Abstract
For modern organizations, employee behavior guided by their thinking and other psychological forces influences productivity in what has been referred to as mental models. These models are usually key determinants of effective decision making as well as organizational performance. In particular, the concept of creative intelligence, which refers to how each individual perceives the world around him or her has gained much focus in the area of change management for many organizations. In recognition of the influence of mental models, this paper looks at how the management team of AAA Transportation in Waukegan will apply the different approaches of the mental models.
This is to ensure that Vernon and Bud, who are resistant to the changes proposed by the new owners on the diversification of services to include transport of nonperishable products, need to be convinced to support it. Training, rewards and incentives, influence, experience and education are some of the main forces of influence that will be applied in this case to be able to bring the two employees on board.
Introduction
In any organizational setting, employee behavior guided by their thinking, moral standards and other psychological influences that have an impact on decision making is quite essential for performance. In particular, the concept of creative intelligence, which refers to how each individual perceives the world around him or her has gained much focus in the area of change management for many organizations. This is because employees’ ability to adapt to certain conditions and policies is not only dependent on their skills and experiences but also on their mind set. In recognition of this great factor, the management team of AAA Transportation in Waukegan needs to take into account the various components of the mental models.
As the human resource manager, Vernon and Bud are two workers that need attention because of their resistance to the changes to be effected in the company in line with the new requirements. Their support for the new changes can only be achieved through a careful consideration and application of mental models. The mental model is based on understanding the thinking of different individuals using the concept of creative intelligence and hence finding the best ways of handling them.
Steps to Changing Mental Models/Mind Sets
To be able to use the mental models to bring Vernon and Bud onto the team, it is important that the steps of the model be appropriately applied. The mental model application has four main steps to be followed. It is based on the idea of measuring the potentiality of every member’s creative intelligence when it comes to response to certain issues. Through the steps, unveiling the potential threats and opportunities for different mindsets and how they can be aligned to certain ideologies is quite essential.
The first step is the understanding of the strengths and limits of the mental model to be used. The creative intelligence generally classifies individuals in four different categories. They include those who are intuitive, innovative, imaginative and inspirational (Rowe, 2004). The different characteristics may explain the approaches of individuals depending on the blend of any of the four they exhibit. It is, therefore, important to understand how these classifications may apply to Vernon and Bud who are dedicated members of the company. Secondly, the relevance of the chosen characteristics, which are associated with the identified, should be tested against the components of a changing environment.
For Vernon, he has a mix of being innovative and inspirational while Bud is intuitive and also inspirational. They are able to shape the opinions of many employees in the organization. Handling them through knowledge of their characteristics will therefore have to take into account the expected changes with the expansion of delivery services. The third step is to be able to eliminate such hindrances through change of structures and shaping the thinking of others. For the concerns raised by Vernon and Bud, it is important that additional infrastructure like delivery vans and staff be budgeted for. In addition, the other employees should also be informed of the new changes well in advance to help shape their thinking about them before the two employees are able to sway their decisions.
The last step is the application of the model and continuously assessing progress for adjustments to be made when required. In the case of convincing the two employees, Vernon and Bud, the understanding of their mindset and the use of different influencing factors to change their position will require that progress is monitored and altered to meet their individual characteristics and needs for success of the process. Five forces of influence will be employed for changing the mindset of the two employees and others who may resist to the proposed changes as outlined in the following section.
Five Forces of Influence to Be Employed
Mental models depend largely on the function of the brand and how its association and interpretation of the happenings in the environment is shaped (Wind, Crook & Gunther, 2005). As a result, the five forces of influencing mental models are based on the changing or influencing the process of forming perceptions for different individual characteristics. Training, rewards and incentives, influence, experience and education are some of the main forces of influence that will be applied in this case to be able to bring the two employees on board.
To begin, education is important for changing perceptions by forming the foundations in which they arrive at important decisions. For the case of Vernon and Bud, the fact that they are experts in the field may complicate the matter. However, they will still need to be informed on the importance of diversity and market segments additions for competiveness and success of the firm. The fact that they feel inclusion of new ventures will lead to the loss of long-term customers means that they have not understood the two mentioned concepts. Secondly, training will also be important for changing of the two employees’ mindsets (Wind, Crook & Gunther, 2005).
This should be done through exposing them to a company situation in case of selected firms that have already adopted the concepts and the additional skills that will be required to be able to perform on the new work set up. In this way, they will be able to be more prepared to adopt change. Next, the use of rewards and incentives is also important for changing the decisions of the two employees. For this case, the fact that new areas of work are to be introduced, they must get assurances that there will be additional compensation for the increased workload. Lastly, in the same way Vernon and Bud have influence on other workers in the organization, it also goes that the employees may also be used to influence their decision. By educating other employees, the two may be influenced through ‘group thinking’, which is a factor in the mental model used.
Commonly Used Models
The mindsets frequently applied in the organization include the intuitive process and creative thinking. Most employees would like to perform the assigned tasks according to the instructions provided and in line with the objectives of each project. However, when the stated instructions do not result in maximum efficiency or performance, alterations are usually made. As a result, the organization is usually on a learning model as well. This ensures that all ideas are incorporated in the work environment and everyone gradually develops their ability to be creative and continuously improve their productivity through elimination of performance hindrances.
As a human resource manager, the workers of AAA Transportation from top management to the delivery people at operations are important for the final attainment of set targets. Goal setting as a means of motivation as well as recognition of performance has been given top priority. As such, the application of the creative intelligence model to convince the two workers to remain on board even as the organization continues to grow will be quite essential for the success of the new venture as well as that of the previously existing ones. Personally, using clear outlines and performing tasks according to schedule means a lot for my mental model. The job of convincing my colleagues using the model illustrated above is therefore a key priority area for my fulfillment of this role.
References
Rowe, A.J. (2004). Creative intelligence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education publishing. Web.
Wind, Y., Crook, C., & Gunther, R. (2005). The power of impossible thinking. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Wharton School Publishing. Web.