Organizational Change as Collaborative Play

A positive view on changing and innovating organizations

Jaap Boonstra

• Publisher: Management Impact Publishing
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9789462762701
• eBook ISBN: 9789462763517
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Management
• Index: Business

Change as Collaborative Play is a playful method for change management in organizations. It shows the dynamics in which professionals play a role and collaborate in preparing their organization for the future. The model offers inspiration and practical tools for those who want to contribute to the development of their organization and themselves.

Change as Collaborative Play is essential reading for professionals, leaders, (change) managers, board members, advisors and students who are involved with change in their organizations, a crucial task in the present and future of business.

Jaap Boonstra is a professor of 'Organization Dynamics' at ESADE Business School in Barcelona, visiting professor 'Organizational Change' at WU, Vienna University for Economics and Business and lecturer at the Netherlands School of Public Administration in The Hague. As an independent consultant he is involved in change processes in international business firms and social organizations.

1

Exploring the playing field

Although there are a large variety of organizations, they all have one thing in common: they are faced with a multitude of developments on the playing field that stimulate change. The environment of which the organizations are part is complex because of dynamic developments in the economy, technology and society, developments that are hard to predict. When creating space to play it is important to be aware of what is going on, understand the world around you and together with others, envisage the future.

EXPLORATION OF THE TERRITORY

At the start of a change progress there will be an exploration of the environment, during which the players focus on the current situation and the future. Relevant questions in this first exploration are: What is going on? What developments can be detected on the playing field? What does the organization believe in? Which factors are essential to its success? Is our organization able to respond to external developments? How do we see the future?

When exploring the playing field, it is of the essence to postpone judgment, not to rush into solutions but to observe events from various angles.¹⁴ During the exploration, observations are shared and a perspective for change is worked on together. When exploring the playing field it is important to be cautious when it comes to labeling. It is about first impressions. From these impressions, those involved can work together on an interpretation of the existing situation, ideas about exploring developments further can be shared and the desired vision for the future can be discussed.

Observing without prejudice

We are normally guided by our viewpoints. An accountant is more likely to look at administrative processes than at human relations, while a management consultant probably looks at the structure of an organization and the corporate processes first. Technical managers mainly look at technical issues and the possibilities for production and construction and an HR consultant will be aware of motivational problems and training options sooner than a lawyer. A good observer knows his own preferences and blind spots and is able to observe what is going on without prejudice. This means that you can never rely on the vision of one group of players; the stories of specific groups will always contain part of the truth. The complex reality of organizations requires that observations are made from different points of view and angles. Visions of problems, solutions and possibilities for the future are always based on subjective experiences. The actual observation of these subjective experiences requires listening and looking without prejudice.¹⁵

Players involved in change processes are, in fact, constantly exchanging perceptions and adjusting to them. In the end this leads to a common perception of what is going on and what can be done. This way of observing and interpreting is in line with the observations of Karl Weick,¹⁶ who considers organizations as work systems in which people work together and search for meaning. In their interpretation of reality, people speak to and work with other people and exchange perceptions. As a result, reality as it is experienced is always intersubjective. Perceptions of reality are continually reconstructed on the basis of mutual communication and exchange of ideas. Many perceptions originate in this way, something which those involved are often unaware. It requires sensitivity to trace these implicit perceptions and to find out which basic assumptions color reality and give direction to behavior.

MULTIPLE VIEWS

Many organizations find themselves on fascinating dynamic playing fields. Dynamics arise when developments are unpredictable because they either reinforce or actually weaken each other¹⁷ and as a result, several scenarios can apply and no tested strategy is available.

Contextual developments

On the playing field of organizations many developments take place that influence performance and are of importance for the ambitions being played out and the changes that are needed.

Developments in the economy affect sales markets, investment climate, labor markets and competitive relationships. Globalization of the economy leads to borders fading, bigger markets and more competition; there will be more and more international players on the field. International trade agreements come under pressure, cause tension and lead to new constellations. The flexibilization of labor causes labor relations to change and job security becomes less reliable due to temporary and flexible labor contracts.

Political developments primarily show fragmentation of the political landscape; it is becoming increasingly difficult to form stable majority governments. This causes insecurity in political relations and social instability. With economic setbacks governments usually cut back on spending, whereas economic growth makes for investments in infrastructure, health care, safety and education.

The legal context is relevant for organizations because the legitimacy and legality of organizations emanate from the legal context. The law plays a protective role for citizens and companies. On the one hand laws and regulation are important for organizations as they provide legal protection, on the other they limit the room to maneuver for organizations. Citing regulatory and administrative burdens there has been a lot of debate as to whether laws and regulations are not too restricting on organizations’ creativity and room to maneuver. Europe plays a major part in legislation, and international agreements are becoming increasingly important. International laws limit the scope for national laws.

New technology and digitalization contribute to new approaches and business models. Distance hardly plays a role anymore and we communicate in ways quite different than before. On the one hand technological development helps to improve and optimize existing practices; on the other, technological development also raises questions about the future of companies. New technology creates new activities. More and more services and products are offered digitally. Digitalization triggers issues concerning privacy, internet fraud, transparency and security. We are becoming increasingly dependent on technology. For instance, when a communication network goes down companies go down with it.

Social changes have a direct impact on the performance of organizations and what they have to offer. Globalization and digitalization have undeniably made ours an information and network society. The population of Western countries has a majority of highly educated professionals who are independent and ready to take initiatives. Digitalization affects all aspects of social life, whether it is security, health, income, job security, profitability, education, labor, business activity, services, environment or living conditions. This leads to changing social relations and a different way of living together. This in turn raises the question of how we should deal with the dividing line between people who can handle changes themselves and those who have problems doing so.

Cultural developments also have an impact. Global mobility is on the rise and the multi-cultural society is a fait accompli, as are the tensions resulting from it. Most large companies have a diverse workforce. Many social groups have their own cultural standards and values and the mores and etiquette that go with them. Cultural standards and values are constantly changing under the influence of new technology, social media, youth cultures and people with different cultural experiences. In the cultural and social field, alongside cultural differences, dividing lines can also be detected between the old and the young, the poor and the rich, national and global, dependent and independent. This makes it necessary to have more contact with diversity.

Ecological and infrastructural developments put higher demands on organizations concerning sustainable production and awareness of climate goals. Environment agencies are demanding that organizations be more conscious of the physical environment. The world population keeps growing, which has consequences for such things as food and water. Climate change is threatening the world-wide availability of drinking wat...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Preface
• Introduction
• 1 Exploring the playing field
• 2 Identifying the players
• 3 Visualizing the play ambition
• 4 Understanding play patterns
• 5 Developing the play concept
• Intermezzo : Creating context
• 6 Elaborating the play concept
• 7 Organizing play division
• 8 Introducing play formats
• 9 Play experiences
• Intermezzo : Having Impact
• 10 Being a player
• Epilogue
• References
• Register
• About the author