Critical Perceptions Of Organisational Change

Material the article present and the evidence fact, research, opinion, or personal experience

Discuss about the Critical Perceptions of Organisational Change.

For achieving competitive advantage, an organization needs to accept change as it states that change is a necessary element that brings light to positivity. There are time planning and various initiations that will determine the most effective planning which is possible by strategic planning in an organization. So, change management is accepted for organizational development and this leads to acquiring more and more knowledge by changing the culture, structure or even a planning process that enhances an array of improvement for large organizations. Employee engagement and employee involvement need to be adopted so that employees are feeling a level where communication and level of expectation is estimated to be higher. As such there are numerous changes that need to be recorded when an organization accepts the change where the efforts are made for development purpose. Appropriate behavior with employees, communication process and team management skills are encouraged to improve the positive impacts of change management (Rouse, 2011). The series of observable is being noticed at some point to gain an importance wherein employees should be treated with heart as assets of the company. The change agents in an organization constantly strive to achieve competitive advantage.

The main claim of the article is organizational change management by considering work culture and employee’s behaviour. The article provides an insight for the managers and the leaders to take initiative for the organizational change. Not only the leaders leading the change strategies, but also the research and analysts who seek the knowledge to start up a change method in an organization, this article can provide an overview for the points of consideration.

The article presents a combination of research made over the organizations that has achieved organizational change goals with the stipulated strategies and produces the facts and figures for the organizations that have made a difference in an organization and the employee’s culture and behavior by implementing organizational change management. The article depicts the methodology executing the way the organizations have input their efforts to create a healthy change. Various examples of the different big corporations that have strategically felt the need for the change and hence undertook drastic transform in their employees as well organized.

The examples of the transformation of the GE, Compaq and salvage of Sears are also briefly mentioned. It pours light on theories of various authors such as John Kotter and Dan Cohen from Harvard Business School, Jeanie Daniel Duck and various other authors are being stated here representing their framework, methods and ideology on the change management. Majorly the article highlights the reasons for the failure of the organizational change, how these errors are deeply rooted in the organizational behaviors and on the study of that the managers have failed to recognize the importance of change as transformations happens only through focus on facts and affecting emotions.

Key arguments made in the text, in regard to the sources of change

In an organization, all the change processes are due to some reason, compel, foundation or origin of the organizational change (Dibella, 2007). Either it is environmental pressure or the internal pressure, every organizational change has its base and these reasons are the origin of the organizational change.  Every organization can make an effective change if the needs of the employee and the business are well discussed in terms of its requirements and communicating the vision and mission in a way to achieve the targets and managers should lead the employees for the same.

There is a point of view, stating the failure of the organizational change due to the lack of understating in the managers to create an importance of change in the employees, which would enable them to execute the planned processes and make an effort towards the organizational goals. The argument further continues to that due to the communication gap of delivering the need for change and in the absence of the powerful coalition such failures are bound to happen. It also concludes with that when the power of specific vision is underestimated, stakeholders are not communicated well enough or obstacles hinder the attainment of the goals (Rouse, 2011). The early announcement of the success of change, lack of creating enthusiasm and motivation to carry on the change processes, neglecting the change in the corporate culture might also result to the breakdown of organizational change.

However, the biggest illusion is that the organization changes, whereas, organization don’t change but the employees behavior change. Their perspective to make a difference yields change in an organization. If the need to change is professed as an endeavor to build optimistic effects counting, the development of individual power and a more motivating job, individuals can be anticipated to resist the plan that is part of the overall change effort.

Nevertheless, the authors state the theory that if the feelings and emotions to change are affected than the heart makes it easier for the effective change. It is said that there is no space for feelings at workplace, but the new paradigm says that it is how they are dealt with (Rouse, 2011). Change is essentially about feelings for organizations to understand that how the workers needs to contribute to their brains and feelings and acknowledge that emotions are essential for the new management change. It’s all about managing people; managing feelings.

The arguments are appropriately balanced, looking at the issue or problem from relevant perspectives.

The organization needs to take risks to develop an understanding of the need of real change. Just providing the data won’t be enough, the individuals need to make perceive the need of change. Managers need to determine to involve the people to be part of the powerful coalition and implant confidence and trust to make the change happen (Balogun & Hope, 2008). The foreseeing of the vision to be completed is the ultimate organizational risk for the managers to accomplish.

Thus, to make the organizational change a success the leadership is essential to incorporate the commitment in the employees for the change to happen, allow the employees to express what they feel about the new changes, make certain that the short-term accomplishments can be eminent (Dibella, 2007). It would conclude that the continual change would make the change effort a success.

Employees are one of the most valuable assets of any organization; this asset is a key element of the organizational development and success. There is no single change methodology that fits any organization, but it is rather a set of tools, practice, technology and techniques that can be adapted to different situations arising in the organization (Van et al. 2013). The arguments seem balanced and it shares several perspectives about the issues pertaining in change efforts by Professor John Kotter. If we see a large organization, then it seems bit unusual that the leaders are still making the same mistakes that professor Kotter has outlined years ago leading to a change effort failure by a shear negligence of under communication, lack of goal setting, bad team management, etc. The reading very strongly tries to convince us that the managerial or leaders implication on change management through the engagement of mind is not just substantial for the better and healthy growth of the organizations and even if it is it won’t last long.

The reading focuses on having the managerial implications through both mind and emotions because when a manager or leader gives a message in a way that creates an emotional response, there will be a greater number of individual changing their behavior and it is obvious (Balogun & Hope, 2008). Treating a person in a certain way and will respond in a predictable manner. Change is up to an individual, and even after taking the managerial implications with both mind and heart what if the employee still fails to contribute to the change. The opposition will undoubtedly help the organization to find the errors, but still it can be harmful if it not taken care of. The reading doesn’t seem biased as it offers a varied perspective of where the issues are arising in the change efforts tough it talks less about what the employee’s roles are. All the major counter arguments presented in the reading, which a leader should keep in mind while presenting and communicating change management to the employees in the organization.

The article focuses on various aspects of change management through head and heart and failure of change efforts in an organization and the counter arguments to get it a success. There are several reasons where the change efforts fail in an organization such as lack of communication of why the change is needed. Failure due to lack of alliance which can communicate the change to the employees. Implementing a change will require a forethought and poor planning here will ultimately lead to failure. Lack of leadership is the major reason why the change efforts are failing (Dibella, 2007). The mangers or leaders are still making the same mistakes. They follow the old change management practice where there were no place for emotions or feeling and if all at emotions are allowed, then only up to a level by which they can be controlled. Change is all about feelings and managing people are managing their feelings.

All the organizations who want their employees to contribute to their heads and heart must accept that emotion also play a major role in change management in today’s time. If an organization wants a change there has to be 100 percent commitment on the part of leadership. And after having that the same can be demanded from the employee (Grant & Marshak, 2011). Thus, Lack of commitment also led to failure in change efforts. Short term wins can play a great role in boosting the employees and creating the enthusiasm in them, and failure to do so will lead to failure in change management (Weiner, 2009). The article also focuses on the counter arguments to the failure of change management such as not just focusing on giving data, but to make the individual realize the need for the change. One of the major counter arguments that act as a remedy is identifying the people to be the part of guiding alliance in order to justify the need for change. It is a leader who should create a vision that is creative, clear and viable, and should motivate the employees that it can be achieved through a great team work and collective efforts (Dibella, 2007).

Communication plays a major role in achieving successful change management, where the individuals should be updated with the required information regularly and should be checked upon if the progress is on the right direction or not. Freedom of expression is very important; one must be allowed to burst out their feelings. There can be both positive and negative beliefs of the strategy implemented which should be allowed to bring upon. If negative comments are not allowed to be brought forward on common ground, then it will be get surpass privately which may lead to poor work ethics.

Conclusion

The article is important for change management in an organization for development purpose. The skills that are required to ensure the productivity is being discussed in the article. Motivating employees is a vital step that is considered in the leading change framework by an author. There are steps that are being emphasized and the article consists elements that need to be adopted for employees and even for an organization (Van et al. 2013). Motivating the heart is the main concept that an organization should implement in the change process framework as discussed in an organization. From the article the next concept that is discussed is about the real stories about some leaders who have changed the organization with their efforts to change and accept positive elements, this is important as it encourages the positive impact overall for an organization. Changing the employees who are working on the frontline basis is been learnt from the article about motivating the heart of employees.

The strength of an article is about the merits that are gained while bringing the heart and the spirit of the employees in the workplace to gain a positive change with relative examples. The emotional appeals and the organizational change events and programs are being organized to understand the leadership and the skills that leaders gain while implementing change. The article contributes to large and small enterprises that considers change as an important concept for competitive advantage.

A person while reading this article will gain an information regarding the change management and the necessity of change management which is utmost important for employees and an organization. There are eight steps that lead to change in this article that speaks about some hard facts and people’s feelings in an emotional level.

References

Balogun, J. & Hope Hailey, V. (2008), “Exploring Strategic Change,” Prentice Hall, London

Dibella, A. (2007), “Critical perceptions of organisational change”, Journal of Change Management, Vol. 7 No. 3, pp. 231-42.

Rouse, W.B. (2011), “Necessary competencies for transforming an enterprise”, Journal of Enterprise Transformation, Vol. 1 No. 1, pp. 71-92.

Van, d.H., Demerouti, E. & Bakker, A. (2013), “How psychological resources facilitate adaptation to organizational change”, European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, Vol. 26 No. 6 pp. 1-13.

Weiner, B.J. (2009), “A Theory of Organizational Readiness for Change,” Implementing Science.