Business leadership and organizational change: essay questions and responses

.....change management for any leader.

The most important feature of change management for any leader is the alignment of company culture and its behaviors to suit desired outcomes. Therefore, change management depends on setting strategic goals and objectives first, and then managing change incrementally. As Jones, Aguirre & Calderone (2014) put it, "plans themselves do not capture value; value is realized only through the sustained, collective actions" of the organization's members. This is especially true in large organizations, but change management strategies and philosophies apply to organizations of all sizes and types.

When leaders are managing long-term major changes in their organization, they may need to keep in mind the four types of organizational change: scale, magnitude, duration, and strategic importance. The scale of the change determines whether it affects the entire organization or only one department. The magnitude of the change refers to the degree to which the change veers from the status quo, and in what way. The duration of the change could be short-term or long-term, and its strategic importance can be relatively small or it could also mean the life or death of the organization.

When a leader focuses on the alignment of culture with change outcomes, the steps in change management can be clarified. The change management team can work at the pragmatic issues like uncovering training needs, new systems, or new technologies. Every layer and element of the organization needs to work together on the change, because alignment is thorough. The leader has to identify conflicts and resistance to change early in the process to minimize problems and maximize the achievement of change goals.

2. Discuss the significance of employee involvement in the change process.

Even when the change occurs from the top down, as it typically does, employees are the change; employees are integral and instrumental to the change process. As Jones, Aguirre & Calderone (2014) point out, "companies will reap the rewards only when change occurs at the level of the individual employee." Most significant change transforms organizational culture on a meaningful level. Employees need to be made aware of the big picture issues as early as possible, because those big picture issues invariably affect their daily lives, their workflow processes, and the methods by which they achieve their own goals. Even when employees are relatively removed from the change process, they will be affected in other ways, such as through alterations in organizational structure that can make the workplace either more or less pleasant for some workers. In some situations, employees can be empowered to lead change in their specific areas of expertise. When employees need to adapt to a new system or regulatory environment, their input into guiding a smooth change process can be invaluable. A leader that does not actively solicit employee feedback during the change process is either missing out on the opportunity to maximize the value of the change, or committing a potentially fatal error. The change leader can involve employees in other ways, too, such as by maintaining open lines of communication.

3. How can items like work design, job descriptions, and a clear stated vision aid in the change management process?

Organizational change leaders often underestimate things that seem unrelated to the change itself, such as work design. However, detailed job descriptions and a clear stated vision can smooth the change process considerably. Work design is an integral facet of organizational culture. If the change process entails shifting from a hierarchal or bureaucratic structure to a more flattened organizational culture, then change leaders need to seriously consider work design in their process and recommendations. Working with managers and supervisors could mean offering leadership skills training to alter the relationships between employees and those that manage them. "Sociotechnical systems theory, process improvement, adaptive structuration theory, the job characteristics model, technostructural change models, and activity theory" are all potential components of work design (Torraco, 2005, p. 85).

Role clarity might be one of the most important features of a successful organizational change. Working with human resources to update job descriptions and work with employees to offer their input into the new job descriptions can be exceedingly helpful. Similarly, change leaders need to be clear about the big picture: what the vision of the change will be for the organization. Employees who share the vision will be more understanding of the change process and more likely to cooperate and collaborate along the way. Shielding information from employees is likely to lead to dissatisfaction and alienation, which would thwart the change process.

4. Discuss your abilities in leading change management within organizations. Include anything worth mentioning from this course, as well as any other relevant skills you possess.

I welcome change in my personal and professional life. Therefore, my personality is uniquely suited to be a change management leader. I also have strong interpersonal skills, which can help minimize the interpersonal conflicts that can arise during the change process. I believe that successful change requires communication and clarity. During the change process, I will be sensitive to the impact the changes are having on groups and on individuals and make myself available to respond to questions and concerns. I am also a big picture person. Details are important, but I have found that working in an organization means allowing each person to focus on what they do best, which makes the company run more efficiently. I am good at developing visions and loose strategies, and I trust that my coworkers will be able to fill in the details. As long as we all share the same vision and values, the change process will go smoothly.

In this course, we have learned about all aspects of organizational change. Resistance to change is the issue that challenges me the most. I sincerely hope that I can acquire and implement the skills of reducing resistance to change, and yet I recognize that resistance is common and we might lose a few employees along the way who do not approve of the changes for whatever reason or whose values do not align any more with those of the organization.

5. In your educated opinion, why do many individuals and organizations resist change? Why do some individuals deal better with change than others?

I believe that some people are temperamentally suited to change, and others are not. Whether it comes down to "big five" traits like openness or to the person's prior experience with change, some people just seem more adaptable and flexible. Having said that, there is more to change resistance than personality. One of the precursors to resistance, I believe, is a lack of information or a lack of clarity, or both. If employees feel disempowered by not having access to information, or information that is unclear, they will resist change more than if they have been invited to participate in the change process. I also believe that individuals who deal well with change can be encouraged to work with and support their colleagues who are struggling, and managers need to capitalize on this by designating change mentors within their groups or departments.

References

Cummings, T.G. & Worley, C.G. (2015). Organization Development & Change (10th edition) Cengage.

Jones, J., Aguirre, D. & Calderone, M. (2014). 10 principles of change management. Strategy and Business. 15 April, 2014. Retrieved online: http://www.strategy-business.com/article/rr00006?gko=643d0

Torraco, R.J. (2005). Work design theory: A review and critique with implications for human resource development. Human Resource Development Quarterly 16(1): 85-109.