Using activity analysis to identify individual and group behavioural constraints to organizational change management.

Abstract

This article looks at the constraining influence of internal organizational factors on the management of organizational change. The purpose of the study was to determine the individual and group behavioral-induced situational problems, conflicts and tensions that change managers can identify and also use as innovative tools to enhance their capacity to manage organizational change. Individual and group behavioral factors that constrained the implementation and internalization of a best management practice model in an organization were examined. It is argued that in the organizational change process, the inability of change managers to simultaneously identify the development of situational problems, such as conflicts and tensions induced by individual and group based behaviours, and exploiting them as tools to enhance management innovation, is a significant constraint. It is concluded that; by continuously examining individual and group based mediated actions, managers can understand, identify, isolate and manage situational problems in future implementation and internalization of new practices models in their organizations.