Category: Organization Development

Organizational development (OD) can be defined as the process comprised of wide- range efforts an organization uses to remain afloat in the changing business environment. These efforts are exerted by the management of the organization to improve on the feasibility and effectiveness of the organization in the constantly mutating business environment. Being a group that works towards achieving a common set of goals or goals for that matter, the organization should be able to effectively use human and social processes to function and remain relevant over a sustained period of time. Thus, organizational development takes a long-range perspective with processes that are flexible enough to be renewed and reviewed by the management of the organization (Cummings & Worley, 2009). However, it is important to note at this point that efforts to be exerted will only be effective if applied to all sectors of the organization, starting from the business environment to the employees and the management itself. The modern environment, especially the business environment, is comprised of revolutionary changes that mutated now and again. Thus, the organization must be ready to adapt to changes arising from new technology, new cultures, and customer tastes and preferences. The changes may also arise from competition, demographical changes in the physical business environment, including workplace, customer demands, and government policies and legislations. All these changes will affect the profit margins and hence viability and sustainability of the organization. When not tackled effectively, these changes may also affect the efficiency and effectiveness of the organization at large (Sullivan, 2009).

This paper goes beyond just the definition of organizational development; it goes beyond this and outlines some of the sources of changes in the business environment. Moreover, it aims at outlining how organizational development can be used to benefit a business using a case study. This is made possible when the case study business is analyzed using the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis. In doing so, this paper will identify those elements that can either help the organization to grow, to be susceptible to failure or those that will affect it negatively. Moreover, the developmental organization will only help the business if those elements that can spur the growth and development in the future are identified. Hence, with this information, this paper then recommends various business strategies that can help propel the business understudy to greater heights.

Skoda, in its bid to wade through the mutating business environment, conducted a SWOT analysis. This analysis was carried out in line with the small car company’s goal of establishing a brand positioning in the motor vehicle industry. The analysis revealed that the company’s greatest strength was its ability to concentrate on customer satisfaction rather than maximizing sales. This was concluded from the data collected from customers and other reliable yet independent surveys. The data showed that by manufacturing quality cars that meet customer demands, most of the Skoda customers would recommend Skoda to a friend. However, the analysis also revealed that the small size of the business (1.7% market) affected its competitiveness in the business environment. Moreover, since Skoda originated from Czechoslovakia, many people not only perceive it as small, they also perceived it as an outdated company which is out of touch with the modern world. This perception was so strong that even after Volkswagen AG tried to change it after their partnership, many people still view the company as small and outdated. This belittlement brought about another weakness as the company started concentrating on defensive campaigns. Rather than tell the world what they can offer, Skoda concentrated on telling the world what their brand is not.

However, SWOT analysis revealed that the car company had one external condition that could propel the company greater future in terms growth. While most of its competitors concentrated on maximization of sales, Skoda focused on customer satisfaction through manufacturing of vehicles that emphasized on the need for the owner’s experience with Skoda vehicles. Being a small company operating in a business environment dominated by over 50 large companies manufacturing 200 different car models, chances that Skoda’s car will not be noticed were high. However, the company decided to produce cars targeting various groups in the market. These cars were custom made to fit their lifestyles and financial capabilities.

Skoda has a clear vision of concentrating on customer satisfaction as opposed to sales maximization which has helped in pushing up their sales in the competitive market. Through this, they are able to win customer loyalty as they concentrate on quality thus the customers will act as advertisers of Skoda vehicles. Clarity of vision also helps the company in channelling of its resources in effective areas thereby cutting operational cost and maximizing profit. Skoda will benefit greatly from organizational development since it will be able lay down strategies for positive advertising and how to channel their resources to continue producing quality cars though in limited models while at the same maximizing profits. Organizational development will also help the company in dealing with the negative perceptions about its size and origin. The company will also learn on how to survive in the highly competitive market full of big companies. All in all, organizational development plays an integral part in the success of any organization.

References

Cummings, T., & Worley, C. (2009). Organization development and change (9^th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: South-Western, Cengage Learning.

Sullivan, R. (2009). Practicing Organization Development: A Guide for Leading Change. San Francisco, Ca: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer Publishers.

Introduction

Nowadays ever-changing world sets new challenges and opportunities in the field of retail companies, making them to re-consider their values, strategy, and distribution channels. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the opening of large department stores made a revolution: likewise daily newspapers and electricity, department stores became an integral part of the industrial age.

They become such an inalienable issue that one may question this trading format today, namely, in the Internet age. This paper explores Macy’s, the retail chain company, specializing in clothing, footwear, accessories, cosmetics, jewelry, etc., department store development and utilizes tools of organizational development to assume appropriate strategies that would allow the company enhancing its contemporary position on the global market.

Problem Identification

The very definition of a department store implies that almost all the products that can be needed are collected in one place, beginning with cosmetics and clothes to household goods and appliances. Among other characteristics, such a format meant the convenience of making a purchase, yet today this former advantage of department stores seem to be flawed. For instance, the traditional location in the city center attracts tourists yet frightens residents due to the lack of parking, and the large sales areas as well as the organization of the shopping space that no longer seems perfect compared to the online stores. In other words, customers have other convenient ways to make purchases with the help of new trade formats.

The study by Kearney’s pinpoints that the youth audience – the so-called Millenials – tend to visit shopping malls less frequently than other age groups while active adults present the core of customers (“A.T. Kearney’s 2015 Global Retail E-Commerce Index Contains a Few Surprises”).

Teenagers no longer rest in the malls unless Pokemon GO leads them. Based on the recent market analysis and survey findings, the study states that retailers and brands should involve as many young buyers as possible in order to build long and lasting relationships with them. At this point, Amazon acts in the role of the focal competitor that turns out to be more successful than its offline rivals. This transforms the retail trade, causing serious costs and decrease of efficiency. The detailed information is presented in the following Table 1.

Macy’s, one of the oldest American retailers belonging to middle price segment, declared about the closure of 100 department stores in 2016 after 40 stores have already stopped their sales earlier that year (Macy’s, Inc.). For Macy’s, 100 stores compose approximately 15 percent of the retail network (currently Macy’s possesses approximately 1,400 stores, 675 of which are located in the US), and it seems that the company could decide to take such a decision solely under the threat of losing significant funds (Macy’s, Inc.).

According to Macy’s president Jeff Ghent, most of these department stores were profitable that, nonetheless, was accompanied by the progressive fall within the past six quarters. Loeb considers that “new ways to attract consumers have to be found and sale events rethought” (par. 6). Therefore, it is necessary to identify a new strategy that would address the current challenges.

Omnichannel Approach as Potential Salvation for Retails

The core reason for the mentioned events is the growing competition with online stores. It seems appropriate to overview the contemporary retail trade companies that are on the way to meet their online customers. Plenty of networks decided to change their strategy by closing a part of the offline stores and focusing on online sales, for example, Sears, Kmart and J.C. Penney. Both retailers and market experts agree that the implementation of the omnichannel strategy can help offline stores address the pressure from online competitors (Bock 105).

The core idea of the mentioned omnichannel strategy is that an online order can be received on the same day in the offline store along with the opportunity to exchange or return the goods, if required (Bell et al. 47). For such a strategy, offline showcases are not necessary and, thus, the reduction of the network outlets should not be seen as a sign of a company’s total decline.

The pursuit of the digital savvy customers is not an easy task as it requires an in-depth knowledge of the online market, peculiarities of its functioning, and customers’ expectations. The development in an online environment requires giants of offline retail companies to offer their online buyers a decent level of product presentation and quality service to attract them and keep loyal. The omnichannel approach is rather important for department stores of today due to the fact that it can add value.

For example, Fortnum & Mason were able to use their brand and successfully sell products via the Internet globally by setting a goal to carry out 50 percent of sales through the Internet in the nearest future. In this regard, there is no question, whether to go online or not as it is an actual necessity. Entering the Internet is an opportunity to benefit from existing assets for department stores using this distribution channel.

In 2016, Macy’s ranked the sixth position in the list of the largest online retailers according to the Internet Retailer Magazine (Macy’s, Inc.). The company is going to become a leader in omnichannel retail, as stated by Macy’s CFO Karen Hoguet (Macy’s, Inc.). Terry Lundgren, Macy’s CEO, claims that the company strives to increasingly go online: “we are pleased with the strong performance of our highly developed online business, as well as the progress we have made on selling and visual presentation programs and expense reduction initiatives in 2016” (Macy’s, Inc.).The company expects that online and offline sales will be comparable in 2017.

Organizational Development Strategy

It goes without saying that the experience of shopping should bring pleasure that is also relevant for the online trading format. At the same time, not only the process of making a purchase, but also all methods of communication with the customers differ to some extent. Considering the two different options of online and offline trade, the struggle in the minds of buyers now goes between ordering products on the Internet and reaching an offline store, trying them on (Bell et al. 48). That is why it is of great importance to strive to provide pleasure not only from shopping, but also from new experiences and focus on the unique, friendly, and open atmosphere of online shopping.

Based on the above information, experience of other retail trade companies, and the observation of the recent literature on the topic, one may argue that the company that utilizes all channels of communication with the customers wins and builds long-term relations, thus strengthening loyalty, image, and market position. It should be noted that Macy’s specializes in developing multi-brand store formats, presenting shoes, clothes, cosmetics, and exquisite home textiles – the products that are always demanded. Therefore, the future of department stores of Macy’s is to provide a competent combination of online and offline experiments for its customers (Loeb).

In other words, the latter should be used to present the products in the trading space while the digital platforms should be considered to stay in touch with the consumers, understand them better, and, the last but not least, create an individual approach.

For example, Macy’s can run an online application as a part of a loyalty program. Berman claims that “change platforms and channels – comparing prices on a smart phone one minute, trying on shoes in a bricks-and-mortar shop the next, and later making a transaction on their PC or tablet” (22). Speaking more precisely, the mobile application will complement the loyalty program, allowing customers to receive individual barcode discounts to monitor personal offers, events, and changes in terms of the online option. The development of mobile applications may focus on barcodes scanning and the associated options, thereby making it easier and faster to shop at a department store through the combination of offline and online methods.

Another potentially successful decision in the framework of organization development is to offer customers the so-called online shopping support – a team of online experts working in social networks, the department store of the official website, and the mobile application (Loeb).

The specified team would inform the customers about the presence of the necessary products, checking the balances in the warehouse and sending them to the corresponding store, provide information on the cost or delivery, and help on other issues that may occur during the interaction. The retailers that would like to remain competitive in the modern digital world are forced to somehow evolve and make the omnichannel approach a part of their brand’s development strategy (Bell et al. 50). With this in mind, it should be noted that the paramount goal of the above approach is to keep and develop relationships with current customers, and the secondary purpose is to attract new buyers.

Furthermore, it is necessary to continue to advance the omnichannel strategy, focusing on online purchases and giving customers the opportunity to receive them in the offline stores (Berman 22). The identified strategy is likely to allow Macy’s expanding the assortment of the store with the minimum costs for the existing space. The principle is the same: customers can make a purchase of placed products in a vending machine or utilize a special display to enter the online store and obtain a full range of products with the further implementation of the order.

In addition, Macy’s needs to invest in analytics in order to comprehend the strategy of customers’ behavior and also anticipate the growing tendencies that, in their turn, are likely to benefit both the target audience and the company. From the point of view of anticipation, retail is one of the most complex industries as there are millions of products along with their variations on the market (Jiang et al. 205). In this regard, demand is affected by various factors, involving fashion trends, changing customer preferences, advertising activity of producers and retail chains, and so on. In order to address the mentioned challenge, it is possible to personalize the customer experience, making it more thoughtful regardless of whether purchases are made on the Internet or directly in the store.

By analyzing several types of data such as sales revenue from advertising, promotions, sales, the offer may be optimized, for instance, the email promotions may be sent regularly for maximum personalization. By connecting to Macy’s communication channels, the customers would receive an instant access to detailed information about the prices, reviews of other customers, etc. (Bock 106). With the help of geolocation via a smartphone, they would be able to find out the closest department store. The study by Jiang et al. revealed that “consumers regard search inconvenience as a major obstacle to convenient and efficient online shopping” (206).

All the identified options would simplify the purchase process, focusing on every customer’s needs and perceptions. Based on the collected data, monthly and daily reports are to be automatically compiled and then sent to analytics and marketers. In effect, Macy’s analysts would generate reports on how the decision-making processes are being improved, thereby contributing to the development of customer motivation for shopping.

The algorithm should analyze various indicators, including client traffic, sales, assortment and profile of a particular store, etc., correlating them with the geographical location of the certain point of sale. Based on the analysis of various combinations of parameters, the company can optimize the sales network by making a decision to eliminate the point of sale, open a new one, simulate future sales in the particular region or city, develop targeted advertising and marketing actions, and optimize the assortment policy (Jiang et al. 205).

Studying the patterns of consumer behavior and encouraging them to purchase various products would result from analytics data that, perhaps, would not revolutionize the fashion industry, but affect sales to some extent. Nevertheless, the implementation of the world of data and algorithms would significantly impact the development of this area.

As a result, users of mobile applications would be more likely to visit offline stores and make more purchases than other clients of the retail chain. However, regardless of what the application possesses, customers tend to follow their own tactile sensations, which can not completely replace a smartphone. Therefore, the paramount idea is to provide the right product at the right time and in the right place, generating shopping lists, analyzing data on customers’ regular purchases, and offering discounts.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it seems appropriate to emphasize that the conventional department store industry tends to recede in the light of a new format of online sales. Macy’s announced plans to close several dozen stores in 2017. This company that sells primarily through the department stores experiences serious problems associated with an overabundance of retail space and migration of customers to online shopping. This retail chain struggled with the growing competition of online retail, but, apparently, realized the futility of these attempts and now intends to invest in the development of online sales.

With this in mind, the concept of omnichannel strategy is considered as the valuable option to combine department store sales and online platforms to keep customers interested in the products and satisfy the contemporary digital world requirements. In particular, it was suggested that mobile applications, investment in analytics, and demand anticipation based on data analysis are likely to promote Macy’s online and offline sales, thus increasing its overall profitability and also meeting customers’ expectations.

Works Cited

“A.T. Kearney’s 2015 Global Retail E-Commerce Index Contains a Few Surprises.” Logistics Management. 2017. Web.

Bell, David, et al. “How to Win in an Omnichannel World.” MIT Sloan Management Review, vol. 56, no. 1, 2014, pp. 45–53.

Berman, Saul J. “Digital Transformation: Opportunities to Create New Business Models.” Strategy & Leadership, vol. 40, no. 2, 2012, pp. 16–24.

Bock, Gee-Woo, et al. “The Progression of Online Trust in the Multi-Channel Retailer Context and the Role of Product Uncertainty.” Decision Support Systems, vol. 53, no. 1, 2012, pp. 97–107.

Jiang, Ling, et al. “Measuring Consumer Perceptions of Online Shopping Convenience.” Journal of Service Management, vol. 24, no. 2, 2013, pp. 191–214.

Loeb, Walter. “Macy’s Growth Will Be Through Merchandising.” Forbes. 2017. Web.

Macy’s, Inc. Macy’s, Inc., 2017. Web.

The aim of this report is to analyze a case study of the Quay International Convention Centre (QICC), which is a successful hospitality organization that has recently been experiencing a substantial downturn in the motivation and performance of its employees. The report will describe an intervention implemented by an experienced OD practitioner, which is aimed at the elimination of structural, personal, and interpersonal inefficiencies that have resulted in the diminished productivity of the center.

It will be argued that an underlying problem within the operations department of the company is the lack of effective leadership, which manifests in a variety of other issues such as a stultifying hierarchy, poor communication skills of the workforce, and insufficient employee development. The paper will outline the organizational development theory, which will be used to understand the change and manage the change process. All activities related to the OD project will be described. The report will also discuss effective strategies for overcoming resistance to change.

Organizational Development Theory

Organizational Development and Change Management

For many years, scholars have tried to come up with a comprehensive definition of OD. However, their attempts have resulted in a variety of explanations for the concept, each of which emphasizes a different aspect of OD. Beckhard has highlighted the importance of applying behavioral science to OD and argued that it is a planned, top-down effort that increases the effectiveness and health of an organization (as cited in Aziz, 2013).

Burke has recognized that the concept is inevitably linked with change and implies knowledge transfer from psychology and sociology (as cited in Burnes & Cooke, 2012). However, probably the aptest definition of OD has been recently suggested by Cummings and Worley (2014), who argue that it is an organization-wide application and transfer of knowledge from behavioral sciences “to the planned development, improvement, and reinforcement of the strategies, structures, and processes that lead to organizational effectiveness” (p. 2).

It is clear that although these definitions imply change, they are inextricably linked with change management. It has to do with the fact that change is a continuing process that occurs without planning. A case in point is non-adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in QICC. Change management, on the other hand, is a planned and highly organized occurrence that requires a commitment to change and is not possible without transformational leadership (Hechanova & Cementina-Olpoc, 2013; Schachter, 2017).

Lewin’s Theory of Planned Change

Lewin’s theory of planned change (TPC) is widely recognized as the scholar’s main contribution to change management. The theory states that every successful change project presupposes three steps: unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. Therefore, it is often referred to as the Three-Step model (see Figure 1).

The first step in the model entails recognition of a problem and the creation of a sense of urgency, which is necessary for overcoming the forces of inertia that prevent people from changing their behavior. The second step necessitates the creation of an actionable plan and engagement of people involved in the change. The final step in the model involves the stabilization of the change and transformation of culture, policies, and practices of an organization (Shirey, 2013).

It is clear that the moving stage in the Lewin’s TPC model is similar to the learning approach of Action Research; therefore, its philosophical foundation is not outmoded, despite critics who suggest otherwise. For example, Cummings, Bridgman, and Brown (2015) argue that the scholar has oversimplified the change process. Hendry, on the other hand, maintains that a great number of change models are based on an irreducible three-stage process described by Lewin (as cited in Boje, Burnes, & Hassard, 2012). Given that Lewin’s TPC model has been successfully applied in a variety of contexts ranging from nursing to informational technology (IT), it is hard to diminish its importance and claim that it is simplistic and outmoded (Sutherland, 2013).

Understanding the Change

After analyzing the state of affairs in the company, the OD practitioner came to the conclusion that the performance of the organizational department is hindered by the rigid hierarchy of the company. QICC’s managers had applied a top-down approach in daily operations, which stultified innovation and impacted the morale of employees. The OD practitioner realized that an interpersonal intervention is needed to ameliorate the situation and help the management of the company to recognize and utilize the talent of their workforce (Waddell, Creed, Cummings, & Worley, 2017).

Another problem within the operations department was the lack of communication skills among the company’s employees, which was indicative of both poor human resources (HR) practices and quality management practices (Ahmad et al., 2015). The intended interpersonal and HR intervention was to develop a strategy for achieving excellent performance by improving the interpersonal communication skills of the workforce.

The OD practitioner also recognized that employee development and performance management were lacking in QICC. These two areas of organizational functioning are associated with HR practices that do not function in isolation (Jiang et al., 2012). Appendix A shows the relationships between selection, training, and performance management practices within an HR system. As is evident from the appendix, all HR practices are additive and synergistic. Furthermore, their outcome is the enhancement of employee performance. Therefore, there was a need for a comprehensive HR intervention with the aim of improving the training and performance management policies of the company. Also, these three problems indicated that the company’s leadership was not effective.

Managing the Change Process

Entering and Contracting

Entering

Entering was the first phase of the OD process. The implementation of this phase was key to the success or failure of flawless consulting. Leading the change from the outside required the establishment of a synergistic relationship between the OD practitioner and the management of the company (Bushe & Marshak, 2015). During the entering stage, the initial scope of the subsequent OD phases was established. The process involved clarifying the organizational issue that had caused the management of QICC to consider help from the OD professional. It was a part of the first step within the Three-Step model.

After gaining a clearer perspective on the underlying problem and the issues that had affected the organization’s internal operations, the OD practitioner defined relevant parties that had to be engaged during the OD process.

This step of the entering was relatively straightforward since the issue had to be addressed in a specific unit of the company—the operations department. The OD specialist examined company records and interviewed some employees in order to determine the key members of the QICC unit. The practitioner understood that entering is an intervention in the company; therefore, they used this stage of the OD process for preparing the organization for the state of heightened self-awareness that was necessary for meaningful change (Bushe & Marshak, 2015).

Contracting

Contracting was an essential step in the OD process that addressed the following points: outlining mutual expectations, dedicating resources and setting timetables, and establishing the ground rules for cooperation. The client was encouraged to describe their desired outcomes from the intervention. They expected to improve the performance of the convention center. In addition to obtaining a solution to the immediate problem, the client wanted to learn how to avoid similar situations in the future. The OD practitioner also expressed their expectations for the process, which included appropriate compensation and referrals to other clients.

Initially, QICC was not committed to dedicating a suitable amount of time and resources to the project. However, the OD specialist managed to convince the client that in order to complete the intervention, numerous parties had to be engaged in order to establish real causes of poor productivity in the company as well as to develop and implement appropriate solutions to the problem. This was an extreme activity because it helped to clarify the OD professional’s intentions and overcome surface resistance to the change.

The last step in the contracting stage was to establish ground rules which were needed to guide the OD process. The practitioner discussed interpersonal issues with the client and established parameters of confidentiality (Cummings & Worley, 2014). At the end of the stage, a formal contact that intended dates, activities, responsibilities, and outcomes was signed.

Diagnosing and Providing Feedback

Diagnosing

Diagnosing the problem was a vital step towards a departure from the status quo, which prevented the company from unlocking its full potential. This step, along with the provision of feedback to the company’s leadership about the nature of the problem, was a part of the first phase in Lewin’s TPC model. Namely, it helped to create a sense of urgency, which was essential for meaningful transformation.

The main purpose of the organizational diagnosis was to develop a shared understanding of organizational health, which could be used for planning and implementing corrective measures. There are many organizational diagnostic methods such as Leavitt’s model, Weisbord’s model, congruence model, McKinsey 7S model, Buke-Litwin’s model, and Bilal and Wang model, among others. However, empirical evidence suggesting their effectiveness is lacking (Saeed & Wang, 2014). Therefore, the OD practitioner opted for a model developed by McFillen and associates, which stems from formal theories refined through practice. Figure 2 shows the evidence-based diagnostic model.

The OD practitioner followed the first step in the diagnostic approach proposed by the scholars and collected subjective and objective data relevant to the problem. An emphasis was made on management processes and HR systems of QICC. In addition, the basic information about key cultural elements of the company was gathered, since culture “orients employees to company goals and suggested the kinds of behaviors necessary for success” (Cummings & Worley, 2014, p. 99). The diagnostic process was conducted on the group and individual levels. Data collection was performed with the help of surveys, questionnaires, and interviews.

The second step involved analysis of the data, which was needed to synthesize patterns and establish causal relationships between essential elements of performance based on the framework for assessment provided by the management of QICC. When assessing the data, the company’s general and task environments were analyzed. It helped to better understand the underlying causes of the performance issues.

The third step was to develop the initial diagnosis regarding the investigated problem. The process of the preliminary diagnosis formation was informed by contingency theory, which suggests that a company should “maintain a fit between its structure and its contextual factors in order to achieve high-performance levels” (Taylor & Taylor, 2014, p. 849). Moreover, the company was treated as an open system that was influenced by inputs from the external environment (Cummings & Worley, 2014).

The fourth and the fifth steps in the diagnostic process involved testing of the preliminary diagnosis and the development of the final diagnosis. The final diagnosis contained several factors that were used for the development of appropriate interventions.

They were providing Feedback

After analyzing the data generated by the diagnostic process, the practitioner initiated the feedback process at the top of QICC. Such a top-down approach helped to ensure that all parties involved in the change received appropriate information (Anderson, 2016). Feedback meetings were scheduled during which diagnosis data was discussed. In the discussion of diagnosis feedback, an emphasis on the internal dynamics within the operations department was made.

Planning and Implementing Change

Planning

At the planning stage of the OD intervention, activities, actions, and events derived from the final diagnosis were designed. When developing appropriate intervention strategies, the OD practitioner was guided by the principle of free and informed choice according to which all individuals involved in the change chose to participate rather than had the interventions imposed on them. Also, all change measures were designed in such a way as to help QICC to enhance its capacity to effectively manage change in the future.

The introduction of this focal point into the change planning process was extremely valuable because by improving organizational change management capabilities, it was possible to achieve “the processual dynamics of stability,” which is a state that through “ongoing repair and reconstruction” (Langley, Smallman, Tsoukas, & DeVan, 2013, p. 4) allows key managerial concepts to endure. Moreover, the OD practitioner adhered to the 5W1H (who, what, where, when, why, and how) framework that helped them to better understand the specifics of organizational process and environment that had to be changed (Rothwell, Park, & Lee, 2017). At the end of this stage of the intervention, and the actionable plan was drafted and signed.

They were implementing Change

There was a high level of top-management support; therefore, the OD practitioner was able to properly address the human resources, the human processes, and the management issues uncovered during the diagnosis stage. At the level of the human process interventions, interpersonal and group approaches were taken. Individual interventions helped QICC’s employees to be more open in their communication. Also, they were used to teach the workforce to be more effective in both giving and receiving feedback, which is essential for enhancing performance in organizations (Kuhnen & Tymula, 2012).

Given the importance of communication and conflict resolution skills in a hospitality environment, members of the operations department were involved in role-playing exercises and team-building activities, which helped them to develop successful communication strategies (Chesser, 2016). This was an extremely valuable intervention since the improvement of interpersonal communication competencies of a workforce is associated with strong team cohesion that inevitably translates into better performance (Barrows, Powers, & Reynolds, 2012; Hynes, 2012).

The OD practitioner also helped to implement system-wide process interventions that substituted a rigid, top-down management approach to management for a more collaborative one. The introduction of some elements of bottom-up management was an extremely important change because it is linked with enhanced employee motivation and engagement (Breevaart, Bakker, & Demerouti, 2014). Since there is a direct connection between employee training and performance, which was conspicuously missing in QICC, the intervention involved the implementation of proper workforce development programs (Elnaga & Imran, 2013).

The final diagnosis showed that the underlying problem that caused the emergence of smaller issues was the lack of effective management. Therefore, the problem was addressed with the help of a management team building model. The model helped managers to “collectively commit to taking on new responsibilities and learn new methods for working together” (Gong, Kim, Lee, & Zhu, 2013, p. 829). Mentoring and action learning were also used as a means for sustainable leadership development (Day, Fleenor, Atwater, Sturm, & McKee, 2014).

Evaluating and Institutionalizing Change

The evaluation was conducted to assess both implementation feedback, which measured the immediate effects of the OD intervention, and evaluation feedback, which measured the long-term effects of the change program. The OD practitioner utilized a quasi-experimental research design that had three essential features: longitudinal measurement, comparison unit, and statistical analysis (Waddell et al., 2017). Multiple measures were gathered through the analysis of company data. The choice of the data collection method was justified by the fact that other approaches to observing results of an intervention are more obtrusive (Cummings & Worley, 2014; Rothwell, Stavros, & Sullivan, 2016).

Institutionalizing change was the third part of Lewin’s model. It was based on the institutional theory; therefore, the social context in which QICC operated became a focal point in the process of incorporating the change into the internal fabric of the organization. The framework of institutionalization involved three key areas: social, organizational, and individual (Grandien & Johansson, 2012).

Resistance to Change

Resistance to change was an inevitable part of the OD program dynamics. Both employees and managers of the operations department showed elements of technical resistance to the implemented measures. The OD practitioner was aware of the fact that the differences in meanings that people ascribe to change might impair mutual understanding, thereby precipitating resistance to change (Pieterse, Caniels, & Homan, 2012). Therefore, they took control of sense-making interactions during the implementation of the change.

The OD specialist raised awareness about differences in change discourses between various groups and individual employees involved in the OD process. Rules guiding a civil conversation on the change were written down and disseminated among the workforce.

It was an extremely effective measure that helped to facilitate cooperation and made discussions more productive. This approach to controlling a sense-making perspective of the workforce was based on the findings of the study conducted by Hon, Bloom, and Crant (2014), who proved that employees are less resistant to change-oriented situations “when environmental cues signal that change is desired” (p. 921). Guided by this valuable information, the OD practitioner instructed managers of the company to show empathy and support to those members of their teams who are struggling to accept the changes.

Another strategy for overcoming resistance involved organizational inducements that came in the form of “both intangibly developmental and tangibly materialistic” (Shin, Taylor, & Seo, 2012, p. 729) valued outcomes. Numerous scholars have recognized the effectiveness of this strategy and suggested that it “positively impacts employees’ commitment and behavioral responses to change” (Shin et al., 2012, p. 729). It should be mentioned that not all members of the workforce were incentivized in such a manner. The differences in structural and relational positions of QICC’s employees allowed to target key stakeholders of the operations division of the company, which encouraged their subordinates to participate in the change.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The paper has presented the results of the intervention in QICC conducted by the OD practitioner. The intervention was guided by the Lewin’s TPC model, the validity of which is recognized by numerous prominent scholars. Upon careful analysis of the state of affairs in the company, the practitioner realized that the problem was caused by the lack of effective leadership. Given that not every manager was capable of taking control of the operations department, a range of other issues emerged: insufficient employee development, rigid hierarchy, and lack of communication skills among the workforce. The practitioner developed and implemented a set of comprehensive solutions for addressing both the underlying problem and smaller issues.

In order to make sure that the change is institutionalized and transformation is successful over the long term, it is necessary to develop readiness for change within the QICC’s workforce by changing employees’ attitudes towards the new course of action. It is also important to ensure that the allocation of incentives is efficient and leads to the persistence of changes. Therefore, the management of the company has to regularly evaluate the relationship between the level of organizational rewards and contribution to the productivity of the operations department.

References

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Introduction

This paper seeks to give an intrinsic evaluation of my experience with regards to the concepts of leadership, change management, and organizational development, with a special connection being established between these issues and a real case change situation experienced personally. In doing so, relevant examples, ideas, opinions, notions, theories, and facts from various scholarly quarters will be used to advance the arguments here. Notably, the central focus will be on “the M3C model of cooperative contextual change” advanced by Biscaccianti et al. This model of change emphatically posits that change management is a highly intricate and dynamic process that calls for the introduction of a dynamic stability system if full efficacy is to be facilitated in an organization (Biscaccianti et al. 19) In the M3C model, Biscaccianti et al. (22-23) asserts that the following four elements are normally considered vital in the introductions, implementation and sustainability of dynamic stability:

1. Provision of a fitting direction and explicitly revealing the issue at stake to everybody or, rather, all the concerned parties in the organization
2. Promotion of co-opting and co-building of rules and regulations in a way that the introduction, implementation, and sustenance of these ground rules are done in a consistent manner.
3. Adoption of a systematic work-based relationship that will facilitate the initiation and regulation of activities and actions at all levels of the company.
4. We are fostering a solution-oriented mindset throughout the company.

Despite the existence of several scholarly and research-based proofs that the M3C model is efficient, a joint study by Allen and Meyer (10-18) indicate that this model cannot survive on its own unless it is blended with other relevant change management ideologies and theories. It is based on this reason that other necessary scholarly arguments will be applied in this writing. For example, the “reading and carrying” framework, advanced by James and Arroba (299-316), which emphasizes the value of emotions in leadership, will be duly applied and relevantly considered in this paper.

In addition, this paper will blend Johns’ model of structured reflection and Gibb’s reflective cycle in detailing my experiences and reflecting on how they influence change management. In brief, John’s model of structured reflection recommends that, when we need to appropriately reflect on an issue, we should begin by identifying the incident/experience while putting it into the right context of analysis. Once done, John’s model recommends moving into the second stage, which entails real reflection. This is then followed by the detailing of alternative action (what you would have done differently), basing your arguments on established studies. Finally, there is the learning stage, where we show what has been learned from the change management experience.

On the other hand, Gibbs reflective cycle talks of more-or-less the same facets as John’s model, except for the fact that in Gibbs model, the key stages of the entire reflection process are summarized in a cycle that comprises of the description of the incident, feelings towards the incident, evaluation of the incident, analysis of the incident, conclusion and then an action plan or way forward if the incident was to occur again. It is upon all these models that this paper will be written.

The Personal Real Case Situation/Experience/Incident Put into Context

The incident below essentially occurred when I was a teenager and, as will exhaustively discussed later in the reflection section; the incident greatly affected my dream of being a good leader and business manager routing for change management.

In the incident, our biology organized a class trip to St. John’s Hospital, which specializes in the treatment of skin-related diseases. Unknown to the class, burns made a bulk of the diseases treated at the hospital, and there were many patients with varying degrees of burns that you could have easily confused it for a fire accident scene. Anyway, as a precaution, we were divided into groups of two and distributed to various units to avoid intimidation to the patients. In addition, stern instructions were given before being handed out to doctors and nurses who were doing rounds in the wards. It was in one of these wards that we met a woman who had experienced over 30% degree burns and was undergoing reconstructive surgery on her face. Her story is the kind that is great emotional and one that overwhelmingly shaped my thinking towards emotional issues in life and change management, as a general concept.

Allegedly, ethnic groups in that woman’s country of origin had turned against one another after a disputed presidential election, forcing some communities to flee their residences. While fleeing from her place of stay, she and some other members of her community sought refuge in a church. While in the church, some arsonists attacked them, blocked all possible escape routes from the church then set it ablaze. That is how the woman found her way in a hospital bed, miles away from her country. As the doctor told the story, I could see how moved he was, judging by the tears in his eyes and the cautious yet heartfelt way he spoke about the incident.

Being from a relatively poor family, the woman was not able to shoulder the entire cost of the treatment. However, as I later came to learn a few weeks later when I visited the hospital voluntarily, the doctor (who told us the story) had been able to ask for funds from well-wishers—in spite of his kind action being against the professional rules of the hospital which stated that “doctors should not fraternize or get too personally involved with their patients.” As a result of his actions, which were deemed “unprofessional” by the manager of the hospital, the doctor was sacked.

When I learned about the doctor being laid off his duties at the hospital, I could not help feeling confused. On the one hand, I knew that being a manager entails correcting problems and ensuring that rules are followed. Basing my arguments on this viewpoint, I told myself that the manager was probably right for sacking the doctor in accordance with the rules and regulations in the hospital.

On the other hand, the principles of morality and empathy call for us to be responsible—sometimes even at our own expense. And to this regard, I felt that the doctor was probably right for helping the patient who was in great pain yet had no way of getting help.

For a long time after that day, I kept on thinking about the incident and wondering how I would have reacted if I was the doctor or the manager. This led me to my quest of digging deep into the annals of history to find out about similar cases and how the people involved in these cases reacted while, unknowingly, orienting me towards the direction of routing for change in management systems of organizations during such instances of a professional and personal dilemma. As of today, I candidly know what I would have done differently; as the doctor, I would have done the same thing that was done by the doctor in my incident.

However, as a manager, I would have probably given a lesser punishment like a suspension or even warn the doctor in question. Justifications about why I would have acted this way will be specifically detailed in the section that comes after the reflection stage.

Reflection

In reflecting on this issue, my arguments will be detailed two-way. In the first part, I will give a general reflection based on my own experiences and general studies by other scholars. Then in the second part, the focus will mainly be on theoretical arguments put forward by authoritative academicians on the incident I had and my prospected job.

General Reflection

To begin with, Bing asserts that a good leader should be aggressive, talented, and skillful to be able to handle both internal and external demands of his/her workplace. However, Bing goes ahead to say that the aforementioned traits should be balanced such that the workplace is not “crowded out” by the leaders’ need to be effective. In other words, too much strength and aggressiveness can sometimes weaken and atrophy the workers’ ability to act interdependently, as is required of them.

As an ardent business student who is mainly concerned with managerial and leadership issues related to change, I purpose to illuminate ideas on change management and ways of identifying as well as dealing with the risks that come with this change. As opposed to the manager at St. John’s hospital who decided to quickly sack the doctor without considering other factors such as the value of what was done by that doctor to the patient, I hope to be considerate such that the doctor is punished in a less cruel way.

The above viewpoint is supported by Gosling and Mintzberg (19-22), who say that leadership is a complex endeavor that calls for astute leaders who are ready to deal with the complexities of change while managing the risks that come their way. Moreover, Gosling and Mintzberg assert that different forms of change require different change-related leadership skills (20-22). Whereas leaders in business-oriented organizations should concentrate more on profitability, the satisfaction of clients, as well as the workers and stakeholders, leaders in institutions like hospitals prioritize people being healed, and the prevention of diseases. In a case like the one earlier mentioned, the manager should be able to balance between the healing needs of the client and the hospital’s rules and not just concentrating on one end.

According to Vince, organization learning in regards to managerial change has been repeatedly proven to be a valuable element of leadership (1325-1329). This is not only because learning how to deal with change helps us to advance but is also pegged on the argument that learning helps us to avoid mistakes while intermittently dealing with risks in a fitting way (Watzlawick et al. 75-90).

It is, therefore, not just enough to look at my incident and think about what might have been done differently; it is better for me to find a way of forging ahead and advancing ways in which changes can be inculcated now, and even in the future. It is with this in mind that I seek to use the experience, together with the learning I have had, to help better today’s world, and that is one of the sole reasons I seek to positively revolutionize a myriad of organizations through relevant ideas on change management.

Importantly, Biscaccianti et al. (17-30) report that the aspect of emotional intelligence by leaders in dealing with change management has been strongly supported by many scholars such as Thomas C. Neil, and Ouchi and Johnson, among others. To these scholars, leaders should be emotionally intelligent and be ready to deal with emotional issues. However, De Bono precautions in his “six thinking hats technique” (white, yellow, green, red, black, and blue hat) that emotions and rationalities should not be mixed since they tend to complicate the process of thinking Biscaccianti et al. 23-25). This way, dilemmas, like that in my incident, will be easily dealt with.

Theory-Based Reflection: The M3C Model and Other Theories

The M3C Model

In regard to change management, Biscaccianti et al. state that the M3C model was primarily established based on the viewpoint that “effective change requires a shift in the existing paradigm” (81). Furthermore, Biscaccianti and his fellow authors assert that this shift in paradigm has to occur relevantly in accordance to the context of change as well as the perceptions of the people during that given time (81-84). In other words, change in management requires a shift in paradigm, while the context and the people’s or organization’s perceptions are duly considered. Applying this argument in our case, the doctor’s actions, as well as the change management action by the managers of the hospital, should have considered all these elements instead of emphasizing some aspects while neglecting others. To do a more circumspect analysis of this M3C model, the aforementioned four elements of dynamic stability will be discussed below.

Element 1 of Dynamic Stability: Explicitly stating what is at Stake

According to Biscaccianti et al. (84), stake simply refers to the most valuable product or service that a community or an individual usually wants to protect in any given case of change management. The invaluable nature of this asset (product or service) necessitates the need for the involved parties to have a good understanding (Biscaccianti et al. 84-85). It is for this reason that explicitness of the stake is usually considered to be very crucial since the organization or individuals are able to make a well-thought choice after considering the advantages and ramifications of a particular change initiative (Watzlawick et al. 65-71).

In our case, the treatment of the patient, the hospital regulations, and the managerial action on sacking or retaining of the doctor can all be considered as issues at stake. It would have been advisable for all these issues to be explicitly considered instead of rushing into certain decisions without careful consideration of the stake, context, and consequences of these decisions.

Element 2 of Dynamic Stability: Co-Built and Co-Opted Ground Rules

In essence, ground rules simply refer to regulations regarding the way initiatives or actions should be carried within an organization, environment, or community (Schutz 33-40). Biscaccianti et al. (85-86) state that these ground rules help in defining the responsibilities and roles of various people, delineating the overall philosophy of interaction by these people, and spelling out the interfaces of different elements in a given system. In turn, everyone clearly knows what is expected of him/her by the organization, thus facilitating the smooth running of the organization, which often leads to progress (Ouchi & Johnson 295-305). It is important to note that the efficacy of ground rules heavily relies on sustainable cooperation in the making as well as the implementation and sustenance of the rules (Biscaccianti et al. 86).

Today, there are many ground rules in different organizations or communities. However, in regard to change management, Biscaccianti et al. (86) say that there are only two major ground rules. These are:

1. Ground rules must be developed through a cooperative process among the involved parties.
2. All ground rules have to be measured against the stake and environment.

In our real case situation, the ground rules were clearly defined. The problem, however, was in measuring the rules against the issues at stake. The dynamics of the world of business have often led to such situations whereby there are no clear-cut rules and regulations in measuring the stake and environment. It is during such instances that other factors, such as the overall well-being of the organization or clients, are considered. This, probably, is the reason the decisions made by the doctor were greatly debated. As a general rule, Koestler (21-30) says that when there is contention between ground rules, the environment, and the stake, priority has to be given to the stake. Commendably, great change management improvements have been made in regard to dealing with such issues. However, more provisions on such ground rules need to be made to avoid more of such professional tussles in the future.

Element 3 of Dynamic Stability: Systematic Work-Based Relationships (to Initiate and Regulate Organizational/Individual Actions)

The way people relate in a given environment plays a very important role in facilitating that environment’s efficacy. In regard to this third element of dynamic stability, the emphasis is normally laid on the alignment and cooperation of workers. As explained in the previous sections, cooperation among workers ensures that people work towards the same goals, thus helping in the initiation and regulation of actions in a similar way, which orients success. Suppose an organization notices that some problem with regards to the relationships at work, urgent change management measures should be taken accordingly. For example, in our real case, the management usually had strict rules about the relationship between doctors and their clients. However, ever since the doctor’s personal involvement with the patient helped in saving the patient’s life, the management could decide to make certain provisions in which some form of personalized involvements are permitted. In fact, in most organizations today, such personalized involvements are permitted as long as such actions are initiated or regulated by the organization’s professional code of conduct.

Element 3 of Dynamic Stability: Solution-Oriented Mindset

A solution-oriented mindset is basically pegged on the renowned ideology of looking at a glass as being half-full instead of being half-empty. In other words, individuals and organizations should always strive to better themselves and develop instead of complaining or fault-finding one another. Through a solution-oriented mindset, an organization is not only able to foster success, but it will also be able to deal with failures by accepting them and groping for ways of improvements such as training (Biscaccianti et al. 86-87). Four conditions believed to help in inculcating a solution-oriented mindset are given below:

1. Individuals capable of presenting solutions to issues instead of trying to explain or complain about these issues (Watzlawick et al. 30-40).
2. Offered solutions should have undergone a cooperative process entailing co-opting and co-building (Schutz 29-35).
3. The solution must primarily ensure that the stake is duly considered and protected (Fisher et al. 15-25).
4. The solution must be environmentally viable. In other words, it should be able to protect the needs of the individuals, community, or organization that it serves without limiting other salient parts such as the stake (Fisher et al. 30-50).

As per the case, it can be generally said that even though there were some discrepancies with considering what was at stake and protecting the needs of the community/organization, both the management of the hospital and the doctor did their best in adopting a solution-oriented mindset.

As a rejoinder of the M3C model, it should be noted that all these elements function interdependently—the efficacy of one element greatly determines the success of the other. For this reason, all these elements should be handled with equal attention.

In addition to these elements, individuals, organizations, or environments should also ensure that the four main modules of the M3C model (contextual assessment, contextual drivers, community norms, and cooperative innovation commonly abbreviated as CA, CD, CN, and CI respectively) are also adequately considered. In essence, these modules more-or-less emphasize the already discussed elements. Having in-depth on the four elements will help us to handle other aspects of the modules such as the importance of risk assessment, risk management, and more importantly, the learning process of introducing, implementing, and sustaining the M3C model in a particular environment or organization.

Other Theories

Psychoanalytic Theory

The psychoanalytic theory is believed to have originated from the early articulations of Sigmund Freud and other psychology thinkers who supported the ideologies of psychoanalysis. This theory centers on the ideology that our early childhood (usually stored in the unconscious mind) has a lot to do with how we behave or act presently. So if we want to get solutions to certain problems, all we have to do is tap into these memories stored in the unconscious mind—while considering the hierarchy needs put forward by Maslow in that process. Below is a diagram of the hierarchy of needs:

Once someone masters his/her mind, he/she is able to find ways of propagating positive ideas while shutting off the negative ones. One of the leading instruments developed to help leaders know themselves well is the Myers-Briggs type indicator, which is essentially based on Jung’s four personality types: extrovert versus introvert, sensor versus. Intuition, feeler versus thinker, and perceiver versus judger (Stech). Below is a diagrammatic summary of the Myers-Briggs type indicator:

According to Armstrong et al., the psychoanalytic approach is important in the “recognition of centrality and emotional experiences” in human beings as conscious and unconscious levels. This is the likely reason even though the experience at St. John’s hospital happened a while back, the details of the incident are still vivid in my mind to date, and I am still seeking to make amends through change management.

Psychodynamic Perspective Theory

According to Cilliers (1-5), the psychodynamic theory is more-or-less an extension of the psychoanalytical theory. However, in psychodynamics, the emphasis is laid on the influence of environments with organizations being viewed as external realities that significantly affect people in emotional and psychological ways. Since proponents of psychodynamics believe that personal experiences greatly affect our learning and development, it is advisable that our learning environments are tailored with leaders and people who urge positive and insightful experiences (Bing). It is with this in mind that I seek to use my knowledge of management to transform various business-oriented industries through already-proven techniques such as coaching, creating an environment with some modicum anxiety and denial enough to motivate efficacy and productivity at work proper conflict resolution, and reward and punishment systems. Below is a summary of these motivating forces:

Alternative Courses of Action

According to Bing, “It does not feel possible or even advisable to have a goal of changing the leader’s character, both because it does not work and because their character has provided guidance and strength that has made the organization successful.” As an alternative, Bing advises that in the bid to reduce a “crowded out” organization, we should create a situation whereby the leader gives space on which growth of other people can be facilitated. To create this space that reduces overcrowding of the workplace by the leader, Bing gives the following pointers:

• Creation of deliberate, reflective space using structured rituals during company events such as retreats and team meetings.
• Use variable techniques and methods of large group design to break the monotony in the interaction between leaders and workers.
• I am linking the need for various conducts to a higher-level goal of the person in leadership.
• They are helping individuals and team members to improve their work skills such that they are in tandem with the leader’s governing and work style.

Therefore, if I was the manager at St. John’s hospital, I would have given a less-strict punishment like a suspension to the doctor. This would have not only taught the doctor and other people in the hospital to avoid breaking the rules, but it would have also given the doctor an opportunity for continuing with his work while striving to better his professional conduct.

Based on studies conducted in Africa, Bolden and Kirk state that good traits by leaders set a good example that can be emulated by their subjects. Consequently, by developing a system in which good leaders and good leadership traits are developed, organizations are bound to cumulatively develop as well. Put in simpler terms, “leadership development can act as a catalyst for community-level social change by engaging participants in a collective process of identity work – the construction and reconstruction of a concept of self within the community” (Bolden & Kirk 13).

In another study by Bolden and Kirk in the same year, the two scholars say that based on the contemporary changes in the world of leadership, there should be more focus on leadership and not the leader. To do so, the latter studies by Bolden and Kirk (27-33) propose that the following considerations are made:

• Widening scales of operation: This entails breaking down organizational boundaries and bureaucracies to encourage inter-agency cooperation.
• I am shortening time frames: Facilitating interdependency between stakeholders to facilitate flexibility, accountability, responsibility, and rapid change.
• Remote working: Emphasis is laid on choosing good working environments.
• Better Money management: This is mainly facilitated through proper budgeting.
• We are encouraging accountability and Transparency in all organizational endeavors.

Based on the above recommendations, if I was the manager at St. John’s hospital, I would have endeavored to change or modify the rules such that they accommodate emotional intelligence at work—up to a level that is not overused. Again, instead of having to ask for funds in a way that is against the hospitals, I would have encouraged provisions that enable the hospital to seek support from well-wishers. Alternatively, the hospital would just treat the patient, based on the urgency of her case, then ask for the payments later or, as a way of giving back to the community, the management decides to shoulder the entire bill for such needy yet helpless patients.

As a matter of fact, Stech says that, in the psychodynamic model, conflicts and anxieties are viewed as acceptable facets of learning. However, they say that extreme cases of conflict and anxiety (especially those that entail highly emotional endeavors), which, in effect, lead to dire ramifications, should be avoided. This is similarly supported by a myriad of studies detailed in the M3C model where emotional intelligence is considered a key aspect of change management. One of such scholars who support the ideas of emotional intelligence and its relevance in change leadership is Thomas C. Neil (Biscaccianti et al. 17-19).

Based on the above assertions, it can, therefore, be said that the conflict between the manager and the doctor was, to some extent, acceptable. However, sacking the doctor because of a conflict which could have, otherwise, been easily resolved in other amicable ways (going by the highly emotional and urgent nature of the patient’s case, which required a speedy solution); was not an utterly right action to take.

As a rejoinder, it is worth mentioning that even though I would have done the above-mentioned things differently; it would be unfair to judge the manager of St. John’s hospital for acting the way he did since, back then, there were no pin-pointedly precise laws about how managers should act in such dilemmas or even deal with highly emotional cases.

Learning and Conclusion

Looking back at my experience, I am no longer feeling torn between supporting the manager or doctor at St. Johns hospital since I now know the right cause of action that should have been taken. In addition, as earlier mentioned, so many developments have since been made with regards to emotional endeavors which, back then, were unavailable. It is for this reason that more studies should be conducted on change management using the above-discussed models and theories so that the knowledge can be rightfully used to guide people working in similar conditions while striving to better the misconceptions that surround change management at workplaces.

Remarkably, from my incident and the extensive research, I did then, I was able to learn several lessons. A summary of the major lessons I got is embodied in the points given below.

Firstly, I learned that the nature of organizations and their operations today are hugely different from those of the past (Bolden & Kirk 1-14). For example, in today’s organizations, there is more focus on leadership as an entire entity, while in the past, the focus was on the leaders (Bolden 2-4). In spite of these changes, there is still a myriad of challenges faced by leaders or leaderships in organizations (Armstrong et al.). This, essentially, means that there is still a lot that needs to be done in order for these leaders and the leaderships in organizations to achieve full efficacy.

Secondly, Biscaccianti et al. (92-95) call for more innovation and creativity to be encouraged among leaders while we continually strive to learn from those around us. By doing this, Biscaccianti et al. say that we will not only be able to keep up with the rest of well-performing leaderships but we will also be able to establish new and better leadership methods that keep us ahead of the rest (249-250).

Thirdly, Bawany (2-3) articulates that “studies have demonstrated that leaders who consistently outperform their peers not only have the technical skills required, but more importantly, have mastered most of the aspects of Emotional Intelligence.” Based on these studies, forums and learning endeavors that encourage emotional intelligence—among other facets of learning, management and development—should be highly encouraged. Goleman et al. (42-48) supports the above by reporting that studies from various places show that the moods of leaders greatly determine efficacy at work. For this reason, working environments should be established such that leaders’ moods stay positive and jovial.

Fourthly, Gosling and Mintzberg (19-22) state that leadership positions should not be used to encourage negative activities like favoritism since this deviates from the objectivity of leadership to offer just and fair guidance to subjects. This point is supported by James and Arroba (305-310) who say that things as such as control and abandonment diminish the essence of leadership. Instead of these negative ventures, leadership should be used to champion the goals and aims of the organization, reward good workers while punish the bad ones, encourage learning and orient development.

Fifthly, the learning process of introducing, implementing and sustaining the M3C model (and other theories and models as well) is highly complex and somewhat involving. However, success in business-oriented industries is a painstaking and continuous process that calls for utter commitment and constancy to purpose. If we are to achieve this success, then it is unavoidably necessary that necessary learning, implementation and sustenance channels are put in place by the relevant individuals and organization.

As earlier mentioned, a good number of such initiatives are currently in place. Nonetheless, more initiatives—especially from learning institution—are required to ensure that change management is duly championed. It is only through such initiatives that the barriers and limitations of change management can be thwarted while development and solution-oriented endeavors are proliferated.

In finality, it is worth restating that the M3C model has been used by various individuals, organizations and environments to champion change-related endeavors. It is based on this reason that I would encourage it usage in many other organizations. However, as has been explicitly documented in this paper, full efficacy at work calls for many other leadership and managerial essentials.

Works Cited

Allen, Natalie and Meyer John. “The Measurement and Antecedents of Effective, Continuance and Normative Commitment to the Organization.” Journal of Occupational Psychology, 63 (1990): 1–18. Print.

Armstrong, David, Bazalgette John and Hutton Jean. What Does Management Really Mean? In R Casemore et al. (eds) – What Makes Consultancy Work – Understanding the Dynamics, London, UK: South Bank University, 1994. Print.

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How would you define “organizational development?”

Organization development (OD) can be defined as a planned and concise effort to implement changes at different levels (or rather all levels) of the company aimed at improving the company’s “ability to survive” and making the company competitive and flexible in the contemporary business world (Brown, 2011, p. 4). Importantly, OD should be properly planned and it should affect all levels of the company. It should also be properly managed and guided from the top. It should aim for the organization’s health and competitiveness. It is also acknowledged that organizational development can be held effectively with the use of behavioral science knowledge.

Why do people/organizations resist change; and what does resistance look like in action?

It is strongly believed in lots of organizations that successful actions are undertaken in the past can help the company remain successful. In other words, if something works well, one should follow the pattern and change nothing; otherwise, this can lead to destruction. Brown (2011) mentions the concept of entropy, i.e. the belief that if something is organized it should be maintained. Thus, it is necessary to resist corporate entropy as changes are crucial for the modern business world.

Notably, resistance to change can take different forms. Employees can reveal their dissatisfaction and there can be lots of conflicts within the organization. Resistance is also apparent when there are lots of dismissals and resignations or transfers.

Describe three of the major diagnostic models and techniques used in OD programs

Brown (2011) briefly analyzes three diagnostic models. The difference- integration model, which is also referred to as the analytical model, focuses on the analytical diagnosis. The practitioner analyzes departments in terms of several dimensions, i.e. the structure of departments, time orientation of organization’s members, the interpersonal orientation of members, and members’ “orientation toward goals” (Brown, 2011, p. 128).

The second model is the sociotechnical-systems model. This model focuses on the interaction between people and technology. It is believed that teams can be supplied with the necessary technology which will enable them to work and cooperate with other teams effectively. The third model is the force-field analysis model, which focuses on identifying forces that are driving the change and resisting forces.

What are “process interventions”? List three and give brief descriptions of each intervention

Process interventions are skills of organizational development used by an OD professional to help different groups work more effectively. Process interventions are aimed at helping employees work effectively and cooperate properly. There are different types of process interventions. One of them is clarifying and summarizing, which helps resolve different misunderstandings during discussions. “Providing support, coaching, and counseling” is another type of process interventions aimed at effective work of groups and it focuses on guiding employees, encouraging them to develop solutions to problems (Brown, 2011, p. 205). Structural suggestions can also be effective as the practitioner suggests how to improve the structure of the department or allocate tasks and responsibilities.

What are the six key skills OD practitioners need to have; and of the six, which two do you feel are most important and why?

Six key skills successful OD practitioners should have are leadership skills, project management skills, personal skills, interpersonal skills, communication skills, and problem-solving skills (Brown, 2011, p. 96). Admittedly, all of these skills are crucial. However, it is possible to note that such skills as leadership, problem-solving, and communication skills are of paramount importance as a successful OD practitioner should be an inspiring leader who can make employees believe in change. OD practitioners should also be able to solve numerous problems that occur in the process of change. Finally, an OD practitioner should be able to communicate with people to make sure they understand him/her.

Reference List

Brown, D. (2011). An experiential approach to organization development. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall.

During my project, I encountered an unexpected resistance to change from the employees. I believe the reason behind the resistance was the insufficient communication between the participants and me. I was able to communicate the expected positive outcomes to the management, which led me to assume that the employees share the readiness and commitment to change. My assumption was further strengthened by the fact that the employees were unsatisfied with the state of events and even pointed out the specific flaws in leadership practices.

This created the impression of informed stakeholders who are aware of the need for change and, therefore, are eager to participate in the facilitation. The issue was eventually resolved, but I cannot say that it was addressed. Several weeks into the intervention, the participants of the workshops started noticing the positive effects of the process, and the resistance declined. However, this was not the result of deliberate intervention.

I believe that in this case the possibility of change was misjudged, which slowed down the process considerably. To avoid similar scenarios in the future, the possibility of resistance must be evaluated more carefully and addressed early in the process, excluding the undesirable slowdown.

Whole system change is a paradigm that suggests a unified and holistic approach as opposed to piecemeal interventions. Due to its characteristics, it offers a range of advantages to organizations. First, it can tackle the cause of the issue rather than target the effect. Second, its benefits are long-lasting and extend across multiple aspects of organizational activity. Third, it is sustainable since the changes and learning are continuous and each success or failure increases understanding of its effectiveness. However, due to its scale, it also has several drawbacks. For instance, its encompassing nature requires significant planning and inclusive strategies that may be ill-fitted for urgent matters.

Next, because of its far-reaching approach, its value is increasing with the complexity of the organization, which means that it may be unnecessarily complex for smaller entities. Finally, due to its scope, it may be difficult to definitively evaluate its outcomes and differentiate them from the effects of unrelated factors. I tried to adapt it for personal use and build up useful habits of a healthy lifestyle. Over time, I kept discovering and adding new areas of whole system integration to achieve a holistic approach. I cannot say I observed any outstanding results as of yet, but I was able to identify at least one benefit: the whole system change turned out useful in detecting and addressing all (rather than the most popular) aspects of the problem, which can be used for a thorough assessment.

Organizational development can and should incorporate values as a part of a successful change. The easiest example I can recall is empowerment. This is a highly sought after value in an organization and is required for a successful change. Besides, it can be linked to the long-term effects of change and sustainability of OD. Thus, they are often emphasized by OD consultants. Collaboration is another important value since change is rarely implemented on the individual level and often involves teamwork and interdepartmental communication.

I can say that communication between employees and management is the value that is often violated in the organization, which is confirmed by my observations in the workplace. For instance, the employees may not have communication channels to deliver feedback in a meaningful form, which, aside from value deterioration, poses a threat to workplace ethics. Poor communication often leads to declining in motivation among workers and wrongly targeted interventions which compromise trust and waste resources.

Action Research and Organizational Development

Sales have gone down at the XYZ Widget Corporation and nobody in the organization, including the CEO, seems to know why

Missing action research/ organizational development step. There are several steps that XYZ Widget Corporation missed out on in their action research. However, the most crucial is the data feedback and confrontation step. McLean (2006) explains that in the data feedback and confrontation step of organizational development, the management and the consultant divide the working population into focus groups who are then given the collected data to discuss, review and provide feedback. The grouping of the employees, who will take part in the study, should be done with guidance from the management. It can be argued that the step verifies the data that was collected in the previous organizational development step. According to the case study provided, this did not happen. The importance of this first missed step is that it allows the removal of any bias from the expert/consultant. Secondly, the measure also encourages a feedback process, where the employees can solve any arising issues. In organizational development, it is common to find some disputes regarding the results of the action research done. It is the data feedback and confrontation step that identifies and resolves such conflicts.

Why missing steps led to failure. The identified missed step led to the failure of the intervention that was proposed by the consultant. The proposed intervention was the raising of salaries of all the sales agents in an attempt to make them more motivated to work and perform better. The identified missed step, data feedback and confrontation, added to the failure of the intervention as the consultant did not resolve some of the disputes in the data collection process. Some of the disputes that might have been noted include the other highly rated reasons for lack of motivation in the sales agents. The consultant only focused on low income, which might not have been the core issue at hand. The said step would have identified the other factors that were leading to poor performance, and allowed both the consultant and the management to design a more viable strategy and intervention.

HN Motors is a large manufacturer of both cars and motorcycles. However, neither the car department nor the motorcycle department wants to take the lead and the project keeps getting stalled

Missing action research/ organizational development step. The identified missed step is the intervening in the system step. It is crucial to point out that the said step was missed due to the influence of the management of the company. According to the case study provided, the management requested the consultant to stop the process after the writing of both the report and the recommendation. Whereas the management agreed with the suggested intervention strategy, they did not feel the need to continue interacting with the consultant. The missed step would have, however, allowed the expert to make the intervention strategy better, and to customize it according to the operations and functions of the different departments in HN Motors. The consultant would have also been able to train the employees on various aspects that would have helped with the implementation of the proposed intervention. For instance, one of the identified problems was the lack of communication between the motorcycle department and the car department. The issue was only identified after the consultant had done the action research. During the intervention in the system step, the expert would have pinpointed the importance of open and flexible communication channels, thereby, equipping the employees with communication skills for future use.

Why missing steps led to failure. The discussed missed step, the intervention of the system, led to the failure of the intervention through missed training. As mentioned, the training would have helped the employees and management embrace the different changes that the intervention would have created. One of the key issues identified through the case study, in the company, is poor communication. The motorcycle and car departments failed to communicate with each other and did not give their reasons for stalling the development of the high mileage vehicle.

Dr. Joseph Hotshot is a leading management consultant who charges huge fees for his Extra Special Action Research System

Missing action research/ organizational development step. The chosen missed step is the initial diagnosis of the problem. It can be argued that the company, Ace Carpet Cleaning, did not know why the employees were not motivated. From the provided case study, there is no mention of a partnership with the consultant. In fact, it can be argued that the consultant did not involve the management in the process, and only spoke with the employees. By doing so, the consultant did not get accurate information that affected the company as a whole. In the same breath, it can be argued that the consultant only focused on the personal issues each employee had. In turn, the consultant failed to come up with viable solutions for the company as a whole. The definition of an organization comes into play in this scenario. An organization can be defined as the sum of its parts, which have to work together for the benefit of the whole. The consultant appears to have perceived the organization as its individual parts.

Why missing steps led to failure. As stated, the identified step led to the failure of the intervention that was proposed by the consultant. The initial diagnosis of the problem, as said, did not involve the management, therefore, took an individual approach. The individual approach, whereas critical in identifying the personal issues, is not recommended for organizational development. The first problem that arises from the approach is that it separates the individual from other employees, and from the organization.

Kooltrendy wants the merger to go through as smoothly as possible with minimal conflicts between employees of the two companies, so they have hired an organizational development consultant to look at ways to help ease this transition for all employees

Missing action research/ organizational development step. The company did not have any form of data feedback and confrontation. The missed step, as stated, is important as it allows the consultant and the management to figure out whether the data that was collected goes hand in hand with what is on the ground. Lurey and Griffin (2013) explain that the data feedback and confrontation stage also allows for the consultant to make a viable intervention strategy. The consultant would also have been in a position to gather additional information on the problems that the employees face, and propose changes to be made to make the merger successful. It is also important to note that the step would have given feedback, which would have worked as a source of evaluation of the process so far.

Why missing steps led to failure. One of the reasons why the intervention failed was the skipping of the identified step. The consultant was not able to reconcile the data or resolve any dispute that the data might have had, thereby, was not able to solve the problem at hand. Indeed, even though the consultant was able to identify the biggest problem the organization faced, the intervention that was put in place did not attempt to solve all other issues that had been noted during the data collection process.

Large Group Interventions

The XYZ Corporation has been growing rapidly for the past 10 years but recently has hit a plateau and is not growing much anymore

The CEO of the organization should use Future Search to encourage the heads of departments to make up their minds on the departments that need the proposed changes. There are several reasons why Future Search is best suited for the scenario given. The first reason is the number of people that are involved. Norum (2005) explains that Future Search is best suited for groups of 40 to 80 individuals. Based on the case study provided, the heads of department involved in the process are 50, which makes the number perfect for Future Search.

Secondly, Norum (2005) explains that Future Search allows the involved to use their personal experiences to elaborate on their reasons. The premise is important for the case study as each head of department will not want changes effected in their departments. Change is not wanted. Each head of department will be asked to give their personal experiences, and then the rest of the team will give opinions and reasons why the department needs change, or why it does not, allowing for easier decision making. The process is very inclusive, therefore, making it easier for the heads of departments to make the necessary decisions without being biased.

Thirdly, it can be argued that Future Search is best suited for the scenario as it leads to four primary outcomes, shared values, viable goals, a way forward and a strategy to be used (Nixon, 1998). The stated outcomes are desirable as they provide a plan on implementation of the changes that are about to be experienced in the departments that will be chosen.

The new CEO of a large and successful Internet company has just been hired. This CEO is highly experienced, but being new to this company he really wants to get everyone’s opinion about a large range of issues

The new CEO should use Open Space Technology. Nixon (1998) explains that Open Space Technology revolves around purpose-driven leadership. The approach has been chosen due to several reasons. The first reason is that it allows the employees to be properly introduced to the new CEO. Being new, the CEO has to be careful not to disrupt systems that he is yet to understand. Open Space Technology gives the CEO the opportunity to learn more about the employees, and the systems in place. At the same time, Open Space Technology creates a platform for change management.

Secondly, Open Space Technology has been suggested as the best option as it allows for large numbers of participants. According to the case study, the company has 500 employees. Thus, it would not be appropriate to use Future Search, as it can only apply to 80 people at the maximum, and 40 people at the minimum. Rogers (2010) confirms that Open Space Technology can accommodate a maximum of 500 people, making it perfect for the approach selected.

Thirdly, Open Space Technology has been suggested as it allows for meetings to be held without an initial agenda. It is clear that the CEO wants to hear the opinions of the employees. However, there is no specific agenda and the CEO did not state the desired outcomes of the meeting. The CEO will be in a better place to encourage the employees to talk about everything they deem important. In so doing, the CEO will gather as much information as possible to develop viable strategies for the organization.

An accounting company has three main divisions: tax, auditing, and accounting information systems. The CEO would like employee input on what major strategic initiatives to take and would like input from a wide range of employees and managers

The CEO should use Open Space Technology to get the opinion of the employees. One of the reasons why Open Space Technology is best suited for the scenario is that the company has a lot of employees. The 300 employees, plus the 40 senior managers can send in their opinions without necessarily speaking in front of the rest. Due to the large numbers, it is impossible to get all the staff to speak their minds. Nixon (1998) confirms that Open Space Technology allows for the quiet employees to give their opinions, through a representative. The approach chosen will also ensure that no employee feels victimized. The company will be victimizing employees if they force them to speak against their will.

It is also important to note that the meeting does not have a particular agenda. Whereas the CEO wants to get different opinions on the strategic initiatives to take, he also intends to create an environment where all employees feel they can give their views on various factors and strategies that management employs. Suffices to state, getting opinions on the strategic initiatives to take, is not an agenda, but a theme. Rogers (2010) clarifies that Open Space Technology allows for such a general theme, without any formal plan.

It will be challenging, however, to make the employees speak their minds, especially in the presence of the senior managers. However, as stated, the employees can pick representatives who can speak on their behalf. It is also important to mention that Open Space Technology will allow the senior managers to interact with the other employees, thereby, creating a platform of inclusivity.

A CEO initiates an Open Space Technology conference. At the start of the conference, the CEO provides a list of topics he wants covered and also gives his opinion on what kind of outcomes he wants from the conference. He also makes attendance at the conference mandatory

First, the CEO did not fully understand the concept of Open Space Technology. According to Leith (1996), Open Space Technology should have an agenda. By giving the meeting the agendas of the day and the desired outcomes of the conference, the CEO violated the guidelines of Open Space Technology. Leith (1996) explains that there are several guiding principles of Open Space Technology. The first principle violated by the CEO in the case study given is that the people who make it to the meeting are all the people who are needed to make a change (Rogers, 2010). The principle suggests that the attending of the meeting does not need the CEO or senior managers, and at the same time, suggests that the meeting is not mandatory. The CEO made it clear to the employees that the meeting was mandatory, therefore, violating the said principle.

The CEO also violated the fourth principle that encourages surprise (Leith, 1996). There was no form of surprise, for both the CEO and the employees, as the CEO had already stated the desired outcomes. It can be argued that the participants wrote the report, and gave recommendations based on what they thought the CEO wanted to hear, and not on what mattered. Therefore, the exercise was a complete waste of time. In the same breath, the CEO violated the said principle by also giving the agenda of the conference. As stated, the CEO would have given a general theme of the conference and prepared to be surprised by the outcome and the agenda that would have been created during the conference.

Job Redesign

The ABC Corporation has a team of telemarketers. While the telemarketing team is performing well, the company is concerned about high turnover among telemarketers and wants to do some job enrichment

It can be argued that out of the five core job dimensions, the management should revise the ‘Autonomy’ element during the job re-design to allow for less turnover. The case study states that the employees are free to work within their timelines as long as they deliver desired outcomes at the end of every month. It can be argued that the employees of the organization have too much freedom. Griffin (2007) explains that autonomy is the degree to which an individual has the freedom, discretion, and independence to schedule their work. Whereas autonomy is good and has been embraced by the newer generations, it has to have a limit. Since ABC Corporation does not have a cap on the freedom the telemarketers have, they do not feel valued in the company, thus, willingly change jobs frequently. It can also be argued that the freedom accorded the telemarketers is too much such that they feel highly skilled and look for more challenging jobs.

The other four core job dimensions can be left as they are, as they have no direct impact on the turnover. The four stated dimensions are skills, task identity, task significance and feedback (Griffin, 2007). It is important to stress that the intense feedback that the company encourages is essential for the success of the enterprise, and for understanding the high employee turnover. The company can modify the feedback tool to also include job satisfaction as a way of determining the reasons for high employee turnover. It is crucial to point out that the company should not reduce the frequent feedback reports that are shared with the employees as it also allows the employees to grow and perform better.

At the Grand Valley Medical Clinic there are four high-ranking employees. They have all been working at the clinic for a long time and have strong performance records, but management is worried they are becoming bored and dissatisfied with their jobs and there is concern they might all leave unless their jobs change

Management should take up a job redesign approach. Hartzell (2015) explains that job redesign involves expanding a job position to allow for more challenging activities, on top of the day to day events that surround the job. According to the case study, the specialists are bored of doing the same job day in and day out. To motivate them, and make them more interested in their jobs, management has to expand their mandate to give them more challenging options. Hartzell (2015) explains that there are three things that can be done in regard to job redesign. The three options are job enrichment, job enlargement, and job rotation. Out of the three, the management can use job enrichment to motivate the identified specialists.

Hartzell (2015) argues that job enrichment allows the specialists to use the skills they already have, in other capacities. It is crucial to appreciate the skills the said experts have, as they have taken years to develop them. Therefore, expanding their jobs to also include other areas where such skills are needed will be beneficial both to the health care professionals and to the health facility.

For example, for Dr. Roberts, the pediatrician, the management can also add maternal services in his routine. Therefore, the doctor will also attend to pregnant mothers, and not just the children. The doctor can attend to the pregnant women due to the skills and knowledge acquired as a pediatrician. In the same note, the nurse, who does patient check-ups, can be tasked with administrative responsibilities as she is used to dealing with patients, the family of the patients, and the other health care professionals in the facility. The eye specialist can be added in the ENT department to also take care of patients with throat and nose problems as they are all related through the ENT body structure.

Transwest Airlines has decided to hire you as a job crafting consultant for two groups of their employees. Before arriving at the airline to do interviews and make recommendations, you first need to do some reading on what general approach you will use

According to Wrzesniewski (2015), there are three ways in which job crafting can be achieved. The three ways are task crafting, relational crafting, and cognitive crafting. According to the case study provided, there are two groups of employees to think about when designing the job crafting strategy. The two groups are the pilots, who have one main job description, and the marketers, who have several items in their job description. It is arguable that the two groups will need different approaches to job crafting.

As mentioned, the pilots have one main job description, which is to fly the plane. Therefore, they are best suited to use cognitive crafting to enjoy their tasks more. Whereas the job remains the same, the pilots, on an individual basis, will have the power to creatively “perceive” their tasks as different. For example, the pilots can see their jobs as a way of communicating and interacting with people from other cultures. They can sharpen their people skills by also acting as tour guides and pointing out the different landmarks that passengers can see during their flight. There are two advantages of this approach for the pilots. First, it goes hand in hand with their job description. They are still pilots, and they use the knowledge they already have (of the different routes) to their advantage. Secondly, the pilots get to learn more about customer service. Because they rarely meet with the passengers, pilots tend to lack skills in dealing with people. On the other hand, the marketers will benefit greatly by adopting task crafting. Due to the numerous items in their job description, it only makes sense for the marketers to drop some of their tasks and make their workload lighter. In turn, they will have time to do other things they are interested in, and motivate themselves further.

Discussion

Similarities and differences between job redesigning and job crafting. One of the similarities between job redesigning and job crafting is that they both aim at motivating the employee in question. They are both used to change routine and make day to day activities more engaging for employees. On the same breath, a difference between the two is that job crafting is more permanent than job redesigning (Hartzell, 2015). For instance, if the marketers in Scenario 3 drop some of the items in their job description, they cannot add them back later. However, in job redesigning, the involved have the option to go back to their routine if they so wish, without causing a lot of changes.

Advantages and disadvantages of job redesign and job crafting. One advantage of both job redesigning and job crafting is that they motivate the employees. They offer new and challenging activities for the involved (Wrzesniewski, 2015). On the other hand, one of the disadvantages of both job crafting and job redesigning is that they can affect the organizational processes and systems. Therefore, after every job redesign and crafting, the whole organization has to be trained on the changes that would have been initiated.

References

Hartzell, S. (2015). Types of job redesign: Job enrichment, enlargement & rotation [Video File]. Web.

Lurey, J., & Griffin, M. (2013). Action research: The anchor of OD practice. In Vogelsang, J. (ed). Handbook for Strategic HR: Best Practices in Organization Development from the OD Network (pp. 46 – 52). Saranac Lake, NY: AMACOM Books.

Leith, M. (1996). Organizational change and large group interventions. Career Development International, 1(4), 19-23.

McLean, G. N. (2006). Organization development: Principles, processes, performance. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Nixon, B. (1998). Creating the futures we desire – getting the whole system into the room: Part I. Industrial and Commercial Training, 30(1), 4-11.

Norum, K. E. (2005). Future Search conversation. In Dialogue as a Means of Collective Communication (pp.323 – 333). New York, NY: Springer Science & Business Media B.V.

Rogers, J. (2010). Large group interventions:Facilitating groups. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.

Wrzesniewski, A. (2015). Job crafting – Amy Wrzesniewski on creating meaning in your own work [Video File]. Web.

Introduction

At Fresno University, change is inevitable if the learning institution needs to increase its enrollment rates and enhance its competitive advantage in its industry of operations. It is expected that the desired change will take place consistently with the organizational mission, aims, and objective statements. This plan will help to keep the change in harmony with the desired strategic direction both in the short-term and long-term.

In previous discussions, the strategy of increasing student enrollment coupled with taking appropriate steps towards mitigation of negative impacts of the mechanisms of enhancing it was suggested as the main strategy that would help in bringing about change at Fresno University in the next year, and later years. This final section discusses the expected outcomes of Fresno University’s strategic choice, the risks of the selected strategy, and the plans for its implementation and evaluation.

Expected outcomes of the strategy choice

Organizations endeavoring to acquire long-term success keep on changing their ways of executing business. Most appropriate changes involve those that ensure organizations become more profitable and capable of handling increasing financial requirements. Through the implementation of the strategy of increasing enrollment rates, it is expected that Fresno University will increase its capability to raise the necessary financial resources to cater for its expansion to accommodate more degree programs and in the management of increasing diversity of students and workforce.

It is important for Fresno University to put in place appropriate measures to curb the likely misappropriation of funds. Indeed, geopolitical changes, demographic changes, technological changes, and even intense pressure on the physical environments pose a need for organizational change. Such a change also needs to be combined with various security concerns coupled with governance issues that help to generate pressures driving organizational change (Bruch & Gerber, 2005).

Development of awareness for technological needs, political, sociological, and economic characteristics of the external operating environment of organizations is crucial in the effort to drive strategic initiatives for their success. Consequently, the change adopted at the Fresno University through the suggested implementation plan of the selected strategic decision needs to achieve some expectations in terms of financial, marketing personnel, and the social position of the university.

Financial

The future of Fresno University depends on its capacity to raise more funds to cater to the costs of running additional programs and associated expenses. The university depends on the financial resources raise to finance the budgets of different departments. For example, the marketing, purchases, and procurement departments use the financial resources generated from the fees paid by the students in providing services vital for making the learning process effective. By increasing the enrollment rates, Fresno University will acquire the required additional financial resources to pay the required additional staff, construct new teaching facilities, which will aid in catering for even higher numbers of students in the future.

Cellini (2010) notes that to facilitate university-wide developments, universities need to benchmark one another. This process involves the expenditure of financial resources in the research and development of new strategic initiatives like new degree programs. By increasing the enrollment levels, it implies that more resources will be available to facilitate this process. The university will also have access to additional resources necessary for improving its reputation to the communities in which its campuses are located through increasing available kitty for social corporate responsibility.

Marketing

The marketing department of Fresno University has the responsibility for positioning it in such a manner that it attracts new enrollments and retains the confidence among the new applicants and the existing student population for the offered programs. The proposed plan has the advantage of ensuring that any marketing communication meets the needs of students so that they can consider securing admission positions at Fresno University.

The marketing plan clears any potential doubts that the quality of education offered at the university may be compromised. Indeed, activities such as internships are critical in reinforcing the position that the university offers quality educations akin to the higher probability that the students may secure jobs at the organization where they have been placed for an internship due to their proven skill base and capability to execute tasks allocated to them. The primary goal of the proposed marketing plan is to ensure that the management benefit by having a better reputation for the university’s degree programs.

Personnel

The strategic plan proposed that Fresno University should consider enrolling students and recruiting staff from across the diversity. Having a learning institution embracing diversity is advantageous since it can bring together different capabilities and talents to facilitate the production of more competitive graduates in terms of cultural integration. Diversity entails differences existing among people working in an organization with regard to parameters such as gender, race, community values, age, sexual affiliation, income levels, work experience, parental status, religious beliefs, ethnicity, religion, and physical abilities among others (Ollapally & Bhatnagar, 2009).

Embracement of diversity is crucial in availing networks, which are ideally open to all interested workforce members and students’ community. Through these networks, employees and students take part in activities such as professional development, mentoring, community service, and even education outreach among other activities that the Fresno University considers essential in fostering tolerance of differences existing among its personnel.

Social

By bringing together people from all diversities into Fresno University, the proposed plan will help in ensuring social cohesiveness. The students are in contract with the university to ensure it provides quality education to them in exchange for value in the form of school fees. By putting in place strategies of increasing student’s enrollments, but also ensuring that the quality of education is not compromised, the management will not breach its social contract with the students. An institution that welcomes all people irrespective of their cultural difference is beneficial to the society as it has the benefits of enhancing cultural integration.

The implementation plan brings together all the university stakeholders to make it easier to embrace change in the traditional way of doing various tasks such as selection and recruitment of staff and admission processes. This claim implies that the university management will experience fewer challenges in the future such as the resistance to accepting decisions that are made by its personnel since their different lines of thought have been incorporated into them.

The fact that the proposed strategy will ensure that the university admits more students means that the communities within Fresno will benefit through the increased experience and/or the provision of more people into the skilled job sector. This move will boost economic growth, which leads to social transformations. A bigger working population means higher household income in more families so that Fresno University acquires even higher admission requests in the future.

Risks of the strategy choice

The strategy of increasing the enrollment levels without considering the diversity differences of students and recruiting staff to deliver the learning services has some risks. Universities, which do not support diversity, are likely to plunge into expensive lawsuits and/or out-of-court settlements for cases that are largely contributed by poor management of various talent tools, for instance, stereotypes propagation, discrimination, and harassment among others.

Additionally, such learning organizations are susceptible to costs linked to the replacement of employees (Jayne & Dipboye, 2004). In case an organization is constituted by people of varying ethnicities coupled with higher proportions of women as compared to the general industry on average, an interrogative arises seeking audience on how the reconciliation of differences among employees and the students can be achieved without causing undue friction during their everyday interactions.

Implementation of the selected strategy becomes risky since managing the workforce and student fraternity’s diversity becomes a crucial endeavor since otherwise, the performance of Fresno University gets negatively impaired. Hence, its productivity and profitability may also become negatively impaired (Jayne & Dipboye, 2004). The development of plausible knowledge by Fresno University’s management professionals is crucial since many of the issues that are encountered in the work environment to the extent of promoting intolerance of the differences that characterize workers can only be solved using effective approaches of diversity management.

Plan for the evaluation of the organizational project

The project for implementation of change at Fresno University aimed at increasing the number of programs and the number of students enrolled in each program can be evaluated through analysis of numerical quantitative data against the set period in the implementation plan. For instance, within one year, the university can keep records of the students admitted into different programs.

The effectiveness of the university in the change implementation can then be evaluated by determining the difference between the changes in the number of students who are actually admitted within the year against the projected increase. However, an increase in the admission rate will not imply net positive impacts of the proposed strategy. Quality is also an important issue (Cellini, 2010). This aspect can be measured by comparing the percentage contribution of the university in filling available job opportunities when compared to other competing universities.

A higher rate of education-employment transition for Fresno University in comparison to other industry players means higher quality education. It indicates that the students from Fresno University are more preferred by employers to graduates from other universities. Other parameters for evaluation include the registered incidences of diversity-related conflicts, prevalence levels of newly created programs among the students, and whether the skills and knowledge acquired through the programs are effective in the job market.

Summary and conclusions

Fresno University needs to increase its competitive advantage by increasing its admission rates to its current and newly established programs. However, to ensure positive outcomes in terms of increasing financial capability and social integration, it must look for strategies to curtail potential risks such as the emergence of diversity-related conflicts. Marketing of the university constitutes one of the strategies of ensuring that the institution receives recognition from students from across the diversity.

Thus, it remains a unique way of positioning the university to its potential clients. The implementation of the strategic decision requires Fresno University to consider various ways of evaluating the effectiveness of the suggested plan. This plan should include both qualitative and quantitative techniques of measuring the degree of correlation between the projected or expected university position after and before the implementation of the plan.

Reference List

Bruch, H., & Gerber, P. (2005). Strategic change decisions: Doing the right change right. Journal of Change Management, 11(5), 53-99.

Cellini, R. (2010). Financial Aid and for-profit colleges: Does Aid encourage entry? Journal of Policy Analysis & Management, 29 (3), 526-552.

Jayne, A., & Dipboye, L. (2004). Leveraging Diversity to Improve Business Performance: Research Findings & Recommendations for Organizations. Human Resource Management, 43(4) 409-424.

Ollapally, A., & Bhatnagar, J. (2009). The Holistic Approach to Diversity Management: HR Implications. The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 44 (3) 454-472.

Organizational development is the direction of organizational consulting, which is a list of methods aimed at changing the existing situation in the field of corporate culture, psychological climate, and other degrees of satisfaction with work. Unlike organizational diagnostics, these events and projects not only assess the current situation in the organization but mainly aim at changing this situation. In addition, the given development interventions are conducted at four levels, such as physical, infrastructural, behavioral, and cultural, and they are assisted by coaching activities.

Moreover, organizational development of an enterprise is a systematic, purposeful improvement of its organization by building more rational production and management structures, regulating the functions of individual units or divisions.

The given approach also affects workers and their interaction by streamlining labor, managing processes based on the optimal combination of production elements, and creating conditions for their smooth functioning and further development (Jha and Jain 4). In other words, the essence of the organizational development of an enterprise is in the constant improvement of the organization of labor, production, and management.

It is important to note that planned organizational intervention plays an essential role in providing a company with a clear and concise protocol to achieve the desired goal. It means that it is a program that allows a firm’s leaders to practically integrate the necessary change to improve the overall management (Torraco 441). With the rapidly increasing uncertainty of the external environment, organizational development is associated with the modernization of business processes and the formation of competitive advantages to successfully position itself in the market (Torraco 445).

The key condition for the adaptability of an enterprise is the analysis of its development stage, taking into account the accumulated potential and position in the market. However, in both foreign and domestic scientific literature, there are no studies related to the systemic transformation of the components of an organization following the concept of its life cycles (Jha and Jain 5). The adaptive organization is considered as a complex structure that includes, in addition to the management object, strategy, structure, organizational culture, and personnel interacting with the external environment.

Furthermore, organizational development interventions possess various levels of implementation. These layers of change include cultural, behavioral, infrastructural, and physical alterations (Jha and Jain 3).

Physical interventions are the most effortless to integrate because they are manifested in the form of tools and structures. Mechanical growth as a way of organizational development implies constant capacity building, first of all, production. Often, the staff is hired exclusively to solve problems. The advantage of this approach is the minimum cost of organizational development. The disadvantage is the hope that the newly hired personnel will successfully address the emerging problems (Torraco 451). Mechanical growth leads to the fact that a numerically grown company becomes simply unmanageable.

Infrastructural changes are also short-term attempts to modify the current measurement systems of reward and regulation. The effectiveness of the application of expert methods for determining development directions largely depends on the qualifications of the experts involved (Torraco 439). In most cases, the experts of the company are their leading specialists, such as the financial director, chief accountant, production manager, and head of information services (Torraco 449). As a result, the direction of a company’s development is determined by the authority of one or another specialist. Thus, highly popular management methods and tools are implemented regardless of the objective conditions for the development of a particular company.

However, behavioral interventions are manifested in the changes personnel’s approach to perform their tasks and responsibilities, and it can be considered as a long-term alteration. This part of the function is carried out primarily by linear and partly functional personnel and can be called organizational activity (Jha and Jain 6). It is aimed at organizing the execution of management decisions and contributes to the stabilization of the production system. Cultural organization interventions are the most difficult to implement because it requires to change people’s beliefs, values, and cultural norms (Torraco 448).

The given component is specific and fully manifested in the design of enterprises, technological processes, and equipment design, at all subsequent stages of the enterprise’s life. It is true in various critical situations of its development, when fundamental organizational relationships and connections are needed, and also in the process of evolutionary development enterprises (Jha and Jain 3).

This part of the function of the organization ensures the organizational development of the enterprise. In addition, the primary purpose of the coaching activity incorporate improvement is to eliminate communication barriers and predispositions to ease the transition period. It also educates personnel on the upcoming changes, which allows them to adapt at a substantially quicker pace.

In conclusion, it is critical to understand that organizational development is a set of outlined activities that lead to favorable changes in the organization to achieve the desired goal. Intervention programs provide a highly practical guideline to thoroughly implements these organizational modifications. The latter can be categorized into levels, which include physical, infrastructural, behavioral, and cultural. Coaching activities are designed to make the mentioned transitions easier by removing certain communication barriers.

Works Cited

Jha, Sumi, and Karuna Jain. “Organization Development Intervention: A Case of an Educational Institution.” Global Business Review, vol. 1, no. 1, 2018, pp. 2-9.

Torraco, Richard J. “Early History of the Fields of Practice of Training and Development and Organization Development.” Advances in Developing Human Resources, vol. 18, no. 4, 2016, pp. 439-453.

Introduction

Team spirit and motivation are two critical factors that define the ability of a firm to achieve success in the market. According to Baporikar (2018), successful firms understand the fact that human resource should remain motivated to enhance its productivity.

The lack of motivation is a sign that the management is failing to meet the basic needs of its employees. On the other hand, lack of team spirit is a sign that the firm is lacking a platform for resolving conflicts to ensure that possible differences can be addressed. In the current competitive business environment, there is need to ensure that that workers are offered a perfect environment for them to explore their talents as a way of promoting creativity. Team spirit makes it possible for them to work as a unit in addressing the challenges that might exist in the market. In this paper, the researcher seeks to apply the concept of organizational development to address the two issues that affect employees of this company.

Organizational Development Phases

The concept of organizational development has emerged as a powerful tool that firms use to address challenges they face systematically. When faced with the challenge such as the one that has been identified, which affects employees’ productivity, this concept can be used to find a lasting solution that would promote teamwork and motivation. The organizational development identifies various steps that should be taken to address a specific issue. This section will use this model to address the issue that this firm faces.

Entry

The initial phase of organizational development, also known as the entry phase, is the stage that the management appreciates the fact that a problem exist that requires an urgent solution. Baporikar (2018) explains that at this stage, the management may notice that events at the company are not going as per the set goals or a lot of money or time is used contrary to what had been set previously. In this case, it has been identified that there is lack of motivation and teamwork among employees. The problem is affecting their productivity within the company. The next phase is contracting, where the firm identifies a team of experts who can help solve the identified problem. In this case, the researcher is the contrary who has set forth to address the marketing problem at the company.

Diagnosing

The initial stage of solving the problem starts with the diagnosis. As Bushe and Marshak (2015) observes, one should start by understanding the root-cause of the problem within the firm. The term should investigate processes and systems within the company to identify the possible cause of the problem. Weisbord’s Six Box Model is a popular theory that is often used to diagnose a problem within an organization. It starts by identifying the purpose of the firm in the market.

This company offers electronic products in the local market. The next step is to determine the structure of the company to determine how work is divided. The company has fully functioning marketing, finance, logistics, and human resource departments. Under the marketing unit, there is the customer care unit, public relations unit, promotional campaigns unit.

The model then emphasizes on the relationships, especially how the firm manages conflicts, and whether there is the use of technology in the process. The analysis has revealed that lack of team spirit and motivation is a major challenge that the firm faces. Most conflicts within the firm are resolved by the decision of the top management unit relevant at that specific level. It means that the decision of the marketing manager would override any other opposing view.

In the context of helpful mechanisms, the focus is to determine if there are adequate coordinating technologies within the firm (Jamieson, Church, & Vogelsang, 2018). Such management strategies where employees are denied the opportunity to engage and offer share their views on issues affecting them often lead to limited motivation among employees.

It was evident that the firm lack proper coordinating technologies, which limit dialogue, hence the issue of lack of team spirit emerged. Although individual employees within the firm regularly use social media platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter, the firm is yet to embrace these platforms as official means of communication among employees. It means that other traditional means of communication such as face-to-face meetings, phone calls, letters, and memos are still preferred means of passing official communication (Ardichvili & Dirani, 2017).

The concept of reward where tasks are attached to specific incentives is another factor that one should consider when conducting the diagnosis. Most of the assignments that employees within this department have to undertake are not attached to specific incentives. As such, the problem identified does not arise from this issue. The whole system requires an enabling environment to achieve the desired level of success. Figure 1 below summarizes these factors.

Feedback

The feedback of the diagnosis show that the main problem at the firm is that there is no team spirit and employees’ motivation is significantly low. The employees within this company find it difficult to work as a unit. They have failed to appreciate the significance of diversity in the workplace. They are unable to appreciate the fact that they can have different thought and perceptions in life but still work as a unit. The lack of team spirit is partly responsible for the limited motivation among workers. These employees feel that their views are not valued, and that the management is not making any significant effort to address the lack of team spirit.

The feedback from the diagnosis also shows that the current problem has been caused by the limited communication that employees have. The firm lacks a proper platform where employees can interact and share their views on how to address these issues. The marketing department sometimes organizes conferences for all employees once or twice a year to discuss issues that affect their operations. However, such an arrangement does not offer an adequate platform for the employees to engage and find a common solution to the issues that the department faces.

Planning Change

At the planning stage, the team will focus on addressing the identified problem. The marketing department will need to find a way of addressing the problem of lack of motivation and team spirit. The management will need to engage employees to understand why they cannot work as a spirit. It is also necessary to understand why they are not motivated at work (Waddell, Creed, Cummings, & Worley, 2019). The team should then find a way of addressing these concerns within the firm. It is equally important for the management to ensure that all stakeholders agree about the strategy that they should use to achieve the desired goals. The following are the specific objectives that should be realized from this project:

• The management should engage employees within the next one month to identify specific reasons where there is no team spirit.
• The firm will need to use both monetary and non-monetary factors to ensure that there is a significant increase in the level of employees’ motivation within the next one month;
• Addressing challenges above should enable the brand value of the firm to increase by at least 10% within the next one year.

Intervention

The intervention phase involves implementing the plans to achieve the specific objectives. The first plan was for the management to develop an effective way through which employees within the firm can engage with one another and agree on how to undertake their responsibilities as a unit. The diagnosis of the problem revealed that the team find it difficult agreeing on how to undertake different responsibilities. The lack of team spirit and other challenges that these workers face has led to reduced levels of motivation.

These workers feel that their views do not matter and that there is no deliberate effort by the management to promote teamwork. Ardichvili and Dirani (2017) explains that when two opposing teams cannot find a platform to address their conflict, then each team will propagate for what it believes is the best. The problem is that in such a case, the management will have to intervene. Sometimes the intervention may lower levels of motivation further.

The team whose idea is dropped will feel ignored, and as such, they may not support the new course. To avoid such problems at this company, the plan is to have a forum where views of all employees will be taken into consideration as a way of promoting teamwork. Through such forums, any misunderstandings can be addressed as people embrace a positive approach towards finding a common interest. This process of creating a new platform for communication should take less than one week. As Widodo (2018) suggests, the management can create a WhatsApp group or a Facebook page for employees to discuss issues of common interest. The marketing manager can monitor such deliberations to help them make a decision based on facts as expressed in the views of employees.

To help solve the problem of reduced levels of motivation among employees, the firm should consider using various strategies. The first strategy is to ensure that employees are rewarded appropriately for their work. The remuneration should reflect the individual effort of the employee’s effort. Studies have shown that a firm can also motivate its employees using non-monetary strategies (Ardichvili & Dirani, 2017). Public recognition of workers who have registered excellent performance is an effective way of promoting hard work and motivation. These workers will know that the management is monitoring their commitment to the firm and appreciates it.

Promotion is another factor that can motivate workers. Individuals who have remained loyal and committed to the firm through their good performance should be considered for promotion as a way of motivating them. Baporikar (2018) argues that the management should make it clear why they consider specific individuals for promotion. When it is based on performance, it is necessary to communicate this fact to avoid cases of dissatisfaction among other workers who do not get such promotions. Widodo (2018) believes that sometimes it may be necessary to involve employees themselves in identifying the top performers. Such strategies eliminate the perception that the management favors specific individuals as opposed to others.

Evaluation

The last stage is the evaluation, where the team will assess the outcome of the implemented solution to determine the way forward. When the evaluation shows that some weaknesses still exist, which may require further improvements then the team can take necessary steps to address them. The current problem that this company faces is that there is no team spirit and motivation, partly caused by the lack of an effective internal mechanism of solving internal conflicts and agreeing on the best way of overcoming various challenges. The researcher has developed a new model of organizational development that can be used by this organization to solve such future problems.

The new model is based on three pillars. The first pillar is effective communication. An organization can only achieve success if the involved parties can share their views. The new model also emphasizes the need for teamwork. All stakeholders should understand the value of working as a unit. The last factor is the need to invest in research and technological advancements. A firm can only achieve innovativeness if it embraces regular research and investment in emerging technologies. These three pillars will help this company to address the problem identified in this case study.

References

Ardichvili, A., & Dirani, K. (2017). Leadership development in emerging market economies. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.

Baporikar, N. (2018). Global practices in knowledge management for societal and organizational development. Hershey, PA: Business Science Reference.

Beckhard, R. (2006). What is organization development? Organization Development, 4(1), 3-12.

Bushe, G. R., & Marshak, R. J. (2015). Dialogic organization development: The theory and practice of transformational change. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, a BK Business Book.

Jamieson, D. W., Church, A. H., & Vogelsang, J. D. (2018). Enacting values-based change: Organization development in action. Cham, Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan.

Waddell, D. M., Creed, A., Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2019). Organisational change: Development and transformation. Melbourne, Australia: Cengage.

Widodo, T. (2018). Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to analyze user intention of Smartphone in banding. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 25(4), 535-559.