Make comments on the response below and What did you learn from watching Warner Burke share his wisdom in the video?

Burke video :

Burke, W. W. (2020, July 2). Change Management is not Organization Development: A Conversation with Warner Burke [video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-R-J79dPb8

Thank you for your response to the discussion question. I appreciated your comments on the critical lessons for managing change effectively.

I would like to add to the discussion, beginning with the challenge of resistance to change. I have been a management consultant for many years focused on transformational change and, even as a change agent, I know I am one of the most resistant to change. I believe that effective leaders benefit from the resistance and, so long as they are purpose-driven, can help others by painting the big picture of the desired future state. Conner (2006) referred to people's response to negatively perceived change, which includes stages of anger and denial, and to positively perceived change which follows the phases of uninformed optimism, informed pessimism, hopeful realism, and informed optimism before arriving at completion. Leading at the speed of change in today's constantly changing environment requires creative rather than reactive orientations.

Burke (2020) offered an interesting critique, claiming that change management (CM) is not organization development (OD). Although this is an interesting comparison, his conclusions are based on opinions many in the field of organizational change would not support. Burke (2020) suggested that eighty percent of OD is diagnosis. Diagnosis is essential but as an input to organizational change rather than as the major component. Burke (2020) also suggested that CM is about events facilitated by external consultants on behalf of organizational leaders. This may also be true for OD consulting. In my experience, I have found more similarities than differences in change management and organization development. You may find listening to Burke sharing his wisdom on the video may help to bring his book to life.

Burke also reminded listeners of an often quoted research that concluded that "70% of all change efforts fail and only 30% succeed" (2020, 30:30) and commented on how consultants have adapted Lewin's three step model of change, which is unfreezing, moving, and refreezing (Burnes, 2020). The unfreezing process can be part of communicating the change. If employees are directly affected by the change, unfreezing has to occur before change can begin.