This paper describes the “J Curve of Change” by identifying the five stages of change. It also assesses and contrasts the J Curve and Rogers’ Change model. Finally, it describes the impact of persuasion on an individuals’ capacity to change.
Summary of Jellison’s J Curve of Change
Jellison (2005) explores the human dimension of change and suggests that the letter J represents a path that individuals follow as they experience change.
He further suggests that the use of the curve is fundamental while introducing business processes, indicating the reasons why change has to occur and presenting the approaches that will aid in handling the change process smoothly. It is equally fundamental in avoiding a decline in performance and aids in becoming a stronger leader. The following are the stages, which are evident in the path of revolution.
Stage 1: The Plateau
In this stage, employees follow already established policies within an organization and seem to master organizational routine. They offer customers quality time, handle office equipment professionally and maintain good relationships with colleagues.
The prior knowledge that changes will occur within the organization finally reaches the employees through official corporate communication or grapevine.
Different reactions to the news will be evident since people have dissimilar opinions at the work place. Psychological intensities seen amidst people who resist change need careful analysis since it allows less apprehensive employees to work with minimal pressure.
Stage 2: The Cliff
There is a remarkable drop in performance at this stage; furthermore, the activities in stage one are reversed. Indeed, there are more failures than successes because employees experience confusion and make numerous mistakes. Additionally, productivity reduces due to inadequate training by management.
Interestingly, failures start affecting inter-relations at the work place. Such failures make employees assume a panic mood and think of their exit plan from work.
Stage 3: The Valley
Errors begin decreasing at this stage because employees master innovations, which they resisted in first and second stages of the J curve. Management acknowledges employees’ achievement whilst mastering change though they may not believe in themselves.
Indeed, employees who previously had doubts and exuded resistance began to acknowledge the significance of change in the organization. Activities at this stage are divisible into two halves with the first half recording slower rates of decreased performances. The last half facilitates consistencies in worker performance and confidence regained.
Stage 4: The Ascent
At this stage, attitude changes and good performance is attributable to psychological satisfaction from excellent performances in stages one, two and three. Indeed, fears and plans to flee are replaced with positive thought and a need to build the organization. Motivated employees realize that modifications work for the company and individuals who ultimately gain.
Stage 5: The Mountaintop
The ultimate goal is achievable at the final stage since it is apparent that change has occurred. Employees return to old ways of working since customers experience better treatment; furthermore, they relate with management as peers. They can offer further suggestions of initiating change in such organization. This is because employees, who fail to endure change, embrace it.
Comparison of change models
“J curve of change” compares to Roger’s change model in the diverse ways. Both models explain the mechanisms involved in change through certain stages. For example, Roger mentions “innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards” as agents in the change process (Jellison, 2005). Jellison involves plateau, cliff, valley, ascent and mountaintop in his analysis.
Both Jellison and Rogers observe that knowledge and attitude are significant elements in the change process. They unanimously concur that familiarity ought to prevail prior to the change process. Additionally, there is an off-putting attitude at the beginning of any change process, which later turns to a positive attitude when informed in good time. In the two theories of change, motivation for the need for communication makes individuals smoothly adapt to revolutions in the organization.
Top management in Jellison’s theory plays the same role as opinion leaders in Rogers’ theory who take a leader’s position since they ensure that the change process is successful.
Management encourages employees to comprehend changes consequently boosting output at the work place. Concurrently, opinion leaders offer credible expert view. Both theories centre on human beings as perfect agents of the change process when certain procedures are in order.
Contrast of change models
The two models differ in divergent ways since Jellison spells letter J in explaining the process of change while Roger model spells letter S. S shaped curve explains respective percentages of adopters of an innovation in Rogers’ theory while letter J is synonymous to aspects that individuals encounter when change occurs in organizations.
Rogers asserts that opinion leaders may lose their influence in the tender stages of initiating transformations. However, Jellison confirms that management, which is equal to opinion leaders, does not lose influence. Management encounters resistance but can never go into extinction because employees respect them.
This is unlike masses that can disrespect opinion leaders. In addition, Roger seems to allege that change occurs in a piecemeal manner since each stage is dependent on previous occurrences. Jellison advises that change is a continuous process and stages should not necessarily depend on each other (Simons & Jones, 2011).
Rogers’ model makes a distinction in diffusion of novice matters by explaining that mass media and interpersonal relations aid in the spread of news about change.
Further, he suggests that media communicates to large populations targeted by change agents while interpersonal relations communicate to people who know each other. Rogers’ theory of change borrows greatly from mathematical concepts while Jellison embraces a more social science approach.
Most applicable model in organizational settings
Analysis of the two models of change indicate that the most applicable is J curve of change because employees experience change in stages and are always ready for the next change. Management can identify people who oppose change and pressure them to recognize change because they are at the same place.
Furthermore, when an organization experience losses during the initial stages of change, there is hope that a better future awaits. Measures such as closing the business due to bankruptcies cannot occur because the cause is established.
Role of persuasion in an individual’s capacity to change
According to Simons & Jones (2011), persuasion is the use of messages to influence audiences. They indicate that messages, which consist of concepts that are persuasive in nature, enable persuaders to achieve their goals. Companies engage in persuasion activities through adverts.
Concurrently, attitudes are forms of thinking, which develop when behaviors culminate in certain effects. As such, persuasion plays a significant responsibility in people’s aptitude to change.
For example, in companies, employees change their attitude towards new policies when management talks to them (Simons & Jones, 2011). The concept of persuasion aids individuals to deal with change because they understand messages that depict change.
Conclusion
The J Curve of change offers categorical explanations of how change occurs in organizations. It is the most applicable mode of change for use in implementing changes at work. This is because it attributes its references to the corporate environment.
If the model undergoes careful analysis by individuals who aspire to take managerial duties in the future, it can be useful. In addition, managers ought to support employees to change and explain that such modifications must occur in all organizations (Simons & Jones, 2011).
They should engage in suitable persuasion techniques to ensure that employees understand why change has to occur and details of the change agenda. Finally, organizations need to prepare employees for forthcoming changes to avoid loses, which may occur during change.
Summary
J curve of change seeks to offer professional assistance to the top management who might have trouble in implementing change in organizations. The five stages, which include plateau, cliff, valley, ascent and mountaintop, facilitate major corporate achievements.
Such achievements incorporate the introduction of new services that increase an organization’s productivity and maintain a proficient working environment Other models that seek to explain change process are Rogers’ change model and Scott & Jaffe change model (Rogers, 2008).
There are various similarities and differences between Jellison’s curve and Roger’s curve. One significant difference is Rogers’ model engages mathematical percentages in explanations.
Interestingly, the J curve is the most applicable because of the humanistic approach in its explanation of change; furthermore, practical solutions are offered. Lack of mathematical figures makes the model simple to understand and practice at the work place (Rogers, 2008).
The five stages encourage the administration when the performance of employee deteriorates. Persuasion allows management to motivate employees to accept change. Since persuasion is goal-oriented, messages about change are effectively communicated to the relevant audience. Mechanisms involved in persuasions aid in the change of attitudes amidst employee who might resist change.
References
Jellison, J. (2006). Managing the dynamics of change: the fastest path to creating an engaged and productive work force. Illinois, IL: McGraw Hill Publisher Rogers, P. (2008). Using programme theory to evaluate complicated and complex aspects of Interventions. Evaluation. 14, 29, 29–48.
Simons, W. & Jones, G. (2011). Persuasion in Society. New York, NY: Sage Publications.