In her article, MacArthur, a contributor at Forbes, discusses organizational designs and management concepts and specifically the role that change plays in the overall management of a firm. MacArthur builds her argument based on the need to rethink organizational change management because it has turned out to be the defining concept of successful and failing firms. MacArthur opines that change and managers of change have a role in reducing their push through discrete projects and focusing on the organizational design in a manner that enables the continued adaptation of the ever-evolving environment. Conventional organizational change management models have not attained the kind of success they are expected to have. MacArthur attributes this occurrence to the rigidity of traditional management concepts. She compares these outdated models to the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale where a new idea was required to rescue a family out of its misery. Likewise, MacArthur identifies several issues with conventional organizational change management initiatives and models. The first major issue is that traditional models focus on top management as the primary contributor to change and consequent ideas. Such ideas construe employees as mere auxiliary implementers. As such, employees become secondary and not a primary part of change management. Secondly, employees do not qualify as contributors to change, and they fear that any proposal for better or improved ideas may lead to their labeling as resisters. Lastly, the concept is devoid of a feedback channel because of the exclusion of employees and line management. Only top leadership is involved in the implementation of organizational change and management. The ensuing reception by employees is inadvertent resistance to change because of the coercive tactics used.
The main takeaway from MacArthur’s article is that there are a lot of flaws identified in managing organizational change using the traditional methodologies. She identifies these conventional approaches as symptoms of a more significant issue in the overall management of an organization (MacArthur). She is critical of how many modern firms are unaware of the change and do not exhibit the knowledge to handle agile changes. Most of the conventional tactics heavily rely on risk-avoidance, authority deference, controllability, routinization, stability, and a zero-tolerance policy on errors. The result is that a firm makes two steps forward and a couple more backward. Cynicism, fatigue, and friction within the ranks become a new culture. MacArthur illustrates the need to change tactic in a way that embraces new technologies and methodological approaches to dealing with change without much concern for resistance. The overall recommendation in the modern era of business is for organizations to adopt fresh tactics by making all employees agents of change. This way, resistance will be avoided by reducing inflexible behavior.
Change management, from a traditional perspective, has become obsolete. As a managerial concept, it is becoming evident by the day that change cannot be managed given the pace and other realities of the world today. Change can only be embraced, and firms made aware and ready for it in a way that adapting to evolution is easier. Modern successful firms such as Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook are good examples of organizations that have killed the idea of change management, and rather embraced changes in the business world as a competitive advantage (MacArthur). Because even current shareholders want to deliver results in a more sustainable and quicker manner, the context of operation must adapt to changes while setting these goals and objectives straight. Fixed boundaries must be replaced with flexible options that not only drive change but allow a firm to shape and bend in whatever direction evolution dictates. For example, the use of artificial intelligence in the workplace will very soon replace many processes, even at the managerial level. Instead of fighting such technological developments, it would be better for organizations to find ways to adapt and incorporate said changes to the corporate culture. After all, such evolutionary developments will not be avoided in the future.
In my opinion, the traditional management concepts of planning, organizing, analyzing, and assessing factors relating to an organization are no longer viable in the face of change. Control and command now cower in the presence of tactical shifts. As a result, military-style organizational cultures will slowly but surely die out. The top-down ideology that dictated the change in the last few centuries no longer applies to the current business environment (MacArthur). There is an excellent departure from these conventional approaches to managing change as more firms realize the futility of managing it using rigid corporate structures. I have also realized that employees are a complete function of change and must, therefore, be treated as such. Firms that have a more rigid style of change management tend to exclude employee opinion. However, modernity dictates that the decision-making process be inclusive of the opinion, feedback, and ideas of those working at the implementation level.
In conclusion, organizational change management is a strategic managerial concept that has brought waves to the global business today. While still being sidelined by corporates and firms using traditional approaches, change, and its deemed management will define success in the present era of fast-paced shifts. Critically, Forbes article breaks down the problems that are associated with conventional approaches. Like every other sector of life, change management should become a critical component of every organization. This means that outdated methodologies that focus on the top-level management more than predicting shifts in patterns and involving employees in the decision-making process will suffer losses and other negative consequences, because their main focus is tackling challenges associated with resistance and rigidity.
Works Cited
MacArthur, H.V. “Leading Change Management In The Modern Workplace”. Forbes. May, 2019. Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/hvmacarthur/2019/05/28/leading-change-management-in-the-modern-workplace/#481449a52d37