Academic Leadership

Chapter 11 – Innovator

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• Limited Focus of Change – changes in one area may be very hard for the
  University as a whole to incorporate. For example, a very good change in one part of
  the University may not necessarily filter through to the rest of the organisation,
  because a larger, more significant and strategic change across the University as a
  whole is needed.


• Group Inertia – individual changes may be resisted by a larger group, such as a
  Union, which prevent certain initiatives being adopted by a few in favour of the group.


• Threat to Expertise – as organisational processes change, individuals may feel
  threatened because they fear that their expertise will be diminishment. An example
  would be academics’ concerns that their teaching role will be diminished because of
  increasing online learning.


• Threat to Established Power Relationships – changes in operating structures
  affect power relationships and networks, hence, areas may resist change if they feel
  they will lose power or influence.


• Threat to Established Resource Allocations – similarly, changes in resources,
  particularly decreases in funding or enrolments, may also influence change as
  people work harder to hold on to their resources.

Activity

In your experience what are the most frequently encountered personal and

organisational factors contributing to resistance to change?

Which have you found the most difficult to deal with?

Share your observations and experiences with another Academic Coordinator

People will respond differently to change, depending on the above factors and upon their
position amongst their peers. By understanding some of these concerns and fears,
Academic Coordinators can manage the change process more effectively using effective
communication strategies.
It is important to note that change relates to people, as it is usually the human
resource component of a program that is resistant to change. Systems, policies and
procedures, rules and regulations can be changed quite easily. It is the human factor,
however, that often becomes the stumbling block to a smooth change process. It is thus
important to remember that change starts initially at the personal level and involves both
intellectual and emotional processes.