Category: Organizational Change

Implementing a new reading program is an important step towards improving academic outcomes across the school. However, it is also a significant organizational change that requires the cooperation of various staff. Leaders in education play a critical part in the organizational change, as they provide guidance, information, and plans for implementing change. Moreover, school leaders can improve teachers’ commitment and motivation, thus making the change more effective (Diamond, n.d.). The present case offers the following strategies that can be used by leaders to implement a new reading program for students:

1. Ensuring that relevant faculty and staff have adequate release time to learn about and prepare to use the new reading program.
2. Giving a presentation at a faculty meeting in support of the new reading program and describing its advantages over the reading program it is replacing.
3. Overseeing the development of procedures for faculty use in modifying the new reading program to fit their individual instructional approaches.
4. Meeting regularly with the coordinator of the new reading program to monitor teacher compliance with guidelines for using the reading program.

This essay will aim to analyze and evaluate the four strategies to chose one that is likely to yield best results.

Strategy One

Allowing the faculty and staff to have enough time to familiarise themselves with the new program is important. Firstly, it ensures that all of the employees involved in the program have enough background knowledge to implement it correctly. This can help them to address all the significant parts of the program in advance and to deliver the program to students efficiently. Moreover, if staff and faculty have enough time to learn about the new program, they might find weaknesses or gaps that could be addressed to make the program more efficient.

However, this strategy also has some limitations. Most importantly, it makes teachers responsible for the program’s success. As shown by Domenech (n.d.), implementing a new educational program requires consistent effort and collaboration of the teachers, school leaders, parents, and the community. The first strategy, on the other hand, does not stipulate the role played by parents, school leaders, and the community in the implementation process. Also, the strategy does not provide sufficient support mechanisms for teachers that would help them to adjust to the program and build a better understanding of it. Thus, this strategy could be useful as part of a larger strategy for implementing a new reading program, but it is not comprehensive enough on its own.

Strategy Two

Holding a presentation for the faculty is a useful way of providing information about the program. Introducing the program to teachers and explaining the main aspects of it can be beneficial and improve program outcomes. In addition, it gives the school leaders an opportunity to share their vision of the program, which can help to motivate teachers and make the implementation more effective (Holmes, Clement, & Albright, 2013). However, the strategy implies that the focus of the presentation should be on the advantages of the program rather than on the practical matters affecting its adoption. It would be better to focus on other schools’ experiences with similar programs and to address possible challenges to implementation. Le Fevre (2014) explains that teachers’ engagement in new educational programs depends highly on their perceptions of risk. In other words, if teachers view the program as ill-founded, risky, or too challenging, they are less likely to commit to it. The best choice for school leaders is thus to explain and analyze possible risks and challenges and outline how the leaders will support teachers in overcoming the obstacles and minimizing the risks. Such approach would create a balanced overview of the program that would help teachers in adopting it.

Strategy Three

This strategy is positive because it acknowledges the needs of teachers and the leader’s role in supporting the implementation process. Allowing faculty members to adjust the program to their needs would have a positive effect on the program’s success. In this strategy, teachers will be able to address challenges in a way they prefer rather than doing the program by-the-book, which improves flexibility and applicability of the program. School leaders’ role in this scenario is to oversee and guide the process rather than interfere with it, which is an example of distributed leadership. Distributed leadership positively impacts educational change as it assists “in building strong collaborative teams, building collective capacity, facilitating knowledge sharing, delegating authority, and facilitating continuous learning in the organization” (Beycioglu & Kondakci, 2014, p. 2). This strategy has no significant drawbacks and would be useful in the proposed scenario.

Strategy Four

The last strategy is somewhat similar to the third one, as it also establishes oversight in the implementation process. Setting a coordinator for the program, in turn, would generate a supportive yet monitored environment for teachers to use the program and learn more about it. However, it does not allow teachers the same degree of freedom and authority. Though this option helps to ensure compliance, it would not have a positive effect on teachers’ motivation and familiarity with the program. Furthermore, the strategy might damage the teachers’ perception of the program by increasing pressure to act by the guidelines. Lastly, the success of the program, in this case, would largely depend on the adequacy and reliability of the guidelines. Even if the instructions are evidence-based, they might not fit into the current educational environment or require additional resources.

Conclusion

Overall, the role of school leaders in implementing educational change is vital, and thus leaders should seek to motivate, inform, and guide their employees during the implementation process (Sim, 2014). All of the strategies offered recognize the important role of teachers and leaders in promoting effective change and ensuring the program’s success. However, three of the strategies have major limitations that make them less effective than the third strategy. Therefore, Strategy 3 would be the most efficient option for the proposed case. It offers increased autonomy and flexibility for the teachers while maintaining the leader’s role as a guide and supporter. Thus, this strategy would yield best results in implementing a new reading program.

References

Beycioglu, K., & Kondakci, Y. (2014). Principal leadership and organizational change in schools: A cross-cultural perspective. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 27(3), 1-5.

Diamond, L. (n.d.). Implementing and sustaining a middle and high school reading and intervention program. Web.

Domenech, D. (n.d.). Implementing a new reading/language arts program. Web.

Holmes, K., Clement, J., & Albright, J. (2013). The complex task of leading educational change in schools. School Leadership & Management, 33(3), 270-283.

Le Fevre, D. M. (2014). Barriers to implementing pedagogical change: The role of teachers’ perceptions of risk. Teaching and Teacher Education, 38(1), 56-64.

Sim, L. L. (2014). A case study of educational change and leadership in Hong Kong primary schools. Hong Kong Teachers’ Center Journal, 13(1), 97-123.

Introduction

The reason why some professionals in either healthcare systems or any other spheres maintain the highest quality provided service and practices is due to continuous education (CE). Continuous education is significant in any market sector, including healthcare, as it involves acquiring up-to-date knowledge and transforming it into effective practical implementation.

Importance of CE in Organization

Having highly skilled professionals in a medical facility is paramount to the organization, as employees’ skill sets determine the quality of provided healthcare. To increase overall customer satisfaction and lay the foundation of positive corporate culture inside the company, CE should include enhancing interpersonal skills among professionals. CE that focuses not only on providing medical knowledge but also on teaching the basics of effective communication between colleagues and patients could massively improve the organizational culture of the facility (Forsetlund et al., 2021). Medical organizations may set up positive organizational change by acknowledging the importance of organizational behavior and encouraging employees to attend professional development programs that improve interpersonal skills.

Change of Organizational Culture

To begin with, continuous education of medical professionals, nursing, and general maintenance staff is crucial for the organization from the technical perspective, as it involves improving skillsets and enhancing knowledge. Moreover, CE also inflicts positive change in the organizational culture. CE training and seminars covering corporate culture aspects, including interaction and coordination, could be highly beneficial. Working in an organization with a positive culture can boost the performance of healthcare staff by enhancing their motivation. Further, CE may improve teamwork by enhancing staff’s teamwork, decision-making, and conflict-resolution skills (AbuAlRub & Nasrallah, 2017). The constant improvement involves not only improving employees’ technical skills but also encouraging personal growth, which will eventually trigger positive organizational change.

Barriers to Change

Encouraging positive change in corporate culture is not a smooth and straightforward process. In some situations, an organizational change could be decelerated due to various barriers that occur on both interpersonal and organizational levels. The staff’s lack of education and knowledge could be one barrier. Further, the lack of leadership and clear vision in the company may be the main barriers that resist change (AbuAlRub & Nasrallah, 2017). These barriers could be severe obstacles in the direction of positive corporate change. To tackle the wall of education, a medical facility needs to encourage its staff to constant training to improve their interpersonal and technical skillset. Moreover, it is crucial to have a proper leader as the head of every team in the facility, as decisive leadership could improve communication and enhance employees’ engagement in the company’s activities. Last but not least, the organization should have a clear vision, a mission that is split into clear objectives, and a strategy map to achieve tasks.

Individual Performance and Job Satisfaction

The individual performance of employees is strongly correlated with their level of job satisfaction. The change involving the improvement of job satisfaction should consist of effective communication between the management and employees, and creating favorable work conditions. Encouraging positive change in corporate culture by utilizing proper leadership could benefit employee job satisfaction. The leadership style involving constant communication with every employee where leaders share the values of others and promote respect can increase job satisfaction in the workplace (AbuAlRub & Nasrallah, 2017). As a result, the individual performance of employees will rise in an environment with high job satisfaction and security.

Motivational Strategy

Although every person is in charge of their motivation and desire to complete their tasks, motivation in the workplace could be enhanced with proper leadership strategy. The positive reinforcements of corporate culture in an organization should encourage the leaders to motivate their staff. Leaders could effectively communicate with their team and explain the company’s mission. Further, the proper distribution of roles and responsibilities plays a high position in enhancing motivation, as every employee will be responsible for the overall success of a facility (AbuAlRub & Nasrallah, 2017). An organizational culture that encourages unity and equality will motivate workers and increase customer satisfaction.

Team-based Approaches and Their Barriers

To enhance team effectiveness, the managers could use simulation-based and general training. Simulation-based training simulates real-life situations involving patients. Through this training, a team becomes more prepared for various sudden situations and could effectively prevent drastic outcomes. The main barriers to this technique are an ineffective distribution of responsibilities and uncertainty of objectives. Another technique that could improve team performance is general team training, where managers conduct seminars and lectures on various topics and explain how to turn their knowledge into practice. The barrier to this strategy is poor leadership, as a leader is a team’s foundation (Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2020). An organization equipped with effective teams will provide high-quality healthcare through effective teamwork.

Communication Improvement

Improving communication is significant, as it leads to an improvement in collaboration. One approach is having regular short meetings every morning to focus on daily tasks, and the team could discuss the most efficient ways of addressing them (Forsetlund et al., 2021). This strategy may improve communication through the discussion of tasks and responsibilities.

Leadership Strategy

Proper organizational leadership may determine the quality of provided healthcare and customer satisfaction rate. Leaders can emphasize that an organization is human-based, and the human rights of equality and freedom of speech are maintained in the facility (Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2020). An organization that cares about its employees could be more successful due to better job satisfaction and higher performance.

The success of a medical organization is mainly based on its organizational culture. To encourage positive changes, healthcare workers should practice continuous education. Lastly, the facility should have proper leadership and effective communication.

References

AbuAlRub, R., & Nasrallah, M. (2017). Leadership behaviours, organizational culture and intention to stay amongst Jordanian nurses. International Nursing Review, 64(4), 520-527.

Forsetlund, L., O’Brien, M., Forsén, L., Mwai, L., Reinar, L., & Okwen, M. et al. (2021). Continuing education meetings and workshops: Effects on professional practice and healthcare outcomes.Cochrane Database Of Systematic Reviews, 2021(9), 1-463.

Buljac-Samardzic, M., Doekhie, K., & van Wijngaarden, J. (2020). Interventions to improve team effectiveness within health care: a systematic review of the past decade. Human Resources For Health, 18(1), 1-42.

Whether driven by competitive pressures, expansion needs, technological advances, industry restructuring, workforce demographic shifts or geopolitical realignments, organizations have continued to invest heavily in planned change processes aimed at enhancing organizational performance and competitiveness.

Although such change processes tend to be initiated and planned by top management, they unavoidably involve emergent features as people and groups at manifold levels of the organization make sense of the intended changes, renegotiate their content, and react to underlying issues and interests, resulting in a multiplicity of unintended ramifications (Stensaker & Langley, 2010).

As such, it is imperative for any change process to be categorically planned to make certain that it achieves the intended outcomes. It is against this background that this paper evaluates how group dynamics can be used to assist in the change process.

The term “group dynamics” is used in organizational settings to refer to interactions between individuals who have evolved a pattern of behavior, common culture, value propositions, attitudes, and expectations as a direct result of their continued interactions in a group setting (Burke, 2011).

According to Boonstra & Gravenhorst (1998), “…organizational change processes are influenced by the institutionalization of power and behavior of interest groups in and around organizations” (p.98). As such, organizations can make use of the dynamics that are characteristic of these social structures to drive the change process forward.

In a change intended to introduce a new organizational culture, for example, organizations can positively use the informal influence a group exerts on its members through socialization, integration of values, and enforcement of norms, to develop a framework through which all members can be educated about the benefits of the intended change, hence reducing resistance (Coghlan, 1994).

Group dynamics could also be used to promote teambuilding, which is fundamental in the formation of group responses to the intended change process (Coghlan, 1994).

Mergers and acquisitions are always difficult for organizations, but group dynamics have been effectively used to enhance teambuilding and provide members of the acquired firm with a framework through which they are successfully integrated with members of the acquirer firm. This integration, which is successfully undertaken through group dynamics, helps organizations to leverage large-scale system changes experienced in undertaking the acquisition or merger.

Organizational work teams are increasing becoming racially and ethnically diverse, and group dynamics have been used to provide development, shared group learning and social support to members of these teams during times of change, hence increasing their identity to the values and objectives of the organization, reducing their resistance levels, and sustaining their productivity (Burke, 2011).

While diversifying abroad, for instance, multinational corporations have often used group dynamics to establish group norms and shared culture among members of different cultural, ethnic, or racial orientations.

The resulting cultural disposition is an effective tool that could be used to drive the change process forward because members within these teams develop a certain level of comfort, share similar expectations, and the shared culture acts to strengthen cohesiveness (Burke, 2011).

The impact of this relationship brings enhanced job satisfaction, trust, mutual respect, and stability within the work teams needed to leverage large-scale system changes triggered by drivers such as geopolitical realignments and international diversification urges.

Lastly, it is a well known fact that groups dynamics provide members of ethnically and culturally diverse teams with a sense of belonging that is inherently grounded on the mission and objectives of the organization (Coghlan, 1994; Burke, 2011). As such, these members are often likely to forget their individual differences, aspirations and expectations during times of change and rally behind the organization’s call to effect the intended change.

Should there arise any differences, the same group dynamics can be effectively used to hasten the process of consensus building through a well-defined structure of interaction. This advantage helps leverage large-scale system changes particularly in projects that may be perceived as benefitting some employees while disadvantaging others. A good example is the implementation of an organization-wide performance-based pay program.

Reference List

Boonstra, J.J., & Gravenhorst, K.M.B (1998). Power dynamics and organizational change: A comparison of perspectives. European Journal of Work & Organizational Psychology, 7(2), 97-120. Web.

Burke, W.W. (2011). Organization Change: Theory and Practice, 3^rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, Inc

Coughlan, D. (1994). Managing organizational change through teams and groups. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 15(2), 18-23

Stensaker, I.G., & Langley, A. (2010). Change management choices and trajectories in a multidivisional firm. British Journal of Management, 21(1), 7-27

Abstract

Management can generally refer to either an art or a science of completing a task by using other people, according to Dale (1969). In an organization, management is a way of using available resources to make employees meet certain objectives and achieve set goals in an effective and efficient manner.

It includes planning, organizing, recruitment, guiding, and showing the way in order to achieve the set target. An issue in management can be an event that causes significant, mostly sustained, news coverage and open examination. Issues in management are numerous and diverse, however, the purpose of this paper is to single out organizational change issues in management.

Organization change management, on the whole, has its own right become a powerful business. Organization change in management is beneficial, but one never fails to notice its shortcomings and the mounting challenges. The challenges can be overcome with careful planning by managers and attention to the way the change is conducted.

Organization Change Management and Role of Mangers in Change

Often, a good number of companies employ various organization change programs. As it has already been mentioned, organization change management, has become a powerful business. For example, it stands for billions of dollars in developing programs, implementing and training fees for consultants. For senior managers it can be a way to survive, profit and grow. For customers, it means better and efficient service, while for employees it can mean a chance for job improvements.

Change in management is beneficial, but one never fails to notice its shortcomings that include the following three examples. In case organization change is seen to have failed, senior employees or managers may be dismissed, which finds its way into the equity of shareholders.

Secondly, whether it fails or it succeeds, a lot of fundamental changes will likely lead to loss of jobs, demotion and dissatisfaction with the introduction of new ways of working. The third point is, the unwanted change experienced with customers can make them dissatisfied or decline the services.

Organization change process nowadays is much shrouded in fear and threat as it is part of a powerful discourse of management in the present world. A quick look in any newspaper in the business section, journals on management, magazine or management articles will show that a key management discourse is organizational change (Mills, 2008).

While the focus may vary, the fundamental message is the same. If the company has not been involved in some sort of change initiative, there are chances that it may be operating below its full potential. Indeed, those who have been doing well at advancing change have been elevated to expert-status.

Although present discourse of change consists of many basics of the earlier, pre-1980 approach to change, the difference between then and today is that organization change has come to be thought of as a holistic, rather than the piecemeal approach to organizational effectiveness (Mills, 2008).

The focus of change in the past used to be on strategies for managing. According to Mills, organization engaged in OD techniques to improve the behavior or structural levels of the company (2008). In that way, the organization was guaranteed to capitalize on its effectiveness.

Nowadays the emphasis on organization effectiveness and customer satisfaction are often seen as cutting edge. Despite the application of the latest techniques, the senior manager can derive satisfaction from the knowledge that he/ she will be seen as a forward-thinker in their attempts to ensure company survival and growth in a global economy.

Many case studies carried out in management issues show a set of accounts of what took place in a certain business, organization, or industry within a certain period if time. The organization is a complex system, which is confronted with many challenges, as a result of external and internal influences. Change management at the level of the organizational, according to Badescu, is a key issue in ensuring most appropriate strategic way for realizing competitive advantage in the business atmosphere (2005).

People are always afraid of change and are nervous whenever change occurs, such as an organizational change. Most will resist it both consciously and subconsciously. Many a times, those fears are strong that the change will result into a negative effect for them. However, the target people to embrace change will eventually recognize that the change was intended for the better.

The speed of change is always increasing, especially, with the emergence of the internet and swift installment of modern technologies, methods of doing business and demeanor of one’s life. Organizational change management strives to find out the attitude of the target people and work together to enhance effective and efficient delivery of change and passionate support for the good results. The major concern of organizational change management is to win the target people to change their behavior and the way of life.

Change is often a shift in technology or internal hierarchy, when a key change is experienced by a company; it demands a response where the organization makes a significant alteration in the way the work will be done. During the change, the following guidelines should be considered for changing corporate culture.

In order to get a satisfactory result, the target group should be given a concrete reason to accept the change. A respected person should be put in charge and should involve all parties in change. For smooth running of the program create a management team to oversee change, and provide necessary training in work methods and expected new values.

Organization needs to adequately prepare for implementing the change successfully through a process of change management. The first stage is preparation which involves preparing employees for the change, describing the changes comprehensively to the target group, researching on the proceeding of the last change which occurred in the organization, assessing organizational readiness and making additional changes that are critical.

What follows next is planning for change. This stage is referred to making contingency plans, which impact personal performance and productivity, encourage employee input and set timetables as well as objectives to measure change progress. The third stage is creating transitional structures.

Special activities required at this stage include creating a transition management group to oversee the change, develop temporary policies and procedures during the change, create new channels of communication and arrange frequent meetings to provide feedback on the change progress.

The fourth stage in organization change management is its implementation. Implementing change covers appropriate training in the new skills, encouraging the self-management, provision of frequent feedback that will help people to forget the old and to adjust to changes within the shortest time. Finally, acknowledge the people who have made the change in the process of work.

The manager plays a pivotal role in organizational change management. Their duty is to move or lead employees and teams through a change process, in an efficient way possible in spite of how well or poor the change has been introduced. A manager will have to choose the approach and plan to change, create a favorable climate for change and culture for sustainable change.

References

Badescu, C. (2005).Case Studies in Management Issues. Bucharest. Editura Mica Valahie

Dale, E. (1969). Management: theory and practice, McGraw-Hill series in management. California. Rex Bookstore Book Inc.

Mills, J. H., Dye, K., & Mills, J. A. (2008). Understanding Organizational Change, Edition illustrated. Milton Park. Taylor & Francis.

Organizational Change Management. Why, What, How? Available at http://www.epmbook.com/orgchange.htm Retrieved

Sheedy, C. November/December, 2010. Australian Institute of Management. The Key management Issues. Available at http://www.epmbook.com/orgchange.htm Retrieved

Change management refers to a strategy applied by organizations in order to modulate people and cooperative units from their current state to a desired state (Balogun 2006). Change management also refers to an administration framework used by organizations to implement new processes, revise structural design, and reorient corporate culture. It aims at eliminating bureaucracy in management of organizations (Weil 2002). Organizational change management addresses human resource aspects in organizations because all activities revolve around organizational workforce.

Effective change management in an organization involves understanding the change process, communicating the need for implementing change to all stakeholders, identifying possible obstacles, and working towards getting support from employees. The process of organizational change management involves four key steps namely assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation (Weil 2002).

One of the cardinal rules in organizational change management is to desist from forcing change on people. It is important to ensure that people are ready for real, feasible, and computable change. Effective change management in an organization requires competent leaders who provide necessary motivation, support, and assurance to employees (Balogun 2006).

In most cases, implementing change in an organization is a nightmare because of resistance from workers under different departments, thus failing to meet set targets. Managers and business leaders often face numerous challenges in implementing change in organizations. Many factors contribute to poor results by managers, most of which stem from within the organizations (Balogun 2006). The first contributing factor is poor understanding and interpretation of the change process.

The change process is often complex and necessitates full comprehension of all demands associated with the process (Balogun 2006). For example, the projects created by automobile companies Toyota and Ford under the names Toyota-ism and Ford-ism respectively demonstrated poor understanding of change management. The two automakers wanted to improve their employee productivity through limiting the time they needed to complete tasks (Weil 2002).

The changes failed in both companies as essential considerations in change process did not apply. Some essential considerations the two companies failed to make before implementing change include objectives of proposed change, reasons for effecting change, as well as criteria of determining success of effected changes. It is also important to identify individuals who are likely to be affected by the change, their possible reactions, and best ways of responding to reactions (Balogun 2006).

Another important consideration is identification of organizational potential to implement change. This entails identifying changes that an organization can implement on its own, those that require external help, and possible avenues for such help (Weil 2002). The second reason why managers fail to implement change in organizations is lack of regular outlines, communication systems, and fundamental paraphernalia for managing change.

This is a challenge to managers because employees and other stakeholders are not familiar with change implementation strategies. It is important to have a universal set of explanations, strategies, and development blueprint within an organization (Balogun 2006). For example, when an organization develops its structure and corporate culture without defining how change will apply, individuals responsible for implementing change, and approaches for doing it, managers are bound to have a hard time when need for change arises.

A clear outline will eliminate employee resistance to change, as they analyze change before its implementation. This also entails identification of individuals responsible for effective change management (Balogun 2006).

In most organizations, managers are responsible for change management and act as reference points for shareholders whenever issues related to change management arise within an organization. Finally, managers may fail to effectively, implement change due to organizational structure and corporate culture (Weil 2002). During development of a business plan that determines how an organization will be structured and the corporate culture it will develop, it is important to incorporate aspects of change management.

Many organizations apply change management as an add-on instead of something that ought to be part of the organizational culture. Change happens all the time and an organization cannot afford to shy away from developing strategies that facilitate effective change management (Weil 2002).

For example, when developing an organization’s corporate values, it is important to include values that focus on numerous objectives that promote effective change management. It is also important to ensure that employees’ at all structural levels within the organization have good knowledge of change management, and their responsibilities in implementing change (Balogun 2006). Despite presence of organizational challenges, managers should strive to apply their skills and competencies in achieving success.

References

Balogun, J 2006, Managing Change: Steering A Course Between Intended Strategies And Unanticipated Outcomes, Elsevier Publishers, New York.

Burnes, B 2004, Managing Change: A Strategic Approach To Organizational Dynamics, Cengage Learning, New York.

Weil, S 2002, Post-Bureaucracy And Change Management, Cengage Learning, New York.

Introduction

Organizational change refers to the process of shifting from one operation or state in an organization to another. Organizational change includes shifting from one development project to the other that will facilitate growth within the organization. Diversification of operations will help achieve the best results. Organizational change involves two major time frames, either a short term or long term (Beer, 1980).

Organizational management strives to offer the best decision making environment to facilitate the execution of plans for the organization. Organizational change follows a guideline that will help the management implement any development in the environment where the organization operates.

Organization development is one of the changes that may be implemented in companies as they strive to improve their service and product delivery. Organizational heads should carry out a research to find out the best practices to implement changes and what procedure to follow.

Development may include the organizational effort to improve their problem solving capabilities and how each change may be implemented. Change in organizations is very important in that it helps to transform individuals and mechanisms in the organization to a better state.

Transition of change should be monitored well to ensure that benefits are reaped henceforth. Change can be used to enhance the efficiency of a company or its operations (Carter, Ulrich & Goldsmith, 2005).

Change model in the short-term

XYZ has diversified its operation to expand into the Chinese market where it will be operating in the retail market of jewelry, handbags, and luxury watches. This expansion plan needs proper and monitored chain of events that will ensure that the organization succeeds in its quest to conquer the Chinese market.

Dealing in jewelry is a very sensitive business that is majorly controlled by prices of precious metals on the world market. XYZ, Inc. has stipulated a short term goal that aims to introduce its products into the Chinese market. This will be achieved by opening a store in Shanghai, China. This development requires proper planning and financing to ensure that the company is successful in China.

The organization can implement change through the various methods. This can be achieved by changing the mission, strategy, structure, technology and attitudes of employees. Proper financing will be required to ensure that extensive marketing of the products is done in the new market. Product penetration in a new market should take great caution in regard to how the product will be viewed by potential customers.

Organizational marketing strategy should be effective in its operation to ensure the product has a direct penetration, and it is competitive. Pricing of the product should be set following a properly calculated outline that will ensure the products hit within the first week of launch.

Operating in a new market requires an extensive research of how the product is likely to perform in the market. Any competition from other firms and products should have been well studied to ensure the product competes effectively in the market (Beer, 1980).

As XYZ tries to diversify its operations to include the Chinese market, there is a need to come up with a proper strategy on how to penetrate the market with ease. The Chinese market will offer both challenges and opportunities in which the marketing team should strive to offer competitive prices for the different products on offer.

Proper product development will ensure that customers can relate well with the products as they will be in line with the customers’ needs. The company can devise a new product development strategy. This may include customization of jewelry to fit the exact customer specification where home delivery can be made.

The marketing team may come up with a new way of promoting the product different from the common methods used in the market. Market diversification will improve on the product preference among customers. Thus, the company will increase its sales gradually as many customers relate to the product (Burke, 2010).

Change in organizations should be well monitored to avoid losing track of the desired change. The CEOs are responsible for much of the change in the organization as they set goals for the organization. Expansion to other markets may seem a challenge to organizations if they never planned for the transition well.

XYZ made a decision to launch its products in the Chinese market, and thus they needed to plan well for such an undertaking. As a leader in the company, it is important to expand into the Chinese market so as to increase the global competitiveness and sales of the company.

Expanding into a new market for the first time will help set a precedent for greater things within the sales and production department. We planned for the execution of the plan.

This was our base of expansion: finding the best strategy on how to market the products in the new market; finding a convenient store at the heart of the city where customers would access it with much ease; finding proper financing of the project and management of the available resources; deciding on whether to outsource labor from the local people or export it to the country and identifying how to train our staff to adapt to new challenges in the new market.

Change model in the long-term

In the long run, XYZ Company wishes to expand to other markets that offer better opportunities like introducing our products in the B.R.I.C countries including Brazil, Russia India and China. The B.R.I.C countries are considered the new emerging markets in the world as they strive to develop and increase their national production.

The countries offer new markets for a variety of products as their citizens earn a considerable amount of income, which they can spend on jewelry. Diversifying our operation to the international market requires considerable funding in the setup cost. In this case, we need a trading license in the new country and open up a new store before deciding to purchase or lease one.

A proper market survey should be carried out in a move to help familiarize with the new market opportunity and threats. A new market may offer challenges due to reduced sales as the customers are yet to learn about the new products on the market.

The company needs to hire a financial advisor who will assist in establishing the new store in four different countries. If caution is not taken during the first initial setup stages, the organization strategy may fail to work and thus the organization will suffer a major blow.

Change model in the long run will be useful both for the business and management. In this case, it will lay out a plan that will be followed by the organization in a move to conquer new markets. Proper product marketing and promotion should be utilized as it will help the customers know about the new products being offered in the market.

The advertisement may be carried out in the print media as it will target a larger number of potential customers. Training of the employees should be a priority in that it will equip employees with a crucial skill to the new market. This will help the organization to sell its product over time.

The management should be aware of any changes in the product preference among customers so as to improve on the quality of the product being offered (Carter, Ulrich & Goldsmith, 2005).

Long term decision change will have adverse effects on employees and management as they will offer opportunities to expand the organization. New challenges will be encountered, and thus proper training of all organization heads should be a priority. This will enable them to deal with any problem that may arise in the new market effectively.

Conclusion

Successful change management should ensure that the organization achieves its long term and short goals. The organization is also able to earn benefits from the desired change, devise an effective training for employees and management team, improve operations in the organization, and improve communication. The success of change in an organization is defined by how it is implemented in the various departments.

The organization management should devise an effective way to ensure that any resistance to change is sorted out before it ruins the process. Employees in the organization may resist change and thus proper communication should be done to ensure that employees are involved in the change. Monitoring changing in the organization will ensure that the desired outcome is achieved through implementation of various steps.

References

Beer, M. (1980). Organization change and development: A systems view. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear Publishing Company.

Burke, W. W. (2010). Organization change: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications.

Carter, L., Ulrich, D., & Goldsmith, M. (2005). Best practices in leadership development and organization change: How the best companies ensure meaningful change and sustainable leadership. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

The relationship between strategic planning and strategic thinking in relation to the management of change

Strategic planning involves analysis, establishment, and formalization of procedures and systems. Strategic thinking synthesizes and encourages creativity and intuition across all organizational levels. It aims at innovating and imagining a better future that may cause an organization to redefine its major strategies and/or industry.

Strategic planning, on the other hand, aims at realizing and encouraging strategies initiated in the strategic thinking processes. Formulating and implementing strategic thinking is interactive, whereas strategic planning involves specialization. In strategic thinking, subordinate managers participate directly in strategy-making.

However, in strategic planning, senior managers gather information from subordinate managers and apply it in creating a plan that all managers use for implementation. Graetz’s study of the “Communications Co.” indicates that an organisation needs leaders with emotional intelligence to lead the way in strategic thinking. This is because the process requires full concentration on details.

The two thought processes maintain each other in order to promote effective strategic management. The sphere of strategic planning is deliberate, rational and analytical. Strategic thinking involves intuitive, creative, and emergent thinking. Good planning encompasses both strategies.

Balancing between the two helps in avoiding problems related to the adoption of either over-rationalistic, prescriptive schemes, or unrealistic designs, which have high chances of failure.

Differences between leadership and management in relation to management of change

Leadership triggers action that initiates change while management aims at making change operations effective. Change leadership focuses on aligning people to the vision of the organization.

Leadership is the ability to communicate, inspire, and influence employees to work toward the realization of the organization’s goals. Leadership in the 21^st Century seeks to understand and manage situational and follower attributes, rather than to divide and control them.

Change management involves a set of fundamental processes aimed at controlling any development effort. These processes weigh performance, staffing, budgeting, planning, and problem-solving in cases where the outcome is not as expected. Effective running of an organization requires proper balancing between leadership and management. The target-setting approach works well when there is good leadership.

Target-setting is useful in focusing attention on individual operations. Successful operations require organizations to demonstrate leadership by placing emphasis on the significance of the operation. Leaders should inspire employees by demonstrating the manner in which set targets contribute toward the organization’s aims.

Whereas leadership and management are different, the skills required in both concepts naturally overlap. Great managers are also leaders. A manager must also demonstrate great leadership skills when managing a team. Emotional intelligence is a key requirement for leaders in the contemporary business world.

Reward and performance management strategies that change employee behavior

There are different reward and performance management strategies that organizations use to leverage change in employee behavior. HRM strategies are a major function of human resource professionals and managers. The types of strategies applied determine the quality of employees for an organization and the degree of performance of work.

Performance management focuses on the processes designed to manage the performance of the organization, group, and individual against the objectives of the organization. The organization’s objectives should relate to departmental, team, and individual objectives.

Communication of the objectives in all levels of organizational change enables all employees to embrace change. The organization and employees need a chance to weigh the intended and actual impact of the objectives. Managers and leaders should take necessary steps to improve performance.

Reward management is about allocation of rewards such as promotion and pay for desired outputs. Human resource professionals and managers should ensure that appropriate benefits and rewards reinforce the desired behaviors and outcomes.

Rewards should focus on encouraging the business and change objectives and the desired culture of the organization. In addition, they should meet the concerns and needs of employees, including purchasing power, equity and need satisfaction in terms of influence, appreciation, recognition, and career development.

Change Tools

Lean production refers to operations management approach driven by three targets: zero waste, zero inventory, and zero defects. Zero waste and zero defects relate to consistent improvement designs that are dependent on multi-skilled teams. Zero inventory depends on timely supply chain management in which the order of operation sets off production.

Learning development tools include double-loop learning, single-loop learning, and haphazard learning. Double-loop learning concerns feeding staff input on learning to guide the objectives of performance. Single-loop learning goes in line with performance objectives. Haphazard learning lacks the process of reinforcing positive lessons.

The focus

Total Quality Management (TQM) is an established change technique. TQM focuses on the needs and concerns of customers. There are three approaches to quality: quality circles, quality assurance, and statistical quality control. TQM puts emphasis on team-work, communication, cultural factors, and group problem-solving techniques.

The condition of the environment

Best practice and partnership involve consistent improvement in delivery, quality, and cost. The organization develops closer links to clients and suppliers. The organization utilizes technology for strategic advantage. There are human resource policies that ensure consistent flexibility, participation, teamwork, and learning.

Strengths and weaknesses

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) eliminates structures developed around narrow functional tasks. It recommends integrated business processes whereby new processes replace old processes.

The world is undergoing different transition; these translations require organisations to align themselves with the changes in the world; changes in an organisation are in processes, products, line of business, ownership, employees among others. Change aims at improving current business conditions, adopt a different strategy or a different way of doing things; it can emanate from internal or external forces:

• Internal forces

Internal forces lead to change in an organisation when new systems or processes have been developed in-house to meet a certain objective within the organisation. It may range from different issues, which may be micro and affects a single section or may be macro that affects the entire operation of an organisation; such changes include new strategies, change of management, change of teams, and change of line of business, change in resource combinations among other internally generated changes. The main aim of internal changes is to enhance better way of doing things and create a competitive edge.

• External forces

Different changes taking place in the market and the economy of operation may force a business to change; in most cases, the change is in the efforts of adopting new mechanisms and systems of doing things to enhance competitiveness. A firm has nothing much that it can do to influence external factors forcing a change in its processes; an example of external force that can lead to need for change in modern days is technological development and increased consumer rights awareness. They will force a company adjust its ways to fit the changes.

Whether change is internally generated or not, the following are the objectives of change:

• Improve current working condition and strategies
• Adopt a different-better way of doing things
• Make new combinations of resources in an organization
• Adopt new technology
• Change of business, target market, production formulae, management, job schedules, job description among others
• Have a different human resource management system, computer system among others.

Change management is a process where the management learn, understand and critically think about alterations they are supposed to make in an organization. However, for an effective change process, change should not be imposed to employees but they should be involved in the change system.

When undertaking a change, the employees are the immediate people who will be affected and thus they need to be engaged from the earliest stage. In this fiercely aggressive business world, the goal of most firms is to establish distinctive or unique capabilities to gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace through utilising the most of their core competencies.

How can a team influence an organization?

An organisation requires both human and physical resources to attain it set goals and objective. Management should develop teams blended with different talents, experiences and personality for an effective tapping of intellectual property in a company’s human resources. Teams define the destiny of a firm since they are the ones that see projects completed within the stipulated deadline in an effective manner.

As teamwork in different sectors, they develop better systems and methods of performing duties; the result is an efficient company which is goal oriented. However, for teams to be of benefit to a firm, they need to be managed effectively; and ensure that team leaders understand team dynamic s unique to his/her team; when making decisions, it is important to consult all team members but the leader should understand that he/she has the role of making the final decision.

Teams do not always act for the good of a company; the close interaction and understanding of each other can create tension in an organisation in case they feel their needs are not addressed. Teams can offer resistance to change if not well prepared for change. They may offer a challenge to change management in an organisation; they can easily influence each other.

What happens when teams do not work?

When teams fail to operate effectively, it is the start point of company failure; a company cannot meet its goals and objectives if the teams are not collaborating effectively.

A company with weak teams that do not function effectively, it is likely to suffer loss of business from high cost of production because of inefficiency. When companies sell their goods expensively, then customers will be less willing to buy from such companies. “Charity begins at home”, if teams in a company are not functioning well then the company reputation will be distorted.

What are factors in team success?

For a successful team, the following are the main characteristics:

• The team have a common destiny where they work for the interest team goals and objectives
• Roles are well defined and each member understand the role to play
• They are open and truthful, they work with integrity and have good communication skills
• They have good listening and make decisions through consensus, at the same time respecting each other
• They have good conflict management skills and express feelings openly; they do not have grudge among each other.
• They collaborate with each other and aim at sharpening each other’s skills and expertise; the overall goal is to the benefit of a company.

Introduction

It is the duty of managers to ensure that the success of the organization and the welfare of employees get first priority. However, managers are often required to make a lot of commitments while arriving at certain decisions to avoid any regrets or resentments thereafter.

In such a situation, a manager has to do what is morally right and ethical for the organization and its employees. In the case scenario, Wireweave is overhauling its workforce after having adopted new technology which will be more effective, efficient, and cost effective compared to the old technology.

This is aimed at enabling the organization to make a profit. Muriell Fincher, the personnel director at Wireweave faces the challenge of designing a work reduction policy that will bring about organizational change.

Scope of the problem

The current case involves a lot of moral and ethical issues. From the perspective of the Company’s president, Wireweave needs to get rid of some employees as it can no longer sustain their wages (Leffler, 1999). Like any other organization, the ultimate goal of Wireweave is to make profits and reduce its operational costs.

Although this is a very challenging decision, the personnel manager has to incorporate a policy that will be acceptable to both sides. The policy would see 65 employees leave the company as will further employee reduction exercise schedule in the future.

Major issues

Once an organization has adopted a new technology, this gives it a competitive advantage in the market. Even as the organization wishes to reduce its operational costs, it is also important to consider the welfare of the employees. These are two conflicting issues and the personnel manager has to design a work reduction policy that would be favorable tor both sides.

Alternatives

In every scenario, there are always choices or alternatives available to enable one get out of that particular situation. The different alternatives available to Fincher will depend on the ethical and economic responsibilities of the company towards the employees being terminated.

They will also be determined by the moral problems that may arise as a result of terminating the services of some of the employees, and the pressure on the president to make a prompt decision (Leffler, 1999). The alternatives include communicating with the employees and explaining to them the organizational change to be incorporated in the reduction policy (Kreitner, 2009).

The advantage of this alternative is that employees feel appreciated and this is likely to increase the morale of the retained employees. The disadvantage is that some employees may not be willing to embrace the new change. The second alternative is to draw a policy without involving the employees.

This would lead to their termination without notice and could result in lawsuits and a bad reputation for the company. However, this is an effective alternative because it is an immediate action that does not involve compromise.

The last option is to develop a policy plan that would lead to compensation of the employees and communicating to them about the immediate action being taken.

The advantage of this policy is that all employees retained and those who gets terminated feel appreciated and their efforts are awarded. The limitation is that the management may not accept the clause of compensating the employees.

Best alternative

The most preferred alternative is having a work reduction policy that compensates employees and communicates to them the likely changes in the organization on a face to face basis. In this case, the moral ethics of the retained employees would be addressed.

In addition, the company would assume responsibility of their employees, and the urgency by Jackson for prompt action would be achieved. At the end of the day, the moral and ethical values would be safeguarded and conflicts as a result of organizational change managed (Kreitner, 2009).

Measuring the success/ failure

The success or the failure of the company is measured through performance indexes of the retained employees and the cost of production incurred (Behn, 2003).

Conclusion

The adoption of new technology by an organization is a good thing because it helps to reduce operational costs and gives the company in question a competitive advantage in the market. On the other hand, it can also lead to the retrenching of some employees. As such, there are a lot of ethical and moral issues involved.

Reference List

Behn, R. D. (2003). Why measure performance? Different purposes require different measures. Public Administration Review, 63(5), 586-606

Kreitner, R. (2009). Management. Boston: MA Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

Leffler, K. (1999). Critical incidents in management. Needham Heights: MA Pearson Publishing.

The article “Organizational change and managerial sensemaking” by Luscher and Lewis seeks to explore the need for business firms and organizations to implement organizational development programs on a permanent basis in order to be at par with the ever-changing business environment.

The authors describe the process of learning within organizations as employee training and continuous organization behavior modification. The authors view learning in organizations as being a major prerequisite to the realization of managerial and operational changes (Luscher and Lewis, 2008).

The four main categories of intervention strategies in organizational development highlighted by the authors include strategies that are based on the human processes, structural technological orientation, techno-social orientation and organizational alteration.

The authors conclude that for an organization to succeed in nurturing relevant organs, departments, and channels for addressing and promoting productive behavior, there must be an all-round objective working relationship with the employees (Luscher and Lewis, 2008).

As opined by the authors, behavioral rehearsal is critical in improving generalization to real-life settings in organizations. In practice, especially during the assessment periods, organizational culture will identify signs that might indicate high-risk situations and seek to employ coping skills to address these shortcomings.

This conforms to the element of synthesis and evaluation measures to prevent relapse after assessing the culture of such an organization. Organization management may include training and replace prevention approaches to manage the response by employees (Luscher and Lewis, 2008).

Furthermore, as proposed by the authors, organizational development employs the problem-solving therapies in practice within the groups appropriately (Luscher and Lewis, 2008). The approach is necessary in situations where the organization is unable to cope with unproductive employees as a result of poor morale.

Considering the social and personal consequences associated with the inability to cope with the challenges, organizational culture development carry out an assessment that offers the most effective response if not a permanent solution to employee concerns, development and welfare in line with the ideals in the bloom taxonomy.

Significance of the article on change

Organization management identifies a range of situations facing the organization in their social environment and generates multiple alternative solutions to these problems. It lays a series of procedures that are necessary to achieve desired results.

As indicated in the article, to increases productive behavior, it is vital to create a healthy work environment and personal growth perspectives that apply to all situations since problems that each individual faces at an interpersonal level ultimately affect the group.

In carrying out an in-depth enquiry to each employee’s personal life, organizational management agents should endeavor to determine which therapy best suits the individual.

Thus, through properly designed training procedures, talent promotion and motivation of productive behavior will present that individual with the best alternative ways of solving problems he or she faces in role execution.

As a result, organization management will function on the periphery of inclusive and proactive response mechanisms.

From the authors’ perspective, it is important to note that change does not just occur because it seems to be a good idea, but it occurs the moment responsible people are satisfied to justify the difficulties of incorporating change.

As a result, professionals are obligated to ensure change in an organization should be able to come up with strategies that will ensure that there in a need for such a change to take place instead of simplifying on the benefits expected from such changes.

Change agents who have an understanding of this should take up the role of ensuring that they offer assistance to others in order to embrace inclusive change in their organization. An organization cannot continue to hold on its status quo, but embrace positive change.

Reference

Luscher, L., & Lewis, M. (2008). Organizational change and managerial sense making: Working through paradox. Academic Management Journal, 51(2), 221-240.