The article author’s theories should not be used as the only research material on organizational values. The critical analysis focuses on the reliability of the article author’s theories on organizational change.
The article criticism activity centers on the effect of the author’s lack of statistical details on the appropriateness, validity, and reliability of the findings. The article uses primary resources that can be relied upon as additional reference to increase understanding of organizational change values.
Conceptualization
The article Cultural Aspects of Systemic Change Management clearly explains the concepts and issues of organisational change under investigation. First, the article uses diagrams to concisely explain the relationship between individual values and organizational values.
For example, the figure 2 diagram draws out the possible effects of conflicts between the employee’s values (the employee prefers to end work early to find time for family bonding) and the organizational values.( The employees are required to do overtime work to meet production deadlines.).
Likewise, figure 3 shows the possible corrective actions and consequences of action put into for violating organizational values; they are important to ensure compliance with organizational values (Dubrin, 2008).
Further, the author uses several examples to explain his theories on organizational change. For example, Griffin (2009) states the author discussed one employee’s win and not loss value in complying with one’s organizational values. Another employee can also implement personal work values that may run against the organisation’s values.
Consequently, the employee may refuse to replace one’s values with the conflicting organisational values. Another employee eagerly complies with one’s own benchmark values but did not comply with the organizational values.
Figure 4 shows the organization’s defense mechanism to force employees to prioritise organizational values over the individual employee’s values. The organization often imposes fines and other penalties to make the employees change their individual values.
Furthermore, the article ends with the theory stating several employees may not know that their own values violate some of the organization’s values. The article brings a question to the article reader to make a stand. One stand is to force the employees to make final decision to comply with organizational change values.
The organization makes the new and current employees to either comply with organizational policies or resign from the organisation. The article expertly ends with a vivid discussion on the importance of incorporating the theories espoused in the article’s diagram 5 data; employees must comply with the benchmark policies clearly explained in the Meta –mental change model.
In addition, Dubrin (2008) emphasized the author places importance on the variables embedded in the employees’ refusal to change their hidden values when conflict arises between employees’ individual values and organizational values; the article creates a situation where the employee may be given a chance to either comply with conflicting organizational values by or resigning from the organization.
In addition, the article clearly discusses the organisation’s values as important factors to accomplishing the organization’s vision and mission statements. Likewise, the article explains the employees’ artifacts, values, and beliefs are significantly influenced by their hidden basic assumptions; the assumptions include beliefs about reality, one’s thinking culture, and other hidden personal values.
Theoretical Framework / Hypothesis
The article does not directly mention the framework as well as the hypothesis in any part of the article. Instead, Newbold (2009) theorizes the article author explains the findings of other authors’ researches on the difficulty of replacing one’s values with the organizations values. Thus, the findings may not be able to show the hypothesis of the research. As proof, basic research formalities indicate two possible hypotheses.
The hypotheses can either be a positive hypothesis or a negative hypothesis. Using this logic, the article’s findings cannot state whether the hypothesis statement was either positive or negative.
Consequently, the article is a good reference material for accepting the research paper’s hypothesis if the article’s findings show congruence to the hypothesis statements. Because of the article’s lack of statistical details, it would be impossible to determine whether the article author’s theories are testable and the results interpretable.
On the other hand, the article clearly discusses the model 1 and Model 2 thought and action systems. The article places importance on the employees’ complete implementation of the organisation’s governing values, action strategies, learning consequences, and behavioural consequence variables of the Model 1 system.
In terms of the discussion model 1, the author brings out a real life situation where many of the current days’ individual employees often prefer personal values over organisational values. The article clearly states that individual values create a defensive wall that normally resists a changes caused by conflicting external values such as organizational values.
Research Design
Newbold (2009) reiterates the article does not delve into the issue of statistics in a more professionally deeper manner. The article only mentions the findings of research. Instead the article delves into primary research articles to support the author’s change management theories.
For example, the author adapts the model 1 from the research conducted from the 1979 Argyis & Schon 1979 research findings on the conflict between routine organizational values and the employees’ individual values.
According to Newbold (2009) since there was no detailed statistical data shown in the article, it would be impossible to determine whether the statistical process is appropriate. The statistical process is used in gathering the related organizational change data and interpreting whether the findings will translate to the rejection or acceptance of the hypothesis statements.
Newbold (2009) proposes the statistics data gathered could include an analysis of variance computation. Under this method, analysis of variance is a statistical method of determining the equality of three or more population means by scrutinizing the characterized variances in the selected sample data.
For example, using six different fields of corn divided into six different plant plots, the researcher applies different competing brands of fertilizers. The researcher can use analysis of variance to determine if there is a significant difference between the type of fertilizer and the speed in the plant growth.
If the findings indicate all the plants having different fertilizer types grow to the same height within two weeks, then the analysis of variance findings will indicate there is no significant difference in the type of fertilizer in relation the speed of the plant growth. However, the analysis of variance findings will indicate there is a significant difference if four plant pots show a reduction in the growth rate.
Likewise, the article did not mention the demography of the population used. Since there is no population mentioned in the article, there is also no mention of the criteria used in the selection of the samples. The sample size is very important to the topic’s discussion.
Newbold (2009) proposes a sample size that is too small in relation to the population will not generate reliable research findings. On the other hand, a sample size composed of a majority of the total population will be more realistic. The article did not include any detailed statistical data that may help determine whether the article author’s theories are correct or inconclusive.
In addition, there are clear variables operationalised in the research. The variables are grouped under independent and dependent variables. The independent variables include the individual values. The dependent variables also include the organizational values.
The dependent variables include the employees’ compliance with organizational values. Further, the article’s author does not directly enumerate the direct variables and the indirect variables used in the research.
Appropriateness of Results
Since the details of the statistical data were not shown in the article, it would be impossible to state whether the measures used in the organizational change research were valid. Since the author used primary resources to back up his theories, it would be impossible to state whether the population size used in the organizational change research was appropriate.
Since the article’s author used primary resources to back up his change management theories, it would be impossible to state whether the sample size used in the organizational change research was appropriate.
Further, since the details of the statistical techniques were not shown in the article, it would be impossible to state whether the results, findings, and conclusions of the article are reliable, erroneous, or correct.
A research finding is reliable if it is backed by detailed statistical data, the author blindly rely on the findings of other researchers; the researchers should conduct their own research activities. The new research will validate the findings of the other author.
Assuming, without agreeing, the research findings of the article author’s primary resources are reliable, the theories espoused by the article’s author have recommendable theoretical and practical implications.
The organisation’s manager can profitably use the article’s theories as a basis for breaking down the employees’ staunch‘resistance; the employees will easily embrace the organizational change policies if the management uses tact and indicating the many advantages of implementing a change to the organisation’s espoused values.
By implementing organisational values, the employees will feel proud to help accomplish the organisations’ objectives and goals. In addition, a seminar sponsored by the organization will teach the employees the importance of integrating individual values and organizational values in the successful accomplishment of the organisation’s total quality management value program.
The study has its limitations. According to Hartmann (2001) the study focuses on the research conducted by other researchers. A new research will validate the veracity of article author’s discussion. A new research will determine if the discussed findings can be replicated using other populations and other samples.
The article author should make his own research by gathering his own population size. Next, the author can choose a sample size that represents a significant portion of the chosen population. The author should use statistical tools like the analysis of variance to validate the Model theories taken from the primary author used in the articles.
Based On The Above Discussion, the article uses primary resources as additional reference in the conduct of one’s on research on organizational change values. The article relies on primary research resources done by other authors in the discussion of the organizational change management topic.
The article does not mention the details of the statistical process implemented by the article’s author. The lack of statistical details creates a cloud of doubt as to validity, appropriateness, and reliability of the article author’s change management theories. Indeed, the article author’s theories should not be used as the only research material on organizational change due to lack of research details.
References
Dubrin, A. (2008) Essentials of Management. London, Cengage Press.
Griffin, R. (2009) Organisational Behaviour. London, Cengage Press.
Hartmann, S. (2001) Organisational Behaviour. London, Routledge Press.
Newbold, P. (2009) Statistics for Business and Economics. London, Pearson Press.