The Theory And Practice Of Change Management 3rd Edition John Hayes
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The Theory And Practice Of Change Management 3rd Edition John Hayes
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5. John Hayes
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11. Part I
Part Il
List offigures and tables ix
List ofcase studies xi
List ofresearch reports, examples and change tools xii
Preface xiv
Acknowledgements ax
Abbreviations . Xxii
Introduction and overview 7
The nature of change 14
1 Patterns ofchange 16
2 The process of change management 40
Recognizing the need for change and starting
the change process 58
3 Recognizing the need for change 60
4 Starting the change process > 72
Part Ill Eleanosi) 84
-§ Open systems models and alignment 87
Parrt IV
Part V
6 Other diagnostic models 10S
7 Gathering and interpreting information for diagnosis 122
a —
8 Power, politicsand stake management 143
9 The role of leadership in change management 159
10 Somamicens anes a 174
11 Motivating others
tochange 191
12 Managing personal transitions 208
13 Modes of
intervening 225
Planning and preparing for change 240
14 Shaping implementation strategies 243
15 Developing a change plan 258
12. oe CONTENTS
Part VI
Part VII
Part VIII
16
17
Types of intervention
Selecting interventions
Implementing change
18
16)
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Collective learning in organizations
Action research
Appreciative inquiry
Training and development
High performance management
Business process re-engineering
Lean
Restructuring for strategic gain: mergers and acquisitions
Merging groups: combining people for enhanced
performance
Reviewing change
27 Reviewing change
Sustaining change
28
29
30
Making change stick
Spreading change
Pulling it all together: a concluding case study
Author index
Subject index
270
283
300
304
325
337
350
307
370
377
394
407
426
427
436
438
448
456
458
463
13. Figures
Pattern of industry evolution
Punctuated equilibrium: a recurring pattern of continuous and transformational change
Types of organizational change
Internal alignment
Lewin’s three-step change process
Intensity of change
A force field
Steps in the change process
The relationship between Chapters 3-29 and the generic process model of change
The trap of success
Examples of functional misalignment
A causal map of a diagnostic model
The organization as an open system
Kotter’s integrative model of organizational dynamics
Congruence model
Strebel’s cycle of competitive behaviour
Greiner’s five phases of growth
Flamholtz’s pyramid of organizational development
The absorptive capacity/tipping point framework for growth firm states
The 7S model
Weisbord’s six-box model
The Burke-Litwin causal model of organizational performance and change
The transformational factors
CEO’s model of causal relationships affecting performance of SSSE
A force field
Results of the 1993 BBC staff survey
Strategic coupling
Organizational coupling
Environmental coupling
Effectiveness of communication strategies
Dynamics giving rise to organizational silence
An oversimplified model of the interview
The interaction between change agents and organizational members
The expectancy model of motivation
An expectancy model of the motivation to support or resist change
Bridges’ model of transition
Transition phases
A continuum of intervention strategies
The Awakishi diagram
Change participants’ perceptions of the appeal and likelihood of the change
Clarity of end state and content and structure of the plan
A matrix organization structure
14. @ . LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES
15.5 Acritical path analysis
16.1 Developments in types of intervention over the past century
16.2 Cummings and Worley’s typology of interventions based on focal issues
17.1. A three-dimensional model to aid choice of interventions
17.2 Examples of human process interventions
17.3 Examples of technostructural interventions
17.4 Examples of human resource interventions
17.5 Examples of strategic interventions
18.1 Individual learning
18.2 Individual and collective learning in organizations
18.3 A conference method for developing a ‘preferred future’
18.4 Double loop learning
19.1 The experiential learning model
19.2 The action research process
19.3 The action research process at Freedman House
19.4 The meeting canoe
20.1 The five steps of an appreciative inquiry
23.1 GP referral for a routine X-ray at a local hospital
24.1 Parts being pulled in response to customer requests
24.2 The Toyota Production System house
25.1 The acquisition process
25.2 Acquisition objectives and the required degree of integration
26.1 Acquired firm’s preferred mode of acculturation
26.2 Acquiring firm’s preferred mode of acculturation
26.3 Acculturative model for implementing organizational fit
26.4 Suitable culture
26.5 Transition phases
27.1 Translating the change strategy into a set of operational goals
27.2 The service profit chain
27.3 Factors affecting how people respond to the change
28.1 Classes of sustainability at cell level
28.2 Factory-level improvement model
28.3 A push approach to securing change
Tables
2.1 Possible actions
5.1 Examples of the kind of information that might be attended to
5.2 Interdependencies between elements
5.3. An example of a matrix of interdependencies
5.4 Mechanistic and organic organization forms
5.5 Examples of element states that do and do not facilitate system adaptation
7.1. Examples of questions asked in a BBC staff survey
7.2. Asimple SWOT template
7.3. Amore detailed SWOT template
7.4 Using SWOT to develop action plans
8.1 Positive frame
8.2 Negative frame
8.3 Differences between the two trusts
12.1 The social readjustment rating scale
25.1 Post-merger integration tasks
26.1 Suitability of culture matches
29.1 Implementation climate and innovation/values fit: effects on employees’ affective
responses and innovation use
265
271
278
286
287
287
288
288
305
306
314
319
326
329
332
333
342
373
383
384
396
401
412
412
413
417
420
432
432
434
439
440
441
41
88
91
91
94
98
124
134
134
135
148
148
150
210
402
416
453
15. 11.1. The BBC 33
11.2 UK Coal 34
11.3 Leicester Royal Infirmary 34
1.1.4 McDonald’s 35
iPoeGNER 36
3.1. The Active Sports Equipment Company 63
8.1 Stakeholder brainstorm 149
8.2 Stakeholder mapping ey
8.3 Managing stakeholder relationships 154
10.1 Galaxy Z 188
14.1. Asda: a winning formula 243
14.2 Direct Banking 256
17.1. Designing an intervention to improve the effectiveness of primary healthcare centres in
southwest India 295
17.2 Designing an intervention to increase the motivation and flexibility of the workforce in a large
dairy company 295
17.3 Designing an intervention to improve the treatment offered by the trauma orthopaedic care
department in a large NHS hospital 296
17.4. Designing an intervention to reduce absenteeism in the elderly care sector of Silkeborg
Council, Denmark 297
24.1 Grampian Police 390
30.1 KeyChemicals 456
16. Research reports
1.1. Study of microcomputer producers
2.1 Testing Lewin’s three-step model of change
8.1 Perceptions of fair treatment
9.1 Collective leadership and strategic change
10.1 Communicating bad news
11.1 Effect of group participation on resistance to change
16.1 Sociotechnical systems
21.1 Enterprise-level training in Australia
21.2 Relationship between enterprise-level training and organizational change
26.1 The realistic merger preview
28.1 Two enablers that help to promote stickability
Examples
2.1 Car importer case
2.2 Concrete Flags Ltd
4.1 Failure to convince others of the need for change at AT&T
4.2 Leading change at Lyons Confectionery
6.1. The Site Security and Secure Escorts case
7.1 The effect of being observed
13.1 Using a supportive approach
13.2 Using force-field analysis
13.3 Using a challenging approach
13.4 Using an information-gathering approach
14.1. The implementation of an economic strategy at the BBC
14.2 The implementation of an OD strategy at the BBC
15.1 Matrix structures
18.2 Bone density scans
18.3 Google: a good example of a learning organization
19.1 Action research at Xerox
19.2 Action research at Freedman House
20.1 Médecins Sans Frontiéres
20.2 Using collective inquiry for organization development at Médecins Sans Frontiéres
25.1 GNER and MTR
25.2 Brenntag’s history of restructuring for strategic gain
26.1 BT Cellnet’s acquisition of Martin Davies
26.2 United Distillers & Vintners
29.1 Asda’s roll-out of ‘Store Renewal’
Change tools
Sal
lat
(ay
Checking alignment between steps in the transformation process
The 7S matrix
Using a SWOT analysis
130
133
17. LIST OF RESEARCH REPORTS, EXAMPLES AND CHANGE TOOLS +—— xi
7.3 A force-field approach to opportunity development or problem management 136
8.1 Stakeholder grid 1S
11.1 Assessing the availability of valued outcomes 198
15.1. The Awakishi diagram 260
15.2 Critical path analysis 265
18.1 Organizational visits 310
18.2 Priority review 312
18.3 Organization mirror SZ
18.4 A conference method for developing a ‘preferred future’ 313
18.5 The after action review 316
18.6 Beckhard’s process for improving intergroup relations 320
19.1. The Axelrod canoe: a blueprint for getting people involved in meetings 330
20.1 Using appreciative inquiry to clarify values at the Hammersmith Hospital NHS Trust 347
22.1 Diagnosing the alignment of HR practices 364
23.1 The plan, do, study, act (PDSA) cycle 375
24.1 The seven wastes 385
22.1 The 5S methodology 386
22.3 The five whys 386
27.1 The change management indicator 433
18. On many academic programmes, change management is positioned as the inte-
grating course because it requires students to reflect on and synthesize the various
perspectives on organizational functioning offered by other modules studied, such
as finance, operations management, marketing, organizational behaviour and stra-
tegic management.
Studying change management is important because factors such as the availa-
bility of credit, technological advances, increasing competitive pressures, changes in
the boundaries of organizations, the development of new organizational forms,
regulatory reforms and globalization are creating opportunities and threats that
organizations need to address if they are to survive and prosper. Managers, at all
levels, have to be competent at identifying the need for change. They also have to be
able to act in ways that will secure change. Getting it ‘wrong’ can be costly. It is
imperative, therefore, that managers get it ‘right’, but getting it right is not easy. There
is no single ‘recipe’ that can be applied to all organizations at all times. This book
addresses a broad range of issues that will affect the likelihood that change efforts
will be successful.
Studying change management will provide you with an opportunity to reflect on
what you have learned from other courses and from your work experience about:
> sense making — drawing on different perspectives of organizational functioning
> ways of knowing - sources of data and evaluating evidence
» shaping behaviours — ways of influencing and coordinating behaviour
> designing interventions — ways of ‘doing’ that purposely disrupt the status quo in
order to move the organization towards a more effective state.
The Theory and Practice ofChange Management is designed to help you to:
> develop your investigative and diagnostic skills so that you will be more effective
in assessing what is going on in organizations
> extend your ability to manage issues arising from internally planned and
externally imposed organizational changes
> improve your awareness of how people can facilitate or resist change and extend
your ability to manage human resources in the context of change.
Features of the book
The book has the following distinctive features, and includes the use of logos:
> Underlying model: In Chapter 2, ‘change’ is conceptualized as a process. A
conceptual model is presented to help you think about the theory and practice of
19. PREFACE —— ow
change management, and to provide a framework that will help you act
effectively to bring about change.
> Clear signposting: The process model of change, presented at the end of this
Preface and again in the Introduction, the Part I opener and at the end of Chapter
2, is elaborated to show how each part of the book and each chapter in each part
relates to this model. The model is referred to in the introduction to each part
and a smaller version of the model is included at the beginning of each chapter,
with the relevant part of the model highlighted to show how that chapter relates
to the process model.
> Exercises An : These draw on your personal experience of change. Some are
presented at the beginning of a chapter and invite you to articulate and critically
examine your own implicit theories of change and change management before
studying the literature on the topic. Others are presented later and invite you to
apply concepts and theories to your own experience of change.
> Change tools fu) : Change management is most effective when the use oftools
and techniques is guided by theory. Throughout the book, a number of carefully
selected change tools are presented alongside theory to provide change managers
with some ideas about the kinds of practical tools and techniques that might be
useful in specific circumstances.
> Research reports Q : Much of the knowledge about the management of change
that is available to managers is practice based. There is, however, a growing body
of research evidence that can complement, and in some cases challenge, this
craft-based expertise. Throughout the book, embedded in the text, there are
frequent references to research studies, but from time to time, selected studies
are presented in research reports. These give a flavour of some of this research-
based knowledge and how research is contributing to our knowledge about
change management. They also indicate some of the different approaches that
researchers have adopted to the study of change.
> Examples : These illustrate a point. They describe an instance or refer to a
pattern of behaviour that demonstrates the relevance, or aids the understanding,
of a concept or theory.
> Case studies cal : These invite you to apply theory to a variety of problematic
situations unrelated to your own experience of change. The case studies are all
based on actual events, although in some instances, the name of
the organization
has been changed.
Research reports
This is not a text on research methods but the research reports do provide material
that can be used to stimulate debate about how we can develop a theory of change
management. Some ofthe research reports focus on studies that seek to test a theory
and explain causal relationships between variables. They adopt a deductive
approach. An example is Research report 1.1 on Romanelli and Tushman’s study of
organizational transformation as punctuated equilibrium. Starting with a theory,
they deduced a set of hypotheses, expressed them in operational terms and
conducted an empirical inquiry to test them. Other research reports point to a
number ofissues students of change need to be aware of when designing studies. For
example, Research report 10.1 on Greenberg's study of communicating bad news
provides a good illustration of expressing a hypothesis in a way that facilitates meas-
urement, wherein the effect of bad news is measured using pilfering rates and labour
20. ow ——: PREFACE
Case studies
turnover. Research report 11.1 on Coch and French’s study of resistance to change
provides an example of using controls to facilitate hypothesis testing.
Inductive studies adopt a different approach. They involve moving from data to
theory. Researchers involve themselves in a situation to understand what is going
on. They collect data, often using interviews and observation, and use this under-
standing to formulate theory. Trist and Bamforth’s study (Research report 16.1)
involved them following and maintaining relatively continuous contact with 20
coalface workers over a period of two years in order to gain a deep understanding
of why the introduction of the longwall method of coal getting failed to yield
improvements in performance. This study led to the formulation of a theory of
sociotechnical systems.
Some studies combine deductive and inductive approaches. Denis et al’s research
on the dynamics of collective leadership (Research report 9.1) involved five case
studies over a five-year period. Based on their initial case studies, they developed
some theoretical ideas about the collective nature of leadership. In their later studies,
they went on to examine how these ideas could be generalized and enriched to aid
the understanding of leadership in more complex and pluralistic settings.
This book was originally written for MBA students and practising managers and
others who have considerable experience of working in organizations. In the second
edition, the many exercises designed to help experienced managers apply theory to
their own practice of management were supplemented with a range of examples and
case studies that could aid understanding for those without much direct experience
of managing change. In this third edition, the range of case studies has been extended.
The case studies are used in different ways. Sometimes they are presented at the
end of a chapter to test your understanding of theory. For example, at the end of
Chapter 1, you are invited to use a typology of change presented in the chapter to
identify the kind of change confronting the BBC, UK Coal, Leicester Royal Infir-
mary, McDonald’s and GNER (Case studies 1.1.1-1.1.5). In some chapters, the case
studies are presented at the beginning or early in the chapter to encourage you to
think about how you might manage a situation before you are introduced to theory
that will help you to diagnose the problem and formulate a course of action. Exam-
ples include Case study 3.1 on the Active Sports Equipment Company and Case
study 14.1 on Asda. Sometimes a case study is broken down into a series of related
mini-cases to help you to discover ways in which theory can improve your practice
of change management. An example in Chapter 8 involves the merger of two hospi-
tals. First, Case study 8.1 invites you to identify all those who might be affected by
and/or could affect the outcome of the change. Later on, Case study 8.2 involves
mapping stakeholders in accordance with how much power and influence they have
and their attitude towards the change. Lastly, Case study 8.3 involves developing
strategies for managing relationships with each group of stakeholders.
Sometimes cases relate to a part of the book rather than specific chapters. At the
end of Chapter 17, four case studies invite you to imagine that you are a consultant
who has been asked to design an intervention that will address the issues raised in
Part VI, Implementing change. Case study 17.1 is set in southwest India and involves
improving the effectiveness of primary healthcare centres. Case study 17.2 involves
designing an intervention to increase the motivation and flexibility of the workforce
of a Danish dairy company operating in the UK. Case study 17.3 involves designing
an intervention to improve the treatment offered by the trauma orthopaedic care
21. PREFACE a)
department of a large UK hospital. Case study 17.4 involves reducing absenteeism in
the elderly care sector of Silkeborg Council in Denmark.
Chapter 30 introduces a concluding case study designed to provide you with an
opportunity to review what you have read and to think about how the many theo-
ries, models, techniques and tools can be applied to the management of a single case.
You can do this on your own or with others.
The case studies relate to public and private sector organizations, operating in a
variety of areas such as healthcare, local government, broadcasting, energy, chemi-
cals, dairy, fast foods, leisure, manufacturing and security. The case studies also
relate to situations in the UK, Denmark, Germany, India and elsewhere, and to
multinational companies that operate in several countries. Although not presented
as a case study, enterprise-level training in Australia is discussed in some detail in
Chapter 21.
Changes to the content of the third edition
New chapters
Reorganization
The content of the book is organized into eight parts and 30 chapters. This structure
reflects some of the theoretical and practical issues that have been important in my
experience consulting with a wide variety of clients on a range of change-related issues.
The third edition includes six new chapters, three in Part VI, Implementing change:
> Chapter 24 — Lean
> Chapter 25 — Restructuring for strategic gain
> Chapter 26 —- Merging groups
and three in Part VIII, Sustaining change:
> Chapter 28 — Making change stick
> Chapter 29 - Spreading change
>» Chapter 30 — Pulling it all together: the concluding case.
The first part of the second edition entitled Core concepts has been reduced from
five to two chapters and retitled The nature of change. Two of the remaining orig-
inal chapters in Part I have been moved. Open systems models and alignment is
now the first chapter in Part III. Collective learning is now the first chapter in Part
VI. Material from the chapter on organizational effectiveness has been incorpor-
ated into Chapter 3, Recognizing the need for change, at the beginning of Part III.
The final part of the second edition has been replaced by a new final part on
sustaining change. The chapter Modes of intervening, the penultimate chapter in the
second edition, has been moved to Part IV, and has been expanded to included
material from the final chapter in the second edition. This revised structure supports
the underlying model presented in Chapter 2.
The following are changes to other chapters:
> Chapter 6 has been extended to include a discussion of
life cycle models of
organizational growth and development.
> Chapter 9 has been extended to include a discussion of
leadership styles,
situational leadership and ‘new genre’ models including charismatic leadership.
22. @ PREFACE
Pathways
The ‘essentials’
> Chapter 15 has been extended to include a discussion of the danger of adopting a
fragmented approach to leading change.
> Chapter 17 includes the addition of trans-organization to the levels included in
the three-dimensional model for selecting interventions.
In addition there have been minor additions to most other chapters.
One of the strengths of this book is its wide scope. Not everybody, however, will
want to read all 30 chapters. Some may want a quick overview of the ‘essentials’ of
change management and others may want to focus on a particular issue.
If you want to use the book to quickly grasp the essentials of change management,
you might find it helpful to begin by reading Chapter 2. This chapter presents a
process model and briefly describes the key steps in the process of change manage-
ment. Each step is covered in much greater detail in Parts II-VII, but you might find
it helpful to begin by focusing attention on a few chapters that provide more infor-
mation about diagnosis, managing people through change and planning for imple-
mentation. An essentials pathway might therefore include:
The process model of change management: Chapter 2
Diagnosis: Chapters 5 and 6
Managing people issues: Chapters 8-10
Shaping implementation strategies: Chapter 14
Ways of intervening: Chapters 16 and 17.
wrT
vwvwevTwv
Implementing change
Ifyou want to quickly review the theory and practice that relates to implementation,
you might find the following pathway helpful:
> The process of change management: Chapter 2
> Stakeholder management: Chapter 8
> Planning and preparing for change: Chapters 14-17
> Implementation: Some or all of the nine chapters in Part VI- Chapters 18-20
address interventions that focus on human process problems, Chapters 21 and
22 focus on interventions that address human resource issues, Chapters 23 and
24 focus on technostructural interventions and Chapters 25 and 26 on
interventions that address strategic issues.
> Reviewing and keeping the change on track: Chapter 27.
Other ways to access content relevant to your needs
While most readers will find it helpful to begin by reading Chapters 1 and 2, you
might want to start by dipping into chapters that relate to an immediate concern.
Consulting the Introduction and overview, which follows this Preface, might help
you to identify relevant chapters. For example, ifyour concern is sustaining change,
Chapters 28 and 29 might provide a relevant start. Ifyour immediate concern relates
to mergers or acquisitions, you might want to begin by looking at Chapters 25 and
26. If you want some ideas about who should lead the change process, you might
find it helpful to look at Chapters 4, 9 and 15S.
23. PREFACE — @
A tutor’s guide is available for those who adopt this book at www.palgrave.com/
business/hayes3. It includes a set of PowerPoint slides and a full debrief of many of
the case studies, including Case study 14.1 and Case studies 17.1-17.4.
JOHN Hayes
Ext 3 Recognizing the need for change
ste 4 Starting the change process
change
Problems and
opportunities
5 Open systems models
6 Other diagnostic models
7 Gathering and interpreting information
8 Stakeholder management 11 Motivating others to change
9 Leadership 12 Managing personal transitions
10 Communicating change 13 Modes of intervening
14 Shaping implementation strategies
15 Developing a change plan
- 16 Types of intervention
< 17 Selecting interventions
m
= 18 Organizational learning 23 Business process re-engineering
19 Action research 24 Lean
20 Appreciative inquiry 25 Restructuring for strategic gain
21 Training and development 26 Merging groups
22 High performance management
27 Reviewing change
28 Making change stick
29 Spreading change
The relationship between Chapters 3-29 and the generic process model of change
24. The author and publishers wish to thank the following for permission to reproduce
copyright material:
Harvard Business Review for Figure 6.2 ‘Greiner’s five phases of growth, Greiner, L.E.
(1972) Evolution and revolution as organisations grow, Harvard Business Review,
50(4): 41.
Sage Publications for Figure 6.6 “Weisbord’s six-box model’, Weisbord, M.R. (1976)
Organization diagnosis: six places to look for trouble with or without a theory,
Group and Organization Management, 1(4): 432; Figures 6.7 and 6.8 “The Burke-
Litwin causal model of organizational performance and change’ and “The transfor-
mational factors, Burke, W.W. and Litwin, G.H. (1992) A causal model of
organizational performance and change, Journal ofManagement, 18(3): 528.
The Academy of Management for Figure 10.1 ‘Effectiveness of communication strat-
egies, Clampitt, P.G., DeKoch, R.J. and Cashman, T. (2000) A strategy for commu-
nicating about uncertainty, Academy of Management Executive, 14(4): 48; Figure
10.2 ‘Dynamics giving rise to organisational silence’, adapted from Morrison, E.W.
and Milliken, F. J. (2000) Organizational silence: a barrier to change and develop-
ment in apluralistic world, Academy ofManagement Review, 25(4): 709; Figure 24.2
‘The Toyota Production System house’, Liker, J.K. and Morgan, J.M. (2006) The
Toyota way in services: the case of lean product development, Academy ofManage-
ment Perspectives, 20(2): 7; Figures 26.1 and 26.2 ‘Acquired firm’s preferred mode of
acculturation’ and ‘Acquiring firm’s preferred mode of acculturation’, Nahavandi, A.
and Malekzadeh, A.R. (1988) Acculturation in mergers and acquisitions, Academy
ofManagement Review, 13(1): 83-4; Table 29.1 ‘Implementation climate and innov-
ation/values fit, Klein, K.L. and Sorra, J.S. (1996) The challenge of innovation
implementation, Academy ofManagement Review, 21(4): 1066.
Elsevier Publishers for Table 12.1 “The social readjustment rating scale’, adapted
from Holmes, T. and Rahe, R. (1967) The social readjustment rating scale, Journal of
Psychosomatic Research, 11: 215.
Cengage Publishers for Figure 16.2 ‘Cummings and Worley’s typology of interven-
tions based on focal issues, adapted from Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G. (2001)
Organizational Development and Change, 7th edn.
Emerald Group Publishing for Table 25.1 “Post-merger integration tasks’, Shrivas-
tava, P. (1986) ‘Postmerger integration’ Journal ofBusiness Strategy, 7(1): 67; Figures
25. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS -
28.1 and 28.2 ‘Classes of sustainability at cell level’ and ‘Factory-level improvement
model, Bateman, N. and David, A. (2002) Process improvement programmes: a
model for assessing sustainability, International Journal ofOperations and Production
Management, 22(5/6): 520.
Wiley for Figure 1.3 “Types of organizational change’, adapted from Nadler, D. and
Shaw, R. (1995) Change leadership, in Nadler, D., Shaw, R. and Walton, A.E. (eds)
Discontinuous Change, Jossey-Bass; Figure 3.1 “The trap of success, Nadler, D. and
Shaw, R. (1995) Change leadership, in Nadler, D., Shaw, R. and Walton, A.E. (eds)
Discontinuous Change, Jossey-Bass; Exercise 5.1 ‘Raising awareness of your implicit
model of organizational functioning’, described in Tichy, N.M. and Hornstein,
H.A. (1980) Collaborative model building, in Lawler, E.E., Nadler, D.A. and
Cammann, C. (eds) Organizational Assessment, Wiley; Figure 5.3 ‘Kotter’s integ-
rative model of organizational dynamics’, Nadler, D. and Tushman, M. (1980)
Congruence model for organizational assessment, in Lawler, E.E., Nadler, D.A.
and Cammann, C. (eds) Organizational Assessment, Wiley; Table 5.5 ‘Examples of
element states that do and do not facilitate system adaptation, adapted from
Nadler, D. and Tushman, M. (1980) Congruence model for organizational assess-
ment, in Lawler, E.E., Nadler, D.A. and Cammann, C. (eds) Organizational Assess-
ment, Wiley; Figure 5.4 ‘Congruence model’, Nadler, D and Tushman, M. (1980)
Congruence model for organizational assessment, in Lawler, E.E., Nadler, D.A. and
Cammann, C. (eds) Organizational Assessment, Wiley; Figure 6.3 ‘Flamholtz’s
pyramid of organizational development’, Flamholtz, E. (1995) Managing organiz-
ational transition: implications for corporate and human resource management,
European Management Journal, 13(1): 44; Figure 6.4 “The absorptive capacity/
tipping point framework for growth firm states’, Phelps, R., Adams, R. and Bessant,
J. (2007) Life cycles of growing organizations: a review with implications for know-
ledge and learning, International Journal ofManagement Reviews, 9(1): 13; Figure
16.1 ‘Developments in types of intervention over the past century’, Weisbord, M.
(1987) Productive Workplaces: Organising and Managing
forDignity, Meaning and
Community, Jossey-Bass.
Simon & Schuster for Figure 6.5 “The 7S model; Pascale, R. and Athos, A. (1981)
The Art ofJapanese Management.
Every effort has been made to trace rights holders, but ifany have been inadvertently
overlooked the publishers would be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at
the first opportunity.
26. after action review
accident and emergency
business process re-engineering
chief executive
chief executive officer
enterprise resource planning
human resources
human resource management
information technology
just in time
National Health Service
organization development
plan, do, study, act
political, economic, social, technological
severe acute respiratory syndrome
strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
total quality management
27. The Theory and Practice ofChange Management is designed to help you:
> develop your investigative and diagnostic skills so that you will be more effective
in assessing what is going on in organizations
» extend your ability to manage issues arising from internally planned and
externally imposed organizational changes
> improve your awareness of how people can facilitate or resist change and extend
your ability to manage the human resource in the context of change.
The book is divided into eight parts. The first examines the nature of change and
in Chapter 2 presents a model of change as a process. The following seven parts of
the book address each stage of this process in turn. Part II focuses on recognizing the
need for change and starting the change process. Part III looks at diagnosis and how
change managers identify what it is that needs to be changed. Part IV explores the
many people issues that have to be attended to. Part V is concerned with planning
and preparing to implement a change. Part VI focuses on implementation. Part VII
looks at how change managers can monitor and review how well the change is
progressing and how feedback can draw attention to unanticipated consequences
and the need for corrective action. Part VIII is about sustaining change, hanging on
to gains and spreading good practice.
Part! The nature of change
The first part of this book reviews some important theoretical perspectives on the
nature of change and a range of the issues and choices that need to be considered
when developing an approach to managing change.
Patterns of change
The first chapter examines the nature of change, reviews theories relating to patterns
of change, considers some of the factors that facilitate or limit change and explores
some of the implications of different types of change for change management
practice.
Until recently almost all received models of change were incremental and cumu-
lative. The gradualist paradigm posits that organizations can adapt and transform
themselves, as required, through aprocess of continuous adjustment. This is in stark
contrast to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, which posits that systems
(organizations) evolve through the alternation of periods of equilibrium, in which
persistent ‘deep structures’ only permit limited incremental change, and periods of
revolution, in which these deep structures are fundamentally altered. It is argued
28. eo — INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
that, with a few exceptions, most organizations experience change as a pattern of
punctuated equilibrium.
After reading this chapter, you will be invited to assess your understanding of
some of the issues discussed by identifying the nature of change involved in Case
studies 1.1-1.5. You will also be invited to reflect on the nature of the changes
confronting the organization you work for, or another organization you know well.
Chapter 2 The process of change
This chapter opens with an activity designed to explore the issues and choices
involved in developing an approach to managing organizational change. It then
moves on to consider change from a process perspective and presents a generic
model that provides the structure for Chapters 3-29 of this book.
The way in which chapters relate to the generic model is illustrated below.
w Recognizing the need for change
External 4 Starting the change process
change
Problems and
opportunities
5 Open systems models
6 Other diagnostic models
7 Gathering and interpreting information
8 Stakeholder management 11 Motivating others to change
9 Leadership 12 Managing personal transitions
10 Communicating change 13 Modes of intervening
> 14 Shaping implementation strategies
15 Developing a change plan
= 4 > 16 Types of intervention
< 17 Selecting interventions
m
= 18 Organizational learning 23 Business process re-engineering
19 Action research 24 Lean
20 Appreciative inquiry 25 Restructuring for strategic gain
21 Training and development 26 Merging groups
22 High performance management
27 Reviewing change
28 Making change stick
29 Spreading change
The relationship between Chapters 3-29 and the generic process model of change
29. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW ~~
Part Il Recognizing the need for change and starting
the change process
Part Ill
3 Recognizing the
need for change
4 Starting the
change process
dosd
Bulbeueyw
le implement
a
Sustain
a>
Chapter 3 Recognizing the need for change
The focus of this chapter is recognizing the need for change. Particular attention is
given to how internal factors can affect this. These include strong organizational
ideologies that inhibit learning, the composition of the top team, the way the agenda
for change is formulated and the extent to which organizational members are
encouraged or allowed to contribute to the change agenda.
Chapter 4 Starting the change process
Diagnosis
This chapter examines some of the issues associated with starting the change
process. Most important is translating the need for change into a desire for change.
Organizational members may be reluctant to pursue change because they lack confi-
dence in their own and others’ ability to make a difference. This chapter (and book)
adopts a ‘voluntaristic’ perspective and argues that organizational members are not
powerless pawns, unable to affect change, but are independent actors able to inter-
vene in ways that can make an important difference. To do this they need concepts
and theories that will help them to understand the process of changing and ways of
intervening, but they also need to believe in their own ability to affect outcomes.
Attention is given to who should lead the change and how they can build effective
change relationships.
Organizational diagnosis is concerned with identifying what it is that needs to be
changed. Organizational behaviour, at all its different levels, is a complex phenom-
enon and it is impossible for managers to pay attention to every aspect of organiza-
tional functioning. Diagnostic models help change managers to cope with this
complexity.
30. 4 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
extemal
change
ol Open systems
models
Other diagnostic
models
Gathering and
interpreting
information
a
~N
Chapter 5 Opensystems models and alignment
This chapter opens with an examination of the role of models in organizational
diagnosis and introduces an exercise designed to help raise your awareness of the
implicit models you use when thinking about organizations and assessing the need
for change.
Often our implicit models provide a good basis for understanding what is going
on and predicting what kinds of actions or interventions will produce desired
change. Sometimes, however, they are subjective and biased; they overemphasize
some aspects of organizational functioning and completely neglect others. The aim
of the model-building exercise is to help you to develop a greater awareness of your
own model of organizational functioning, assess whether it is consistent with or
relevant to the problems or opportunities you may need to address, and consider
ways in which you can improve the efficacy of your approach to diagnosing and
identifying what needs to be changed.
The second part of Chapter S considers the attributes of holistic models of organ-
izational functioning, summarizes the main features of open systems models and
discusses the utility of the concept of alignment.
Chapter 6 Other diagnostic models
This chapter presents a range of other models that can be used to aid diagnosis.
It is argued that ‘good’ diagnostic models are those that are relevant to the issues
under consideration, help to identify critical cause-and-effect relationships and
focus attention on elements that change managers can affect.
Chapter 7 Gathering and interpreting information for diagnosis
This chapter examines the process of gathering and interpreting information for the
purpose of
diagnosis. Attention is focused on five main steps:
1 selection of an appropriate conceptual model for diagnosis
2 clarification of information requirements
3 information gathering
4 analysis
5 interpretation.
32. @
Chapter 11
— INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
> classify them according to their power to influence and their attitude towards the
change
> assess the extent to which the change manager was aware of these stakeholders
and took proper account of them when managing the change.
Chapter 9 The role of leadership in change management
This chapter examines the role of leadership in change management. Special atten-
tion is given to the leader’s role in terms of creating a vision, aligning relationships
around the vision and inspiring others to achieve the vision. Leadership is also
considered as a.
collective process and some of the issues associated with maintaining
coherence in the leadership group and between the leadership group and internal
and external stakeholders are reviewed. The chapter closes with a review of Kotter's _
eight-point checklist of what leaders can do to promote change. :
Chapter 10 Communicating change
This chapter considers the role of communication in the management of change.
Often the focus is exclusively on the ‘what, when, who and how’ of communicating
from the perspective of the change manager communicating to others. In this
chapter, attention is also given to issues associated with change managers perceiving,
interpreting and using information communicated to them by others.
After studying this chapter, you will be invited to consider how the quality of
communication has helped or hindered change in your organization, or some other
situation with which you are familiar.
Motivating others to change
This chapter considers how the general level of commitment in an organization can
affect the level of support for change and identifies some of the most common
sources of resistance to change. The utility of expectancy theory for assessing and
managing resistance to change is explored.
The second half of the chapter involves an exercise designed to help you to use
expectancy and equity theory to motivate others to change.
Chapter 12 Managing personal transitions
This chapter addresses the way organizational members experience change. It exam-
ines the response to change, irrespective of whether the change is viewed as an
opportunity or a threat, as a progression through a number of stages of psychological
reaction. It also considers how an understanding of the way individuals react to
change can help managers to plan and implement organizational change in ways that
will maximize benefit and minimize cost for the organization and those affected by
the change.
In this chapter, you will be invited to reflect on how you reacted to a change that
was lasting in its effects, took place over a relatively short period of time and affected
a number of key assumptions you made about how you related to the world around
you. The information generated by this exercise will be used to validate a generic
stage model of transition.
33. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW —@
Chapter 13 Modes of intervening
This chapter argues that the most effective way of facilitating change is to intervene
in a way that helps others to help themselves. Usually this involves adopting acollab-
orative approach but sometimes there may be special circumstances that call for a
more prescriptive approach. Five different modes of intervening are discussed. One
of these, advising, is prescriptive and the other four — supporting, theorizing, chal-
lenging and information gathering — are collaborative.
Part V Planning and preparing for implementation
BE
eee i
Baten
Banu y
a
ee
Recognize
4>
14 Shaping implementation
strategies
15 Developing a change plan
16 Types of intervention
17 Selecting interventions
4
implement
a ee )
4>
The four chapters in Part V examine some of the issues that change managers need
to attend to, after they have diagnosed what needs to be changed, in order to decide
how to achieve the required change.
Chapter 14 Shaping the implementation strategy
This chapter looks at the broad picture and considers the strengths and weaknesses
of three approaches to managing change, explores some of the situational variables
that need to be considered when shaping an implementation strategy and considers
how and why a change strategy may need to change over time. The chapter
concludes with a brief review of some alternative start points for change.
After reading this chapter, you will be invited to critically assess the strategy used
to manage a recent change within your organization or some other situation with
which you are familiar.
Chapter 15 Developing a change plan
It is not unusual for change to disrupt normal work and undermine existing manage-
ment systems. This chapter considers some of the steps that need to be considered
when developing a change plan. These are:
> appoint a transition manager
identify what needs to be done
produce an implementation plan, with clear targets and goals, which can indicate
progress and signal a need for any remedial action
> use multiple and consistent leverage points for change
34. eo -—. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
schedule activities
ensure that adequate resources are allocated to the change and that an
appropriate balance is maintained between keeping the organization running and
implementing the changes necessary to move towards the desired future state
> implement reward systems that encourage experimentation and change
> develop feedback mechanisms that provide the information required to ensure
that the change programme moves forward in a coordinated manner, especially
where the plan calls for change in a number of related areas.
After reading this chapter, you will be invited to reflect on an occasion when you
were involved in the management of a change, at work or elsewhere, and consider
what you or others might have done differently to develop an effective implementa-
tion plan.
Chapter 16 Types of intervention
Interventions are intentional acts designed to disrupt the status quo and move the
organization towards a more effective state. Change efforts can be less successful
than they might be because those responsible for managing the change are unaware
of the full range of interventions available to them. This chapter reviews interven-
tions using two contrasting typologies.
The first focuses attention on who does the intervening and what it is they do to
bring about change. Four classes of intervention are discussed:
> experts applying scientific principles to solve specific problems
> groups working collaboratively to solve their own problems
> experts working to solve system-wide problems
> everybody working to improve the capability of the whole system for future
performance.
The second classifies interventions in terms of the issues they address. Again, four
main types of intervention are identified, which focus on:
» human process issues
> technology/structural issues
> human resource issues
> strategic issues.
Chapter 17 Selecting interventions
This chapter reviews some of the factors that need to be considered when selecting
which kind of intervention to use. They include the nature of the diagnosed problem,
the level of change target — individual, group, organization and so on — and the
required depth of intervention. These factors are combined to provide a three-
dimensional model to aid choice.
Attention is also given to the factors that can affect the sequencing of interven-
tions. These include the intent or purpose of the change, organizational politics and
how they can affect the support for different interventions, the need for an early
success to maintain motivation, the stakes involved, and causal links that affect the
dynamics of change.
35. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW &
Part VI Implementing change
External
oe
| change
Organizational learning
Action research
Appreciative inquiry
Training and development
High performance management
Business process re-engineering
Lean
Restructuring for strategic gain
Merging groups
Implementation is the step in the change process that involves taking action to
bring about change. Part VI reviews the theory that underpins nine types of inter-
vention and considers how each can be used to secure change. The first three inter-
ventions (chapters) address human process problems, the next two focus on human
resource issues, the following two on technostructural problems and the final two
on strategic issues.
/’ Chapter 18 Collective learning in organizations
This chapter reviews how collective learning can contribute to organizational effec-
tiveness and presents examples of interventions that promote learning in different
situations.
Different kinds of collective learning are discussed. Single loop learning is
concerned with continuous improvement through doing things better. Double loop
learning involves challenging current thinking and exploring the possibility of doing
things differently or doing different things. Attention is also given to the role of
knowledge transfer within and between organizations.
Chapter 19 Action research
Action research is the basic model underpinning most organizational change inter-
ventions. It involves the application of scientific methods (fact finding and experi-
mentation) to organizational problems and underpins the generic process model of
change presented in Chapter 2.
Action research is based on the premise that people learn best and are more
willing to apply what they have learned when they manage the problem-solving
process for themselves. The learning process involves:
> observing what is going on
> developing hypotheses that specify cause-and-effect relationships and point to
actions that could help organizational members to manage their problem more
effectively
> taking action
> collecting data to evaluate the effect of the action and test the hypothesis.
36. @e INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Chapter 20 Appreciative inquiry
Appreciative inquiry is a process that involves exploring the best of what is and
amplifying this best practice. It seeks to accentuate the positive rather than eliminate
the negative; it focuses attention on what is good and working rather than on what is
wrong and not working.
Whereas action research promotes learning through attending to dysfunctional
aspects of organizational functioning (problems), appreciative inquiry is concerned
with embracing possibilities. This involves:
» Discovering the best of whatever is the focus of the inquiry, for example team
working, leadership
> Understanding what creates the best of ...
> Amplifying the people or processes that create the best of ... .
This chapter examines appreciative inquiry from three perspectives: a philosophy
of knowledge, an intervention theory, and a methodology for intervening in organiz-
ations to improve performance and the quality of life.
Chapter 21. Training and development
This chapter considers how training can contribute to the change process. Attention
is directed towards the main elements of an effective approach to training. These are:
1 A training needs analysis, which involves three steps:
« a system-level review to determine which parts of the organization will be
affected by the change
» amore focused task analysis to determine how the pattern of task demands
and required competencies will change
* a person analysis to identify the extent to which existing organizational
members possess the required competencies.
2 The design and delivery of
training.
3 The evaluation of the training.
The final section reviews the development of training practice in Australia over a
10-year period and highlights a number of trends in training provision.
Chapter 22 High performance management
This chapter considers how people management practices can affect performance by:
1 improving employees’ knowledge and skills
2 motivating them to engage in discretionary behaviours that draw on their
knowledge and skill
3 modifying organizational structures in ways that enable employees to improve
the way they perform their jobs.
Rather than focusing on separate people management practices, high perform-
ance management involves developing and implementing a ‘bundle’ or system of
practices that are internally consistent, aligned with other business processes, and
aligned with the organization's business strategy.
Alignment is the defining feature of high performance management interventions.
37. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW AB
Chapter 23 Business process re-engineering
This chapter examines the nature of business process re-engineering (BPR). While it
is often regarded as a fundamental rethinking and radical redesign of business proc-
esses to achieve dramatic change, the benefits of less ambitious approaches that
adopt BPR principles to improve existing processes are also considered.
The seven stages of BPR are discussed. These are:
process mapping
identifying processes for re-engineering
understanding the selected process
defining key performance objectives
designing new processes
testing
implementation.
NAO
fd
wWN
Chapter 24 Lean
This chapter traces the development of lean thinking and presents Womark and
Jones's five lean principles:
> specifying value for each product or product family
> identifying value streams for each product to expose waste
> making value flow without interruption
> letting customers pull value from the producer
> pursuing perfection by searching out and eliminating further waste.
A number of lean tools and techniques are reviewed along with issues to be
considered when implementing lean. The chapter ends with an exploration of how
lean has been applied in manufacturing and non-manufacturing settings.
Chapter 25 Restructuring for strategic gain: mergers and acquisitions
Acquisition success depends on both strategic and organization fit. This chapter adopts
a process perspective and considers some of the conditions and critical junctures that
can affect the quality of strategic fit and the integration process. Some of the issues that
those leading the acquisition need to recognize and address are identified.
Many of the problems that undermine the acquisition process can be avoided, or
at least minimized, if careful attention is given to:
> specifying acquisition objectives
> developing an acquisition overview that provides the bridge between the
acquisition objectives and what needs to happen ifthey are to be achieved
> elaborating this overview to develop an implementation plan
> taking care to avoid managing the actual implementation in a heavy-handed way.
Chapter 26 Merging groups: combining people for effective performance
This chapter draws on social identity and acculturation theories to provide a concep-
tual framework for thinking about how managers can intervene to promote people
synergy and achieve merger success. Attention is focused on three types of
intervention:
> culture profiling — to pre-screen potential merger partners and, later in the
merger process, guide the integration process
38. @e — INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Part Vil
> change communication — to provide organizational members with clear and
unambiguous information about what is going to change as aresult of the merger
socioemotional support — to care for those affected by the change, minimize
alienation and promote post-merger organizational identity.
Reviewing change
External
change
MA3AlAAY
4>
«>
Recognize
Sustain
Chapter 27 Reviewing change
Part VIII
Buribeueyp
eidood
27 Reviewing change
This chapter focuses special attention on how the process of reviewing progress can
provide change managers with feedback they can use to assess whether interven-
tions are being implemented as intended, whether the chosen interventions are
having the desired effect and whether the change plan continues to be valid.
| External
change
Sustaining change
4)
ee
a —
Sen i
Recognize
On
ere
Diagnosis
Plan
eee
implement
28 Making change stick
29 Spreading change
Lewin (1951) argued that all too often change is short-lived. After a ‘shot in the arm,
life returns to the way it was before. In his view, it is not enough to think of change in
terms of simply reaching a new state. The first two chapters look at what managers
39. INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW -.@
can do to sustain change. The final chapter presents a case study that provides an
opportunity to reflect on and pull together all the concepts and ideas discussed in
the book.
Chapter 28 Making change stick
This chapter looks at ‘stickability’ and what managers can do to consolidate a change
and hold on to gains. Attention is focused on two key issues:
1 The way the change process is managed from the beginning. It is argued that
tough top-down (push) strategies are more likely to foster compliance than
commitment and ownership. Compliance often evaporates when the pressure to
maintain the change is eased.
2 How change managers can act to sustain change after the initial change goals have
been achieved.
Chapter 29 Spreading change
This chapter looks at ‘spreadability’, the extent to which new methods and processes
that have delivered gains in one location are applied, or adapted and then applied
elsewhere across the organization. Attention is given to what managers can do to
promote the spread of change.
Chapter 30 Pulling it all together: a concluding case study
This book covers a lot of ground. Chapter 30 introduces a concluding case study
designed to provide you with an opportunity to review what you have read and think
about how the many theories, models, techniques and tools can be applied to the
management of a single case. You can do this on your own or with others.
40. Part
THE NATURE
OF CHANGE
The first part of this book reviews some important theoretical perspectives on the
nature of change and a range of the issues and choices that need to be considered
when developing an approach to managing change.
The way in which chapters relate to the generic model is illustrated below.
3 Recognizing the need for change
4 Starting the change process
External
change
Problems and
opportunities
=,
Diagnosis
5 Open systems models
6 Other diagnostic models
7 Gathering and interpreting information
8 Stakeholder management 11 Motivating others to change
9 Leadership 12 Managing personal transitions
10 Communicating change 13 Modes of intervening
14 Shaping implementation strategies
15 Developing a change plan
os 4 > 16 Types of intervention
< 17 Selecting interventions
m
= 18 Organizational learning 23 Business process re-engineering
19 Action research 24 Lean
20 Appreciative inquiry 25 Restructuring for strategic gain
q » 21 Training and development 26 Merging groups
22 High performance management
27 Reviewing change
28 Making change stick
29 Spreading change
The relationship between Chapters 3-29 and the generic process model of change
41. Chapter 1
I- THE NATURE OF CHANGE — @
Patterns of change
The first chapter examines the nature of change, reviews theories relating to
patterns of change, considers some of the factors that facilitate or limit change and
explores some of the implications of different types of change for change manage-
ment practice.
Until recent times almost all received models of change were incremental and
cumulative. The gradualist paradigm posits that organizations can adapt and trans-
form themselves, as required, through a process of continuous adjustment. This is in
stark contrast to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, which posits that systems
(organizations) evolve through the alternation of periods of equilibrium, in which
persistent deep structures only permit limited incremental change, and periods of
revolution, in which these deep structures are fundamentally altered. It is argued
that, with a few exceptions, most organizations experience change as a pattern of
punctuated equilibrium.
After reading this chapter, you will be invited to assess your understanding of some
of the issues discussed by identifying the nature of change involved in Case studies
1.1.1-1.1.5. You will also be invited to reflect on the nature of the changes confronting
the organization you work for, or another organization that you know well.
Chapter 2 The process of change
This chapter opens with an activity designed to explore the issues and choices
involved in developing an approach to managing organizational change. It then
moves on to consider change from a process perspective and presents a generic
model that provides the structure for Chapters 3-29 of this book.
42. The Shorter Oxford Dictionary offers several definitions of change, ranging from the
‘substitution or succession of one thing in place of another’ to the ‘alteration in the
state or quality of anything. Changes can be large or small, evolutionary or revolu-
tionary, sought after or resisted. This chapter examines the nature of change,
reviews theories relating to patterns of change, considers some of the factors that
facilitate or limit change and explores some of the implications of different types of
change for change management practice. Attention is also given to the effects of
change on individuals.
The chapter ends with two exercises. The first invites you to analyse the nature of
the change involved in four case studies. The second invites you to reflect on the
nature of the changes confronting the organization you work for, or another organiz-
ation that you know well, and classify these changes using the conceptual frame-
works presented in this chapter.
Until recently almost all received models of change were incremental and cumu-
lative. This theoretical consensus had implications for change management practice.
The aim of planned change efforts tended to be continuous improvement (what the
Japanese refer to as ‘kaizen’) and most attention was focused on changing subsys-
tems or parts of the organization in turn, rather than attempting to change the whole
organization at once. Over the past 30 years, however, many traditional assumptions
about the incremental nature of change have been revised.
The rate of change is not constant
Starting in the late 1970s, Tushman and his colleagues at Columbia University
studied hundreds of companies in several industries over time (see Tushman and
Romanelli, 1985; Tushman et al., 1986). They found evidence to support what
many already knew. The rate of change, as an industry evolves, is not constant. It
follows a sigmoidal (s-shaped) curve, with a slow beginning (lag phase) associated
with experimentation and slow market penetration, a middle period of rapid growth
(log phase) as the product gains acceptance and as dominant designs emerge, and
finally a tapering off as more advanced or completely different products attract
consumers’ attention (Figure 1.1). The pattern then starts all over again.
Similar variations in the rate of change were identified much earlier by Ryan and
Gross (1943), when they studied how 259 farmers in Iowa responded to the intro-
duction of a new superior hybrid seed corn. The new seed was available in 1928 but
it was 1932 before the first farmers began planting. In 1934, 16 farmers adopted the
new seed, followed by slightly higher numbers in the following two years. But it was
nine years after the seeds were first available before there was widespread accept-
ance. The breakthrough came in 1937. The first users were innovators who
43. PATTERNS OF CHANGE 17
‘infected’ the early adopters, a group who carefully monitored the success of the
initial trials before deciding what to do. This group was followed by a mass of
movers, the early and the late majority. The last group to adopt the seeds were the
laggards and it was 1942 before all but two of the 259 farmers were planting the
new seeds.
é Decline of old and
emergence of new
r t
Level of Bae
activity in
4q— Mature product, slow
an industr
J or little growth
q—_ Product acceptance and
dominance: rapid growth
New product/service:
<—— experimentation and slow growth
Time
Figure 1.1. Pattern of industry evolution
Gladwell (2000), in his book The Tipping Point, cites some more dramatic exam-
ples — including the sudden and dramatic decline in crime in New York in 1990 and
the takeoff of fax machines in the USA, when, only three years after they were first
introduced, over a million machines were sold — to support his assertion that many
social changes do not occur gradually. They spread like viral epidemics and change,
when it happens, is sudden. The ‘tipping point’ is the name he gives to the dramatic
moment in an epidemic when everything changes at once.
The proposition that some changes happen quickly, over relatively short periods
of time, whereas others gradually evolve suggests that the tempo of change might
provide a useful basis for thinking about the nature of change and the implications of
different types of change for change management practice.
The punctuated equilibrium paradigm
Gould (1978) challenges the notion of incremental, cumulative change. He is a
natural historian with an interest in Darwin’s theory of evolution. Traditionalists
assert that evolution involves a slow stream of small changes (mutations) that are
continuously being shaped over time by environmental selection. While Gould
accepts the principle of natural selection, he rejects the proposition that change is
gradual and continuous. Gould (1978: 15) asserts that the evidence points to ‘a
world punctuated with periods of mass extinction and rapid origination among long
stretches of relative tranquillity: Some of his essays focus on the two greatest ‘punc-
tuations. After four billion years of almost no change, there was the Cambrian explo-
sion of life (about 600 million years ago) and, after another longish period of very
slow change, the Permian extinction that wiped out half the families of marine inver-
tebrates (225 million years ago).
Gersick (1991) has studied models of change in six domains — individual change,
group development, organization development, history of science, biological evolu-
tion and physical science — and found support for the punctuated equilibrium para-
digm in every domain. According to Gersick (1991: 12), the paradigm has the
44. . ee I+ THE NATURE OF CHANGE
Deep structure
following components: ‘relatively long periods of stability (equilibrium), punctuated
by compact periods of qualitative, metamorphic change (revolution). She goes on to
assert that in all the models she studied across the six domains:
the relationship of these two modes is explained through the construct of a highly
durable underlying order or deep structure. This deep structure is what persists
and limits change during equilibrium periods and is what disassembles, reconfig-
ures, and enforces wholesale transformation during revolutionary periods.
(Gersick, 1991: 12)
The essence of the punctuated equilibrium paradigm is that systems (organizations)
evolve through the alternation of periods of equilibrium, in which persistent ‘deep
structures’ only permit limited incremental change, and periods of revolution, in
which these deep structures are fundamentally altered. This is in stark contrast to the
traditional gradualist paradigm, which suggests that:
> an organization (or an organizational subsystem) can accommodate any change
at any time so long as it is a relatively small change
> astream of incremental changes can, over a period of time, fundamentally
transform the organization’s deep structure.
Gersick (1991: 16) refers to deep structure as the fundamental choices an organiz-
ation makes that determine the basic activity patterns that maintain its existence.
She argues that deep structures are highly stable because the trail of choices made by
a system (organization) rule out many options-and rule in those that are mutually
contingent — ‘early steps in the decision tree are the most fateful’ She also argues that
the activity patterns of a system’s deep structure reinforce the system as a whole
through mutual feedback loops.
Tushman and Romanelli (1985) identify five key domains of organizational
activity that might be viewed as representing an organization's deep structure. These
are organizational culture, strategy, structure, power distribution and control
systems. Romanelli and Tushman (1994) go on to assert that it takes a revolution to
alter a system of interrelated organizational parts when it is maintained by mutual
dependencies among the parts, and when competitive, regulatory and technological
systems outside the organization reinforce the legitimacy of the managerial choices
that produced the parts.
Greenwood and Hinings (1996) offer a slightly different perspective based on
neo-institutional theory, but the core argument is the same; there is a force for
inertia that limits the possibility for incremental change, and that this resistance to
change will be strongest when the network of mutual dependencies is tightly
coupled. Greenwood and Hinings’ (1996: 1023) argument is that a major source of
resistance to change stems from the ‘normative embeddedness of an organization
within its institutional context. Organizations must accommodate institutional
expectations in order to survive. They illustrate this point with reference to the way
institutional context has influenced the structure and governance of accounting
firms. They were (and most still are) organized as professional partnerships, not
because that form of governance facilitated efficient and effective task performance,
but because it was defined as the appropriate way of organizing the conduct of
accounting work.
The parameters offered by such an archetypal template provide the context for
convergent change. Greenwood and Hinings (1996: 1025) suggest, for example,
that an accounting firm operating as a professional partnership could, as it grows,
45. PATTERNS OF CHANGE _@
introduce some form of representative democracy in place of the traditional broadly
based democratic governance. This kind of incremental change could be achieved
because it is perceived to be consistent with prevailing core ideas and values.
However, a move towards a more a bureaucratic form of authority and governance
might encounter strong resistance because it is perceived to be inconsistent with the
prevailing template. Such a radical change would involve the organization moving
from one template-in-use to another.
These templates work in the same way as Gersick’s deep structures. However, the
degree of embeddedness and the strength of these templates may vary between
sectors, and this will affect the power of the template to limit the possibility for
incremental cumulative change in any particular organization. In the case of the
accounting profession, the partnership organizational form, with its commitment to
independence, autonomy and responsible conduct, is supported by a strong network
of reciprocal exchanges between professional associations, universities, state agen-
cies and accounting firms. The outcome is a situation where individual accounting
firms are tightly coupled to the prevailing archetypal template. Greenwood and
Hinings (1996) argue that radical change in tightly coupled fields will be unusual,
but if it does occur, it will be revolutionary. However, in loosely coupled fields,
radical change will be more common and will tend to be evolutionary and could
unfold over a relatively long period of time.
Equilibrium periods
Gersick (1991: 16) introduces the analogy of the playing field and the rules of the
game to describe an organization's deep structure, and the game in play to describe
activity during an equilibrium period. How a game of football is played may change
over the course of a match, but there is a consistency that is determined by the
nature of the playing field and the rules of the game. The coach and the players can
intervene and make changes that will affect team performance, but they cannot
intervene to change the nature of the playing field or the rules of the game (the deep
structure). In terms of organizational change, during periods of equilibrium, change
agents can intervene and make incremental adjustments in response to internal or
external perturbations, but these interventions will not fundamentally affect the
organization's deep structure.
An important question is: “Why do organizations find it hard to change?’
According to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, organizations are resistant to
change in equilibrium periods because of forces of inertia that work to maintain the
status quo. Gersick argues that so long as the deep structure is intact, it generates a
strong inertia to prevent the system from generating alternatives outside its own
boundaries. Furthermore, these forces for inertia can pull any deviations that do
occur back into line.
Gersick (1991) identifies three sources of inertia: cognitive frameworks, motiva-
tion and obligations. Organizational members often develop shared cognitive frame-
works and mental models that influence the way they interpret reality and learn.
Shared mental models can restrict attention to thinking ‘within the frame. With
regard to change, attention may be restricted to searching for ways of doing things
better. In periods of equilibrium, assumptions about the organization's theory of
business (Drucker, 1994) often go unchallenged and organizational members fail to
give sufficient attention to the possibility of doing things differently or even doing
different things. (See Hodgkinson and Healey, 2008, for details of studies that have
considered the role of mental representations in both organizational inertia and
strategic adaptation.)
46. iP oe THE NATURE OF CHANGE
Motivational barriers to change are often related to the fear of loss, especially
with regard to the sunk costs incurred during periods of equilibrium. Gersick
(1991: 18) refers to the fear of losing control over one’s situation if the equilibrium
ends and argues that this contributes heavily to the human motivation to avoid
significant system change. Thaler and Sunstein (2009) draw on the work of Samu-
elson and Zeckhauser to argue that for lots of reasons people prefer to stick with
their current situation.
Obligations can also limit change. Tushman and Romanelli (1985: 177) note that
even if a system can overcome its own cognitive and motivational barriers against
realizing a need for change, the networks of interdependent resource relationships
and value commitments generated by its structure will often prevent it being able to
achieve the required change. This view, at least in part, adds support to Greenwood
and Hining’s (1996) proposition that the normative embeddedness of an organiz-
ation can limit change.
Episodes of discontinuous change occur when inertia, that is, the inability of
organizations to change as rapidly as their environment, triggers some form of revo-
lutionary transformation.
Revolutionary periods
Gersick (1991) asserts that the definitive element of the punctuated equilibrium
paradigm is that organizations do not shift from one ‘kind of game’ to another
through incremental steps. This, according to Romanelli and Tushman (1994), is
because resistance to change prevents small changes in organizational units from
taking hold and substantially influencing activities in related subunits. Consequently,
small changes do not accumulate incrementally to transform the organization.
Weick and Quinn (1999) note that punctuated equilibrium theorists posit that
episodes of revolutionary change occur during periods of divergence when there is a
growing misalignment between an organization's deep structure and perceived envi-
ronmental demands. They report that the metaphor of the firm implied by concep-
tions of episodic change is an organization that comprises aset of interdependencies
that converge and tighten (become more closely aligned) as short run adaptations
are pursued in order to achieve higher levels of efficiency. This focus on internal
alignment deflects attention away from the need to maintain external alignment and,
consequently, the organization is slow to adapt to environmental change. Inertia
maintains the state that Lewin (1947) described as stable, quasi-stationary equilib-
rium until misalignment reaches the point where major changes are precipitated.
The only way forward is for the organization to transform itself. Gersick (1991: 19)
argues that the transformation of deep structures can only occur through a process
of wholesale upheaval:
According to this logic, the deep structures must first be dismantled, leaving the
system temporarily disorganized, in order for any fundamental change to be
accomplished. Next, a subset of the system's old pieces, along with some new
pieces, can be put back together into a new configuration, which operates
according to a new set ofrules.
This process of revolutionary change and organizational transformation provides the
basis for a new state of equilibrium. However, because of forces of resistance that
inhibit continuous adaptation, this new equilibrium gives rise to another period of
relative stability that is followed by a further period of revolutionary change. This
process continues to unfold as a process of punctuated equilibrium.
47. PATTERNS OF CHANGE @
Those who subscribe to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm argue that revolu-
tionary episodes may affect a single organization or a whole sector. Marks & Spencer
is an organization that was faced with the need to reinvent itself when, even after a
long period of incremental change, it found itself misaligned with its environment
and performing less well than other leading retailers. An example of a whole sector
that was faced with the need to change its deep structure is the electricity supply
sector in the UK. When the Conservative government decided to privatize the
industry, this created a new playing field and a new set of rules for all the utility
companies in the sector.
Support for the punctuated equilibrium paradigm
Numerous case histories offer support for the punctuated equilibrium paradigm.
Pettigrew (1987) reports a study of change in ICI over the period 1969-86. He
found that radical periods of change were interspersed with periods of incremental
adjustment and that change in core beliefs preceded changes in structure and
business strategy. Tushman et al. (1986) examined the development of AT&T,
General Radio, Citibank and Prime Computers and observed periods during which
organizational systems, structures and strategies converged to be more aligned with
the basic mission of these organizations. They also observed that these equilibrium
periods were punctuated bybrief periods of
intense and pervasive change that led to
the formulation of new missions and then the initiation of new equilibrium periods.
The first direct test of the paradigm was Romanelli and Tushman’s (1994) empirical
study of microcomputer producers, the key elements of which are summarized in
Research report 1.1.
Research report 1.1. Study of microcomputer producers
Romanelli, E. and Tushman, M.L. (1994) Organizational transformation as punctuated
equilibrium: an empirical test, Academy of Management Journal, 37(5): 1141-66
=, f According to the punctuated equilibrium model, radical and discontinuous change of
3 all or most organizational activities is necessary to break the grip of strong inertia. This
A provides the basis of Romanelli and Tushman’s first hypothesis:
Organizational transformations will most frequently occur in short, discontinuous
bursts of change involving most or all key domains of organizational activity.
Resistance to change is critical to punctuated equilibrium theory in that it
establishes the key condition that supports revolutionary transformation. Resistance
prevents small changes in organizational subunits from taking hold or substantially
influencing activities in related subunits. This gives rise to their second hypothesis:
Small changes in individual domains of organizational activity will not accumulate
incrementally to yield a fundamental transformation.
Their final set of three hypotheses addressed how organizational transformation is
stimulated. Since the punctuated equilibrium model posits strong inertia as the
common state of organizational affairs, they hypothesized that this inertia will be
broken by a severe crisis in performance, major changes in the organization’s
environment, and succession of its chief executive officer (CEO).
Method
Romanelli and Tushman studied the life histories of 25 minicomputer producers
founded in the USA between 1967 and 1969. The firms were selected to maximize
organizational similarities on dimensions of organizational age and the environmental
characteristics that the organizations faced during founding and later in their lives.
48. @ oat fo THE NATURE OF CHAN GE
Data were collected for all years of the organizations’ lives from a variety of sources,
including information required by the Securities and Exchange Commission, annual
reports, prospectuses, and industry and business press reports. They found that
detailed information about strategies, structures and power distributions was
available for all organizations throughout their lives. However, they also found that
organizations reported information about cultures and control systems infrequently
and inconsistently. Consequently, Romanelli and Tushman dropped the culture and
control system domains of activity from further analysis and focused their attention on
structure, strategy and power distributions.
Fundamental organizational transformations, which could be either revolutionary or
non-revolutionary, were identified as occurring whenever substantial changes were
observed in the strategy, structure and power distribution domains of organizational
activity. Revolutionary transformations were defined as occurring whenever changes in
all three strategy, structure, and power distributions occurred within any two-year time
period. NB: Two years was selected because some of the data were presented for
corporate fiscal years and some for calendar years; however, they found that the
majority of the revolutionary transformations actually occurred within a single year.
Non-revolutionary transformations were identified in two ways. First, whenever there
were substantial changes over a period longer than two years and, second, when small
changes accumulated to a 30% change and when all three domains exhibited this
level of change.
Results
The key findings of the study were that:
1 A large majority of organizational transformations were accomplished via rapid and
discontinuous change.
2 Small changes in strategies, structure and power distribution did not accumulate to
produce fundamental transformations. This finding provides additional evidence
that fundamental organizational transformations tend to occur in short,
discontinuous bursts.
3 Triggers for transformations were major environmental changes and CEO succession.
The gradualist paradigm
The gradualist paradigm posits that fundamental change (organizational transforma-
tion) can occur through a process of continuous adjustment, and does not require
some major discontinuous jolt to the system in order to trigger a short episode of
revolutionary change. Change is evolving and cumulative.
Brown and Eisenhardt (1997) argue that many firms compete by changing
continuously. They cite companies such as Intel, Wal-Mart, 3M, Hewlett-Packard
and Gillette and suggest that for them the ability to change rapidly and continuously
is not just a core competence but is at the heart of their cultures. They refer to
Burgelman (1991) and Chakravarthy (1997), who suggest that continuous change
is often played out through product innovation as companies change and sometimes
transform through a process of continually altering their products. Hewlett-Packard
is identified as a classic case. The company changed from an instruments company to
a computer firm through rapid, continuous product innovation, rather than through
a sudden punctuated change.
Continuous change, when it occurs, involves the continuous updating of work
processes and social practices. Weick and Quinn (1999) argue that this leads to new
patterns of organizing in the absence of a priori intentions on the part of some
change agent. It is emergent in the sense that there is no deliberate orchestration of
49. PATTERNS OF CHANGE -@
change. It is continuous and is the outcome of the everyday process of management.
They cite Orlikowski (1996), who suggests that continuous change involves individ-
uals and groups accommodating and experimenting with everyday contingencies,
breakdowns, exceptions, opportunities and unintended consequences, and
repeating, sharing and amplifying them to produce perceptible and striking changes.
Weick and Quinn (1999) observe that the distinctive quality of continuous
change is the idea that small continuous adjustments, created simultaneously across
units, can cumulate and create substantial change. They identify three related proc-
esses associated with continuous change: improvisation, translation and learning:
> Improvising facilitates the modification of work practices through mutual
adjustments in which the time gap between planning and implementing narrows
towards the point where composition (planning) converges with execution
(implementation).
> Translation refers to the continuous adoption and editing of ideas as they travel
through the organization.
> Learning involves the continuous revision of shared mental models, which
facilitates a change in the organization’s response repertoire.
Weick and Quinn (1999: 372) suggest that
organisations produce continuous change by means of repeated acts of improvisa-
tion involving simultaneous composition and execution, repeated acts of transla-
tion that convert ideas into useful artefacts that fit purposes at hand, or repeated
acts oflearning that enlarge, strengthen, or shrink the repertoire of responses. .
Brown and Eisenhardt (1997) studied product innovation in six firms in the
computer industry at a time of rapid product development associated with the
Pentium processor, multimedia, internet and the convergence of telephony with
consumer electronics. Three of their case studies related to firms with a record of
successful product innovation and business performance and three related to firms
with a relatively poor record of developing multi-product portfolios. They identified
three characteristics of the firms that were able to manage change as a continuous
process of adjustment: semi-structures that facilitated improvisation, links in time
that facilitated learning, and sequenced steps for managing transitions.
While the punctuated equilibrium paradigm stresses the interdependence of
organizational ‘subunits and a web of interdependent relationships with buyers,
suppliers and others that legally and normatively constrain organizations to estab-
lished activities and relationships (Romanelli and Tushman, 1994), the gradualist
paradigm emphasizes the relative independence of organizational subunits. This loose
coupling facilitates change within subunits. Over time, as unit managers repeatedly
alter their goals and relationships to accommodate changes in local environments, the
organization as a whole can be transformed. As noted above, Greenwood and Hinings
(1996) support the view that tightly coupled relationships are resistant to change and
when change does occur, it tends to be revolutionary, but recognize that in loosely
coupled fields, radical change can be evolutionary. Weick and Quinn (1999),
however, suggest that when interdependencies are loose, continuous adjustments
tend to be confined within subunits and remain as pockets of innovation. Continuous
adjustment, therefore, may not always lead to fundamental change.
Burke (2002) speculates that more that 95% oforganizational changes are, in
some way, evolutionary, but he questions Orlikowski’s assumption that this can
lead to sufficient modification to achieve fundamental change. He asserts that it
is difficult to overcome inertia and equilibrium without a discontinuous ‘jolt’ to
the system:
50. 1 bs THE NATURE OF (CHANGE
Organisation change does occur with continuous attention and effort, but it is
unlikely that fundamental change in the deep structure of the organization would
happen. (Burke, 2002: 69)
The nature of change confronting most organizations
Dunphy (1996) argues that planned change is triggered by the failure of people to
~ create a continuously adaptive organization, the kind of organization that is referred
to in Chapter 18 as an effective learning organization. Weick and Quinn (1999)
~ suggest that this holds true whether the focus is episodic or continuous change, and
they propose that the ideal organization in both cases would resemble the successful
self-organizing and highly adaptive firms that Brown and Eisenhardt found in the
computer industry. However, while some organizations might achieve this ideal and
become so effective at double loop collective learning (see Chapter 18) that they are
never misaligned with their environment, most do not. The majority of organiz-
ations, if they survive long enough, experience episodes of discontinuous revolu-
tionary as well as continuous incremental change.
There are three main categories of organizations that may not experience periods
of discontinuous change. These are:
1 The kind of self-organizing and continuously changing learning organizations
identified by Brown and Eisenhardt.
2 Companies operating in niche markets or slow-moving sectors where they have
not yet encountered the kind of environmental change that requires them to
transform their deep structures.
3 Organizations that are able to continue functioning without transforming
themselves because they have sufficient ‘fat’ to absorb the inefficiencies associated
with misalignment.
With these exceptions, most organizations experience change as a pattern of punctu-
ated equilibrium. This pattern involves relatively long periods of equilibrium, during
which an organization may only engage in incremental change, punctuated with
short episodes of discontinuity during which an organization's survival may depend
on its ability to transform itself.
Incremental change
According to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, incremental change is associated
with those periods when the industry is in equilibrium and the focus for change is
‘doing things better’ through aprocess of continuous tinkering, adaptation and modifi-
cation. Nadler and Tushman (1995) make the point that incremental changes are not
necessarily small changes. They can be large in terms of the resources needed and the
impact on people. A key feature of this type of change is that it builds on what has
already been accomplished and has the flavour of continuous improvement. According
to the gradualist paradigm, incremental change can be cumulative and, over time, can
lead to an organization transforming its deep structures and reinventing itself.
However, according to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, incremental change is
incapable of fundamentally transforming the deep structures of an organization.
Transformational change
According to the punctuated equilibrium paradigm, transformational change occurs
during periods of disequilibrium. Weick and Quinn (1999) and Gersick (1991)
51. RATE RNS! OF) CHAN GB t= _
refer to this kind of change as ‘revolutionary’, but most writers, for example Tichy
and Devanna (1986), Kotter (1999) and Burke and Litwin (1992), use the term
‘transformational change’ It involves a break with the past, a step function change
rather than an extrapolation of past patterns of change and development. It is based
on new relationships and dynamics within the industry that may undermine core
competencies, and question the very purpose of the enterprise. This kind of change
involves doing things differently rather than doing things better. It
Itmight.even mean
doing different things. The reprographics industry provides a good example of a
“sector that was faced with a major discontinuity. Companies found that their core
competence in optical reproduction was undermined when digital scanning tech-
nology was developed and made available to their customers.
The studies undertaken by’ Tushman.and colleagues (summarized iin Nadler and
Tushman, |1995) suggest that most companies not only go through periods of
“Continuous incremental and discontinuous transformational change, but that:
» this pattern of change repeats itself with some degree of regularity
> patterns vary across sectors, for example periods of discontinuity may follow a
30-year cycle in cement, but a 5-year cycle in minicomputers
» in almost all industries the rate of change is increasing and the time between
periods of discontinuity is decreasing (Figure 1.2).
This last point is important because it predicts that all managers will be confronted
with an ever greater need to manage both incremental and transformational change.
Intensity
of change
™“ “ ™ “
Organizations Organizations Organizations Organizations
that failto adapt _—‘that fail to adapt that fail to adapt _that fail to adapt
Time
Figure 1.2 Punctuated equilibrium: a recurring pattern of continuous and
transformational change
Not all organizations are able to successfully negotiate episodes of discontinuity
and those that fail to adapt may drop out or be acquired by others. Forester and
,Kaplan (2001) provide chilling evidence of the consequences of failing to adapt.
They refer to changes in the Forbes top 100 companies between 1917 and 1987.
~ Out of the original 100 companies, only 18 were stillin the listin 1987 and 61 no
longer existed.
The possibility of anticipating change
Sometimes it is relatively easy to anticipate the need for change. For example,
companies operating in the European Union can, if they pay appropriate attention,
anticipate the impact of new regulations that are currently being discussed in
52. @— I> THE NATURE OF CHANGE
Brussels. Companies competing in markets where margins are being squeezed can
anticipate the need to secure greater efficiencies or generate new income streams.
There are, however, occasions when organizations are confronted with changes that
are difficult to anticipate, for example the effects of the 9/11 terrorist attacks or the
SARS epidemic.
Some organizations are much better at anticipating the need for change than
others. They are proactive. They search out potential threats and opportunities. They
prepare for destabilizing events that might occur or anticipate changes they could
initiate to gain competitive advantage. Other organizations are much more reactive
and only act when there is a clear and pressing need to respond.
Whether the need is for incremental or transformational change, the earlier the need
is recognized, the greater the number of options managers will have when deciding how
to manage it. Whenever managers are forced to react to an urgent and pressing need to
change, they are relatively constrained in what they can do. For example:
> There is less time for planning: Careful planning takes time, something that is more
likely to be available to those who are proactive and anticipate the need for change.
> There is unlikely to be sufficient time to involve many people: Involving people and
encouraging participation in the change process can aid diagnosis, reduce
resistance and increase commitment, but this also takes time.
> There will be little time to experiment: Early movers not only have time to experiment,
they may also have the time to try again ifthe first experiment fails. When there is a
pressing need for change, it is more difficult to search for creative solutions.
> Late movers may have little opportunity to influence shifts in markets and
technologies: Early movers may have the opportunity to gain a competitive
advantage by not only developing but also protecting, for example through
patents, new products or technologies.
A typology of organizational change
Combining two of the dimensions of change discussed so far, the extent to which
change involves incremental adjustment or transformational change and the extent
to which the organization's response to change is proactive or reactive, provides a
useful typology of organizational change (see Figure 1.3).
Incremental Transformational
Proactive Tuning at=Xela(=lant-ialelal
Reactive Adaptation nite
oa =t-)dfe) al
Figure 1.3 Types of organizational change
Source: Adapted from Nadler et al., 1995: 24
Nadler et al. (1995) identify four types of change:
1 Tuning is change that occurs when there is no immediate requirement to change.
It involves seeking better ways of achieving and/or defending the strategic vision,
53. PATTERNS OF CHANGE — @&
for example improving policies, methods, procedures; introducing new
technologies; redesigning processes to reduce cost, time to market and so on; or
developing people with required competencies. Most organizations engage in a
form of fine-tuning much of the time. This approach to change tends to be
initiated internally in order to make minor adjustments to maintain alignment
between the internal elements of the organization and between the organization's
strategy and the external environment.
2 Adaptation is an incremental and adaptive response to a pressing external demand
for change. It might involve responding to a successful new marketing strategy
adopted by a competitor or to a change in the availability of a key resource.
Essentially, it broadly involves doing more of the same but doing it better in order
to remain competitive. An example of adaptive change might be what happens
when one company, for example Nestlé, is forced to respond to a competitive
move by another, for example Mars may have either increased the size or reduced
the price of some of
its confectionary products. This kind of change is not about
doing things in fundamentally different ways or about doing fundamentally
different things.
While tuning and adaptation can involve minor or major changes, they are types of
change that occur within the same frame, they are bounded by the existing para-
digm. Reorientation and re-creation, on the other hand, are types of change that, to
use Gersick’s analogy, target the playing field and the rules of the game rather than
the way a particular game is played. They involve transforming the organization and
bending or breaking the frame to do things differently or to do different things.
3 Reorientation involves a redefinition of the enterprise. It is initiated in anticipation of
future opportunities or problems. The aim is to ensure that the organization will be
aligned and effective in the future. It may be necessary to modify the frame but,
because the need for change has been anticipated, this could involve a gradual
process of continuous frame bending. Nestlé offered a good example of reorientation
in the mid-1980s. At a time when it was doing well, it embarked on a major change
programme to ensure that it would remain aligned to its environment over the
medium term. It initiated a top-down review to decide which businesses it should be
in. Should it, for example, be in the pet foods business, continue to manufacture
baked beans at a time when margins on that product were diminishing, or, as a major
consumer of tin cans, supply its own or buy them in on a just in time basis? It also
embarked on a major project to re-engineer the supply chain across the business and
a bottom-up analysis of the added value contributed by each main activity. British
Gas provides another example. After it had been privatized as a monopoly supplier
of gas, the company was referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. It
was obvious to the top team that when the commission delivered its report, the
company would be forced to change and might even be broken up. In order to
prepare for this, ateam of 10 senior managers was created to explore and test possible
scenarios and help the organization to develop the capability to respond to the
inevitable, but at that time unspecified, changes it would have to face.
In those cases where the need for change is not obvious to all and may not be
seen as pressing by many, senior management (as in the British Gas example)
may need to work hard in order to create a sense of urgency and gain widespread
acceptance of
the need to prepare for change.
4 Re-creation is a reactive change that involves transforming the organization
through the fast and simultaneous change of all its basic elements. Nadler and
Tushman (1995) state that it inevitably involves organizational frame breaking
54. eo I- THE NATURE OF CHANGE
and the destruction of some elements of the system. It can be disorienting. An
often cited example of this kind of change is that introduced by Lee Iacocca when
he became the new CEO at Chrysler. He embarked on a process of revolutionary
change that involved replacing most of the top team, withdrawing the company
from the large car market and divesting many foreign operations.
The most common type of change is incremental (either fine-tuning or adapta-
tion) but it is not unusual for a single organization to be involved in more than one
type of change at the same time. Confronted with ever diminishing opportunities to
grow the mining business, UK Coal reappraised its assets and considered how it
might revise its theory of business. The way forward was to explore the possibility of
redefining the company as a land and property management and mining company.
This reorientation involved many changes including bringing in new people with
competencies in the area of land and property management. However, while this
transformational change was being implemented at the highest level, the company
was also pursuing incremental continuous improvement programmes to increase
the efficiency of individual deep mines.
Implications of these different types of change for change
management practice
Different types of change can affect the focus for change efforts, the sequence of
steps in the change process and the locus for change, as discussed below.
The focus for change efforts
With incremental change, the aim is to improve alignment between existing organi-
zational components in order to do things better and improve the efficiency of the
organization (see Figure 1.4). With transformational change, the aim is to seek a
new configuration of organizational components in order to realign the organization
with its changing environment. As noted above, this often leads to doing things
differently or doing different things.
a
=o
eae Pall
Figure 1.4 /nternal alignment
The sequence of activities required to achieve a desired outcome
Inertia is often one of the major barriers to change. As an organization moves through
a period of equilibrium, interdependencies tighten, ideologies that prescribe the best
way of operating become more widely accepted and the fear of losing benefits associ-
ated with the status quo strengthens the resistance to change. The first step in the
56. up with that old——”
“Jinny, please!”
“Oh, if you want me to tell falsehoods, my dear, I’ll do my best to
oblige you. I’ll call him young to myself until it comes easy. Practice
makes perfect, they say. Why, here we are! This horse must have
the glanders or something. Perhaps he thought Mr. Germain was
after you. There’s a lot of sense in brute beasts.” All this, which
shows the rights of elder, was meekly received.
Home-coming was nevertheless a sort of triumph. The younger
girls—all tidied up—allowed her to kiss them as if she had become
an aunt; father and mother made much of her; she must see in their
faces a sort of anxious wonder—Can this be our Mary then? Can I
have begotten this young lady? Can these breasts have nourished a
Mrs. Germain? She was to have tea in her hat, which Jinny refused
to do; but elaborately removed it and administered the kettle, the
muffins, the slices of bread, the jam-pot. Blushing and successful as
she showed, Mary would have put an end to this splendid isolation if
she could. It was not possible until tea was over; but then, when her
father made her a kind of speech—clearing his throat and frowning
at one of the girls, who was speaking the deaf and dumb language
to another under the table—then indeed Mary upset all ceremonial,
by jumping up, and knocking down her chair, by throwing herself
upon her mother’s lap, her arms around her mother’s neck, by hiding
her face upon her mother’s breast and anointing that dear cradle
with tears. Mr. Middleham’s little speech ended in a choking fit; the
girls looked all their misery; and Jinny sniffed and hardened her
heart. Mary had unbent, but she was made to see that all her people
knew that it was a condescension.
The sisters slept together as of old, and Jinny must be wooed.
For natural reasons Mary must have Jinny’s approbation, must coax
and kiss and strain for it. Jinny was not easily won, but after a
passionate while allowed the back of her mind to be seen. She sat
up in bed and asked a series of questions. They were answered in
low murmurs by a hiding Molly.
“Molly, how did you get off from Misperton?”
“Quite well.”
57. “H’m. Glad to hear it. No scenes?”
“Mrs. Germain was rather awful. She always hated me. The
Rector was sweet to me. And oh! there was Miss de Speyne—I can’t
tell you how kind she was. Certainly, we had a friend in common . . .
but——”
“That’s not what I mean. You can manage them, I should hope. I
know that I could. The Rectory, indeed—and you to go out before
her! Molly, did you see him before you went?”
“Who do you mean?” said a suddenly sobered Molly.
“You know quite well who I mean.”
“John Rudd, I suppose. There’s nothing between us—now.”
“John Rudd! John Germain! There’s not only Johns in the world.
There’s an Ambrose—you know.”
“Mr. Perivale! Oh, Jinny, that’s ridiculous. Why, he only——”
“I know what he only—as you call it. I don’t mean that at all—or
him either. I asked you, Did you see him before you went?” There
was no answer for a minute or more—and then a defiant answer.
“No, I didn’t. He’s away—abroad.”
“Ah. Well, you’ll have to, you know. Have you told old—Mr.
Germain?”
“No—at least—I was going to. But that was when he—kissed me
—and so I couldn’t.”
“That was when he kissed you? Do you mean to tell me——?”
“No, of course not. But he kisses my hand mostly.”
“Well, I’m—” Miss Jinny did not say what she considered herself
to be.
“Gentlemen are like that, Jinny—real gentlemen.”
“Gentlemen! Do you mean to tell me that Tr—that he is not a
gentleman?”
“That was quite different. He meant nothing but—it was all
nonsense.”
“I advise you to find out whether Mr. Germain thinks it
nonsense.”
“Of course, I shall tell him everything. I don’t want ever to see
Mr. Dup—him again. That was all foolishness.” Mary sat up in bed
and clasped her knees. Her eyes, staring at the bright light, were
58. stored with knowledge—as if the soul within were shining through
them at last. “I have a friend—a real, wise friend—who has told me
this much—that there is a real thing. I believe that, I do indeed.”
Jinny stared, then yawned. “I’m sleepy. That’s real enough for me
just now. What do you mean, child?”
“I mean that one might give up everything—risk everything—if
one were sure, quite sure. But if one isn’t—if one knows that one is
a trifle, a plaything, to a—to a person, and that, to another person,
one may be much more—then—oh, Jinny, Jinny, please!” Mary’s
arms were now about Jinny’s neck, and Jinny allowed herself to be
pulled down. Mary snuggled and put up her lips. After an instant she
whispered, “Darling old Jinny, will you do something for me?”
“What is it?”
“Promise.”
“What is it?”
“If Tr—if he comes here—will you see him for me? Oh, please,
please——”
“Why can’t you——?”
“No, no, I can’t, you know I can’t. Why, he looks at me as if I
belonged to him—as if he had a right—! And when he does that,
when he frowns and looks through you, and waits—and says nothing
—I know what he means; and if he said one word, or moved
towards me, or beckoned”—She shivered and hid her face. “I simply
mustn’t—I daren’t. Oh, Jinny darling, please!”
After a time Jinny promised—but Mary’s peace was broken up. A
shadow haunted her outdoors and in.
Mr. Germain drove down to Blackheath to greet his bride. Her shy
welcome, with gladness behind, to make it real, charmed him
altogether. The family, after a respectful interval, left him the parlour,
for which he was grateful. It would have, no doubt, to be explained
that in marrying Mary he had no intention of taking charge of her
people. Admittedly they were impossible, but it is very odd that he
loved the girl of his selection the more for being simply and
unaffectedly one of them. He respected her for it, but there was
more than that. At the bottom of his heart he knew that if she were
to lose sight of her origin, his love would suffer. It was absolutely
59. necessary—he felt it—that she must masquerade for life, be a sweet
little bourgeoise playing county lady; but playing it with sincerity,
and obediently, doing her best because she was told. The unvoiced
conviction lay behind what he now had to say to her. He told her, for
instance, that he hoped she would see as much of her family as she
pleased, after she was married, though, of course, she would have
the duties of her new station to consider and to reconcile with
others. He did not suppose, he told her, that it would be reasonable,
or even true kindness, to ask them often to Southover. “I esteem
your father highly, my dearest. He is in all respects what I should
have expected your father to be. Your mother, too, is, I am sure,
worthy of your love and gratitude; your sisters seem to me happy
and affectionate girls. I doubt, however, if they would be
comfortable among our friends at Southover—” Mary here said at
once that she was sure they would not.
“They are different from you—quite different. We are quite poor
people—you would call us middle-class people, wouldn’t you?”
“I suppose that I should,” he admitted; “but would that hurt you,
my love?”
“No, no, not at all. There is no harm in that; and we can’t help it
—but——”
He leaned, put his arm round her waist and drew her to him.
“Well, my darling, well—? Tell me of what you are thinking.”
“I was wondering—if you can see that they wouldn’t do at
Southover, what made you think that I should do there, either?” He
held her closer.
“I’ll tell you, my love. It was because I knew what I should feel if
you were ever to be there. It was because my heart was full of you,
so that I could never look on any scene that I loved without seeing
you in it, and loving it the more for your presence there. When I
thought of Southover, I saw you its little sovereign lady, and myself
waiting upon you, showing you all the things about it which have
been so dear to me in spite of—much unhappiness; and my heart
beat high. I said to myself, You must be a miserable and lonely man,
my friend, unless you can promise yourself this joy of service. Does
my Mary understand me?” He stooped his head to hers, and asked
60. her again, Did she understand? Yes, yes, she said, but she sighed,
and turned her face away. Then he must needs kiss her.
Then she did try to speak, meaning, if possible, to lead herself up
to a confession. She told him that she feared to disappoint him, that
he rated her too highly. “I can tell you truthfully that your love has
made me very proud and very happy; I must assure you that I shall
do everything in my power to prove to you how proud I am. I will do
my duty faithfully—you must tell me of the least thing which is not
just as you like. I can’t do more than that, can I?”
“Nobody in the world could do more than that,” he told her.
“But there’s something else. Mrs. Germain at Misperton doesn’t
like me at all——”
He nodded sadly. “I know, my dear, I know. She is a foolish,
arrogant woman, but there are excuses——”
“Oh, of course there are!” She sat upon his knee. “I expect that
she is right and that you are wrong—in a way.” Then her eyes
opened widely upon him: the hour had come. “But she thinks—she
says that I am—bad.” He turned grey. “Oh, no, my love, you
misjudge her! Good Heavens—bad!”
She held her face back from him that she might look at him
seriously. “She does, you know—but she makes no allowances. I
have always tried to be a good girl—I assure you. Please believe
that.” He held her to his heart.
“My dearest, my dearest, you distress me. Good! Who is good if
you are not? Purest of the pure—my Mary.” But she shook herself
free in a hurry.
“No, no, indeed, you mustn’t say that. That’s absurd. I am just
an ordinary girl, who likes to be happy, and to be admired, and to
have fun when I can——”
“Of course, of course. Oh, my beloved, do not reproach yourself.”
Then she turned in his arms, put her hands on his shoulders, and
looked gravely and imploringly into his face.
“Promise me one thing,” she said, “one thing only. I will ask you
nothing more than that.” She could not have been resisted by the
Assessing Angel.
“Speak, my adored one.”
61. “Whatever you hear of me—against me—ask me what I have to
say before you condemn me. Promise me that.”
“My love and my life,” he said fervently; and she pouted her lips
for a kiss. Thus she justified herself in this regard, and by a
sophistry of her sex came in time to feel that she had made him a
full confession. She told Jinny as much.
We were now in late August; the wedding was to be quietly at
Blackheath at the end of September, and the exciting business of the
trousseau must be undertaken. Mrs. James, it seems, had so far
reconciled herself to the inevitable as to have consented to come to
town and “see to things” which the child must have. Her own people
being out of the question, Mary was to stay with her in Hill-street,
which was one day to be her own house, and do her shopping. A
liberal sum was in Mrs. James’s hands for the purpose. There was to
be no white satin; but Jinny was to be allowed to walk as
bridesmaid. There was no way out of this. Her dress was to be
chosen for her, and then she must come to London to be fitted; but
she was not to be asked to Hill-street.
62. XIV
THE NEWS REACHES THE PYRENEES
Pau, in August, being what no man could be expected to stand,
Duplessis and his friend Lord Bramleigh went into Spain, and
lounged at San Sebastian. Here on a blazing noon of mid-September,
as they were breakfasting at leisure, a budget of letters was
delivered.
Lord Bramleigh, cheerful, wholesome, and round-faced, chirped
over his, according to his wont. He read most of them aloud, with
comments. “Old Gosperton’s shoot—will I go? I’ll see him damned.
Why should I go and see old Gosperton shoot beaters? Not if I know
it. Who’s this? Mary St. Chad, by the Lord! Now what does she
want? . . . ‘I suppose you know that Bob Longford is . . .’ I’ll be shot
if I know anything of the sort. I know he wants to all right; but you
can’t marry a chap’s wife—at least I don’t think you can. . . . Oh,
sorry! Fellow’s dead. . . . I say, Tristram, do you hear that? Old
Bland-Mainways is dead, and Bob Longford’s married his relic—
married her in a week, my boy. What do you say to that? You marry
a man’s remains almost as soon as he’s remains himself. Pretty
manners, what? . . .”
Duplessis took no heed; the babbler ran on. . . . “This is my
mater—wonder what she’s got to say? I rather funk the
Dowager. . . . Hulloa! By Gad, that’s rum. I say, Duplessis, did you
know a chap called Senhouse at Cambridge? Pembroke, was he? Or
King’s? King’s, I think . . . it was King’s. Did you know him? Jack
Senhouse—John Senhouse—rum chap.”
“Eh? Senhouse? Oh, yes, I knew him. Used to see him about.”
Duplessis resumed his letters; one, especially, made him frown—
then stare out of the window. He read others but returned to that.
Lord Bramleigh went on. “I want to tell you about this chap
Senhouse. Of course, I never knew him at the Varsity—ages before
63. me, he was. Good footer—player—ran with the beagles—ran like the
devil; rowed a bit, painted a bit, sang a damned good song: Jack
Senhouse. Well, he’s mad. Rich chap—at least, his father was rich—
alderman somewhere, I b’lieve—say, Birmingham . . . one of those
sort of places. Well, Jack Senhouse chucked all that—took to
painting, scribbling, God knows what. His governor gets cross—
sends him round the world on the chance he’ll settle down by’n by.
Not he! Gets up to all sorts of unlawful games—cuts the ship and
starts off on his own across Morocco; gets hung up at Fez—row with
a Shereef about his wife or wives. Foreign Office has to get to work
—makes it all right. Senhouse goes? Not he. Stays there all the same
—to learn the language, I’ll ask you. Language and plants. He
collects plants in the Atlas. So he goes on. Then he gets back home.
‘Hope you’ll settle down to the office, my boy,’ says his governor. ‘No,
thank ye,’ says Jack, and doesn’t. He was off again on the tramp
somewhere—turns up in Russia—if Warsaw’s in Russia—anyhow he
turns up where Warsaw is—talking to the Poles about Revolution.
Still collects plants. They put him over the frontier. He goes to
Siberia after plants and politics. More rows. Well, anyhow, he came
back a year ago, and said he was a tinker. He’d learned tinkerin’
somewhere round, sawderin’ and all that—and I’m damned if he
didn’t set up a cart and horse and go about with a tent. He paints,
he scribbles, he tinkers, he sawders—just as he dam’ pleases. And
he turns England into a garden, and plants his plants. He’s got
plants out all over the country. I tell you—the rummiest chap. Up in
the Lakes somewhere he’s got a lot—growin’ wild, free and easy—
says he don’t want hedges round his things. ‘Let ’em go as they
please,’ he says. So he turns the Land’s End into a rockery and stuffs
the cracks with things from the Alps. He’s made me promise him
things from the Pyrenees, confound him—you’ll have to help me with
’em. And irises on Dartmoor—from the Caucasus! And peonies
growin’ wild in South Wales—oh, he’s mad! You never saw such a
chap. And so dam’ reasonable about it. I like the chap. He’s all right,
you know. He’s been turned out of every village in England pretty
well, ’cause he will talk and will camp out, and plant his plants in
other men’s land. I met him once bein’ kicked out of Dicky
64. Clavering’s place—regular procession—and old Jack sittin’ up in his
cart talkin’ to the policeman like an old friend. Admirin’ crowd, of
course—the gels all love him, he’s so devilish agreeable, is Jack. I
tell you, he learnt more than one sort of sawderin’. And as for his
flowers—well, you know there’s a language of ’em. Well, now, what
do you think? I’ve heard from the Dowager, and I’ll be shot if she
hasn’t just turned old Jack out of my place! Found him campin’ in
the park, with one of the maids boilin’ his kettle, and another cuttin’
bread and butter for him. Plantin’ peonies he was—in my park! Dam’
funny business; but the end’s funnier still. The Dowager, out driving,
comes home—sees Master Jack waiting for his tea. Stops the
carriage—sends the footman to order him off. Jack says he’ll go after
tea. This won’t suit the Dowager by any means—so there’s a row.
Jack comes up to explain; makes himself so infernally agreeable that
I’ll be jiggered if the Dowager don’t ask him to dinner, and up he
turns in evenin’ togs, just like you or me. After dinner—‘Good-night,
my lady,’ says Jack. ‘I must be off early, as I’ve some saucepan
bottoms waiting for me—and I’ve promised ’em for to-morrow
sharp’—says Jack. Now—I say, I don’t believe you’ve heard a word
of all this.”
Duplessis, I think, had not. He had been frowning at the glare
outside, biting his cheek; in his hand was a crumpled-up letter.
“Look here, Bramleigh, I must get out of this,” he said. “I want to
go home.” Lord Bramleigh, never to be surprised, emptied his
tumbler.
Then he asked, “What’s up? No trouble, I hope?”
He had a gloomy stare for his first answer, and for second—“No,
I don’t say that. I don’t know. That’s why I am off—to see.”
A man’s pleasure is a matter of course to your Bramleighs: the
moral and social order must accommodate itself to that.
“That’s all right,” said Lord Bramleigh, therefore. “When do you
go? To-morrow?”
“I go this evening.” The effect of this was to raise Lord
Bramleigh’s scalp a shade higher.
“We swore we’d go to Madame Sop’s to-night, you know.”
Madame Sop was a Madame Sopwith, a lady of uncertain age and
65. Oriental appearance, who gave card-parties.
Duplessis said, “You must make my excuses—if she wants ’em.
I’m going.”
“A woman, of course,” said Bramleigh, tapping a cigarette—but
had no answer. Duplessis caught the Sun express, and, travelling
straight through, reached Misperton Brand in less than two days.
On the afternoon of the third day he was at the door of the little
house, Heath View, in Blackheath. The door was open, and within
the frame of it stood a tall young woman with hair elaborately puffed
over the ears and a complexion heightened by excitement.
“Good-afternoon,” says Duplessis. “Miss Middleham at home?”
“Yes,” says Jinny, “she is. Will you come in?”
He followed her into the parlour and was offered a chair. “Thanks
very much,” he said, but did not take it. He stood by the window,
and Jinny Middleham stood by the door.
Presently Jinny said, “I am Miss Middleham, you know. Or
perhaps you didn’t know it.” Duplessis stared, then recovered.
“I beg your pardon. No, I didn’t grasp that. But you’re not my
Miss Middleham.”
“I didn’t know that you had one,” said Jinny. “It’s the first I’ve
heard of it.”
He laughed. “You’ll think me very rude in a minute; but I’ll
explain to you. It was your sister I wanted to see. She is—a friend of
mine. My name is Duplessis. She may have told you.” Jinny was as
stiff as a poker.
“I have heard my sister speak of you, certainly. I understood that
you were—an acquaintance.”
Duplessis nodded easily. “Put it at that. I suppose I may see
her?”
“She’s away,” said Jinny. “She’s staying in London—with the
Honourable Mrs. Germain.”
He began to bite his cheek. “Can you give me Mrs. Germain’s
address? It’s not Hill-street, I suppose?”
Jinny was very happy just now. “I suppose that a letter to Mrs.
Germain at Misperton would find her. You are related to her, I
believe?”
66. “My dear Miss Middleham,” said Duplessis candidly, “let’s keep to
the point. It seems to me that you don’t want me to see your sister.”
“Oh,” says Jinny, “it don’t matter at all to me.” He knit his brows.
“Then you mean——?”
“I mean,” said Jinny, “that my sister is going to be married to Mr.
Germain. That’s what it comes to.”
Duplessis bowed. “I see. Thank you very much. Than I think, if
you’ll allow me—” He bowed again and went towards the door. The
scene was to be over. Jinny put her hand upon the latch. “Where are
you going?” she said, very short of breath. There was a thrill yet to
be got out of this.
What was sport to her mortified him to death. “Really, I don’t
know that I need trouble you any more,” he said. “You will give my
kind regards to your sister, I hope.” But Jinny kept the door-handle
in possession.
“Mr. Duplessis,” she said, “I ought to tell you that my sister would
rather be excused from seeing you. At least, she says so. She said so
to me. You best know why that may be.”
He ill concealed his mortification. “We won’t talk of your sister’s
affairs, I think. I am happy to have made your acquaintance——”
Jinny tossed her head up. “My acquaintance, as you call it, is for
them that want it. My sister’s is her own business. I tell you fairly,
Mr. Duplessis, that she may be very unhappy.”
He flashed her a savage look. “Good Heavens, I believe that.
Why, the thing’s monstrous! You might as well marry her to a
nunnery. The fellow’s frozen—stark cold.” Jinny steadfastly regarded
him.
“You know very well that you never meant to marry her,” she
said. He grew cold instantly.
“Once for all, I must tell you that I decline to discuss your sister’s
affairs with any one but herself. And since you tell me that I am not
to see her, I will ask you to let me bid you good-afternoon. I am very
sorry to have given you so much trouble.”
It was over; there was but one treatment for such a cavalier in
Jinny’s code of manners. She opened the door wide. “Good-
67. afternoon,” she said. He bowed and went out with no more
ceremony.
He felt spotted, and was furious that such a squalid drama should
have engaged him. A fluffed shop-girl—and Tristram Duplessis!
Filthy, filthy business! But he went directly to Hill-street—whither a
telegram had preceded him, terse and significant according to
Jinny’s sense of the theatre. “Look out,” it said.
That sent the colour flying from Mary’s lips, and lighted panic in
her eyes. She crushed it into a ball and dropped it; then she went
directly to Mrs. James and asked leave to go home for a few days.
She shook as she spoke. She said she was feeling very tired and
unlike herself; she wanted her mother, she said simply, and as her
lip quivered at the pathetic sound of that, her eyes also filled. Mrs.
James, not an unkind woman by any means, was really sympathetic.
“My dear child, I quite understand. Go home, of course, and get
strong and well. Although you may hardly believe me, I care very
much for your happiness—and John would wish it. If he could have
been here I know he would have taken you. You shall have the
carriage. Now, when would you like to——?”
“At once, please, Mrs. Germain—at once.” Mrs. Germain rang the
bell and ordered the carriage. Mary could hardly wait for it; she
spent the lagging moments pacing her room, and before it was fairly
at the door she was on the doorstep. She took no luggage.
Crouched in one corner of the hatefully dawdling thing, she stared
quivering out of the window. At the corner of the square by
Lansdowne House she gasped and cowered. A cab passed her, in
which sat, scowling and great, Tristram Duplessis, his arms folded
over the apron. Did he—? No, no, thank God, he had not seen her.
She was safe in the ladies’ waiting-room; but the traverse of the
platform was full of peril. Not until the train moved did she feel
herself safe. She hungered for Jinny’s arms as never in her life
before. The brave, the capable, the dauntless Jinny—Mercy of
Heaven, to have given her such a sister in whom to confide!
But Mrs. James—the sweeping eye having lighted upon the ball
of paper—Mrs. James wrote to her brother-in-law that night:—
68. “My dear John,—In case you may be hurrying back to
town, I think I should tell you that Mary has gone to her
people for a few days; she will write me the day and hour
of her return. There is nothing serious; but she complained
of being overtired—not to be wondered at. Even young
ladies may find the pleasures of shopping a tax. It is
possible, I think, that family matters, of which I know
nothing—as I am not in her confidence—may have called
her home. She left this telegram here. ‘Blackheath’ is on the
stamp, you will notice. Mary spoke of her mother to me
when she said that she must go, and seemed unhappy. I
put this down to her being overwrought—and no doubt you
will hear from her by the post which brings you this. Most
of my work is done here, I am happy to say. I hope you will
be pleased with Mary’s things. I must say that she looks
charming in her wedding gown. But Ninon may be trusted
for style. James is getting restive without me. Soames is no
doubt at his tricks again. I shall be glad to be at my post.
Your affecte. sister,
“Constantia Germain.”
“P.S.—Tristram is back from San Sebastian. I had a visit
from him this afternoon, some three minutes after Mary
left. He asked after her. You know that they were old
acquaintances. Lord Bramleigh remains in Spain. He seems
in no hurry to greet his bride. She is staying with the
Gospertons at Brenchmore. They expect him there from
day to day.”
Next day Mr. Germain presented himself in Hill-street, nothing
varied in his deliberate urbanity. He had not heard from Mary, he
said, in reply to a question; there had been no time for a letter to
reach Southover, and the absence of a telegram was reassuring. He
intended to go to Blackheath in the course of the afternoon. No
doubt she had overtired herself. He applied himself to other topics
and said nothing of Duplessis nor of the Blackheath message until
luncheon was over. Then, as Mrs. James went by him through the
69. door which he held open for her, he said, “I had forgotten: you have
Tristram back? If he should happen to call, pray tell him that I
should be glad to see him if he could spare me a moment.”
Mrs. James stopped in her rustling career. “But I don’t think it at
all likely he will call—again,” she said.
“No? Very well. Perhaps I shall encounter him somewhere. Or I
could write.”
“Quite so,” said Mrs. James. “It is easy to write.” Then she
shimmered away up the stairs. He went into the library, and, after
some pacing of the floor, sat down at his desk, wrote, signed, and
sealed a paper. He rang the bell.
“I wish you and Gutteridge to witness a paper for me, Jennings,”
he said to the man. “Fetch him in here, please.” The two
functionaries signed the sheet as he directed them. “Sign there, if
you please, Jennings. And Gutteridge below your name. . . . That
will do. Thank you.” He put the paper and a crumpled telegram
together in a long envelope, sealed it, and wrote shortly on the
outside. He locked it in his desk, then resumed his pacing of the
room. As he walked his lips moved to frame words—“Impossible!
Purity’s self. . . Her eyes ray innocence. . . .”
But he knew Tristram, and could not get his leisurely image away.
And Tristram had been much at Misperton; and had a way of—his
lips moved again—“My darling from the lions! From the power of the
dog!” He went back to his desk, took out the envelope he had
sealed, and would have torn it across—but did not. Instead, he put it
in his breast-pocket, and left the house.
In the little parlour of Heath View he stood presently awaiting
her. Jinny had seemed relieved to see him when she opened the
door. Mary had been lying down, she said, and would come when
she was tidy. He smiled and said he would wait. He was noticeably
white and lined in the face.
She came into the room presently, flushed and very bright-eyed.
He thought that she stood there like a mouse sensing the air for
alarms, prompt to dart at a pinfall. His heart beat to see the youth
and charm of her; his pain was swallowed up in longing for his
treasured bliss. He almost sobbed as he held out his arms. “Mary—
70. my child—my love;—” and when she ran in and clung to him with all
her force, he clasped her in a frenzy. Whatever darksome fears his
honest mind may have harboured, whatever beasts he may have
fought, there were none after such a greeting as this. He poured out
his love like water upon her, kissed her wet cheeks and shining eyes,
and with, “There, my little lamb, there, my pretty one, be at rest, be
at peace with me,” he soothed her, and felt the panic of her heart to
die down. Then, sitting, he drew her to his knees and let her lie
awhile with her head on his shoulder.
She whispered in his ear, “Oh, it was sweet of you to come! I
wanted you dreadfully—you don’t know.”
“No, my precious one, I don’t indeed. But I am well content that
you should have needed me. I pray that you always will, and that I
may never fail you.”
She lifted her head back to look at him; she smiled like an April
day. “You fail me! Oh, no, you’ll never do that.” And of her own
accord she kissed him. The good man simply adored her.
“Now will you tell me what upset you so much?” he asked her,
but she shook her head roguishly and said that she didn’t know. “It
was my stupidity—I was frightened—suddenly frightened of all the
grandeur—the great rooms, the butler and footmen—the people in
carriages who called—” She stopped here, her large eyes full upon
his own. She breathed very fast. Then she said, “That’s partly the
truth—but there’s more.”
He could not bear it. He could not face what she had to say. He
knew that he was a coward, but he could not; despised himself, but
could not.
He clasped her close. “Tell me nothing more, darling child. You
will reproach yourself, and I cannot bear it.”
She struggled to be free. “Oh, listen, listen to me, please!”
He kissed her with passion. “My life is yours; would you rob me
of it? I cannot listen to you——”
She gave over, and lay with hidden face until she dared to look
up again. Then, when both were calmer, she showed her serious
face. Playing with his eyeglasses, she did relieve her mind of one of
her fears. “Do you know,” she said, “unless you are with me—always
71. —I am sure that I shall do something mad, or bad. Run away from it
all—hide myself.” She nodded her head sadly. “Yes, I’m quite sure.”
He could afford to look at the future, not the past.
“Why, then, my love, I shall be with you always—night and day.
Do you hear me? Night and day! How will you like that?” She hung
her head, peered up at him for a second, and hung her head again.
He could do nothing but kiss her after that.
He stayed to tea, which she prepared with her own quick hands.
She and Jinny entertained him, and he had never liked that
pronounced young woman so well. It was her birthday, Jinny’s
birthday, he was told. “A few days only from mine,” he said, with a
fine smile to Mary, which made her understand him, and blush.
“Twenty-nine to-day,” said Jinny candidly, cutting cake. “This is my
cake, Mr. Germain. I suppose you’ll give Mary a better one.”
“I shall give her the best I can, Miss Jinny, you may be sure,” he
said heartily, and she nodded to him her confidence in his love. He
treated her with grave politeness, which lost all its distance by the
evident interest he took in her affairs. She gave herself no airs or
graces, was neither pert nor sniffing for offence, nor airy, nor merely
odious. Germain’s own manners were so fine, so based upon
candour and honesty that one could not fail to respond. Even Jinny
Middleham forgot herself; and as for Mary, she sat quietly on the
watch, really happy, really at ease about the dread future—and
whatever terrors she may have owed to Tristram she had none now.
Yet she was to have one more chance. At parting she clung to him
again, and begged him not to leave her for long. “I’m safe with you
—I feel that. Oh, how did you make me like you?”
“By liking you myself, I expect, little witch.”
“I’m not a witch. I’m a dunce, and you know that I am. But listen
——”
“I listen, dearest.”
“I am going to be the best girl in the world. I’m going to do
everything that you tell me—always.”
“Beloved, I am sure.”
“Wait. You haven’t forgotten what you promised me?”
“What was that?”
72. “You have forgotten! Oh, but you must never forget it. It is
important—to me.”
“Tell me again.”
“It was—always to ask me before you believe anything against
me. That was it—and you promised.” He took her face between his
hands and looked long into her eyes.
“My dearest heart,” he said, “I’ll promise you better. Not only
shall I never believe anything against you—but I shall never even
ask you of the fact. Never, never.”
She searched his face—her eyes wandered over it, doubting,
judging, considering.
“I had rather you asked me,” she told him; but his answer was to
kiss her lips.
She went with him to the garden gate, seemed most unwilling
that he should go. Farewells spoken, her ring-hand kissed, she stood
watching him down the terrace, and then, as he never looked back,
walked slowly into the house and shut the door. Had she stayed a
moment longer she would have seen an encounter he had at the
corner where you turn up for the station. Perhaps it was better as it
was; I don’t know. He had paused there to hail a fly with his
umbrella, and having faced round towards his way, saw Duplessis
advancing towards him. He felt himself turn cold and sick. The fly
drew up. “Wait for me where you are,” he said, and went to meet
the young man. Duplessis saw him on a sudden; his eyes, blue by
nature, grew steely and intensely narrow.
“Good-evening, Tristram,” said Germain. “Constantia told me of
your return.” Duplessis dug the pavement with his stick.
“Did she? Well, it is true, you see.”
“I do see. You are going to pay Mary a visit, I suppose. She’s not
very well, I’m sorry to say—a little overtired. Otherwise, I am sure
she would have been delighted.”
Duplessis made no reply, and the other continued: “I told
Constantia that I hoped to see you—to tell you a small piece of
news. I am about to be married again. Mary has been so kind as to
confide her future happiness into my hands. Perhaps you won’t
misunderstand me if I say that some little fraction of that happiness
73. depends upon her not seeing you for the moment. When she is
rested, we may hope—The wedding will naturally be a very quiet
one. Her people wish it, and my taste agrees with theirs. Otherwise
we should have liked to have you among our guests. We promise
ourselves the pleasure of seeing you at Southover in the near future.
I think the place will please you. You must give an account of my
pheasants in December.”
“That’s very good of you, Germain,” said Duplessis, looking him
full in the face.
Mr. Germain turned to his waiting fly. “Have you other
engagements in Blackheath?”
“None,” said Duplessis.
“No? Then perhaps I can offer you a seat in my carriage.”
“Thanks,” said Duplessis, “I’m walking;” nodded, and went
forward, the way of the heath.
“The station,” said Mr. Germain.
He could thank God, at least, that she had not meant to deceive
him; he could thank God, at least, that she had done with the past.
But he had received a mortal wound, and after his manner
concealed it. His lovely image was soiled; the glass of his life to
come dimmed already. He saw nothing more of Mary until the
wedding day, though he wrote to her in his usual fashion and on his
usual days. “My dear child,” and “Yours with sincere affection.” She
did not guess that anything was amiss, could not know what they
had cost him to write them twice a week. His brother and sister-in-
law noticed his depression. Mrs. James indeed was tempted to
believe that, at the eleventh hour—but the Rector knew him better.
All his forces were now to put heart in the bridegroom. He spoke
much of Mary.
74. XV
A PHILOSOPHER EMBALES
That young man with the look of a faun, at once sleepy and arch,
the habit of a philosopher and the taste for gardening at large,
whom we have seen very much at his ease in society quite various,
was by name Senhouse—patronym, Senhouse, in the faith John, to
the world of his familiars Jack Senhouse, and to many Mad Jack. But
madness is a term of convenience to express relations, and to him, it
may well be, the world was mad. He thought, for instance, that Lord
Bramleigh was mad, to whom we are now to hear him talking, as
much at his length and as much at his ease as of late we saw him in
the company of Miss Mary Middleham, or of Miss Hertha de Speyne
of the Cantacute stem.
Perhaps he was more at his ease. He lay, at any rate, before his
tent, full length upon his stomach, his crook’d elbows supported his
face, which was wrinkled between his hands. His pipe, grown cold
by delay, lay on the sward before him. One leg, from the knee, made
frequent excursions towards the sky, and when it did, discovered
itself lean and sinewy, bare of sock. His sweater was now blue, and
his trousers were grey; it was probably he had no more clothing
upon him. Upon a camp-stool near by sat Lord Bramleigh of the
round face, corded and gaitered, high-collared and astare. To
express bewilderment, he whistled; concerned, he smiled.
“Well,” he said presently, “I think you might. We’re short of a gun
—I’ve told you so.”
“My dear man,” said the other, “I shoot no birds. I’d as soon
shoot my sister.”
“That’s rot, you know, Jack.”
“To me it’s plain sense. God save you, Bramleigh, have you ever
seen a bird fly? It’s the most marvellous—no, it’s not, because we’re
all marvels together; but I’ll tell you this—boys frisking after a full
75. meal, girls at knucklebones, a leopard stalking from a bough, horses
in a windy pasture—whatever you like of the sort has been done,
and well done—but a bird in flight, never! There’s no greater sight—
and you’ll flare into it with your filthy explosives and shatter a
miracle into blood and feathers. Beastly work, my boy, butchers’
work.”
“Rot,” said Bramleigh—“But of course you’re mad. Why are my
cartridges filthier than your pots of paint? Hey?”
“Well, I make something, you see—or try to, and you blow it to
smithereens—However, we won’t wrangle, Bramleigh. You’re a nice
little man, after all. Those Ramondias—it was really decent of you.”
“Much obliged,” said the young lord; and then—“I say, talking of
the Pyrenees, you knew Duplessis? He’s our man short. He’s
chucked, you know. He’s awfully sick.” Senhouse was but faintly
interested.
“Yes, I knew him—Cleverish—conceited ass. What’s he sick
about?”
“Gel. Gel goin’ to be married—to-day or something—end of
September, I know. Tristram’s mad about it. He was at San Sebastian
with me when he heard about it—and bolted off like a rabbit—mad
rabbit.”
Senhouse yawned. “We’re all mad according to you, you know.
So I take something off. I can understand his sort of madness,
anyhow. Who’s the lady?”
“Oh, I don’t know her myself. Gel down at his place—in a poor
sort of way, I b’lieve. Companion or something—he played about—
and now she’s been picked up by a swell connexion of his—old
Germain of Southover. Be shot, if he’s not going to marry her.”
The lengthy philosopher smiled to himself, but gave no other sign
of recognition until he said, “I know that lady. Brown-eyed, sharp-
eyed, quick, sleek, mouse of a girl.”
“Dessay,” said Lord Bramleigh. “They know their way about.” The
philosopher threw himself upon his back and gazed into the sky.
“Yes, and what a way, good Lord! Idol-hunting—panting after
idols. Maims herself and expects Heaven as a reward. I don’t
suppose that she has been herself since she left her mother’s lap.
76. And now, with an alternative of being sucked dry and pitched away,
she is to be slowly starved to death. I only saw her once—no, twice.
She had what struck me as unusual capacities for happiness—zest,
curiosity, health—but no chances of it whatsoever. Ignorant—oh,
Lord! They make me weep, that sort. So pretty and so foolish. But
there, if I once began to cry, I should dissolve in mist.”
“Oh, come,” said Lord Bramleigh, “I don’t think she’s doin’ badly
for herself. She was nobody, you know, and old Germain—well, he’s
a somebody. He’s a connexion of mine, through his sister-in-law—
she was Constantia Telfer—so I know he’s all right.”
“I’ll do her the justice to say,” Senhouse reflected aloud, “that
she didn’t sell herself—she’s not a prostitute. She’s a baby—pure
baby. She was dazzled, and misunderstood the sensation. She
thought she was touched. She’s positively grateful to the man—
didn’t see how she was to refuse. She’s a donkey, no doubt—but she
had pretty ways. She could have been inordinately happy—but she’s
not going to be. She’s in for troubles, and I’m sorry. I liked her.”
“She’d better look out for Tristram, I can tell you,” said
Bramleigh. “He’s an ugly customer, if he don’t have his rights. Not
that there were any rights, so far as I know—but that makes no
difference to Tristram.”
“Is she worth his while? I doubt it.”
“She will be. Germain’s rich. Besides, Tristram sticks up for his
rights—tenacious beggar.”
“Should have been kicked young,” quoth the philosopher, and
sped Lord Bramleigh on his way.
“Mary Middleham, O Mary of the brown eyes and pretty mouth, I
should like to see you married!” he thought, as he packed his tent.
“There’s a woman inside you, my friend; you weren’t given her form
for nothing. You are not going to be married yet awhile, you know.
It’ll take more than a going to church to do that. You’ve got to be a
woman first—and you’re not yet born!”
He lifted a shallow box of earth, and fingered some plants in it.
“Ramondias—beauties! One of these springs there’ll be a cloud of
your mauve flushing a black cliff over the green water. There’s a
palette to have given old England! Mauve, wet black, and sea-green.
77. I have the very place for you, out of reach of any save God and the
sea-mews and me. But even with them you won’t have a bad
‘assistance.’ That’s a clever word, for how is the artist going to make
a masterpiece unless the public makes half of it? Black, mauve, and
green—all wet together! We’ll make a masterpiece in England
yet. . . .
“That girl’s great eyes haunt me. Lakes of brown wonder—they
were the colour of moorland water—a dainty piece! I could see love
in her—she was made for it. A dark hot night in summer, and she in
your arms. . . .! Good Lord, when the beast in a man gets informed
by the mind of a god—there’s no ecstasy beyond the sun to compare
with it. . . .
“Two things worth the world—: Power, and Giving. When a girl
gives you her soul in her body, and you pour it all back into her lap,
you are spending like a king. Why do women mourn Christ on His
cross? Where else would He choose to be? A royal giver! To have the
thing to give—and to give it all! He was to be envied, not
mourned. . . .
“Old Germain—what’s he doing but playing the King on the
Cross. He feels it—we all feel it—but has he got anything to give? It’s
an infernal shame. He’s bought the child. She’ll never forgive him;
she’ll harden, she’ll be pitiless—have no mercy when the hour
strikes. There’ll be horrors—it ought to be stopped. I’ve half a mind
——
“Damn it, no! She must go to school. If there’s woman in her,
after travail she’ll be born. . . .
“To school? To Duplessis? Is he to school her, poor wretch? What
are his ‘rights?’ Squatter’s rights, you may suppose. So she’s to be a
doll for Germain to dandle, or an orange for Duplessis to suck, and
betwixt the feeding and the draining a woman’s to be born! Wife,
who’s no wife, mistress for an hour—and a pretty flower with the
fruit unformed. . . .
“If I bedeck the bosom of England and star it with flowers, do I
do better than Germain with his money, or Duplessis with his rights?
And if I were to court her bosom . . . Oh, my brown-eyed venturer in
78. deep waters, I could serve you well! Go to school, go to school,
missy—and when you are tired, there’s Halfway House!”
That evening under the hunter’s moon he struck his camp. He
had told young Bramleigh that he was soon for the West, where he
preferred to winter. “I shall be in Cornwall by November,” he had
said, “and that’s time enough;” and this being late September, it is
clear that he projected a leisurely progress from Northamptonshire,
where he now was, to the Cornish Sea. He had indeed no reason for
hurry, but many for delay. That fairest of all seasons to the poet’s
mind—that “close bosom-friend of the maturing sun” was to him
foster-mother, whether her drowsy splendours fed him or he felt the
tonic of her chill after-breath. He worked out, he said, in winter what
he had dreamed in the autumn, and he could afford to lose no hours
from her lap.
Loafer deliberately, incurably a tramp, he was never idle—
whether mending kettles or painting masterpieces (for he had a
knack of colour which now and then warranted that word), his real
interest was in watching life and in establishing a base broad enough
or simple enough to uphold it all. He was not too proud to learn
from the beasts, nor enough of a prig to ignore his two-legged
neighbours: but for the life of him he could not see wherein a Lord
Bramleigh differed from a ploughboy, or a Mary Middleham from a
hen partridge—and it was a snare laid for him that he was constantly
to be tempted to overlook the fact that they differed at least in this,
that they had the chance of differing considerably. He would have
been greatly shocked to be told that he was a cynic, and yet
intellectually he was nothing more. He did himself the honour of
believing most people to be donkeys: if they were not, why under
the sun did they not do as he was doing?
The answer to that was that if they did, he would immediately do
something else, and find plenty reasons to support him. He had not
worked that out—but it’s true.
It was also true—as he had told Mary Middleham—that he lived
from hand to mouth. His father, Alderman Senhouse, J.P., of
Dingeley, in the Northern Midlands, was proprietor of the famous
Dingeley Main Colliery, and extremely rich. His mother had been a
79. Battersby, well connected, therefore. He had been to Rugby and to
Cambridge, just as Duplessis had been, and at the same times; like
Duplessis he idled, but unlike him, he cost no man anything. For his
needs, which were very simple, he could make enough by his water-
colours, a portrait here and there, an essay, a poem. Then—and that
was true, too—he had the art and mystery of tinkering at his
disposition. He had earned his place in the guild of tinkers—a very
real body—by more than one battle. He was accepted as an
eccentric whose whim was to be taken seriously—and as such he
made his way. He had never asked his father for a sixpence since he
left Cambridge and was on very friendly terms with him. His brothers
took the world more strenuously; one was partner at the colliery,
another in Parliament, a third—the first born—was Recorder of
Towcester.
So much for his talents—now for his accomplishments. He was
an expert woodman, a friend to every furred and feathered thing,
could handle adders without fear, and was said to know more about
pole-cats, where they could still be found, and when, than any man
in England. He had seen more badgers at ease than most people,
and was infallible at finding a fox. All herbs he loved, and knew their
virtues; a very good gardener in the West said that the gentleman-
tinker could make a plant grow. There’s no doubt he had a knack, as
the rock-faces between Land’s End and St. Ives could testify—and
may yet. He had a garden out there, which he was now on the way
to inspect. But he had many gardens—that was his passion. He was
but newly come from one in Cumberland.
He said of himself that he was a pagan suckled in a creed
outworn, and that he was safely weaned. There was a touch of the
faun about him; he had no self-consciousness and occasionally more
frankness than was convenient. The number of his acquaintance was
extraordinary, and, in a sense, so was that of his friends—for he had
none at all. Accessible as he was up to a point, beyond that point I
know nobody who could say he had ever explored Senhouse. That
was where the secretiveness of the wild creature peeped out.
Nobody had ever said of him that he had loved, either because
nobody knew—or because nobody told. Yet his way with women was
80. most effective; it was to ignore their sex. “I liked her,” he would say
meditatively of a woman—and add, “She was a donkey, of course.”
You could make little of a phrase of the sort—yet one would be glad
to know the woman’s opinion. We have seen that he could be a
sympathetic listener, we know that he could be more, in moments of
difficulty—and there we stop.
Lastly, I am not aware that he had any shame. He seems always
to have done exactly as he pleased—until he was stopped by some
guardian of custom or privilege. This frequently happened; but so far
as I can learn the only effect upon Senhouse was to set him
sauntering elsewhere—to do exactly as he pleased. He never lost his
temper, was never out of spirits, drank wine when he could get it,
but found water quite palatable. He was perfectly sincere in his
professions, and owned nothing in the world but his horse and cart,
Bingo, the materials of his trade, and some clothes which had not
been renewed for five years. We leave him at present, pushing to
the West.
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