The effect of mental models on creating organizational alignment around a change vision PDF
Preview The effect of mental models on creating organizational alignment around a change vision
Walden University ScholarWorks Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection 1-1-2009 The effect of mental models on creating organizational alignment around a change vision William A. Brantley Walden University Follow this and additional works at:https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations Part of thePublic Administration Commons This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies Collection at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please [email protected]. Walden University COLLEGE OF SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES This is to certify that the doctoral dissertation by William Brantley has been found to be complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Review Committee Dr. Dale P. Swoboda, Committee Chairperson, Public Policy and Administrations Faculty Dr. Jason Lum, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administrations Faculty Dr. Gary Kelsey, Committee Member, Public Policy and Administrations Faculty Chief Academic Officer Denise DeZolt, Ph.D. Walden University 2009 ABSTRACT The Effect of Mental Models On Creating Organizational Alignment Around A Change Vision by William A. Brantley M.B.A., Jones International University, 2002 M.A., George Washington University, 1996 B.A., Eastern Kentucky University, 1990 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Management Walden University August 2009 ABSTRACT The communication of an organizational change vision is a key to the success of organizational transformation. Theorists have prescribed models of how to make change vision communication successful but these models have no empirical data to support them. The purpose of this study was to explore the efficacy of change agents in communicating a change vision that compels employees to accept a perception of reality (mental model) that aligned with the change agents’ vision. A case study of the merger of two metropolitan agencies was conducted to examine the relationship between the communication of a change vision and its effect on organizational change. The primary change agent and several organizational members affected by the transformation were interviewed. Primary and secondary organizational documents concerning the merger were collected. Mental models from organizational members were compared for similarity to the change agent’s vision. Written and oral materials communicating the change vision were analyzed using Automap text analysis software as a measure of effectiveness and to determine which type of communication was most effective. Findings suggest that the change agent’s vision was poorly defined and communicated yet the transformation succeeded because organizational members created their own compensating change vision. Social change implications of this study may include challenging unproductive methods of organizational change that have wasted resources and led to organizational misalignment. A better understanding of the communication of change visions will lead to cost savings and more effective and efficient change efforts that benefit managers, employees and the customers of public agency services. The Effect of Mental Models On Creating Organizational Alignment Around A Change Vision by William A. Brantley M.B.A. Jones International University, 2002 M.A. George Washington University, 1996 B.A. Eastern Kentucky University, 1990 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Public Policy and Management Walden University August 2009 UMI Number: 3369651 Copyright 2009 by Brantley, William A. All rights reserved INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ______________________________________________________________ UMI Microform 3369651 Copyright 2009 by ProQuest LLC All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. _______________________________________________________________ ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY ...........................................................1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................1 Statement of the Problem ...............................................................................................2 Background ....................................................................................................................3 Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................7 Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................8 Nature of the Study ......................................................................................................11 Research Questions ......................................................................................................13 Conceptual Framework ................................................................................................13 Definitions....................................................................................................................16 Assumptions .................................................................................................................17 Scope and Limitations of the Study .............................................................................19 Why Public Agencies Were Chosen for This Study ....................................... 19 The Public Agency Chosen for this Study ...................................................... 20 Limitations of the Study...............................................................................................21 Summary ......................................................................................................................22 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ...........................................................................24 Organization of Literature Review ..............................................................................24 Relation of the Literature Review to the Problem Statement ......................................24 Part 1: Brief Survey of the Major Themes in Organizational Change .........................25 Theme One: Organizational Change ............................................................... 25 Theme Two: Change Process.......................................................................... 29 Theme Three: Change Leadership .................................................................. 33 Theme Four: Resistance to Change ................................................................ 36 Theme Five: Change in Government .............................................................. 39 Part Two: Theoretical Concepts Relevant to the Theoretical Basis for the Case Study ................................................................................................................43 Concept One: Vision ....................................................................................... 44 Concept Two: Communication ....................................................................... 49 Concept Three: Mental Models ...................................................................... 55 Concept Four: Team Cognition ...................................................................... 59 Summary ......................................................................................................................67 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY ......................................69 Method of Inquiry ........................................................................................................69 Selection of the Case Study .........................................................................................71 ii Data Collection ............................................................................................................71 Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................74 Establishing Validity ....................................................................................................77 Internal Validity .............................................................................................. 78 External Validity ............................................................................................. 79 Summary ......................................................................................................................80 CHAPTER 4: DATA ANALYSIS ....................................................................................81 Introduction ..................................................................................................................81 The Data Gathering Process .........................................................................................82 Research Question One—Mental Model Alignment ...................................................83 External Change Vision .................................................................................. 84 Internal Change Vision ................................................................................... 85 Third Party Change Vision ............................................................................. 87 Communication Methods ................................................................................ 88 Automap Analysis ........................................................................................... 89 Research Question Two—Message Design Logic Analysis .....................................100 Message Design Logic Communication Analysis ........................................ 100 Communication Analysis .............................................................................. 101 Persuasiveness of Communication ............................................................... 104 Research Question Three—Change Vision Alignment .............................................105 Does the Effective Communication of the Change Vision Lead To Alignment?......106 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................108 Overview ....................................................................................................................108 Findings......................................................................................................................109 Organization Alignment Occurred ................................................................ 109 Poor Internal Vision and Poor Communication ............................................ 110 Compensating Change Vision ....................................................................... 114 Tangible Social Change .............................................................................................115 Recommendations for Further Study .........................................................................117 Recommendations for Actions ...................................................................................119 Reflections by the Researcher ....................................................................................120 Conclusion .................................................................................................................122 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................124 APPENDIX A: Mental Model Interview Questions ........................................................132 APPENDIX B: Interview 46 ............................................................................................135 APPENDIX C: Interview 47 ............................................................................................136 APPENDIX D: Interview 49 ..........................................................................................141 iii APPENDIX E: Interview 50 ............................................................................................143 APPENDIX F: Interview 51 ............................................................................................148 APPENDIX G: Interview 52 ...........................................................................................151 APPENDIX H: Interview 53 ...........................................................................................154 APPENDIX I: Interview 54 .............................................................................................159 APPENDIX J: Interview 55 .............................................................................................160 APPENDIX K: Automap Preprocessing Delete List .......................................................163 APPENDIX L: Mental Model 0 ......................................................................................164 APPENDIX M: Mental Model 1 .....................................................................................168 APPENDIX N: Mental Model 2 ......................................................................................173 APPENDIX O: Mental Model 3 ......................................................................................174 APPENDIX P: Mental Model 4 .......................................................................................181 APPENDIX Q: Email from Mayor’s Office Concerning the Merger .............................183 APPENDIX R: Merger FAQ (Retrieved off the intranet) ...............................................185 APPENDIX S: Meeting Document from Forum on Metro Archives Merger held by Third-Party Stakeholders ................................................................................189 Curriculum Vitae .............................................................................................................194 iv
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