B1815 - CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY

Conoscenze e abilità da conseguire

At the end of this course students get key scientific knowledge on organizational change and apply it to dissecting challenges in the service industry with particular reference to digital transformation and sustainability, as well as to developing tools for promoting strategic change in service organizations. In particular, the course sheds light on the managerial practices and techniques to identify change opportunities, evaluate, promote, and implement change within service organizations, as well to mobilize employee and team commitment to change process.

Contenuti

CHANGE MANAGEMENT IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY

Organisational Change, Culture and Digital Transformation

Course overview and objectives

The course introduces students to the study of organisational change in service industries, combining perspectives from change management, organisational sociology and behavioural economics.

Change is analysed as a structured but non-linear process involving individuals, groups and organisations in the transition from a current state to a desired future state. In this perspective, change management is not understood as the simple implementation of technical solutions, but as a set of practices aimed at understanding, guiding and governing the human, cultural and cognitive impact of transformation.

The course aims to develop in students:

• the ability to understand change as a complex, multi-level phenomenon;
• awareness of the role of perception, resistance, culture and learning in change processes;
• conceptual tools for interpreting change in service organisations, characterised by high interaction, intangibility and the centrality of human capital;
• a critical reading of the role of digital technologies and platforms in contemporary organisational transformation processes.

Conceptual framework: what is change management

The term “change management” refers to a structured approach to change that guides individuals, groups and organisations in the transition from an existing situation to a future configuration.

In this sense, change management provides tools for:

• recognising and interpreting change;
• understanding individual and collective reactions;
• manage uncertainty and the human impact of organisational transformations.

The course assumes that change does not necessarily reward the “strongest” or “smartest” organisations, but those most capable of responding and adapting to constantly evolving contexts.

High-level structure of the course

The learning path follows a logical progression that accompanies students:

1. from the theoretical foundations of organisational change,
2. to understanding individual and perceptual reactions,
3. to analysing forms of resistance,
4. to managing change through culture and leadership,
5. to the role of organisational learning, inclusion and digital technologies in transformation processes.

Core topics and learning focus1) Foundations of organisational change

Organisational change is introduced as a central phenomenon of contemporary management.

The main determinants of change – economic, technological and social – are analysed, as is the transition from a mechanistic and planned view of change to more dynamic and process-oriented perspectives.

Particular attention is paid to:

• change as a continuous process rather than an isolated event;
• the distinction between planned and emergent change;
• the specificity of service industries, where change directly affects behaviour, relationships and service quality.

2) Change from an individual perspective

The course addresses change from the individual's point of view, highlighting the link between change management and psychological and behavioural studies.

Change is analysed as a subjective experience that generates:

• uncertainty,
• disorientation,
• emotional reactions,
• defence mechanisms.

In this perspective, change management is understood both as a tool for predicting and managing individual reactions and as a support to help people channel and control these reactions.

3) Classical models of change: Kurt Lewin's three-stage model

One of the fundamental theoretical references of the course is Kurt Lewin's three-stage model, which interprets change as a process consisting of:

• Unfreezing: breaking existing equilibria, overcoming inertia and established habits;
• Changing: a transition phase characterised by uncertainty, experimentation and redefinition of practices;
• Refreezing: consolidation of new routines and stabilisation of the new organisational structure.

The model is discussed critically, highlighting both its metaphorical strength and its limitations in organisational contexts characterised by continuous change.

4) Resistance to change and change dynamics

Resistance to change is interpreted as a physiological and rational reaction to uncertainty.

The course analyses:

• the main sources of individual and collective resistance;
• the role of habits, risk perception and loss of control;
• the relationship between resistance and communication of change.

The Change Equation (Beckhard & Gleicher) is introduced, showing how change is only possible when dissatisfaction, vision and first concrete steps overcome resistance.

5) Perception, decision-making and behavioural dimensions

The course integrates contributions from behavioural economics to analyse the role of perception in change processes.

Organisational decisions are not considered fully rational, but influenced by:

• context,
• framing,
• cognitive biases,
• default options.

Perception thus becomes a key variable in understanding why individuals and organisations react to change in seemingly “irrational” ways .

6) Organisational culture and managing cultural change

Organisational culture is analysed as a set of values, assumptions and practices that guide the behaviour of organisational actors.

Cultural change is presented as one of the most complex challenges of change management, as it affects identity, meanings and power relations.

The course explores:

• the role of culture in facilitating or hindering change;
• the limitations of top-down approaches;
• the link between culture, learning and adaptation in service organisations.

7) Leadership, inclusion and learning organisations

The course addresses the role of leadership as the ability to guide change through vision, communication and involvement.

The following are also analysed:

• diversity and inclusion as factors affecting engagement and resistance;
• the learning organisation as a model that makes change a normal and continuous condition;
• learning as a lever for increasing resilience and adaptive capacity.

8) Digital technologies and contemporary change processes

The last part of the course links change management theories to digital transformation processes.

Digital technologies and platforms are interpreted as socio-technical infrastructures that:

• redefine work and service processes;
• introduce new forms of control and visibility;
• influence communication, coordination and performance evaluation.

Testi/Bibliografia

Armenakis, A. A., & Bedeian, A. G. (1999). Organizational change: A review of theory and research in the 1990s. Journal of Management, 25(3), 293–315.

Cameron, E., & Green, M. (2019). Making sense of change management (5th ed.). London: Kogan Page.

Choromides, C. (2021). Leading change in financial service organisations: An exploration of employees’ perceptions of management of change using an organisational justice framework. SPOUDAI – Journal of Economics and Business, 71(3–4), 67–97.

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.

Lewin, K. (1947). Frontiers in group dynamics. Human Relations, 1(1), 5–41.

Maes, G., & Van Hootegem, G. (Eds.). (2023). Organizational change and management. Basel: MDPI – Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.

Montefusco, A. (2021). Change management. Le regole del cambiamento organizzativo. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Piderit, S. K. (2000). Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: A multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), 783–794.

Senge, P. M. (1990). The fifth discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. New York: Doubleday.

Senior, B., & Swailes, S. (2020). Organizational change (6th ed.). Harlow: Pearson.

Metodi didattici

The course is delivered through lectures and critical discussion of change management theories and models, supported by the analysis of real-world organizational cases. Teaching materials and guided classroom discussion are used to foster students’ analytical and interpretative understanding of organizational change in service industries.

Modalità di verifica e valutazione dell'apprendimento

Mark range:

• 18-19: knowledge of a very limited number of topics covered in the course and analytical skills that emerge only with the help of the teacher, expressed in an overall correct language;
• 20-24: knowledge of a limited number of topics covered in the course and ability to autonomous analysis only on purely executive matters, expression in correct language;
• 25-29: good knowledge of a large number of topics covered in the course, ability to make independent choices of critical analysis, mastery of specific terminology;
• 30-30 cum laude: excellent knowledge of the topics covered in the course, ability to make autonomous choices of critical analysis and connection, full mastery of specific terminology and ability to argue and self-reflection.

Examination method: 

Written examination 4 open-ended questions
Possibly a group assignment to be presented in class for attending students with examination 3 open-ended questions

Orario di ricevimento

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