(Greenwood, 1996, pp. 1022 -- 1054) (Reichers, 1997, pp. 48 -- 59) The Organization's Culture can be changed

Despite these kinds of claims, there are examples of how an organization's culture can be transformed. The reason why, is because many firms have leaders who are able to inspire and work with staff members to change the operating environment. As, they are addressing those issues that are: most important to employees and they are encouraging them to go the extra mile for the company. Once this takes place, it means that everyone is willing to embrace the new ideas that are being introduced. This is because, they are having their concerns addressed and they believe that they are doing something more than just a job. Over the course of time, these views will lead to a change within the working environment. (Huy, 2011, pp. 601 -- 623)

A good example of this can be seen with GE. At the time that Jack Welch took over the company in 1981, they were considered to be a large industrial conglomerate with declining earnings. In the next 20 years, he used his leadership to set the tone of the organization by: addressing everyone's needs and having the staff share their ideas about how to adapt to changes that are occurring in the marketplace. This led to a transformation inside the operating environment with the elimination of those divisions that could not contribute to GE's success in the future. At the same time, there was a change in the mindset of executives and employees through increased amounts of communication. This resolved any difference and it helped to alter the operating environment. These elements are important, because they are showing how these kinds of transformations can take place inside the culture of a firm, provided that there is effective leadership and flexibility. This will increase the odds of successfully changing...

("Jack Welch," 2000) (Watson, 1999, pp. 80 -- 89)
Opinion

When you step back and look at the two viewpoints, it is clear that both are correct about implementing changes inside the culture of an organization. The reason why, is because each one can illustrate how these transformations helped or hindered in implementing these objectives. As the negative beliefs about these shifts, are telling us that introducing new programs can be challenging. The reason why, is because there is no motivation to execute these kinds of transformations. Once this occurs, is when everyone will give their very best efforts. This is when it is only a matter of time until they embrace the old culture. At which point, any new kind of initiatives will become ineffective.

However, there have been firms that have been able to change the work environment. This is because, they had excellent leadership that was able to reach out to employees and encourage them to alter their behavior. The way that this is accomplished is through: addressing their basic needs, having effective communication and treating everyone with respect. If this kind of approach can be taken, it will help to ensure that a firm is successful in implementing lasting changes over the long-term. Therefore, both views are correct by highlighting key concepts that should be taken into account when: analyzing the situation and determining if your programs will be successful.

Bibliography

Greenwood, R. (1996). Understanding Radical Organizational Change. The Academy of Management Review, 21 (4), 1022 -- 1054.

Huy, Q. (2001). Time, Temporal Capability and Planned Change. The Academy of Management Review, 26 (4), 601 -- 623.

Reichers, A. (1997). Understanding and Managing Cynicism. The Academy of…