Organizational Change the Burke-Litwin Model Contains Twelve

Organizational Change

The Burke-Litwin Model contains twelve organizational variables. Each of these variables is interconnected, so that changes in one variable will affect the others. Also built into the model is the idea that change can occur as the result of a concerted effort to change multiple variables. Ideally, an organizational change program will be strongest when all of the different variables are aligned in the direction of the desired change. Some variables may require minimal adjustment while others may require significant adjustment. The twelve variables are the external environment, mission and strategy, leadership, organizational culture, structure, management practices, systems, work unit climate, task requirements, motivation, individual needs and values. The external environment in this model is filtered through the ten other variables, with the outcome being organizational performance (Falletta, 2008).

The Burke-Litwin model is organized by the most important factors at the top, with the factors becoming less important as they go down the chart. The three most important factors are the mission and strategy, leadership, and culture. The mission and strategy is defined in relatively vague terms, which allows for it to change slightly with different geopolitical situations. In general, leadership and culture are much more important to a change process. With respect to leadership, the Commander-in-Chief, who changes every four to eight years, is less important than the organization's functional leaders, the generals. However, the hierarchical nature of the organization means that leaders at all levels are critical to the organizational change process -- with top level leaders supporting a change process, the others will adopt that process more quickly and with less resistance. Culture in the Army derives largely from the cues of the leadership. There is a strong organizational culture that can be resistant to change. Strong leadership support of change is therefore required to ensure the success of any change process, but even then the changes can take significant amounts of time to become embedded in the culture.

The next level of the Burke-Litwin model features structure, management practices and systems. These are all designed by the leadership of the organization to fulfill the mission and strategy. Each of these contributes to organizational change in two critical ways. The first is that these variables all influence the organization's culture by affecting the way people in the organization think, their decision-making processes and by governing internal communications. The second is that these variables all sit at the focal point of organizational change in the middle of the chart. When these elements -- structure, management practice and systems -- change, everything else in the organization will change as the result.

One of the unique features of Burke-Litwin is that it distinguishes between organization-wide culture and work group climate. This is important when discussed an organization like the U.S. Army, which is influenced strongly by both variables. There is a chain of command that stands between the leaders of the organization and the work groups, many of which are deployed around the world. There are limited opportunities, once the initially training period of new recruits has passed, to create an organization-wide culture that permeates through each different work group. This represents a significant barrier to change in the U.S. Army. The best way to initiate change in individual work groups to affect their climate is through changes to leadership of those groups, but also with changes in the systems and structures that govern how those groups operate. It also helps to have an impetus for change.

Thus, creating motivation is another important variable in the model with respect to instigating change in the U.S. Army. Primacy is given to the mission of the organization and the strategies it undertakes. Arguably, motivation for change will not exist until members of the organization see that the change supports the mission. Any change that is viewed as compromising the mission will be rejected, since the stakes (lives, national security) of the mission are so high. Among the key issues in the Burke-Litwin model is how variables like job/skills match and individual needs and values are a factor. The former is performed well by the Army, and I am not sure the latter is even relevant in this organization. Either these variables will need little change, or this is a gap in the knowledge that needs to be addressed.

A more substantive effort might be needed to address the issue of the pace of change. In a conservative organization with a high power distance, change can occur very slowly as the result of strong resistance at the leadership level. This is something that happens frequently in the U.S. Army, especially given the primacy of the mission/strategy variable. Other variables will always take a back seat to performance. Thus, making changes requires significant motivation. Demonstrating that a change is positive is a significant challenge, one that likely requires significant research to resolve.