An Analysis of Understanding Change in Organizational Outcomes-Article in Journal of Management
Problem Addressed by the Study
The study suggests that experimental research designs are not suitable for examining change in organizations because they require a lot of resources, are badly timed, and due to ethical reasons (Arvey, 2011).
Sexual harassment is a strong instance of this issue since it can be both legally and ethically wrong to hold back harassment learning and related organizational interventions from a portion of the population to be utilized as a control group (Arvey, 2011). Thus, organizations often investigate sexual harassment involvements by making surveys to evaluate the incidence of these behaviors before and after the execution.
Survey responses though are prone to several subjective factors that affect the soundness of their interpretation. Surveys are especially influenced by response distortion, communication customs and memory ability of the subjects, measurement, reactivity, and phrasing of the questions (Arvey, 2011).
In addition, interpretation of survey results can be perplexed by risk of internal and external accuracy presented by historical influences, maturation, non-response preconceptions, etc. Despite the fact that various approaches have been advanced for reducing these threats to validity of surveys such as the internal referencing method, these approaches cannot take care of all the potential influences of personal factors on survey responses. As a result, additional measures are required before valid findings are drawn from survey investigations.
This article discusses methods that can be employed to examine whether a change in the average of a variable is a real change or a result of subjective influences on survey responses (Arvey, 2011). These approaches have been examined in relation to sexual harassment in the US military during seven year duration. In particular, the study sought to find out whether the reported drop in incidences of sexual harassment in the military resulted from behavior change or it was just caused by change in the responses of the subjects.
Stakeholders in the Research
The stakeholders in this study are researchers and organizations in general. Researchers will benefit from the research as they will know the effectiveness of surveys in generating valid responses from subjects and the methods they can employ to ensure that such responses are not affected by respondent’s subjective factors. This will ensure that whenever surveys are used to generate information they will generate accurate information and data from which valid conclusions can be drawn.
The other group of stakeholders in the research study is the various types of organizations (Waldo, 2008). The idea of change is very important in organizational settings and these entities usually administer surveys to measure incidences of various change variables.
However, the validity of these surveys cannot be guaranteed because of the subjective influences on subjects’ responses. Thus, evaluating the effectiveness of the various methods available for reducing this subjectivity would help in ensuring that change surveys yield only valid results (Waldo, 2008).
The Data Collected and How it was Measured
The data for this study was based on a 2008 survey administered to members of the US armed forces. The data questionnaires were given to respondents who consisted of members of the US Department of defense who had been actively engaged for at least the last half year. The study employed a non-standardized stratified random sample in a bid to obtain adequate sample sizes for the targeted populations. The study subjects involved both men and women unlike in past studies where samples included women alone.
To measure the sexual harassment variable, the study used the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire. This form of questionnaire has been employed extensively in the assessment of the prevalence of inappropriate gender connected behavior in the past few years (Antecol, 2003).
The questionnaire comprises of a four-factor model. The four variables covered were sexist behavior, unsolicited sexual attention, offending behavior, and sexual duress. The study measured the responses based on a four-point Likert scale. The responses ranged from never to very often.
Quantitative vs. Qualitative
This study was quantitative in nature. The research employed quantitative techniques to analyze the responses to the study variables. This entailed calculation of means, standard deviations, as well as correlation coefficients between the variables that were being investigated. Other measures used were covariance, variance, and standardized root mean square. For levels of significance, the study utilized the F-test.
Hypothesis
The research employed two hypotheses, hypothesis 1 and hypothesis 2. Hypothesis 1 stated that responses to the sexual harassment questionnaire are influenced by subjective factors of the respondents. Hypothesis 2, on the other hand, stated that responses to the sexual harassment questionnaire are not influenced by the subjectivity of the respondents.
The first hypothesis was an alternative hypothesis while the second one was a null hypothesis. The research used the F-test with a 95 percent confidence level to test the null hypothesis. If the null hypothesis was wrong by over 5 percent it would be rejected. In contrast, if the null hypothesis was wrong by less than a 5 percent margin it would be accepted.
The Dependent and Independent Variables
In this research, the dependent variable was the change in sexual harassment behavior among members of the US armed forces. Conversely, the independent variable was the cause of the change in sexual harassment behavior. That is, was the cause related to the research approach or instrument or a real change in behavior?
Data Analysis
To analyze the research data, the study employed several approaches including univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analysis. Univariate analysis was used to depict variables such as the study populations and sample constituents among others. In contrast, bivariate and multivariate analyses were used to study the relationship between the research variables.
Multivariate analysis methods employed included calculating the means and standard deviations of the responses, determining covariance, and regression analysis. Scatter graphs were also utilized to depict the relationship between the key variables.
Research Findings
The aim of this study was to investigate the methods for understanding change in organization outcomes. Though crediting the decline in sexual harassment to organization efforts is obviously appealing, the study results indicates that the significant decline in these behaviors is not completely as a result of measures taken by organizations to curb it.
This finding is based on the study’s investigation of the association between sexual harassment incidences and organization interventions to reduce the behaviors. Further, the study revealed that incidences of sexual harassment in organizations have not changed significantly as implied by earlier investigations into the subject. What have changed instead are organizational members’ responses to cases of sexual harassment.
Additional Research Questions
The present study sheds light on the impact of subjective factors on survey responses. Specifically, it shows how change in organizational members’ reaction to cases of sexual violence can influence survey results despite the fact that incidences of sexual harassment have not reduced. Potential research questions arising from this research are the causes of change in organizational members’ responses to incidences of sexual harassment and the most effective ways of measuring such incidences.
References
Antecol, H. (2003). ‘‘Does sexual harassment training change attitudes? A view from the federal level.’’ Social Science Quarterly, 84: 826-842.
Arvey, A. (2011). ‘‘Using surveys to assess the prevalence of sexual harassment: Some methodological problems.’’ Journal of Social Issues, 51: 117-138.
Waldo, C. (2008). ‘‘The sexual harassment of men? Exploring the concept with theory and data.’’ Psychology of Women Quarterly, 20: 527-547.
The YAI network is an organization that creates hope for people with developmental, physical or learning disorders as well as their families.
The organization is committed to creating a society where all the people who are affected such as autistic persons are able to achieve individuality as well as a sense of belonging to the society. It is comprised of a huge number of dedicated staff which is well trained and competent in their specialized fields.
The organization highly values the staff and they are allowed to play a part in the decision making procedures. Through many community based programs, the organization has greatly changed the public view of people with developmental or physical disease.
As opposed to ancient periods when people with disabilities were taken to “specialized” institutions where they were mostly mistreated and not given proper attention as well as care, the organization takes a more considerate approach.
Throughout any organization, whether profit or not for profit, there is need for a change in the organization in order to conform to the ever-changing market or societal conditions. However, Mishra and Spreitzer stated that:
“There have been a variety of different industries that have widely been impacted by layoffs, not only manufacturing. For example, hospitals like other companies and nonprofit organizations have experienced downsizing that has negatively impacted healthcare employees with varying degrees of psychological distress and poor health.
In a 1998 study, Mishra and Spreitzer showed that restructuring and its changes can result in lower job satisfaction and job insecurity.” (1998)
An organizational change may be the key to success for a firm that is geared to widen its operations and achieve efficiency and economy.
One of the ways by which YAI network can be better at achieving its ultimate objectives is by downsizing its large staff of about 5600 members.
Thesis statement
Downsizing will create numerous advantages to YAI network if it is carried out in the proper manner. However various flaws are also associated with the practice.
It is definite that by laying off some of the staff, the YAI network will be at a much better position to achieve its objectives which includes assisting the disabled to participate, love their work as well as to feel much better about themselves.
Downsizing
This refers to reorganizing of a company structure in a manner that brings about reduction in a company’s workforce. The YAI network has a very large workforce which in reality may not be necessary for the company to achieve its objectives at the current cost that it incurs. The main reasons why the organization should downsize are to reduce costs as well as to achieve efficiency.
The YAI network has very many stakeholders who will be affected if the company reduces its staff. The large numbers of people with developmental disease and their families, the staff that are laid off and even the remaining staff are among many other stakeholders that will largely be affected by the downsizing. These are just a few of the people who will be highly affected though it actually encompasses a much wider scope.
Impact of downsizing
One major effect of downsizing is that it mostly always results is reduced staff morale. Pederson’s (1991) research and revelation have showed that:
“The restructuring impacts job insecurity in both direct and indirect ways. In other words, an effect of downsizing is lower satisfaction with one’s job. This is most probably the result of disillusionment as well as feelings of being let down by the company and uncertainty about one’s employment in the future. Decreased job satisfaction then leads to lower job security.
The researchers do note, however, that these increased feelings of disillusionment and decreased feelings of job satisfaction and job security can be reduced if the organization’s administration does its best to offer support, information sharing, and input into decision-making.
To the degree that healthcare workers believe they are important to the hospital and that the institution cares about them and their opinions, the effects of restructuring can be considerably decreased.” (p. 134)
The employees who are retrenched
Considering the tough economic times and immense competition in the current job market, this group may suffer from unemployment. They may raise questions as to why they were retrenched and if unsatisfactory answers are raised then it may lead to frustration.
The remaining staff
Considering that the employees are now fewer the workload would be more than before therefore a lug in the provision of services could be a result. They may also be faced with uncertainty, reduced morale, declined productivity and mistrust in management. In totality this can affect all activities of the organization in a negative way.
The management
The managers charged with the responsibility of laying off the staff may face rebellion from the remaining team members. This may be very frustrating for them and therefore the managers should be prepared in advance for such occurrences before they actually happen.
Disadvantages of downsizing
There are many disadvantages of downsizing and below are a few;
The loss of important skills in the company that may require either training of the in-house employees or rehiring of qualified personnel.
The creation of new job demands of which the remaining staff are not quite conversant with.
It may also result in unintended impact on equality of employed staff within the company such that the ratio of say, Asians or minority groups or women may be compromised.
The loss of old experienced staff through early retirement may result in reduced efficiency of the company.
The YAI network should consider the adverse effects of downsizing early enough so as to take necessary steps to reduce the impact.
In carrying out a successful downsizing exercise, the management of a company should create a clear communication channel between themselves and the employees throughout the downsizing process. In so doing the following should be communicated to the employees:
The precise reasons for the change.
Methods that will be used to effect the change.
The criteria that will be used to carry out the redundancies and the details of any staff changes to be made.
The impact and final result of the change.
Change Management
This is a well organized approach to shifting a firm from a current state to a desired future state. It could also refer to a process in an organization whereby the employees are empowered and informed on the benefits and necessity to accept change.
An organization as a whole may undergo various types of organizational changes among them being a change in the company mission, strategy, change in the company structure or technological changes.
At the beginning of the change management process, the organization should initially carry out a systematic diagnosis to determine the need for change and capability of the company to make the change. Applebaum, Henson and Knee stated that “a change management plan should be in place specifying the main objectives, content and processes of the change process.” (Applebaum, Henson and Knee, 1995)
Successful change management is highly demanding and may depend on whether the following requirements are met:
An efficient communication process in which all involved stakeholders, in this case the persons with developmental diseases, their families etc, are informed of the reasons , advantages and details of the change management process.
Providing education and training of staff in preparation for the change process.
Offering counseling services where necessary to deal with staff that may have fears associated with change.
Coming up with strategies to deal with staff resistance coming as a result of change.
A detailed process for monitoring the change process so as to ensure that it is going according to plan. This may involve making necessary adjustments where necessary.
Principles of change management
Change in organizations is guided by certain philosophies:
Address the human side systematically- a formal structure should be put up to manage change all the way from the top management to staff and all other stakeholders in general.
Create ownership- this is by allowing the employees to identify problems and find solutions to the problems. Facilitation of this is by providing gifts and rewards.
Prepare for the unexpected- this refers to the organizations ability to adapt to change and come up with strategies to counter change.
Assess the cultural landscape-review of the cultural background of the company’s surrounding in order to determine the weaknesses and conflicts all with the intention of determining the company’s ability to handle a change.
Communicate the message-in order to effectively carry out a change, an efficient communication process has to be set up to provide the staff with the right information at the right time. Numerous communication channels will have to be used.
Make the case- have a realistic critique of the company’s ability and future to effect change while considering its management.
Start at the top- the acceptance of change must first begin with the leaders who must then encourage the employees to do the same. They must be strong and united as they too may be under immense pressure.
Involve every layer- the transformation process from the design and strategy all the way to the implementation process affects every layer of the organization.
Speak to the individual- it’s important that details of how the work will change, the expectations from them before and after change, how it will be measured and what success or failure will mean to them, the individuals, and the ones around them are clearly outlined.
Assess how the company is culturally overt- every company has its’ unique cultural values that are a factor of its shared history.
A change may result in either one of the following: combining cultures as in the case of mergers; creating new cultures as in the case of new companies or companies formed from multiple acquisitions or reinforcing cultures as in the case of manufacturing companies or long established goods.
The Nature of the YAI network
The company has a flexible management structure where all employees are allowed to participate in the decision making process. Junior members of staff are allowed to pass on their ideas to their superiors. The organization is also sensitive to its stakeholders and aims at achieving the highest level of excellence in the provision of its services.
The organization also believes in the advantages of working in teams. Therefore all seven branches embrace the doctrine of teamwork. This is based on the concept of synergy as working together reaps more benefits than working as individuals.
Development of staff is also among one of the top priorities of the organization as staff is viewed as the most important resource for YAI network. This initiative has been of great benefit to the company by creating a highly qualified workforce which is dedicated to its work. This is carried out through education and training of staff in order to improve their skills
YAI network also has an initiative based on togetherness. The initiative, labeled as togetherness we are one, applies to all the stakeholders of the company including all employees, management, the board of trustees and all the 20000 people with developmental disease and physical disabilities.
Effect of downsizing
As much as this will increase the workload for the remaining staff it will eventually improve the effectiveness of the organization. Cooper (2000) noted that “there will be faster decision making within a company”. Moreover, if proper management change is carried out the company should be able to counter the negative effects of change such as rebellion.
For the networks ultimate decision makers, working with a smaller workforce who are highly trained will result in faster achievement of organizational objectives.
Training of personnel is also an added advantage as fewer resources will be spent to train the existing staff to acquire the best skills to equip them in performance of their duties. Considering that effectiveness refers to the degree by which a company achieves its objectives or finds solutions to its problems then it is right to state that downsizing will definitely improve the effectiveness of YAI network.
Conclusion
It is therefore correct to state that indeed the YAI network will benefit from a downsizing exercise which will enable it to achieve all its organizational goals more effectively.
This however, is subject to whether the organization will carry out the exercise in an effective manner. As explained above, all the benefits will accrue to the firm if the change process is well managed such that any adjustments can be made if necessary.
It is in this light that in view of the nature of the organization, which highly regards its staff, a reduced workforce will enable the firm to channel relatively less funds towards the education and training of its personnel. In effect this will result in a smaller number of staff who will be highly trained and also who are able to work more efficiently compared to a larger number of staff who are not as highly trained.
The YAI network, being a service providing organization is obligated to provide better services to all the people with developmental disease, their families and all other people who are involved in the process.
Therefore prompt consideration should be taken to achieve its mission which is giving hope and new life to people with developmental disease. The question of how this can be achieved lies in one procedure. This procedure is downsizing.
References
Appelbaum, H.S., Henson, D. & Knee, K., (1999). “Downsizing failures: an examination of convergence/reorientation and antecedents – processes – outcomes”, Management Decision, 16, 473 – 490.
Cooper, C. (2000). The organization in crisis: Downsizing, restructuring, and privatization. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
Mishra, K. E., Spreitzer, G. M. & Mishra, A. K. (1998). Preserving employee morale during downsizing. New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.
Pedersen, L. B. (1991). The effects of organization downsizing on the survivor work force: An investigation of the effects of layoff process on work performance of those who remain within the organizational system. Florida: Nova University.
Organizational change in project control is inevitable because change is the only constant element in project management. This study acknowledges that organizational change can have serious effects in the outcome of projects, in the construction industry because it can lead to increased project costs, poor schedule adherence and poor project quality.
Consequently, this study notes that change management is important in the construction industry and project managers ought to evaluate their alternatives in dealing with the same. Depending on the nature of the construction project, the alternatives for selecting the best change management tool is open, but the criterion is subject to further investigation
Introduction
Change is often inevitable within any given organizational context. However, managing such change is a big problem and in this regard, organizations often experience a lot of difficulty trying to initiate change within project management processes (Carnegie 2007). This difficulty inhibits a project’s ability to transform from a current state to a future desired state of operations.
The initiation of change is often a byproduct of extensive research in a project’s operations, to determine how it can be improved in future processes. In project management, the project manager often has a task of anticipating future changes and developing a contingency plan to establish how the change will affect the organization and what effective ways can be implemented to achieve project success.
This study analyses organizational change in project control management and how it has an impact in the outcome of the construction industry.
Organizational Problem
The construction industry has for a long time remained a project-based industry (Hao, Shen and Neelamkavil 2008). In this regard, the construction industry has been subject to project management processes, such as risk assessment; planning cost estimation; bidding and similar project management processes (Collins 1998).
Regardless of these processes, decisions about the construction project still have to be made, based on incomplete information regarding the project management process.
This fact often subjects project management in the construction industry to several changes; and in this regard, change stands out as the common denominator in many construction project management processes (despite the varying scope and complexity of construction projects) (Kotter 1996).
In this regard, the construction industry has often experienced several project changes, brought about by changing technology, changing consumer needs and the likes (Lientz 2001). Often, these changes are unanticipated, and they have severe effects on the project management process, in form of project delays, an upsurge of project costs, poor quality of construction standards and the likes.
In fact, it is estimated that reworking a project to remedy the effects of an unplanned change can cause an increase of between 10% and 15% of the construction costs (Kotter 1996).
Such project eventualities normally cause dissatisfaction to project clients and this fact cannot be better explained, than through the assertion by Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, U.K. that: “More than a third of major clients are dissatisfied with contractors’ performance in keeping to the quoted price and to time, resolving defects, and delivering a final product of the required quality” (Kotter 1996, p. 1).
The above institution further goes ahead to explain that: “the clients’ dissatisfaction is due to the fact that, over 50% of construction projects suffer from delays and over-spending, while more than 30% of the completed projects have quality defects. Furthermore, some 30% of construction is rework” (Kotter 1996, p. 1).
From the above assertions, we see that changes in construction project management have been poorly managed because of the high frequency of technology change and the complexity and messiness of the construction industry (Schwalbe 2009).
In support of this fact, existing literature on project change management often cite the complexity of the construction industry, as demanding a blend of several strategies to effectively manage change (Ross Consulting Inc 2009). For example, some literatures propose that change in the construction industry cannot be solely solved through collaborative problem solving (Kotter 1996).
From this analysis, we see that there is a need for effective project change management in the construction industry. This study therefore seeks to establish how best such change management can be developed and implemented.
Strategic Issues and Organizational Change
The issue of knowledge sharing in organizational project change control has been advanced as a change management tool (Senaratne and Sexton 2008, p. 1303).
Whenever organizations are faced with the problem of change management, the common strategy advanced among project managers today, is to facilitate knowledge sharing, where people have a forum to deliberate on the implications of the project change, and devise ways they can effectively overcome such changes (Reed 2004).
The management of change in the construction industry has not been any different from the above trend; except for the fact that, pragmatic on site problem solving is applied, as opposed to other conventional methods of problem solving. Unfortunately, this strategy has been poorly adopted by most managers in the construction industry (Senaratne and Sexton 2008, p. 1303).
A good example of organizational change in the construction industry is the rapid change of organizational structure, where new methods of operations are quickly being evidenced in the management of project construction works (Kuriger 2004).
For instance, new activities such as: the extension of the subcontracting chain; more self employment strategies among project team members; less training programs in the project management process and the rampant casualization of work have tremendously changed the way project management is carried out, and it is unfortunate that, project managers have not embraced these changes with the right strategies (Rosewarne 2011).
A strategy such as knowledge sharing is a useful strategy to cope with such organizational changes, but other alternatives still exist (De wit and Meyer 2005).
Conclusion and Recommendations
This study acknowledges that, the construction industry is not immune to organizational change, and if such changes are not effectively managed, they can cause significant delays in the delivery of project outcomes. However, the ways to manage such changes are diverse and may be tricky for each project manager, depending on the dynamics of the construction project in question.
This is the basis used by this study to propose effective change management strategies, like knowledge-based processes. However, there are other strategies to be used in change management for the construction industry and they can be effectively used to minimize the negative effects of organizational (or project) changes in the construction industry.
However, to adopt the best change management tool, a thorough selection of the existent change management tools ought to be established, to determine the best tool that fits the project need (Grant 2007). This strategy should be adopted by all project managers. The effectiveness of the change management strategies and their subsequent impact on the outcome of the construction industry however need to be investigated further.
References
Carnegie, D. (2007) How To Win Friends And Influence People. South Dakota, vermillion.
Collins, D. (1998) Organizational Change: Sociological Perspectives. London, Routledge.
De wit, B. and Meyer, R. (2005) Strategy Synthesis: Resolving Strategy Paradoxes to Crete Competive Advantage. London, Thomson.
Ross Consulting Inc. (2009) Managing Organizational Change. Web.
Schwalbe, K. (2009) Information Technology Project Management. London, Cengage Learning.
Senaratne, S. and Sexton, M. (2008) Managing Construction Project Change: A Knowledge Management Perspective. Construction Management and Economics, 26, 1303–1311.
Businesses must embrace new changes in order to realize their potentials. The book “Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspective Approach” offers the best insights towards better business practices. Managers should be aware of the challenges and obstacles affecting their organizations. Organizational change is “a challenging process because many employees and stakeholders will always be against it” (Palmer, Dunmore, & Akin, 2009, p. 42). Chapter 5 presents the best strategies towards diagnosing the opportunities for change.
The chapter identifies the best practices and ideas that can work for different business organizations. Managers can use the ideas presented in this chapter to make their change processes successful. This essay presents the lessons and competencies gained from the chapter. I will also present my views, feelings, and thoughts about the concepts presented in this chapter.
My Personal Thoughts about “Diagnosis for Change”
The above book is one of the best publications because it offers effective insights and ideas for undertaking different organizational changes. According to Palmer et al. (2009), managers must identify the right reasons for promoting an organizational change. A clear change diagnosis is necessary because it will ensure the targeted change succeeds. Change diagnosis (CD) is the starting point towards a successful business performance.
The starting point makes it easier for managers to determine the future of their respective organizations. I strongly support this argument because it explores the best process towards better organizational performance. Managers can use the approach to identify the current functions of their organizations. Leaders have a duty to determine the most desirable situation for their organizations. Every strategy and objective must therefore focus on the best outcomes.
A complete CD will present a coherent or clear analysis of the desired change. Managers should undertake this diagnosis in order to realize their potentials. The practice is critical because it makes it easier for manager to inform their employees and stakeholders about the targeted goals. The stakeholders also begin to embrace the change because it will result in better results.
Change diagnosis “is necessary because it helps in the preparation of a befitting organizational approach” (Weiss, 2012, p. 48). Every successful organization undertakes a complex change diagnosis (Palmer et al., 2009). The approach or practice will prepare every organization in order to undertake its functions. Many organizational theorists embrace change diagnosis because it identifies every resistance in a firm.
The process also equips managers with the best insights and strategies towards a better organizational practice. Change diagnosis identifies the best platform or strategy for an organization. The practice also examines the best ideas and strategies towards the targeted objectives. After diagnosis, “managers will promote the best competencies such as communication and decision-making in order to achieve the best objectives after initiating the change” (Weiss, 2012, p. 87). During the diagnosis stage, business leaders can also identify the best approaches to communicate, manage, consolidate, and promote the change.
According to me, this is one of the best chapters because it presents the appropriate ideas for better business performance. Organizational change can be something exhilarating or messy. The authors of this chapter explain why change diagnosis will ensure managers undertake every step in a proper manner. Proper diagnosis is what has made my organization successful.
Most of our managers use appropriate CD processes to identify the possibilities of achieving new goals (Weiss, 2012). Organizational managers can use the procedures presented in this chapter to make their businesses successful (Palmer et al., 2009). Some tensions will occur whenever a firm decides to undertake a new change. Managers have a duty to recognize and solve such tensions. They should also empower their employees and teammates in order to have successful changes.
The chapter equips readers with new skills towards better organizational change diagnosis. Some of “the strong points include assessing the level of morale and analysis the resources existing in the organization” (Weiss, 2012, p. 78). I will embrace these strategies because they will make every organization successful. It is appropriate to identify every dysfunctional process that might affect the effectiveness of the targeted change.
Roadblocks within an organization can make it impossible to have a successful change. Managers and business leaders should spot such roadblocks before initiating the proposed changes. I am ready to use such approaches in my business organization. The method will make it easier for me to achieve most of my business goals.
From my personal experience, this chapter offers many strengths and concepts for effective business performance. A successful manager embraces good practices during the change diagnosis process. Such a manager needs to make accurate decisions during the CD process. The authors of the chapter also explain why businesses should use the CD process to recognize their strengths or weaknesses. Managers should use such strengths to identify every plausible perspective. Organizational leaders will also identify the challenges or weaknesses affecting their working environments or employees (Palmer et al., 2009). The proposed change will address the issues making it impossible for the organization to realize its potentials.
I think most of the concepts presented in this chapter will support the needs of many organizations. The most important thing is promoting the best change in order to make every business profitable (Palmer et al., 2009). A carefully implemented or planned study will make it easier for the top management to pinpoint the opportunities associated with every new change. Managers will use the process to identify the right people who can support the proposed change. The approach will also result in a measurable change.
I strongly support the use of good approaches towards better business changes. The chapter encourages managers to gather the best information from different stakeholder. They can do so using the best strategies. The gathered information will ensure the business organization is on the right path towards achieving its goals (Weiss, 2012). Most of the CD decisions will depend on the strengths, weaknesses, and resources associated with the organization.
Employees and stakeholders can also dictate the future or success of the proposed change. Managers “can use interviews and questionnaires to understand the issues that can be addressed by new changes” (Weiss, 2012, p. 89). Such questionnaires will diagnose the issues that might necessitate a new change. It is appropriate for business leaders and entrepreneurs to select the best teams to undertake the change diagnosis process. The above ideas will “ensure the proposed change improves the morale of employees, increases business productivity, and promotes business growth” (Weiss, 2012, p. 92).
Conclusion
Most the concepts and ideas presented in this chapter will ensure many managers make their organizations profitable. Organizational changes can make many companies successful. Managers can undertake the best diagnostic practices before initiating their changes. I am encouraging more entrepreneurs to read this chapter before initiating new changes in their organizations.
I have not identified any negative aspect about this chapter. Entrepreneurs and business managers should also read the entire book in order to identify, initiate, and manage the best changes. I am planning to read the whole book because it will equip me with the best concepts towards better business practices.
Reference List
Palmer, I., Dunmore, R., Akin, G. (2009). Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspective Approach. New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Weiss, J. (2012). Organizational Change. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education.
The proponents of the study wanted to find out the extent of the OC that was transforming the UK’s socio-economic landscape. They wanted to know how these changes are affecting UK managers. With regards to the impact of the said business transformations, they were able to find out that there were a variety of perceived consequences. The proponents of the study wanted an in-depth analysis of the said OC. They also wanted to find out if there were different ways of looking at the way things were functioning from the point of view of managers coming from three different sectors. They wanted to find out if they had different views and experiences with regard to their respective working environment.
Identifying the Hypothesis
The hypothesis was not stated explicitly, and it was given in the form of an assertion. The proponents of the study pointed out that they were able to get hold of information that allowed them to make certain assumptions.
For example, they believed that the managers working in three different sectors exhibited diverse worldviews and experiences in reaction to the changes that were sweeping through their respective organizations. In conventional research design, it is customary for the researchers to prove or disprove the hypothesis in light of the evidence gathered or in view of the results of the experiment. However, in this particular study, the members of the research team already knew that there were pronounced differences in the perceptions and experiences of the managers working in three different sectors. Thus, the development of the research design focused on the identification of these changes.
The Need for the Study
It is important to know the performance of public and private enterprises in order to acquire an insight into the state of the national economy and the performance of the public sector when it comes to government-related services. The need to know these things entered a whole new level of significance when viewed from the perspective of the study. According to the proponents of the said research endeavor, a higher level of organizational change has been impacting the public sector.
The same thing can be said about former government enterprises that were transformed into private organizations. The study discovered an overall negative impact. However, managers reported minimal impact on the private sector. It is imperative to find out the exact nature of these changes, how these forces are transforming the public and private sectors, and figure out the appropriate intervention strategies that are applicable in order to turn things around.
The Methodology
The research team simply collated data using the end result of surveys conducted by an organization behind the UMIST-Institute of Management Quality of Working Life Survey. It has to be made clear that after considering data in two annual reports, only 27 percent responded to the surveys that were conducted in the year 1997, and 26 percent responded to the same survey in 1998. Therefore, there were only 1,362 valid responses for the first year, and then, there were only 1,313 valid responses for the second year. The proponents of the study attempted to compare and contrast the impact of OC on managers assigned to the public sector, the utility sector, and the private sector.
Summary of the Review of Literature
A connection was made between the emergence of models of change and the rationale for undertaking these transformational steps. The review of literature pointed out that the root cause of organizational changes comes to the need for creating cost-efficient business models on the basis of downsizing, delayering of management structures, cost reduction, and outsourcing. These changes were made without considering the needs of the workforce and the stakeholders that are going to be affected by the said changes.
Through the review of literature, the research team discovered that the need to implement modifications within the public sector, such as the application of the private-sector type of business strategies are going to create problems in the long run. For example, there was no intensive study that was created to look into the consequences of downsizing a workforce that was never trained to handle tasks beyond the context of the public sector.
Managers of organizations under the public sector umbrella experienced problems when it came to the implementation of policies and regulations designed to lower the cost of doing business. In many cases these changes were implemented without considering the internal and external factors that were at work in any given industry.
There were gaps in the literature. For example, there was no data on how managers were coping with the double burden of implementing changes and going through the same process. The review of literature revealed that a high number of managers were not equipped to handle major changes in their lives.
The Assumptions, Limitations and Potential for Future Research
The research team made the assumption that the results of the interview created a pool of resources enough to make generalizations regarding the impact of organizational changes. However, there were several limitations that were not addressed. First, the data collated from respondents came mostly from senior managers. An overview of the information gathered revealed that middle and junior managers were under-represented.
In addition, only 62 percent of the respondents acknowledged that they were going through some form of organizational change. Improvements to the methodology section and the overall research design represent promising avenues for future research. For example, the research team must work with a pre-selected pool of managers representing different levels of growth and experience. In addition, all of them must go through the process of organizational change.
Conclusion
The proponents of the study concluded that a significant level of organization change was detected with the utilities sector and followed closely by the public sector. There were pronounced differences in the worldviews and experiences of the managers in all three sectors. The managers in the public sector and the utilities sector were critical of the overall impact of the organizational changes that were implemented for the purpose of cost-efficiency without giving due consideration to all stakeholders that were affected by the proposed changes. Managers were compelled to make the conclusion that the root cause of the negative outcomes of organizational changes was the mismanagement of human resources, especially when it comes to downsizing, cost-cutting, and outsourcing.
The Critique
The title of the article says it all. The title reveals how the research team started with an ambitious plan to answer key questions regarding the nature and impact of OC in the UK, only to fall short at the end. In fact, the research design was jumpstarted with the idea of determining the impact of change on all three: the public sector, utilities sector, and private sector. However, in the end, it only acknowledged the public sector.
This may seem like an oversight or perhaps this was the acknowledgement that the data collected was not enough to make confident assertions regarding the private and public sectors. The title of the study also indirectly revealed how the research team struggled to frame the real nature of the utilities companies. It was difficult for them to consider if these companies were privately owned or government owned. Thus, these conflicting ideas about the utilities sector may have prompted them to make the declaration at the end that they were highlighting the impact on organizations under the public sector.
The first major flaw of the research design started with an ambitious goal of measuring organizational changes. At one point, the research team attempted to narrow down the focus of the study. However, they did not succeed in their attempt, because they simply narrowed it down to at least three major areas of organizational changes that are possible to happen to a business enterprise, and these are: downsizing, cost-cutting, and outsourcing. In addition, the research team did not focus on the utilities group, they included the government-funded organizations and those that were transitioning to become private companies or at least adapting the business models utilized by the private sector.
The secondary major flaw of the research design was the decision to utilize the outcome of the survey conducted by another research group. From the beginning, the research was unable to accomplish the study’s stated goals. There was an absence of critical information regarding the private sector. Furthermore, there was a disparity in the respondents coming from the utilities sector. However, there was a greater percentage of managers in the utilities sector that were able to experience the impact of the implementation of OC for the purpose of cost-efficiency and the enhancement of the organization’s revenue streams.
The third major flaw of the research design was the failure of the research team to distinguish the managers that were able to contribute something significant to the discussion regarding the impact of organizational changes. A majority of the respondents coming from the private sector did not acknowledge or knew that his or her company was going through a corporate overhaul. It is interesting how the research team defended this revelation.
They said that private companies are less likely to report if their respective organizations are going through significant changes. This is a confusing statement, because the study was purely based on the answers to the questionnaire. It is difficult to figure out how they made the generalization that private companies were not eager to share information regarding organizational changes. The alternative scenario is more problematic because it suggests that the respondents from the private sector were withholding information.
Judging against the flaws of the research design, one can make the assertion that the research findings are unacceptable and not verifiable. Thus, the only acceptable information are those coming from managers willing to discuss their experiences when their respective organizations were being overhauled for the purpose of creating a competitive advantage or for the purpose of increasing the profitability of the organization.
Thus, at the end, the research team was correct in declaring that the outcome of the research process was valid only when referring to the public sector. The research team did not have enough information to make a judgment regarding the plight of managers in the private sector. On the other hand, they were not yet sure how to label the utilities company that were formerly under the control of the government and transitioning to the private sector. Therefore, it is best to simply state that the study can only discuss with authority the ramifications of organizational changes in the public sector.
The ability to create and spread vision inside a company is a skill of a true leader, as defined by many employees. In the past, there have been attempts to measure the extent to which leaders could influence the organizational culture. Researchers usually hired professional actors that spoke in front of audiences to study how the emotional expressivity could affect people. However, recent studies have chosen real managers to test their expression styles and the effect they have on employees.
Emotional Intelligence
There is a theory that links leadership outcomes with emotional intelligence. The claim is that the more emotional competencies a person has, the more he or she is able to influence the audience. For instance, this could be the language used during a presentation or other types of communication. Expressing emotions is thought to create a connection between a speaker and an audience, letting the former translate the ideas and beliefs effectively. In addition, non-verbal communication is also perceived as a powerful tool for creating a vision and defining roles in the working community. This non-verbal communication may include body posture, gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, etc.
Visionary Leadership
Emotional performance is not the only thing that is important to leaders. They must also translate the appealing and inspiring vision to their audience. The vision, when positively accepted, may enhance performance, cooperation, and behavior of the workers. Thus, visioning may be a measure of the leadership’s effectiveness. However, there has been little research on the actual result of the visionary leadership regarding the organizational change. In fact, the change is something that should be targeted by leaders and promoted among the workers since businesses cannot survive while keeping constantly stable. The number of changes made in an organization may be another factor by which the leadership’s effectiveness is measured. Moreover, emotional expressivity may influence the level of changes made by the visionary leadership.
Research
The research was conducted to study whether the statements mentioned above were true. Several hundred managers were chosen as interviewees for this research. The criteria included racial and gender diversity, the number of years on the position, and the existence of followers. Four different organizations were chosen, including the health university, the governmental agency, the association of medical colleges, and the leadership development program. The first three groups received questionnaires via e-mails, while the last one was mailed questionnaires for both leaders and their followers. The questionnaires contained self-assessment tests targeted at measuring the leader’s emotional expressivity and the visionary leadership. The organizational change magnitude was also assessed by the leaders through analyzing the changes that had occurred in the company under their leadership.
The results of the study proved that there is a direct relationship between the emotional intelligence and the visioning process. Managers who claimed to be emotionally expressive were more effective as leaders. This was proposed by the answers provided by their followers. The less distinct relationship was found between the visionary leadership and the magnitude of changes. Although leadership had an effect on changes, it was rather indirect and shown through the work report. It showed that the visionary leadership alone could not be viewed as the only measure for creating significant changes in the company. The study proposed to pay more attention to the emotional communication as it can motivate followers to make changes.
AKU is an English organization that provides the representatives of the general public with communicational devices, mobile phones in particular. It operates in the market only for 2 years yet but it already has a lot of loyal clients and its business turns out to be rather successful. Still, the company is willing to expand to improve its competitiveness constantly. Realizing the necessity to attract customers, its CEO decided to put more emphasis on innovations, claiming that AKU should launch a new product if it is willing to continue developing. As a result, the company faces a necessity to implement organizational restructuring so that it can manufacture and sell smart bracelets developed for communicational purposes. This change also triggers revamping of departments, as separate workgroups are needed to focus on the new product. The CEO believes that restructuring will have an advantageous influence on the company’s operations because it will make it more centralized and efficient. The organizational change that AKU is going to implement soon will be entailed by a range of cultural, ethical, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) implications.
Basically, AKU has a flat structure, which means that only a few employees have an opportunity to interact directly with the top management team and the CEO. In this way, they tend to have more autonomy in comparison to other workers. What is more, their level of authority is rather high because of the lack of hierarchy. The necessity to launch a new product is going to entail the creation of additional departments and teams, which means that those employees who are now close to the top management will make one step down and reduce interactions with a boss. A chief operating officer is likely to take everything under control over time. Such kind of organizational restructuring has some positive alterations because it will make interactions more structured. However, cultural changes may cause additional issues and misunderstandings among the personnel. For example, employees may start arguing regarding the importance of their operations. In addition to that, departments may turn into competitors who are willing to protect their budgeting and hierarchical position. If restructuring will lead to the creation of combined groups (novices and experienced employees), competition within the organization is going to increase. In this way, the workers are likely to gather in groups who are operating in opposition, trying to ensure the management that they perform better than others. Such an environment will have negative influences on both social and psychological cultures. It will be rather difficult for the management to spread shared vision and values, making the company united. The information flow may undergo a range of obstacles that affect the effectiveness of communication and lead to more critical complications, such as inappropriate quality of products or safety.
AKU’s restructuring may also be considered to be unethical by some employees. For example, those members of the staff who has already worked at their positions for a couple of years may think that it is unfair to allow novice professionals to maintain similar duties and have the same authority and autonomy. In addition to that, there may be a situation in which the management will need to resort to downsizing, for instance, if there is a possibility to hire a person who can cope with additional duties or is ready to be paid less from the very beginning. The company should not forget that it has moral obligations to its employees (Greenwood). Thus, the management needs to think of harm it can cause through the implementation of changes.
In the framework of SCR, AKU can provide negative influences on the environment. The company is going to manufacture a new product, which means that it will deal with the increased amount of resources that are rather harmful to nature and require a special kind of utilization. Thus, it is significant for the organization to think about the ways it can reduce the footprints of its production processes. In addition to that, ethical labor practices should be discussed in this framework. AKU must ensure that it treats its personnel appropriately and that its practices are aligned with international and local laws. Human resource management (HRM) department also should think of the possibility to cope with those issues that are connected with the client’s traditions, social norms, business practices, etc. (Yang, Colvin & Wong).
Organizational restructuring is likely to entail a range of HR issues that are to be efficiently managed to reach positive outcomes. In this way, HR should develop a clear strategy for a change to be implemented smoothly. The CEO should pay attention to the company’s positioning and identify the strengths and weaknesses its personnel has. As a result, HR will be able to maintain a proper assessment of worker’s skills and knowledge so that it will be seen if some of them should be fired and substituted by other people. In this manner, new personnel should be hired. AKU will be able to achieve success in the sphere only if it pays enough attention to the talent. Of course, additional training for novice employees will be required, but it should not turn into a total educational course. AKU should think of the company’s hierarchy and consider what positions are required to fill the gap which occurred due to the creation of a new product. To ensure that new personnel is not going to face difficulties from the very beginning, the company also believes that it would be better if it gives leading positions to those people who have worked in this company from the very beginning. Such alteration is going to appeal to current professionals because it will ensure that their efforts are appreciated and that all people are equally valued.
The HR department should pay additional attention to the communication with different stakeholders because it provides a basis for the novice employees who are yet not aware of the communicational peculiarities of AKU. In this way, employees will be aware of how to communicate different job implications and address concerns after the adoption of a new organizational structure (Guest & Woodrow).
Thus, it can be concluded that organizational changes have an enormous influence on all companies and require thorough investigation and assessment. AKU plans to resort to organizational restructuring due to the development of a new product that was not manufactured by it beforehand. It can be concluded that any organizational change is likely to turn into a complicated procedure that is greatly affected by the cultural, ethical, and CSR implications. The management realizes that it is significant to make other people avoid feeling neglected even though they are fired. Thus, it resorts to the best strategic options for managing HR issues.
Reference List
Greenwood, M.R. (2002) ‘Ethics and HRM: a review and conceptual analysis’, Journal of Business Ethics, 36 (3), pp. 261-278.
Guest, D. & Woodrow, C. (2012) ‘Exploring the boundaries of human resource managers’ responsibilities’, Journal of Business Ethics, 111 (1), pp. 109-119.
Yang, N., Colvin, C. & Yim-Yu, W. (2013) ‘Navigating corporate social responsibility components and strategic options: the IHR perspective’, Academy of Strategic Management Journal, 12 (1), pp. 39-58.
The case scenario, contained in the assignment, provides us with insight on what can be considered pros and cons, within the context of implementing organizational change. Given the described situation, the associated pros can be outlined as follows:
Reducing the rate of employees’ turnover,
Increasing the extent of employees’ professional effectiveness,
Increasing the extent of the company’s overall rate of commercial competitiveness.
At the same time, there are a number of drawbacks to the proposed organizational change, such as
The factor of employees’ psychological resistance to change,
The risk for the extent of company’s competitiveness to be undermined, if the process of restructuring takes too long,
The fact that, while being provided with additional professional responsibilities, the employees are very likely to experience the sensation of strong emotional distress,
The probability for the selected employees to prove themselves professionally inadequate while performing tasks associated with gathering business intelligence information and reaching out the end-customers.
Nevertheless, due to the fact that, as it appears from the case scenario, there was a good reason for the company to consider implementing organizational change (as the mean of reducing the number of seasonal layoffs); such implementation could hardly be considered optional. Therefore, it represents a matter of crucial importance for managers to have a good understanding of what should be considered keys to ensuring the success of organizational restructuring. The approaches to enhancing the effectiveness of organizational change, recommended for utilization by managers, could be outlined as follows:
Communication – managers should never overlook the importance of explaining to employees the actual motivations behind the intended change and such change’s actual objectives.1 Employees must be able to feel that they actively participate in the process of change. This will empower them in their own eyes and will bring the element of psychological comfort into the ordeal.
Facilitation and support – this approach to helping employees to overcome their fear of change is being concerned with managers’ ability to understand the fact that people are quite capable of accepting unavoidable, once it has been made clear to them that there are no alternatives,
Negotiation and agreement – this particular strategy, aimed at helping employees to adapt to organizational change, maybe most effectively deployed in companies with highly trained employees, such as the one described in assignment’s case scenario.
The earlier outlined strategies to managing organizational change provide us with a clue on how managers may proceed with addressing the situation, described in the assignment’s case scenario. First of all, they would have to make it clear to the workers that assigning them with additional duties is in their best interests, as being employed on a full-time basis will not only eliminate the factor of job-related uncertainty out of employees’ lives but will also provide them with the prospect of career-building. Second of all, employees must be put in a position of perceiving the intended change as truly ‘empowering’. Third of all, the subtle sabotage of a change that is being implemented, on the part of some intellectually inflexible employees, must be dealt with in a rather decisive manner.2
Team analysis of the situation
Despite the fact that the provided case scenario does not specify whether employees are being adequately trained to be given the task of gathering relevant business information or communicating with end-consumers, we can assume that they will be able to address this task rather effectively. The reason for this is simple – the possession of a university or college diploma on one’s part (the context of the provided case scenario leaves very few doubts that it is indeed being the case with company’s employees), usually presupposes such an individual’s possession of interactive skills.
Therefore, it will only be logical to expect that, after having been asked to consider expanding the scope of their professional duties, the majority of rationally-minded workers would be quite comfortable with the idea, especially after having realized that this is being the foremost precondition for their continued employment with the company.
This, however, also means that upon being exposed to the perspective of having to deal with what they may perceive as an ‘additional workload’, some employees will be naturally inclined to adopt a skeptical attitude towards managers’ initiative. Nevertheless, given the fact that the provided case scenario makes an explicit point in referring to the company’s workforce as such that consists of highly trained professionals, we can safely assume that this problem could be successfully resolved, for as long as managers find proper performance-boosting incentives, the exposure to which will increase the extent of every individual employee’s professional enthusiasm.
For example, in order to ensure the unwavering professional enthusiasm, on the part of ‘perfectionist’ type workers, it may prove sufficient enough for the managers to convince them to perceive their newly emerged responsibilities as an indication of their increased professional value. Family-oriented employees, on the other hand, may very well be stimulated to consider assuming additional duties as the consequence of being presented with such a work-stimulating incentive as the company’s offer to provide a dental insurance plan.
There is a variety of different ways to implement the intended change. For example, while taking care of their primary responsibilities, during the course of a high season, employees may be prompted to stay at work for an extra hour longer, so that they would be able to attain practical skills in gathering business information or in communicating with end-customers. Another way to address the issue is encouraging workers to attend communication/cognition-enhancing courses, in time when seasonal demand for their presence at the office is being particularly low. What represents the matter of crucial importance for managers, in this respect, is to make sure that employees perceive the process of becoming qualified in additional professional fields as something that has a practical rather than purely theoretical significance.
It is needless to mention, of course, that requiring employees to perform additional job-related tasks may result in undermining the efficiency of how they would go about taking care of their primary work duties. Managers, however, should not think of this as an unmanageable obstacle on the way of implementing organizational change. After all, the sheer beneficence of not having to resort to seasonal layoff, as the method of ensuring the company’s commercial competitiveness, overweighs the apparent disadvantage of burdening workers with an additional workload. That is, of course, if non-unionized workers are being concerned.
And, as the context of a provided case scenario implies, this is being exactly the case – otherwise, the company’s managers would not be able to justify employees’ seasonal layoffs by seasonal fluctuations within the supply/demand ratio on the market. In any case, given the fact that today’s markets are being highly dynamic/competitive, it does not provide managers with many choices as to how the effectiveness of the company’s functioning can be enhanced. What it means is that, as soon as the necessity for organizational change emerges, managers should preoccupy themselves with creating objective preconditions for such change to occur as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Change can lead organizations either to success or failure. Organizational change is usually driven by necessity rather than anticipation, i.e., organizations tend to resort to change when there is a recognized need for such and a threat to their current operation, profits, or even existence. Changing thus becomes a way to survive, and the normal direction, in this case, is toward expanding: discovering new demand and engaging in new production. There are many examples of businesses that grew after pursuing organizational change. However, there are also examples of poor implementation or poor strategic planning, and some businesses have failed as a result of their attempts to change.
A positive example is Pearson, one of the largest publishers in the world. Though the company was quite successful, a new chief education advisor (CEA) decided to implement organizational change in 2011 (Radjou & Prabhu, 2013). He recognized that the company possessed sufficient assets and resources to become the biggest player in the education business. The CEA proposed restructuring with the main focus on efficacy, both internal and external. This means that the company formed goals to create a strategy of delivering high-quality education at the lowest possible cost and to operate as a global education organization with minimal resources. The change was challenging, and the resistance was intense, but the company managed to succeed due to proper planning and communication.
An example of poor organizational change is the case of Firestone Tire and Rubber. A leading player in its industry, the company had constantly been growing, but its profits immediately decreased when a different company introduced a new technology (radial tires), against which Firestone could not compete (Ferrell & Ferrell, 2014). Technological myopia was an issue, but there was a need for action. The company attempted to change, but the power of inertia was too strong. Existing procedures were too inflexible for change, and the company fell behind its competitors. This illustrates how the rigidity of operation and an established “formula for success” can harm a business.
Personal Reflection on Organizational Change
I think that managing organizational change should be focused on ensuring that every modification is justified and linked to a goal that is clearly defined before implementing change. Also, it is important for managers to realize that organizational change is not the same as altering existing procedures by force from above—a change that is imposed like this is likely to fail. Instead, the purposes of change and the potential positive outcomes need to be properly communicated to employees, who should be willing to adopt new practices.
I do not think that organizations can avoid changing in the modern world. They either change or fail. Demand is constantly changing, and technology is constantly changing, which is why businesses should change, too (Radjou & Prabhu, 2013). Besides, there are many businesses around that do change, so they are more likely to develop competitive advantages than those that prefer to stay the same.
I believe that change should be driven by leaders (as opposed to grassroots movements) because it is the responsibility of the leadership to see the bigger picture and to suggest how distant goals can be achieved (Ferrell & Ferrell, 2014). Organizational change should be conducted strategically, and it is the leadership that is in charge of strategies. However, grassroots initiatives should not be ignored because they may provide perspectives for business development that are invisible for some reason to the leaders.
Organizational change normally faces resistance, and it should be addressed through communication efforts, but I think that organizations should not resist change if there is an acknowledged need for it. Companies rarely perish due to change, but they often perish due to staying the same, which is why I believe that changing is more of a good thing despite its difficulties.
References
Ferrell, L., & Ferrell, O. C. (2014). Examining organizational integrity failures. In R. C. Chandler (Ed.), Business and corporate integrity: Sustaining organizational compliance, ethics, and trust (pp. 181-204). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger.
Organizational development theory plays an important role in the management of change as it orientates towards such critical aspects of change as the expert knowledge of behavioral sciences, professional inquiry driven by social values, and practical action powered by systems thinking. The purpose of this report was to present a focused analysis of a case study combined with a detailed description of the theoretical framework of organizational development and change management.
The scope of this report included the overview of the concept of organizational development, its application to a specific case study, and the provision of a structural analysis of the management of change required in the case. This step involved several sub-themes and was followed by a discussion of the issues of resistance to change and tactics helping to cope with it. The conclusion for the report included recommendations as to the issues faced by the organization described in the case study.
Organizational Development Theory
One of the major characteristics of the field of organizational development (OD) is its complexity that is not only defined by the multitude of issues and aspects of this sphere of theoretical and practical knowledge but also by the definition and background of the subject itself. In particular, the theorists of OD still do not have a consensus as to where the boundaries of the field are and what kind of origins it has (Cheung-Judge & Holbeche, 2015).
Regardless of these persisting issues, it is known for sure that the definition of OD is tightly connected with the concept of organization. Practically, the purpose and main objective of OD is to use various practices in order to transform negative experiences in organization management into positive ones and, this way, increase the organization’s effectiveness and boost its performance (McLean, 2005).
Also, as noted by Cummings (2008), the definitions of OD differ depending on what aspect of it the theorists desire to emphasize – long-reaching improvement, management from the top, the use of behavioral science knowledge for organizational development, a planned change implemented via organizational culture (developed by Burke), versatile change processes (in the works of Beer and Beckhard), and the engagement of consultants for long-term results (proposed by French) among others. Each of these approaches is valuable in its own way and is applicable depending on the specific needs of an organization planning to employ OD for future change.
When it comes to change management, OD plays a significant role in it due to its orientation to such major aspects as scientific knowledge and inquiry combined with social values and action and powered by systems thinking (Haneberg, 2005). Practically, OD is valuable because it does generate not only change but also implements it. OD approaches change management internally, paying careful attention to its social aspects and processes, and views the entire system from a holistic perspective.
Lewin’s change model is comprised of three main phases – unfreezing, moving, and refreezing (Cummings & Worley, 2014). This model is highly practical as it serves as a detailed guide for the processes of planning, implementation, and maintenance of change in an organization. In particular, unfreezing refers to noticing the present challenges and planning the change; moving stands for the implementation of the plan: and refreezing represents the stages of assessment, evaluation, and maintenance of successful impacts of change (Sarayreh, Khudair, & Barakat, 2013).
The main criticisms of this theory target its basic and very brief nature that does not include the forces that oppose change or serve as barriers to change (Kritsonis, 2005). Additionally, the model was criticized for relying on top-down mechanisms and only being suitable for minor projects (Burnes, 2004).
Understanding the Change
The organization under analysis in this report is The Quay International Convention Centre (QICC); it is facing multiple problems related to the staff and leadership performance. In particular, the major issues include low employee satisfaction, low functioning teams affected by internal tension; the lack of communication between employees outside the pre-established social groups, strict, harsh, and over-organized top-down approach to hierarchy resulting in the limited autonomy of employees, public reprimanding, and minimal skill development and performance management leading to discipline and policy breaches.
The desired state would be something similar to the state QICC enjoyed a year prior to the emergence of the problems. In particular, the desired state would include a high level of employee’s satisfaction, improved communication between teams, individuals, and between managers and workers; additionally, the other desired characteristics would be a better organizational culture, a more careful adherence to workplace policies, and instructions, and a more sufficient on-the-job training and skill development. According to Cummings and Worley (2014), the interventions suitable for these organizational issues are to be aimed as human processes and human resource management.
These interventions target individual and group levels of an organization mainly. Moreover, some parts of the strategic intervention also could be used for this case; namely, they are the culture change and organizational learning and knowledge management – they operate at organizational and group levels (Cummings & Worley, 2014).
Managing the Change Process
The process of change management is usually comprised of multiple steps. In particular, using Lewin’s change model, it is possible to break down the three steps outlined by the theorist into several tasks of change management. In that way, unfreezing will include entry and contracting and diagnosis and feedback; moving will include planning and implementing change; and refreezing will involve the evaluation of change and the achieved progress.
Entering and Contracting
The stage of entry and contracting revolves around the inquiry about the existing issues and the desired change; this step is initial in the OD model designed for specific tasks (Grieves, 2010). This step assumes that a behavioral science expert serving as a consultant will play an active role in studying the present problems and their nature. Practically, this step outlines the first contact with the expert; further, the terms of a contract and the expected duties of the professional have to be specified in a contract (Anderson, 2016).
The major roles of the consultant, at this stage, will be to assess the current situation and notice the issues that require addressing; further, the consultant will be required to link the persisting problems to suitable OD interventions, design a change plan, its implementation, and then evaluate the results (Dyer & Preston, 2000). Additionally, for the change managers, it would be necessary to decide whether the hired consultant should come from the organization or be a representative of an external company (Wocher, 2012). The former consultant is likely to have a deeper knowledge of the organization, but the latter will be free from internal bias and pressure.
In relation to the organization under analysis – QICC, and its individual situation, the consultant would have to evaluate workplace communication and discipline. It may make sense to consider whether or not the evaluation process should be disclosed to the workers or carried out subtly. The transparent approach seems more ethical with all the stakeholders fully informed about of assessment processes and the upcoming change.
However, the delay of the disclosure is likely to result in a more effective stage of data collection and the easier problem identification. This is the case because the specific issues faced by QICC tend to persist on individual and group levels mainly affecting interpersonal and intragroup relationships and dynamics. In that way, non-disclosed observation of workplace activities and communication could provide more valid and realistic data.
Diagnosing and Feeding Back Diagnostic Information
The process of organizational diagnosing is the key to the formation of an appropriate intervention based on a list of precisely set goals targeting present issues and aiming at the desired outcome (McFillen, O’Neil, Balzer, & Varney, 2012). A thorough and careful organizational diagnosis can improve the internal dynamics of an organization, as well as create a significant competitive advantage for it (Saeed & Wang, 2014).
At the same time, a diagnostic process that is ill-planned and flawed can result in a failure of the entire effort to implement change (Saeed & Wang, 2014). Discussing diagnosing frameworks, Zhang, Schmidt, and Li (2016) mention that there exists a wide range of various theoretical approached such as Burke-Litwin model, McKinsey 7S framework, Leavitt model, force field analysis, open systems theory, Likert systems analysis, and Weisbord six-box model.
The latter is the main focus of the authors. It has a clear and easy to comprehend structure comprised of such elements as “what is” – the present state, and “what should be” – the desired state (Zhang et al., 2016). This model lies at the basis of the present analysis alongside the theory by Lewin as overviewing the issues faced by QICC, the critical approach distinguished between the present situation and the desired outcomes thus outlining the potential direction of the change strategy.
The activities that will be included in the stage of diagnostics will involve the collection of data concerning the identified organizational issues. Since the issues mainly come from the fields of communication and knowledge; the process of data collection could include the engagement of employees, groups, and managers in order to receive more detailed information with personal insights. Also, diagnostics can be oriented at the existing problems or target solutions.
Such instruments of data collection as questionnaires, interviews, and surveys could be very helpful alongside the organizational statistics and key performance indicators. Further, an essential part of diagnostics is feedback that follows the analysis of the collected data. Practically, feedback represents the communication of the collected and interpreted data to the change management team and authorities.
This activity requires maximum precision in order to avoid bias and misrepresentation of information that could mislead the entire project (Zhang et al., 2016). The data fed back to the team has to be relevant, descriptive, and verifiable (Waddell, Creed, Cummings, & Worley, 2014). The final step of the process of diagnostics is the follow-up that stands for the evaluation of the level of knowledge of the existing issues and the potential need to research some additional aspects and collect more data for the purpose of moving to the next stage – the planning and implementation of change.
Planning and Implementing Change
The stage of planning and implementation of change revolves around the concept of intervention. In turn, intervention is characterized as a set of mechanisms, instruments, and actions that are employed for the purpose of improving organizational performance (Naghibi & Baban, 2011). In organizational development, interventions can be grouped into cultural, technical, and political (Naghibi & Baban, 2011).
In the specific situation faced by QICC, intervention is to target the social aspect of operations in the workplace and aim at the behaviors of employees, groups, and managers. Despite the importance of research as an essential element of the design of a suitable intervention, the managers in charge of the change project in QICC are to remember that there is no universal solution to any organizational problem. This is the case because organizational dynamics differ significantly even in similar organizations, as a result, problems, as well as their nature and contributing factors differ as well. Consequently, solutions and interventions effective for each specific organization are to be carefully and thoroughly selected based on their individual needs and objectives.
Evaluating Change
There are two major types of change evaluation – implementation feedback and evaluation feedback (Waddell et al., 2014). The former type is designed to measure immediate effects and is majorly implemented as a source of guidance for the implementation that collects and interprets data in the process helping address challenges and flaws on the way. The latter type of evaluation is aimed at the long-term effects of change and is used to supply data as to the success and sustainability of change and whether or not it is viable and needs to be maintained or terminated.
Since the change desired in QICC is aimed mainly at the communication between workers, it would be possible to employ both types of evaluation and collect data about short- and long-term effects of change. Both approaches would present significant value to the project as the short-term effects will drive the process of change implementation and the long-term effects will show the overall efficiency and sustainability of the project.
Resistance to Change
Resistance to change is known as one of the major barriers preventing the successful implementation of a change plan in an organization (Boohene & Williams, 2012). Resistance to change may come from different sources (financial, political, structural, social), but most commonly, it is produced by people unwilling or unable to embrace the changing organizational environment (Ylmaz & Kılıçoğlu, 2013). Resistance to change is one of the few characteristics of planned change that remain there for each individual case.
As a result, planned change has to address the issues of readiness and resistance to change (Coetzee, Visagie, & Ukpere, 2012; Naghibi & Baban, 2011). In that way, the collection of data carried out prior to the stage of planning of change has to involve the aspects of readiness to change so that the further change plan could address the existing barriers or move past them ensuring a smooth transformation without conflicts.
In the case of QICC, resistance to change may come from the older employees who are used to the old ways and who would be likely to disagree with the new approaches limiting their ability to implement short cuts while fulfilling professional duties.
At the same time, such aspects as the opportunity of skills development and on-the-job self-improvement, as well as a well-built system of incentives could serve as effective motivators preparing the resisting groups to view change positively and embrace it. Such activities and goal setting, team building, rewards, appraisal, and career development opportunities are some of the techniques that could help QICC achieve their desired state (Lunenburg, 2010). In turn, the process of implementation of change would include such stages as motivation, communication of the set goals, earning the support of all the stakeholder groups, management of change, evaluation of outcomes, and maintenance of positive results (Cummings & Worley, 2014; Grieves, 2010).
Lewin’s model of change can be employed as one of the strategies for managing resistance to change. In particular, each of its three steps is required to involve people, communicate the objectives and benefits of change at each level, and study the causes of change and the reasons motivating people to resist it (Boohene & Williams, 2012). Practically, the collection of data about organizational issues (unfreezing) needs to include such tasks and informing the workers about the preparation for change and the reasons why data is collected; the planning and implementation of change (moving) have to be accompanied by thorough and clear communication of what is done, for what purpose, and what result is expected; finally, evaluation of change (refreezing) has to involve people in the provision of feedback as to the effects of change.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Since OD plays a significant role in change management, it is critical for the organizations that intend to implement change to adhere to the best practices of OD informed by strong theoretical frameworks. Even though it has been criticized, Lewin’s change model is a laconic framework that can guide change, as well as respond to its barriers. Also, it is broadly applicable to many types of organizations and change projects.
Aligned with Weisbord model, Lewin’s model allows seeing the current issues in the case of QICC and its desired state. Specifically, most problems experienced by the organizations dwell on the social aspects of its operations and involve individual, group, and top-down communication issues and organizational culture problems.
As a result, QICC authorities managing change are recommended to collect data about the present problems targeting individual workers and groups (using surveys, interviews, questionnaires, and observation as instruments), analyze the information engaging an impartial consultant and present it to the authorities. Further, the preparation of change should involve open communication with the staff as to the purpose and benefits of change and the existing problems and the challenges they create.
The stage of moving or implementation of change will have to engage workers in such activities as team-building, conflict mediation, communication management, team work, and leadership training. Finally, the evaluation stage should engage the staff in the provision of feedback as to the effects of the change project.
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