How to Support a Change Agent's role execution by Utilizing Behavioral Insights?
Rauhavirta, Matias (2023)
2023
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023092126125
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2023092126125
Tiivistelmä
The aim of this thesis was to examine how behavioral insights phenomena may appear in the role of a change agent when a company is deploying a new enterprise resource planning program following the guidelines of The Prosci ADKAR -change model. The purpose of the thesis was to give suggestions on how a change management organization can support the change agents’ decision-making process when the change agents are executing their role in an organizational change process. The beneficiary of this thesis was Metso Corporation’s Global Change Management -organization that commissioned the thesis.
The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on literature and previous research related to behavioral insights, organizational change process and the role of a change agent. In addition, theoretical framework focuses on theories of selected organizational change models and choice architecture and nudge theory as development methods.
Qualitative research was conducted to have a better understanding of change agents’ thoughts and experiences about organizational change and their role as change agents in the change process. Based on the analysis of the collected data, it was possible to identify bottlenecks that change agents may experience in their role and what kind of cognitive biases and heuristics might appear in those situations. The results suggest that challenges in the role execution of a change agent related to the ambiguity of the change agent role and responsibilities. In addition, the effects of situational factors within the change agent’s own organization, such as facing the organization members’ various kind of attitudes towards the change process were found to be challenging. The possible cognitive biases related to the identified challenges may include, for example, feelings of scarcity about time availability to act in the role and information about the upcoming change on a practical level.
After the thesis writer identified what kind of factors can prevent change agents to operate in their role successfully, the EAST-framework and Thaler, Sunstein & Balz’s Choice architecture -guidelines were applied in nudge design. Designed nudges aimed to encourage change agents to deepen their communication not only within the existing change agent network but also between other expert groups involved in the organizational change process. The suggested nudges were evaluated both cost and resource point of view as the resources of implementing nudges were limited in the commissioner organization. The designed nudges served as development plan for the Global Change Management -organization and advised how the commissioner organization can support change agents in their role from the behavioral insights perspective. The results of the development work were presented to the commissioner in two meetings in June 2023.
The theoretical framework of this thesis is based on literature and previous research related to behavioral insights, organizational change process and the role of a change agent. In addition, theoretical framework focuses on theories of selected organizational change models and choice architecture and nudge theory as development methods.
Qualitative research was conducted to have a better understanding of change agents’ thoughts and experiences about organizational change and their role as change agents in the change process. Based on the analysis of the collected data, it was possible to identify bottlenecks that change agents may experience in their role and what kind of cognitive biases and heuristics might appear in those situations. The results suggest that challenges in the role execution of a change agent related to the ambiguity of the change agent role and responsibilities. In addition, the effects of situational factors within the change agent’s own organization, such as facing the organization members’ various kind of attitudes towards the change process were found to be challenging. The possible cognitive biases related to the identified challenges may include, for example, feelings of scarcity about time availability to act in the role and information about the upcoming change on a practical level.
After the thesis writer identified what kind of factors can prevent change agents to operate in their role successfully, the EAST-framework and Thaler, Sunstein & Balz’s Choice architecture -guidelines were applied in nudge design. Designed nudges aimed to encourage change agents to deepen their communication not only within the existing change agent network but also between other expert groups involved in the organizational change process. The suggested nudges were evaluated both cost and resource point of view as the resources of implementing nudges were limited in the commissioner organization. The designed nudges served as development plan for the Global Change Management -organization and advised how the commissioner organization can support change agents in their role from the behavioral insights perspective. The results of the development work were presented to the commissioner in two meetings in June 2023.