To successfully implement an organizational change effort, the counterforces to the change must be managed effectively. This four-character role-play exercise, which is based on a real-life situation, is designed to show how both employee and management resistance to change can hinder the implementation of a change effort. The Jefferson Company is an old-line printing company with new partners that needs to change its technology, its equipment, and its operating procedures. The company is also confronting a challenging competitive situation, a precarious debt position, and an existing union contract. This role-play exercise can also be used to illustrate group dynamics and power issues.
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