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MBA DISSERTATION
UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON
CHANGE MANAGEMENT
A CASE
STUDY OF A CHANGE
PROGRAMME
UNDERTAKEN BY
WEST
SUSSEX FIRE BRIGADE
GRAEME DAY
October
2000
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the management of a major change to the structure of West Sussex Fire Brigade that took place in 1998 and to reflect on the success of the project to date. It sets out to explore what drove the restructure to take place in the first place, how the change agents were nominated, the role of management throughout the change process, and how the change was communicated to the personnel of West Sussex Fire Brigade.
The report goes on to look at the use of change models in the process. Were they seen as management fads; could they have been of use to the Brigade's Management Team and change agents? It explores the level of consistency at different levels in such areas as perceptions regarding the drivers of change and the benefits of the restructure for the organisation and the individual.
The influence of culture is also evaluated. Was the organisational culture of West Sussex Fire Brigade seen as a barrier to change? Was it even acknowledged and if so, could it be managed in order to effect a more efficient change programme?
Although there is considerable change in both private and public sector organisations, there is still a reluctance to accept change. The question most often asked of this report's author was "why are we doing this?" This fundamental enquiry, although put forward by all levels of personnel, disguises the fact that there are two main schools of thought within West Sussex Fire Brigade regarding the management and implementation of change:
· Those who perceive change as a necessary feature of their working lives and as a method for achieving organisational effectiveness and progress coupled with personal achievement.
· Those who see change as a management fad designed to do no more than put an individual's (or group of individuals in the case of the West Sussex Fire Brigade's Management Team) "stamp" on the organisation.
This study reviews the rationale and process of the organisational restructure that took place in West Sussex Fire Brigade two years ago. The conception and management of the change process are also evaluated along with the possible role played in the process by the culture of the organisation. The research is conducted within the organisation and involves the Brigade Management Team, the Officer Corps and the non-uniformed section of the Brigade. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the approach to the management change and to determine whether or not the rationale for change is viewed in a consistent manner by those affected by it.
Due to the pressures currently being placed on the Brigade e.g. Best Value; application for a Charter Mark award renewal; Health and Safety Executive requirements, the research undertaken is limited to involving the three groups mentioned in the previous paragraph. However, it is believed that the sample taken is large enough to be valid for this study. This view is re-inforced by the fact that those approached for the purpose of researching this topic are key players in the change process at the heart of this report e.g. Brigade Management Team members and the change agents amongst others.
LIMITATIONS:
Whilst there is a great deal of literature about change and the management of change, the subject is open to much interpretation by academics and practitioners alike. Whilst change appears to a core characteristic of all social systems, definitions of change are problematic as they assume that we can differentiate between change and stability. The change process is more complex though, as organisations are always changing, the change often being subtle in its manifestation. Therefore, Schein's (1970) definition of organisational change,
"…. induction of new patterns of action, belief and attitudes among substantial segments of a population,"
does not take into account, Thomas' (1993) assertion that whilst society is undergoing an unprecedented level of change, the pace of change varies from organisation to organisation. Thus, whilst some experience extreme turbulence, others may be relatively stable.
The debate about the nature of change is replicated in that centred around the role of management when facilitating the change process. Drucker's (1985) definition of the manager's role:
"…. Creating a true whole that is larger than the sum of its parts, a productive entity that turns out more than the sum of the resources put into it"
likens managers to conductors of an orchestra whilst Handy (1986) used the analogy of a doctor who diagnoses a particular problem and develops a strategy to be able to deal with that problem.