Introduction
Change is relative to a thread. It is intertwined into both professional and personal components of lives. It has the ability to steadily occur within the environment mankind dwells in and even beyond.
This ranges from occurrences in local and global events, different ways through which structured organizations do business in socio-economic and political governments and eventually at a communal level. In the advent of modernity, more complexity and relationships cause changes that affect us in one way or another.
Developmental efforts in an organization, whether facilitated by an outsider or an insider expert and achieved through performance, bring about planned organizational change. There in only one type of change that can occur in an organization (Bass 1990). Changes in an organization can be either planned, unplanned, or both. Nevertheless, changes in an organization may occur in universal dimensions.
For example, planned change within chief justice, support to employees, and appropriations will dramatically change the traits of judicial organizational education. Besides, it will cause alignments in the institutions, the state bar, small law colleges, and other higher learning institutions. In addition, professionalism in the judicial system is all expected to bring about similar effects.
Planning for a change in an organization normally requires a conscious and attentive effort either from the managers or educators. Kotter (1995) initiated the master of change concept. In his description, he refers to the organization or an individual adept of expecting change needs to adopt change in productivity to reinforce change process in management role.
Thus, this reflective treatise attempts to analyze the use of ‘change’ reference to managers who have an interest of bringing some organization transformation in the environment and the work force they manage. Reflectively, unless there is a need for change from the management, such a change cannot take place in any organization. This is because individuals and organizations tend to develop resistance to any possible change.
Unless they take a positive attitude to embrace change and create an environment that motivated change, quantifiable change may just be a dream. Hannan and Freeman (1984) explain that it is through pain that change occurs. The moment one encounters an opportunity, it means that we have to make utilization of it.
Failure to utilize the opportunity may result in incurrence of higher cost. Thus, the moment an individual embraces change, an automatic relief from pain occurs.
From this perspective, it is important to note that change does not just occur because it seems to be a good idea, but it occurs the moment responsible people are satisfied to justify the difficulties of incorporating change.
As a result, professionals are obligated to ensure change in an organization should be able to come up with strategies that will ensure that there in a need for such a change to take place instead of simplifying on the benefits expected from such changes.
Change agents who have an understanding of this, should take up the role of ensuring that they offer assistance to others in order to embrace inclusive change in their organization. An organization cannot continue to hold on its status quo, but embrace positive change. In order to create a clear picture of the above description, the study reflects on a college movement of Ohio Judiciary which received funding emerging from catharsis.
While in other regions, forced training in the work force helped save the office of justice. This led into an emergent of an independent professionalism out of a difficult situation. Illustrating such an example gives an insight to organizations managers to help to create a need towards change and offer assistance in fostering change.
In view of change to occur in any organization, all change agents must make an analysis of the system that they will effectively operate and function in. It is, therefore, critical to note that whenever a change occurs in any one of the organization system, it is expected that other systems will be affected as well.
This will be either in a direct or in an indirect way. However, variability in organizations calls for various distinct approaches to bring about such changes. These variations in organizations, as I will briefly mention in the next paragraph, occur because of structural differentiation, cultural differentiation, organizational sizes, scope of operations, area of specialization, and country in which the organization is located.
A company such as Apple, which deals in technological production of electronic products, may carry out changes in its organizational structure different from Starbuck Company that deals in production of coffee and beverage products.
Weick and Quinn (1999) assert that despite existence in variability and operations of organization, there are some changes that may be common in most of the organizations. However changes in organizations normally come in different forms, that is, intrinsic and non-intrinsic.
Planned changes in an organization are normally adopted and implemented by professionals who have complete knowledge on possible impacts of them to the organization. This is because such professionals are able to consider where such changes shall be conducted and its history. Planned changes in an organization aim at improving situations and desirability in goals before its commencement.
Examples of planned changes include salary increase to employees, changes in productions capacity, product and service change, reduction on the production, and operation costs. However, management may adopt and implement changes that may not be driven by people’s will. Failure to act on human will result in such organizations moving towards undesirable directions.
The speed at which such changes can take place in an organization can also be described as either continuous or episodic. As the name suggests, continuous change in an organization is one that is ongoing and performed periodically such as offering training skills to employees.
To improve on the organizational performance, the management of the organization should adopt strategies that ensure continuous acquisition of knowledge by employees. One way through which I can effectively implement on these while working in an organization is through seminars and workshops. Episodic change occurs in a piece mill manner.
It is discontinuous with an intentional motive. An example of such a discontinuous change is addition of another machine in a company. Due to increased aggregate for the company’s product, the management decides to increase on the supply through adding of an extra machine to boost on the capacity.
Bass (1990) asserts that while this may be implemented in a short time period, continuous change occurs in smaller adjustments and making improvements in daily actions.
Importantly, it is through people that changes in an organization can be adopted and implemented. It becomes critical to note that nothing can really move in the right direction without motivation, coordination, and linking stakeholders.
Typically, they form up the workforce for the organization since whenever changes occur; they develop either a negative or a positive interest, including also agencies that organization has entered into contract with.
An effective implementation of project changes by an organization requires full involvement of the stakeholders at different levels. This makes them understand reasons behind their involvement and benefit from such projects. Additionally, it gives them opportunities during forums to give their opinions and make possible recommendations on what and how it should be conducted.
But, sometimes, such changes may fail to create an opportunity that may allow for negotiations, collaborations or cooperation. However, they have to be informed whenever changes happen in an organization. For instance, in the Starbuck Company, there is a corporation with the community and market through environmental conservation projects.
Furthermore, it offers grants to youths and organizes seminars to pass on skills to the community. Such an experience depicts an approach towards change in a more open manner and through consultations. This makes them feel the recognition and develop attachment to the organization (Prosci, 2007).
Change can be presently considered to be a constant axiom. Hence, increased advent in technology, globalization and emphasis by cost managers on how to make reductions on costs, competition, and variations in aggregate demand and aggregate supply have created a need for organizational change. However, few approaches or models exist to offer assistance to organization.
The objectives of such models are to ensure that upon their adoption and implementation, such organization will achieve an understanding of dynamisms involved in change processes. Through most of the research that I have conducted concerning organizational change models, most of them seem to be too demanding or academically oriented. This ends up making them have a limiting character.
Most of the models propose a linear format to make judgment that change within an organization and can be described in reference to future expectations. In reality, modernism cannot accommodate the approaches proposed.
This is because the rate at which changes occur is rapid making many firms to miss on exact predictions of their desirable future positions. Instead, they end up giving descriptions in more aspiration forms. This means that businesses will be striving to achieve their future desires while present pressure will give their management problems.
In order to present an alternative but flexible, I propose that the process should be able to allow firms to plan for future desirability and be able to achieve them while responding to the rising circumstances. This process encompasses five dimensions to organization change.
An adoption and its flexibility may allow for its use in a number of organizations. Being cyclic in nature, it operates on the perception that management of change in an organization is an interactive process.
Direct as the first dimension deals with making an alignment. It ensures that all the objectives are thought in a right way and then articulated appropriately to create a platform on which the other four dimensions will rely and operate.
Thus, it is considered to be the most critical and essential of all the other dimensions. In entirely, the dimensional core strategy is to ensure that business values, mission, and vision statements are articulated as required. The three are always an aspiration statement that forms the blueprint on which the business will make reference to both at its present state and future expected position.
For instance, in a service organization, the management may come up with a strategy to ensure that the company excels in service provision to its customers. Consequently, the task by management should be in a way that it is evidenced both to the internal and external customers in the supply chain.
As an exemplary behavior, it needs to be incorporated into the management system in order to be in a continuous evaluation. Achievement of these factors will only occur if behaviors of the business are clearly defined and described appropriately. Management of an organizational change requires consistency in the approach together with purpose constancy.
Translation of both direction and vision strategies towards operations require description is the second dimension. Operational strategies are plans that ensure functions are well articulated as required by every section of business. This means that deployment of professionals in these divisions becomes of an essence. As an enabling strategy, it assists management to deal with various groups of people.
Researches relating to major companies like North West Waters and Rolls Royce and Bentley car motors reveal that four key enabling strategies are strategy towards resourcing, strategy for management performance, rewarding strategy and, finally, strategy that ensures proper communication in an organization.
Define forms the third model the management has to adopt to ensure organizational change. This approach, though mostly ignored by most of the organization managers, is crucial in the ongoing processes within the organization. Failure to implement on the strategy by professional limits them from full potential of the operational strategies.
As an operational model, it presents a practical platform on which the first mentioned strategies will operate. It encompasses various aspects such as procedures, policies, and processes that ensure implementations in the businesses are fulfilled. As illustrated by Hannan et al. (1984), failure by the organization employees to follow on the processes formulated will reflect in the unstable cost, safety, quality, and health of the business.
Delivery of the strategies is the fourth strategy that the management should strive to embrace. It ensures that consistency in implementing overall values and visions of the organization is quantifiable and within reach. Reflectively, depending on organization management, decision making process may not guarantee commitments to their implementation.
Thus, this strategy calls for communications to appropriate models demonstrated through behaviors as displayed by managers and other stakeholders. This is a case for any organization undergoing changes.
In the fifth position is the dimension that ensures development and is placed above all requirements to ensure that there is appropriate monitoring of the processes. Its application is only dependent on two aspects. The first one is when there has been an achievement in both strategies and objectives.
Secondly, it is also applied when the most critical circumstances in an organization happen to undergo some changes to a degree that the initial stated strategies may require reviewing.
In conclusion, from the whole aspect of organizational management change, the five outlined dimensions are normally cyclical in nature. They create a link to all factors that contribute to change in an organization.
It become of essence to make an alignment of the business in relation to its visions and values. Additionally, strategies and related activities should be coordinated in a consistency and constant manner if an organization is to make use of changes in the system.
References
Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Sogdill’s Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research and Managerial Applications. New York: The Free Press. Macmillan Inc.
Hannan, T., & Freeman, J. (1984). Structural Inertia and Organizational-Change. American Sociological Review, 49(2), 149-164. Web.
Kotter, J. P. (1995). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Boston: Harvard Business School Publication.
Prosci, M. (2007). Change Management Best Practices Benchmarking Report.
Weick, K., & Quinn, R. (1999). Organizational Change and Development. Annual Review Psychology, 50, 361-386.