Eight-Stage Model of Planned Organizational

¶ … eight-stage model of planned organizational change establishes the following steps. First, establish a sense of urgency. Second, form a pro-change support platform. Third, develop a compelling vision. Fourth, diffuse the vision throughout the organization. Fifth, train and empower followers to act on the vision. Sixth, allow for short-term accomplishments and reward performance. Seventh, consolidate gains by changing the culture, systems, policies, and structures to align with the new vision. Eighth, and finally, institutionalize the change in the organizational culture. This is a good model for planning change in a gradual manner. It allows the change to be introduced from the top-down. Instead of just upper management knowing the change and then introducing it to the rest of the organization, this model diffuses the vision throughout the organization and focuses on the short-term accomplishments. The eight-stage model offers a gradual process that is likely to successfully initiate organizational change.

Question 2:

Change is common in today's business environment. As such, strategic management must be equipped to adapt to change. As part of the management process, there is analysis of the internal and external environments. Given the current environment, the next steps are analysis of the corporate vision, defining the strategic goals, formulating a strategy, implementing the strategy, and evaluating the strategy. With an environment that is constantly changing, adaption to change is essential for strategic management. Changes should spur a redefinition of the strategy. Thus, it is sensible that adaption to change be central to strategic management. Strategies are how one achieves objectives and, without adaption to changes that may facilitate achievement or hinder progress, one is not best achieving objectives. Management of strategies helps achieve objectives that are important to an organization in the face of a changing business environment.

Question 3:

Strategic crisis leadership requires action in three areas. First, the strategic crisis leader should use environmental monitoring techniques to identify events that could trigger crises in the future. With numerous potential crises in today's environment, it is essential to be prepared for potential worst-case scenarios such as natural disasters and product failures. Second, the leader should integrate crisis management into the strategic management process so it remains a regular part of the overall strategy-evaluation process. Strategic management is meant to adapt to change and a crisis is a sudden, potentially disastrous change. If the contingency plan for dealing with such a scenario is built into strategic management, then it will be implemented as the changing environment dictates. Finally, the leader should establish a culture that embraces crisis awareness and preparation as a way of life. By disseminating the belief that preparedness is essential, all levels of the organization will be ready to handle a crisis.

Question 4: