Chapter 2

Images of
Managing
Change

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All

Images of Managing Change

Images of
Managing
Change
Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Three Core
Uses of the
Images

Controlling
Top-down view of management
Fayols theory of management:
planning, organizing, commanding,
coordinating and controlling.

Shaping
Participative style of management
Improving the capabilities of people
within the organization
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Images of Change Outcomes

Images of
Managing
Change
Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Intended Change:
Change is a result of planned action

Partially Intended Change:

Change may need to be re-modified
after it is initially implemented

Unintended Change:
Forces beyond the control of the
change manager

Three Core
Uses of the
Images
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Images of Change Managers

Images of
Managing
Change

Images of Managing

Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Intended
Images of Partially
Change Intended
Outcomes
Unintended

Controlling . . .
(activities)

Shaping . . .
(capabilities)

DIRECTOR

COACH

NAVIGATOR

INTERPRETER

CARETAKER

NURTURER

Three Core
Uses of the
Images
2-4

Images of Change Managers

Images of
Managing
Change
Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Three Core
Uses of the
Images

Director
Based on an
image of
management as
control and of
change outcomes
as being
achievable.
Supported by the
n-step models and
contingency
theory.

Coach
Relies upon building
in the right set of
values, skills and
drills that are
deemed to be the
best ones to be
drawn upon in order
to achieve desired
organizational
outcomes.
Related to OD
approaches.
2-5

Images of Change Managers

Images of
Managing
Change
Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Three Core
Uses of the
Images

Navigator
Control is the heart of
management action,
although a variety of
external factors mean
that managers may
achieve some intended
change outcomes and
others will occur over
which they have little
control.
Supported by the
contextualist and
processual theories of
change.

Interpreter
The manager
creates meaning for
other organizational
members, helping
them to make sense
of various
organizational
events and actions.
Supported by the
sense-making
theory of
organizational
change
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Images of Change Managers

Images of
Managing
Change
Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Three Core
Uses of the
Images

Nurturer
Caretaker
The managers control Even small changes may
have a large impact on
is severely impeded by
organizations and
a variety of internal
managers are not able to
and external forces
control the outcome of
beyond their scope.
these changes but may
The caretaker
nurture their organizations.
shepherds their
This facilitates
organizations along as
organizational qualities
best they can.
that enable positive self Supported by lifeorganizing to occur.
cycle, population Related to chaos and
ecology and
Confucian/ Taoist theories.
institutional theories.
2-7

Three Core Uses of the Images

Images of
Managing
Change
Images of
Change
Outcomes
Images of
Change
Managers:
-Director
-Coach
-Navigator
-Interpreter
-Caretaker
-Nurturer

Three Core
Uses of the
Images

These six images of change

managers have three core uses:
They highlight a variety of assumptions
that change managers make about
change and increase the awareness of
different interpretations of change.
They draw attention to the dominant
images of change within an organization.
They highlight a range of perspectives
available to change managers.

2-8