Visual Change Management in Dutch Retail Organizations : an Exploratory Study on Using Visualizations as a Strategic Tool During Change

Abstract: Background: Organizations today are having to initiate the necessary changes as they are pressured to keep up with market environments that often yield unpredictable and complex events. When initiating, and more importantly, attempting to implement these changes, the theory states that 70% of these efforts fail. One of the reasons behind this high rate of failure is the ineffective internal communication during strategic change, which results in misunderstandings and perhaps even resistance among employees. Here, building on previous research, it is argued that visual management can play an important role. However, the current theory lacks empirical research that investigates or examines the current usage of visualizations as a strategic tool during change, as the majority focuses on providing literature reviews or theoretical frameworks. Research question: To what extend do organizations use visualizations within the process of organizational change? Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to get a better understanding of the usage of visualizations as a strategic tool during the process of organizational change. Method: In order to fulfil the purpose of the thesis and to be able to explore the research question, a quantitative research design was chosen. The data for this thesis was collected through a web-based questionnaire among organizations situated in The Netherlands. A specification was made towards organizational structure whereas the retail sector can be characterised as having multiple hierarchical levels. The survey consisted of three parts each dedicated to a sub-question relating to the main research question. In total, 282 respondents participated in the research. Theoretical framework: An overview of the current literature is provided starting with describing the topic of change, where several aspects such as the factors supporting and hampering change and the process of strategic change are discussed. In addition, a specification is made towards communication, where especially internal communication during change is highlighted. The final component in this theoretical framework is visualizations, which is discussed by summarizing what the current theory states regarding characteristics, types, strategic usage and the field of visual management. All of this through a strategic scope and within the setting of organizational or strategic change. Findings: In this dissertation, it was discovered that a very low amount of organizations perceives their change efforts to be successful. This may be due to things not always going according to plan, where interestingly, a high number of organizations did state that plans are created during strategic or organizational change. Secondly, the data showed how organizations are already showing a significant use of visualizations as a strategic tool during change. However, the more ‘complex’ visualizations scored noticeably lower on usage and frequency. Lastly, within the findings of this thesis it became apparent that organizations perceive the usage of visualizations during change to be very positive. Especially high numbers were found on how using visualizations can lead to employees better understanding why the changes are needed.