ASSIGNEMENT 9

Objectives

The aim of this assignment is introduce learners to the idea that change does not occur easily and is often resisted. It helps you to understand the answer to a broader concern and that is - what are some of the challenges associated with managing change?

Instructor Comments

Put yourself in the position of a senior executive or a member of a board of directors of a company employing 20,000 individuals located in seven different countries. Imagine that a new organization wide objective has arisen, which is to make the company more customers focused by pushing decision making down the hieararchy to the individuals who have face to face contact with clients. The company is 60 years old, successful and has over 5000 employees who have been with the company at least a decade. Now consider all the possible challenges or impediments to the change effort that might arise from individuals who want to continue working for the company but don’t necessarily want to alter how they perform their jobs. The list would probably be quite long. This assignment focuses your attention on this important issue and suggests some of the means by which inertia can be overcome.

Assignment

You should base your responses to the following questions on the insight found in the following readings:

• Oxman, J. and Smith, B, 2003. The Limits of Structural Change, Sloan Management Review. 77 - 82.

• Beer, M. Eisenstat, R. A., and B. Spector, 1990. Why change programs don’t produce change Harvard Business Review.68(6) 158 – 66.

• Simons, R. Mintzberg. H., Basu. K.2002. Memo to: CEOs Fast Company 59, 117 – 121

• Cascio W.F. 1993 Downsizing: What do we know? What have we learned? Academy of Management Executive 7(1) 95 – 104.

Please answer the following questions:

• For each paper, please use one paragraph to summarize the main ideas.

• Please use one half page to summarize the ideas that are similar among all of these papers.

• What are some of the challenges associated with managing change?

Please limit your response to this assignment to three single spaced, typed pages. Please cite your sources in the text and please reference them at the end of your assignment. Please end your write-up with one paragraph that summarizes what you think is the importance of this assignment.

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