Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 3e
END–OF-CHAPTER EXERCISES
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 9.1
Critical Thinking Questions
Publisher Berrett-Koehler’s Change Authors Series – Focuses on four principles: widening
the circle of involvement, connecting people to each other and to ideas, creating communities
for action, and embracing democracy. BK Business Book by Richard H. Axelrod.
• Explain the four principles using examples from your own change experience.
• Brainstorm how might begin to instill one of these principles in an organization you
are familiar with.
something new) and failure to finish (following through with support until capacities are
where they need to be – need champions at the front line as well as elsewhere in the
organization as well as signposts that help people understand where they are in terms of
implementing the change initiative). This includes helping leaders to understand the changes
required within themselves.
• Which barrier resonated with your experience the most?
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 3e
• How do you think these principles might facilitate a successful change project?
• What is the basic idea of appreciative inquiry?
• What emotions does this strategy center on?
• How does an appreciative approach change process?
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 3e
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 9.2
Action Plans for Influencing Reactions to Change
1. What methods have you seen used in organizations to influence people’s reactions to a specific
change? Think specifically about a change instance and what was done.
a. Education and communication
b. Participation and involvement
c. Facilitation and support
d. Negotiation and agreement
e. Manipulation and co-optation
f. Explicit and implicit coercion
g. Systemic adjustments
2. What were the consequences of each of the methods used? What worked and what did not work?
Why?
3. What personal preferences do you have regarding these techniques? That is, which ones do you
have the skills to manage and the personality to match?
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 3e
TOOLKIT EXERCISE 9.3
Influence Tactics
1. Think specifically of change situations in an organization you are familiar with. What influence
tactics did people use? Describe 3 situations in which 3 different tactics were used.
a. Inspirational appeals
b. Consultation (seeking the participation of others)
c. Relying on the informal system (existing norms and relationships)
d. Personal appeals (appeals to friendship and loyalty)
e. Ingratiation
f. Rational persuasion (use of facts, data, logic)
g. Exchange or reciprocity
h. Coalition building (creation of subgroups or links with other groups to exert pressure)
i. Using organizational rules or legitimating tactics (framing of the request as consistent with
policy and/or your authority
j. Direct pressure
Cawsey, Deszca, and Ingols: Organizational Change, 3e
k. Appeals to higher authority and dealing directly with decision makers
2. How successful were each of the tactics? Why did they work or not work?
3. How comfortable are you with each tactic? Which could you use?