Reflections On The Role Of Organizational Culture, Leadership, And Communication In Managing Organizational Change

Influences on my Change Management Philosophy

Change can be considered to be an effective part of an organization and in the present dynamic business environment, change has become quite common which is generally taken up for making the firm more innovative in nature and to ensure that it gains a competitive edge (Dawson and Andriopoulos 2014). Hence, the primary purpose of the given paper is to present my views on change in an organization and the management of it based on the various topics which I have studied in the coursework. The paper will be highlighting the manner in which my assumptions and views about change have altered after the course and the primary focus shall be on the Reflections on the role of organizational culture, leadership and communication in the management of organizational change.

Previously, I had a brief idea about the concept of change management, but the coursework has challenged me culturally and socially and highlighted aspects which I was not aware of earlier.  The lectures have changed my thinking with respect to change management and other related aspects, and hence, I can merely state that my concepts have become stronger which will be reflected below.

Throughout the given coursework there have been a wide number of sources which have assisted in changing my personal view on the topic related to Change Management Philosophy. Hence un the given sections, I will be highlighting how my reflections in regard to the impact of leadership, organizational culture and the communication in managing change have been influenced.

Prior to undertaking the course, I was under the belief that, Organizational change tends to take place only when the organization suffers a loss or it has to change the entire procedure due to a particular fallout in the system. However, after analyzing the various details given in the coursework, I realized that Organizational change is often taken up as a strategy for the welfare of the firm and is not necessarily to instill the new concept. After undergoing the unit I learnt that is undertaken to indulge in the creation of new economies, decrease the cost of internal coordination, increase the customer values and to promote new opportunities for safe return.

I believe that although leaders tend to allocate time as well as resources for the change, very few tend to provide the correct intellectual capital which is required for the change procedure. This aspect is learnt by the leaders after a trial and error which costs the organization a hefty amount. Hence, according to me, the primary role of a leader in managing the organizational change is enabling the different employees to adopt the change mentality and ensure that the necessary changes (Palmer, Dunford and Akin 2016).

The undertaking of the particular course helped me in the understanding of the fact that the managers need to ensure that the change which tends to take place is communicated consistently and through various channels. And thereby all related information received needs to be communicated clearly. I had read previously that, Communication needs to come from the management and has to be understood by the general crowd at large, however, I now understand that it needs to be two ways. My previous beliefs were based on the fact that an organizational change and its management are single aspects of the firm but since I undertook this course, my personal reflection about the role of organizational culture has gone through a considerable change.

Reflections on the Role of Leadership in Managing Organizational Change

Previously, I believed that the order for an organizational change has to come from the top management to the lower levels of the organization and that everyone has to abide by it, however, after I this course, my reflections altered. Moreover, my personal reflections were also based on my school experiences but presently it can be stated that I am more inclined towards the fact that communication is the key factor impacting the organizational change.

Case studies

Throughout the coursework, we were given access to a large number of case studies, which have strongly shaped my perceptions. With respect to the role of leadership in managing change, I have examined cases and videos which altered my beliefs. The video of Jason Clarke in the course, explains with examples how change needs to be embraced and complements well with the assessment of Netflix vs. Blockbuster and reflects how one has embraced change whereas one has not been able to.  When we were made to watch the story of Zappos and the manner in which they tend to inculcate a culture of the firm and how it has helped them through various changes and still they have come out of it stronger than before.

During the coursework we were given a case study on BBC which further strengthened my knowledge based on change.  Additionally, the case of Qantas airlines as studied in the case study also represents with various ideologies.  Both the case studies related to BBC and Qantas were largely based on the impact of the organizational culture on the management of the change and that it tends to influence the functioning in a manner such that without an appropriate culture the change cannot be adequately adapted by the different members of the firm and thereby it can lead to poor outcomes.

The case study of ABC, analyzed during the coursework presented a similar line of thought and thereby highlighted the importance of communication in change management. In addition to this, I have now understood that it is crucial for the members two indulge in a two way conversation which will then assist in the understanding of the entire procedure of change and its outcome.

During the coursework in the specific MBA degree we attended the lectures of various guests as well which has contributed greatly in changing my perception about the management of the change in an organization. The guest lecturers taught us that in an organizational change, team work has a great role to play and that the role of a team is crucial in the firm. I believe that very often the teams can become confused with respect to the implementation of objectives, however, leaders need to realize that they need to manage the change otherwise change will manage them and lead to outcomes that are not called for (Hornstein 2015). Hence, after the analysis I have come to a conclusion that the different leaders have a key role to play in the firm at large. Moreover, the key tools for the leaders in the scenario would be communication and organizational culture.

Reflections on the Role of Organizational Culture in Managing Organizational Change

After analyzing the different coursework material, I realized that a leader has a crucial role to play in the given aspect as it helps to set the correct mindset for the different employees as present at the workplace at large. According to Bolman and Deal (2017), around 55% of the leaders have felt that the different change procedures have met their initial goals and that the different change management initiatives had been successful only 1/4th of the teams. During the coursework, we were made to watch a video which involved, the experience of Jim Hemerling and explained the 5 ways to lead the change. This video helped me to clear my perceptions and understand that if a leader is not fit enough, the organization will not be able to undergo the change effectively.

According to Carnall (2018), they are required to act as change agents and need to ensure that the vision of the enterprise remains clarified and the communication of the change takes place effectively. Hence, according to me, before the unit and coursework, I did not emphasize on the importance of leadership in change management but I have thereby realized that leadership has a major role to play in the management of organizational change.

When a strong culture is developed then, it helps to momentum and contributes towards the creation of a long lasting culture. Before undertaking the particular coursework, I was under the belief that the concept of change management is independent and that it just requires a guidance, however, after the analysis of the case study, I have come to the understanding the change management is affected by various facets of the organization and that organizational culture is one of them. I believe that, a company who wants to ensure that the firm benefits from the organizational change will be required to foster a positive work culture (Abrell-Vogel and Rowold 2014).

Before undertaking the given course I was under the impression, the change management in an organization could be a result of the directions given out by the management at work, and that it had to be carried out by the employees irrespective of the fact whether they were clear about it or not, however, this is not the case and after studying the various modules in the course I have come to an understanding that the employee communication has a major role to play in the successful management of the organizational change. It is crucial, that each employee is given the information of why the change takes place and its related outcomes.

Reflections on the role of leadership in managing organizational change

The Organizational change is not considered to be easy for the different managers and the leaders and often taken to be a difficult process for the people. The people have various expectations and tend to look out for the right direction so as to ensure clarity, accountability and connectivity at the workplace in the middle of the change procedure. As per the speaker, leadership has a key role to play in an organization and this was reflected in the text as well. The authors have expressed various crucial issues which I believe ensure successful knowledge gain.

Reflections on the Role of Communication in Managing Organizational Change

Before undertaking the coursework, I believed that although organizational culture had an impact on the performance of the employee, I did not think that it would have an impact on the change management, however, after the course I believe that the role of an organizational culture is very large for organizational change and that a good culture tends to foster a positive change. As stated previously, there exists various resistant to the particular kind of change and hence, according to Cameron and Green (2015), the organizational culture can go a long way in ensuring that this resistance is converted to contribution and the different members of the organization are easily able to come together and work for the welfare of the firm. For this reason, managers in the different organizations tend to ensure that they are successfully able to foster a culture which supports the members and which believes in the long term growth and prosperity of the organization at large.

Communication can be taken to be one of the most crucial aspects of any organization and the importance of communication cannot be undermined in a change procedure. In order to ensure success in the long run, it is very crucial for the firm to ensure that the different individuals are thereby informed about the change procedure in advance so as to see to it that they are mentally prepared for the change (Hayes 2018).

Various scholars have outlined different skills which are necessary to engage in an effective communication whereby some of it includes maintain a clear vision and mission so that the different employees are aware of the change management effort to be taken (Waisbord 2018).

After the given coursework, I have come to an understanding that as a capable manager and for better future prospect, I am required to understand the manner in which the change is managed in an organization and thereby understand the process of change in the same manner. I will be required to ensure manage the complexities. For this reason, I have determined to undertake, various additional workshops and book reading sessions which shall further broaden my horizons with respect to the same.

Conclusion

Hence, it can be stated that change is an effective part of the firm and the organizational factors like communication, culture and leadership tend to have a strong impact on the management of organizational change.  With the help of the case study of Nokia, I understood that if a firm is unable to embrace change, it loses out in its market standing.

References

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Bolman, L.G. and Deal, T.E., 2017. Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership. John Wiley & Sons.

Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.

Cao, Y., Bunger, A.C., Hoffman, J. and Robertson, H.A., 2016. Change Communication Strategies in Public Child Welfare Organizations: Engaging the Front Line. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership & Governance, 40(1), pp.37-50.

Carnall, C., 2018. Managing change. Routledge.

Cummings, S., Bridgman, T. and Brown, K.G., 2016. Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management. human relations, 69(1), pp.33-60.

Dawson, P. and Andriopoulos, C., 2014. Managing change, creativity and innovation. Sage.

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Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.

Hayes, J., 2018. The theory and practice of change management.

Hornstein, H.A., 2015. The integration of project management and organizational change management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), pp.291-298.

McLeod, L.J., Driver, A.B., Bengsen, A.J. and Hine, D.W., 2017. Refining Online Communication Strategies for Domestic Cat Management. Anthrozoös, 30(4), pp.635-649.

Palmer, I., Dunford, R. and Akin, G., 2016. Managing organizational change. McGraw-Hill Education.

Pugh, L., 2016. Change management in information services. Routledge.