ORGANIZATIONAL RESISTANCE AND RECEPTIVITY: THE CASE OF COMPSTAT

Year 2020, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 4 - 24, 30.04.2020

Yusuf Yüksel

Abstract

Organizational change has become a regular part of organizational functioning. Despite the popularity of planned change efforts, the failure rates of implementation are as high as 70 percent. Operationally, this failure rate is of great concern due to the substantial loss of time, morale, financial resources, and damage to an organization’s ultimate survival. While these efforts are affected by many different factors, resistance to change is thought to play a very critical role. The central purpose of this study is to examine the reaction of police officers in Newark Police Department in terms of resistance and receptivity after the implementation of a popular planned organizational change model known as Compstat. This planned change model has been implemented by numerous police organizations in the United States over the second half of the 90’s. Data were collected in this case study through in-depth interviews, documents and observation of the Compstat meetings, and analyzed using grounded theory. The study revealed that resistance was the dominant reaction in the early phases of this model. The reasons for resistance included uncertainty about new processes and procedures, fear of departing from habit and routine, loss of power and status, increased workloads and demands, tough tone of the Compstat meetings, and the way the change was introduced by the police chief. The degree of resistance to the Compstat model decreased overtime and accepted by the officers in the NPD in the following years. The main reasons for the acceptance was the change in the tone and form of the meetings, retirement and/or replacement of active resisters, new officers with different values, perceived success of the model and learning the expectations of the upper echelon over these years. In terms of suggestions, first, the concepts of resistance to change and resistance to the consequences of change need to be differentiated. In this line of thought, different policies and practices should be put into practice based on different considerations of each group. Secondly, involvement to the change process increase the level of understanding and information regarding what was expected and why and thus increases receptivity of the change models. Finally, a leadership style that coaches officers in the adoption of the new procedures and practices increases the level of change acceptance and other positive outcomes.

KURUMSAL DEĞİŞİME DİRENME VE KABULLENME: COMPSTAT ÖRNEK OLAYI

Abstract

Örgütsel değişim kurumsal işleyişin düzenli bir parçası haline gelmiştir. Planlı örgütsel değişim çabalarının popülerliğine karşın, uygulamada yaşanan başarısızlık oranları yüzde 70’leri bulabilmektedir. Bu başarısızlık zaman, moral ve maddi kayıplara yol açmakta ve uzun vadede kurumun yapısına ciddi zararlar verebilmektedir. Başarısızlık birçok farklı nedenden kaynaklanmakla birlikte, değişime olan direnç çok önemli bir rol oynamaktadır. Bu bölümde, ABD’de son on yılda birçok polis teşkilatı tarafından uygulamaya konulan Compstat isimli değişim modelinin uygulanması sonrasında, polis memurlarının direnç ve kabullenme yönündeki tepkilerini ve nedenlerini ortaya koymayı amaçlanmaktadır. Bu örnek olay çalışmasının verileri yapılan mülakatlar ve Compstat toplantılarının gözlemlenmesi ile toplanmış, tümevarım yaklaşımı ile analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma sonuçları, modelin ilk uygulandığı dönemlerde baskın tepkinin direnme şeklinde olduğunu göstermektedir. Bunun temel nedeni ise, yeni süreçler ve işlemlere ilişkin belirsizlik, alışkanlık ve rutinlerden ayrılma korkusu, güç ve statü kaybetme endişesi, artan iş yükü ve talepler, Compstat toplantılarının sert atmosferi ve bu değişim modelinin polis müdürü tarafından personele tanıtım yöntemidir. Bu direncin derecesi zaman içinde azalmış ve devam eden yıllarda, Compstat modeli memurlar tarafından önemli ölçüde kabullenilmiştir. Bu kabullenme sürecinin arkasında yatan nedenler ise toplantı formatı ve tonunda yaşanan değişim, aktif direnç gösterenlerin emekli olması veya yerlerinin değiştirilmesi, farklı değerlere sahip yeni memurların işe başlaması, modelin algılanan başarısı ve yıllar içinde üst makamların beklentilerinin öğrenilmesidir. Uygulayıcılara bakan yönleri itibariyle, değişime direnç ve değişimin sonuçlarına direnç kavramları birbirinden ayrılmalı ve her bir duruma uygun politika ve pratikler uygulamaya konmalıdır. Ayrıca, memurlara koçluk yapan bir liderlik tarzı yeni prosedürlerin kabullenilmesi ve diğer çıktıların pozitif olmasını sağlayacaktır.

Keywords

Örgütsel değişim, polis kültürü, compstat, belirsizlik, direnç ve kabullenme

References

• Agyeman, J., Doppeh, B., Lym, K. & Hatic, H. (2007). The climate-justice link: Communicating risk with low-income and minority audiences. In S. C. Moser, & L. Dilling (Eds.). Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change and facilitating social change (pp. 119-138). Cambridge University Press: New York.
• Argyris, C., & Schon, D. (1978). Organizational learning. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
• Armenakis, A. A. & Bedeian, A. G. (1999). Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management, 99, 293-315.
• Armenakis, A. A., & Harris, S. G. (2002). Crafting a change message to create transformational readiness. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15, 169-183.
• Axley, S. (1984). Managerial and organizational communication in terms of the conduit metaphor. Academy of Management Review, 9, 428–437.
• Barker, J. C. (1999). Danger, duty, and disillusion. Illinois: Waveland Press Inc.
• Bartunek, J. M., Rousseau, D. M., Rudolph, J. W., & DePalma, J. A. (2006). On the receiving end: Sense-making, emotion, and assessments of an organizational change initiated by others. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 42, 187-206.
• Bratton, W., & Knobler, P. (1998). Turnaround: How America’s top cop reversed the crime epidemic. New York: Random House.
• Bovey, W. H., & Hede, A. (2001). Resistance to organizational change: The role of defense mechanisms. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16, 534-548.
• Buntin, J. (1999). Assertive policing, plummeting crime: The NYPD takes on crime in New York City. John F. Kennedy School of Government. Cambridge: MA.
• Cameron, K. S. & Quinn, R. E. (1999). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture. NJ: Upper Saddle River.
• Chan, J. (1996). Changing police culture. British Journal of Criminology, 36, 109-134.
• Chess, C. & Johnson, B.B. (2007). Information is not enough. In S. C. Moser, & L. Dilling (Eds.). Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change and facilitating social change (pp. 223-236). Cambridge University Press: New York.
• Cochran, J. K., Bromley, M. L., & Swando, M. J. (2002). Sheriff’s deputies’ receptivity to organizational change. Policing, 25, 507-529.
• Covin, T. J., & Kilmann, R. H. (1990). Participant perceptions of positive and negative influences on large-scale change. Group and Organization Studies, 15, 233-248.
• Davies, A., & Thomas, R. (2003). Talking cop: Discourses of change and policing identities. Public Administration, 81, 681-699.
• Dawson, P. (2004). Managing change. In D. Tourish & O. Hargie (Eds.), Key issues in organizational communication (pp. 60-73). New York: Routledge.
• Dawson, P. (1994). Organizational change: A processual approach. London: PCP.
• Deetz, S. A., Tracy, S.J., & Simpson, J. L. (2000). Leading organizations through transition: Communication and cultural change. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Dent, E. B., & Goldberg, S. G. (1999). Challenging “Resistance to change.” Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 35, 25-41.
• Dilling, L., & Moser, S.C. (2007). Introduction. In S. C. Moser, & L. Dilling (Eds.). Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change and facilitating social change (pp. 1-30). Cambridge University Press: New York.
• Dunwoody, S. (2007). The challenge of trying to make a difference using media messages. In S. C. Moser, & L. Dilling (Eds.). Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change and facilitating social change (pp. 89-104). Cambridge University Press: New York.
• Eilam, G. & Shamir, B. (2005). Organizational change and self-concept threats: A theoretical perspective and a case study. The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 41, 399-421.
• Eisenberg, E. M., Goodall, H. L., & Trethewey, A. (2006). Organizational communication: Balancing creativity and constraint.5th ed. New York: St Martin’s Press.
• Fairchild, E. S. (1989). National culture and police organization in Germany and the United States. Public Administration Review, 49, 454-462.
• Fairhurst, G. T. (1993). The leader-member exchange patterns of women leaders in industry: A discourse analysis. Communication Monographs, 60, 321-351.
• Fairhurst, G. T. (2001). Dualism in leadership research. In F. M. Jablin & L. L. Putnam (Eds.), The new handbook of organizational communication (pp. 379-439). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
• Fairhurst, G. T. (2005). Reframing the art of framing: Problems and prospects for leadership. Leadership, 1, 165-185.
• Folger, R., & Skarlicki D. P. (1999). Unfairness and resistance to change: hardship as mistreatment. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12, 35-49.
• Gallivan, M. J. (2001). Meaning to change: How diverse stakeholders interpret organizational communication about change initiatives. IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication, 44, 243-266.
• Gioia, D. A., & Chittipeddi, K. (1991). Sense-giving in strategic change initiation. Strategic Management of Journal, 12, 433-448.
• Goodman, R. A., Phillips, M. E., & Sackmann, S. A. (1999). The complex culture of international project teams. In R. A. Goodman (Ed.), Modern organizations and emerging conundrums: Exploring the post industrial subculture of the third millennium (pp. 23-33). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
• Harris, L. C., & Ogbonna, E. (2002). The unintended consequences of culture interventions: A study of unexpected outcomes, British Journal of Management, 13, 31-49.
• Harvey, T. R. (1995). Checklist for change: A pragmatic approach to creating and controlling change. Lancaster, PA: Technomic Publication.
• Henry, V. E. (2003). “Compstat: The Emerging Model of Police Management.” In A. R. Roberts (Ed.), Critical issues in crime and justice (pp. 117–133). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Hofstede, G., & Hofstede G. J. (2005). Cultures and organizations. Software of the mind. New York: McGraw Hill.
• Hofstede, G. (1980). Motivation, leadership, and organization: Do American theories apply abroad? Organizational Dynamics, Summer, 14-42.
• Hultman, K. (1995, October). Scaling the wall of resistance. Training & Development, 15-22.
• Jaeger, A. M. (1986). Organizational development and national culture: Where is the fit? Academy of Management Review, 11, 178-190.
• Jermier, J. M., & Berkes, L.J. ( 1979). Leadership behavior in a police command bureaucracy: A closer look at the quasi-military model. Administrative Science Quarterly, 24, 1-23.
• Jian, G. (2007). Unpacking unintended consequences in planned organizational change: A process model, Management Communication Quarterly, 21, 5-28.
• Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics. Human Relations, 1, 5-41.
• Lewis, L. K. & Seibold, D. R. (1998). Reconceptualizing organizational change implementation as a communication problem: A review of literature and research agenda. Communication Yearbook, 21, 92–151.
• Lewis, L. K. (1999). Disseminating information and soliciting input during planned organizational change: Implementers’ targets, sources, and channels for communicating. Management Communication Quarterly, 13, 43–75.
• Lewis, L. K. (2006). Employee perspectives on implementation communication as predictors of perceptions of success and resistance. Western Journal of Communication, 70, 23-46.
• Lewis, L. K. (2007). An organizational stakeholder model of change implementation communication. Communication Theory, 17, 176-204.
• Lewis, L. K. (2011). Organizational Change: Creating change through strategic communication. West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Lipsky, M. (1980). Street level bureaucracy: Dilemmas of the individual in public services. New York: Sage Publications.
• Maanen, V. J. (1978). The asshole. In P.K. Manning & J. V. Maanen (Eds.), Policing a view from the streets (pp. 221-238). Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear Publications.
• Manning, P. K. (1977). Police work: The social organization of policing (2nd ed.). Prospects Heights, IL; Waveland Press, Inc.
• Michaelis, L. (2007). Consumption behavior and narratives about the good life. In S. C. Moser, & L. Dilling (Eds.). Creating a climate for change: Communicating climate change and facilitating social change (pp. 251-265). Cambridge University Press: New York.
• Miller, V.D., Johnson, J.R. , & Grau, J. (1994). Antecedents to willingness to participate in a planned organizational change. Journal of Applied Communication research, 22, 59-80.
• Newman, K. L., & Nollen, S. D. (1996). Culture and congruence: The fit between management practices and national culture. Journal of International Business Studies, 27, 753-779.
• Piderit, S. K. (2000). Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: A multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change. Academy of Management Review, 25, 783 – 794.
• Orlikowski, W. J. (1992). The duality of technology: Rethinking the concept of technology in organizations. Organization Science, 3, 398-427.
• Ravasi, D., & Schultz, M. (2006). Responding to organizational identity threats: Exploring the role of organizational culture. Academy of Management Journal, 49, 433-458.
• Ruben, B. D. (2009). Understanding, planning and leading organizational change: Core concepts and strategies. Washington, DC: National Association of College and University Business Officers
• Schein, E. H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• Stanley, D. J., Meyer, J. P., & Topolnytsky, L. (2005). Employee cynicism and resistance to organizational change. Journal of Business and Psychology, 19, 429-459.
• Tayep, M. (1994). Organizations and national culture: Methodology considered. Organization Studies, 15, 429-445.
• Timmerman, C. E. (2003). Media selection during the implementation of planned organizational change: A predictive framework based on implementation approach and phase. Management Communication Quarterly, 16, 301-340.
• Tromp, S. A., & Ruben, B. D. (2004). Strategic planning in higher education: A guide for leaders. Washington, DC: NACUBO.
• Weber, Y. (2000). Measuring cultural fit in mergers and acquisitions. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. P. Wilderom, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.), Handbook of organizational culture & climate (p. 309-321). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
• Weick, K. E., & Quinn, R.E. (1999). Organizational change and development. Annual Review of Psychology, 50, 361-386.
• Witherspoon, P. D. (1997). Communicating leadership: An organizational perspective. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
• Whiteley, A. (1995). Managing change: A core values approach. Melbourne: Macmillan Education.
• Wood, J. (2004). Cultural change in the governance of security. Policing & Society, 14, 31-48.
• Zorn, T. E., Page, D. J., & Cheney, G. (2000). Nuts about change: Multiple perspectives on change-oriented communication in a public sector organization. Management Communication Quarterly, 13, 515–566.
• Zorn, T. E. (2002). The emotionality of information and communication technology implementation. Journal of Communication Management, 7), 160-171.