems, andstrategies. Change agents are experts onthe content of the Change effort. They takefull responsibility for implementation andmonitoring when mandated to do orientation, decisiveness, accuracy,and dedication are necessary attributes forsuch a Change agent. The foremost consid-erations of the blue-print changer arethese: Plan and organize first; use allpossible expertise and do not let people sindividual ideas and preferences interfere;and never lose sight of the intended call this way of thinking blue-printthinking : A blueprint is the (architectural)design or plan that is drawn up beforehandand guarantees the actual foremost considerationsof the blue-print changer arethese: Plan and organize first;use all possible expertise anddo not let people s individualideas and preferences inter-fere; and never lose sight ofthe intended ThinkingRed-print thinking has its roots in theclassic Hawthorne experiments (Mayo,1933; Roethlisberger, 1941).