How Change Management Is Influenced by Differences in Professional Discourses: A Conceptualizing Study on the Adoption of an ICT Tool for Service Engineers in a Global Perspective

This article describes the process of organizational change due to technological evolutions, suggesting that community-specific differences in discourse may have a considerable influence on its success. The questions for this study focus on: 1) how do we define a technically oriented employee who has to cope with organizational change? 2) Which factors determine the reaction to organizational change projects in which these technically oriented employees are involved? And 3) what are the consequences of these specific characters of technically oriented employees for implementing change programs in the most effective manner? First, while the present studies on professional communication do not pay any attention to change management, the current models of change management also barely pay attention to (professional) discourse. Second, we examine culture, which can be divided into national culture (NC), organizational culture (OC), and professional culture (PC). In this case study, we focus on the professional cultures of specific (change) managers and technicians and their discourse in the utilities sector. After this, we describe the case study, which exemplifies how change results can be influenced. It seems that in a technical environment, the change process and interventions need to be specific, concrete, and to the point. However, there also seems to be a dilemma between universal (e.g. mechanistic and formal) and contingency (e.g. organic, informal and emergent) approaches to the change process. The results of this study show the need to analyze cultures through discourse and through PC as a way to differentiate discourse between technical and non-technical employees. We suggest further research on three aspects that interfere and influence the change effort: context, discourse, and professional cultures of (change) managers and technicians

"You call it a structure taboo!" Relating consultant experiences to changing dynamics in healthcare

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive reflective perspective on the effects of an intervention in a healthcare organization, as experienced by a consultant. What does a consultant experience when things flounder? Design/methodology/approach: This paper applies a complex responsive process approach as a research perspective and autoethnography as a method to better understand the tensions of a consultant in interacting with members of a client-system. Findings: Focusing on the experiences of the first author during his work as a consultant in a healthcare institution. This approach contributes to the literature by providing a witness, rather than an aboutness, perspective on the experiences of a consultant during a completely unexpected event. Research limitations/implications: This paper is limited by looking at one case in the public sector. It should be considered as exploratory research. Originality/value: The paper can be of value to consultants who are working as a facilitator, as well as to management scholars and practitioners in the field of change management

How Change Management is influenced by differences in professional discourses.: A priliminary conceptualizing study on the adoption of an ICT tool for service engineers

This article describes the process of organizational change due to technological evolutions, suggesting that community-specific differences in discourse may have a considerable influence on its success. The questions for this study focus on: 1) how do we define a technically oriented employee who has to cope with organizational change? 2) Which factors determine the reaction to organizational change projects in which these technically oriented employees are involved? And 3) what are the consequences of these specific characters of technically oriented employees for implementing change programs in the most effective manner? First, while the present studies on professional communication do not pay any attention to change management, the current models of change management also barely pay attention to (professional) discourse. Second, we examine culture, which can be divided into national culture (NC), organizational culture (OC), and professional culture (PC). In this case study, we focus on the professional cultures of specific (change) managers and technicians and their discourse in the utilities sector. After this, we describe the case study, which exemplifies how change results can be influenced. It seems that in a technical environment, the change process and interventions need to be specific, concrete, and to the point. However, there also seems to be a dilemma between universal (e.g. mechanistic and formal) and contingency (e.g. organic, informal and emergent) approaches to the change process. The results of this study show the need to analyze cultures through discourse and through PC as a way to differentiate discourse between technical and non-technical employees. We suggest further research on three aspects that interfere and influence the change effort: context, discourse, and professional cultures of (change) managers and technicians

Professional discourses and resistance to change

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate how resistance to change might be a consequence of differences in professional discourse of professional groups working together in a change program. Design/methodology/approach - The paper uses discourse analysis and rubrics to study the implementation of a new ICT system for an airline. Data for this case study were collected in semi-structured interviews, desk research, participant observations and a diagnostic workshop. Findings - The data suggest that the non-aligned interaction between different professional discourses can be a source of resistance to change, in addition to other well-known sources of resistance to change in the change management literature. Future research regarding change management should incorporate linguistics and discourse analysis. Investigating resistance to change could be done comprehensively, paying attention to differences in professional cultures in cross-functional (project) teams. A managerial implication of the study is that making differences in professional discourses explicit is a constant point of attention in (project) teams. Research limitations/implications - The authors' choices with regard to the sample size and methods limit the generalisability of the results. However, these choices were instrumental in reaching a rich set of data, which enabled the authors to get an understanding of the conversational dynamics in the case. Originality/value - The paper argues that change programs contain subjective, informal and linguistic dimensions which might give reasons for understanding resistance to change in new ways. The theoretical contribution of the paper is that it integrates change management literature with linguistic literature about professional discourse

Soft-islanding a group of houses through scheduling of CHP, PV and storage

In this paper we investigate the possibility of soft-islanding (near-autonomous operation) a group of houses from the electric power grid in the Netherlands. Energy balancing is possible through applying multi-mode smart grid scheduling for controllable energy generation, storage and consumption devices. The modeled neighborhood consists of modern, well-insulated terraced houses in a typical Dutch climate, each equipped with roof-mounted photovoltaic (PV) panels. The panels are sized to cover the daily electric demand during sunnier parts of the year where the heat demand is low. The system also includes a centrally placed combined heat and power (CHP) with hot water and electric storage, and controllable devices within the houses such as washing and dishwashing machines. The daily domestic hot water demand is supplied entirely by the central CHP. The investigation includes an estimation of system dimensions, e.g. PV, CHP and storage capacities based on daily supply and load profiles on top of the multi-level scheduling. Through simulations we demonstrate the technical feasibility for off-grid operation of this neighborhood

The FAST study: Fertility ASsessment and advice targeting lifestyle choices and behaviours: a pilot study

BACKGROUND Lifestyle has been shown to affect fertility in both males and females, with compelling evidence that smoking and being under or overweight impairs natural and assisted fertility, and other factors such as stress and caffeine have also been implicated. The objective of this study was to determine whether providing infertile couples with individualized lifestyle assessments and ongoing support facilitates positive lifestyle changes enhancing healthy fertility. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort pilot study of 23 infertile couples attending an Adelaide-based fertility clinic for advice and treatment relating to infertility. The intervention was a comprehensive assessment interview with the couple, focused on health and lifestyle. Motivational interviewing techniques were used and ongoing support provided. The assessment was repeated after 4 months and included an exit questionnaire. The main outcome measure(s) was self-reported lifestyle changes, including increased exercise, modified diet, reduced caffeine and alcohol consumption, ceased or reduced smoking and decreased psychological stress. RESULTS Following the initial lifestyle assessment interview, all participants reported adverse lifestyle behaviour. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that the FAST (Fertility ASsessment and advice Targeting lifestyle choices and behaviours) approach of an individualized assessment of current lifestyle practice followed by ongoing one to two weekly telephone support is effective in promoting healthy lifestyle change. Larger studies using this methodology are now required.G. Homan, J. Litt, and R.J. Norma