Change Management: Analyzing Episodic and Disruptive Change Effects

This essay provides an analysis of episodic and disruptive change within a static organizational environment, delving into the complexities of change management and its impact on organizational growth. It explores the debate between episodic and continuous change, referencing the Kurt Lewin model and various scholarly perspectives. The essay argues that while episodic change has a defined start and end, continuous change acknowledges the ongoing adjustments and adaptations within an organization. Ultimately, it concludes that episodic and continuous change are interdependent, offering a comprehensive framework for understanding and managing change in organizations, particularly in static environments where leaders must strategically plan for business development.

Running head: EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
Episodic and disruptive change in a static environment
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1EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
Change management is a continuous process adopted in an organization with the aim of
experience a high rate of growth compared to others. it is a way the organization plan out its
structure to take up successful change management in their process. This is turn will affect their
success and overcome competition in the market. The process of change management differs
from organization to organization. However, the change taken by a company influences each of
its members in a great way. Change is something that is viewed in a static environment and then
continues to grow. On the other hand, it is seen that managing a change is considered as an
episodic activity which means that it is occurs, continues and gives out a result (Booth, 2015).
This paper discusses the process of change management and its effect on the
organizational growth. Further the essay presents an argumentative descriptive whether this
change is episodic or continuous.
Change management means a way of managing a change process in an organization in
order to reach its actual objective. Change in organizations is not a small and easy process. It
requires a long term planning about investment, division of task and the ways to start with the
change process. A proper planning can only make it possible for the organization to achieve its
short term and long-term goal. There are three levels involved in a change management process
of an organization such as individual change management, organizational change management
and enterprise change management. Individual change management is focused on the individual
that realizes their issues and decides on bringing a change to their skills to grow in the
organization. However, the company as a whole to bring about a change in their process and
techniques to achieve long-term growth adopts the second type of change management. This
change can also take place in a group that lack certain skills or the problem in their processes

2EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
(Sarayreh, Khudair & Barakat, 2013). Lastly, change can also take place in the competency
capability of the organization to cope up in this competitive environment.
There are various arguments that the change management process that takes place in the
organization is an episodic process or a continuous one. There have been various evidences
showing the managing a change in the environment of an organization is episodic because it has
a start point and an end. The process of change actually starts by unfreezing the static
environment of the organization, bringing a change and then freezing the environment after the
change (Cummings & Worley, 2014). However, there are arguments that the process of change
is not episodic; it is a continuous process as some type of change continuously occurs in the
organization (Booth, 2015).
It is seen that episodic change is evident from the fact that there are various variables
involved in a change management process that a change in one affects the others. Thus, it is
essential for an organization to bring the change into an equilibrium point (Hayes, 2014). This
fact has been questioned in the ground that change affects variables and someone or the other
gets affected continuously in the organization. The company cannot bring a change in an
equilibrium pint and assume that it will bring no further affects to others (Cameron & Green,
2015). The episodic nature of change can also be explained in context of the large ship that
reaches to its destination at some point or the other. Similarly, change is also a ship that starts its
process and aims to reach to a point where it can be judged as successful pr unsuccessful
(Goetsch & Davis, 2014). However, the concept of reaching a result is true but not fixed in the
context of change. This is because every change process leads to a result and the result that is
generated from it helps in bringing further change. Thus, the process continues nd not end
anywhere (Matos Marques Simoes & Esposito, 2014).

3EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
It is evident that change management s about bringing a change to an organization and
thus a change occurs from a static state and remain there. An organization can bring about a
continuous improvement in their processes and not going on changing it continuously (Waddell,
2013). However, some argumentative approach to it states that change can take place
continuously because of its continuous cause and effect factor. Thus, it is very different from
improvement where the company only improves the existing technology or process and does not
change it. According to the Kurt Lewin model as well, change is ending process, which starts
and reaches it destination. He has drawn the process of change in a form of a model that starts
with unfreezing activity, continues with change and ends by freezing the change (Hornstein,.
2015).
Some scholars have identified that the episodic change in an organization is intentional,
infrequent and discontinuous. There are certain changes which help the external agents to create
leverage which helps in changing the meaning, schema and system. The failure occurs in all
episodic changes and thus the organization suffers losses and has to make certain plans to
change. The organization also needs to implement those plans and deal with those consequences
accordingly (Jun & Rowley, 2014). However, some scholars have opined that continuous change
theories can help many leaders in addressing the various limitations of episodic change models
and it also provides an in-depth analysis of the adaptive, continuous and informal processes.
These are used in the dynamic interaction and it helps to adapt those factors which are inside or
outside the organization. It is also important to develop sensitivity in the continuous change
process which will help the leaders to influence and evaluate the readiness in the changes and
thus develop the organization (Worley & Mohrman, 2014).

4EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
Many scholars have stated that episodic change starts with the failure and these failures
may trigger different kinds of failure. Such change includes government regulations, emerging
and urgent threats, new ideas which help to initiate different change initiatives. In certain cases
these changes may also help in influencing the different environmental factors. However, many
scholars have opined that the continuous changes are incremental and it helps through the
dynamic interaction of the people, environment and the processes. The idea of continuous
change in the self organizing and emergent organization is evolving constantly. This continuous
change is an extension of the earlier practices of the current knowledge and skills of the people
(Hamel & Zanini, 2014).
According to some scholars, episodic change may lead the organization to various kinds
of opportunities and threats and this may tend to be disruptive. The leaders can help to enhance
the adaptability by creation of certain important and resilient organizations. The episodic change
is regarded as the transformational change by many scholars and it helps the organizations to
address the various kinds of issues. On the other hand, some scholars have regarded that
continuous change involves modifications and practices which are unending. They also refer this
process as a process of freeze, rebalance and unfreeze state. The continuous change perspective
as predicted by many scholars has stated that the employees will try to resist the changes which
require external intervention and thus help in the removal of different kinds of obstacles. This
will also help in replacing the different kinds of resistant and the employees will be willing to
implement the new strategies (Maltais et al., 2013).

5EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
It has been argument that in the competitive environment companies are continuously
adopting becoming turbulent and adopting episodic change in their organsiation. They continued
to say that the episodic change adopted by companies is done in order to bring about a
continuous change. This proves that episodic change and continuous change is linked process I
themselves which is followed by the other. They are linked to one another, as without one the
other cannot take place. The episodic change occurs in the organization in which the process of
change takes place slowly and in a continuous manner. However, continuous change looks after
the limitation that occurs from the episodic change management process. Thus, this proves that
they are interdependent on each other (Lewis, Passmore & Cantore, 2016).
Thus, it can be concluded that episodic and static change are not separate terms but they
are interdependent on each other. Various arguments has been stated which helps in connecting
the different theories of continuous and episodic changes. These two concepts provides
comprehensive framework for understanding and influencing the different kinds of changes.
Various integration approaches has been made to analyze the two opposite terms and thus it
creates a mid way to focus on the similarities. The connection and interdependency of the two
concepts helps to offer a complete framework for understanding the changes. Thus, it can be
concluded that in a static environment the leaders of the organization can plan the business
accordingly.

6EPISODIC AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE IN A STATIC ENVIRONMENT
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