Respond to two (2) Colleagues W8D1 Wald
Discussion 1: The Organization of the Future
Throughout this course, you have engaged in several facets of the change process. As you’ve probably realized, change can often run into unexpected obstacles, resistance, or failing momentum. As a change agent in your organization, this Discussion will give you a chance to explore some of those obstacles and how you might craft a strategy to manage them.
Take a moment and go back to the work you did on your Change Plan in Week 3. Examine the description of your organization “5 years into the future.” Consider the importance of planning and leadership as change is planned for and implemented. As you reflect on your description, think about how your organization would function if your suggested changes were implemented.
To prepare for this Discussion:
Review this week’s Learning Resources, especially:
· Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Chapter 11 – 12 Notes – See attachments
· Organizational Change - 14.3 Organizational Change – Organizational Behavior (umn.edu)
· Six keys to leading to positive - Six keys to leading positive change: Rosabeth Moss Kanter at TEDxBeaconStreet - YouTube
Assignment:
Respond to at least two of your peers' postings in one or more of the following ways:
· Compare the characteristics you selected with those your colleague chose and what your comparison teaches you about effectively leading or managing transformational change.
· Offer examples of a leader who possesses the characteristics your colleague identified and explain how the leaders employed the characteristic to effect change.
· Offer insights about how your colleague could further hone his or her skills to continue to develop as a change master and why those skills might be important.
· Examine how your colleague plans to use the knowledge and skills from the course to become an agent for social change and offer additional insights to your colleague that will further his or her ability to lead positive social change.
· Suggest a social change vision that you and your colleague might share and how you might collaborate beyond this course to bring that vision to life.
· 3 – 4 paragraphs
· No plagiarism
· APA citing
1st Colleague – Kristen Springer
Kristen Springer – D1W8
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Now that I have worked through how I would implement the upgrade of the software for the nursing staff of my organization using Kotter’s eight-stage process, I have started to evaluate the effectiveness of my vision. I believe it is a viable vision, but I am having an “ah-ha” moment regarding teamwork. The first flaw I noticed in my own leadership skills, is that in the past, I rush through the first four stages. I know now that I need to take my time on all stages as they are all so important. But now I am realizing how even though I have a team, I’m not leading them efficiently. I am from Generation X, but I am very influenced by the Boomer mentality which focuses on talent. “I can also imagine a day when big egos and snakes are eliminated from promotion lists, no matter how smart, clever, hardworking, or well educated they are. Such people kill teamwork. They create problems today, but in a more rapidly changing future world, the consequences of their actions might well become completely unacceptable” (Kotter, 2012, p. 172). Along with talent comes ego. I know I have great talent understanding the technicalities of our computer software and unfortunately, I’m realizing that my own ego is getting in the way. I am exhausted just thinking about this projected project because I have an ingrained culture of doing it all myself. This is what I have always done. Due to past experiences, I don’t trust many people to do anything correctly. I need to work through this to embrace these new ideas on teamwork and the idea of removing barriers. I know in order to succeed; I need to learn to be a leader that empowers my team with my skills.
My hope is that after the ‘go LIVE’ of the nursing implementation, the focus of the Emergency Department (E.D.) will be back on the patient, not on the tedious software. The factors that will influence my plan would be the hierarchy in the management of the E.D., the ingrained culture, and keeping up with constant change. The Director of the E.D. may have a change of heart and start to micromanage this project. The negative culture of the nursing staff towards the Information Technology (I.T) department may resurface. Turnover of staff may occur which will slow down the progress. Staying focused, delegating tasks, and taking care of my own stress will be my strategies. “Even today, the best-performing firms I know that operate in highly competitive industries have executives who spend most of their time leading, not managing, and employees who are empowered with the authority to manage their work groups” (Kotter, 2012, p. 175).
The characteristics I need to let shine through are honestly, patience, and adaptability. Being willing to learn new things and apply them right away can keep me heading towards my goal of a successful implementation. “Nowhere are terms such as brilliant, dynamic, visionary or charismatic used to describe him then, much less leader” (Kotter, 2012, p. 185). Let us also never forget kindness. Being kind is so simple yet so often forgotten in our fast-paced world. My ego must be placed on the wayside. It is not important to be the smartest person in the room but rather to be a lifelong learner (Kotter, 2012). I know that complacency will continue to pop up when I least expect it. Complacency must be constantly fought. Nursing staff in the E.D. become exhausted, especially with the current pandemic. The ever-changing policies and procedures can impact my software upgrade project. My last thought is to avoid fear. I cannot be afraid of this new model of management, of leading by example, of touching hearts, of letting go of egos; I can’t be afraid of my mistakes. Mistakes will make me stronger and correcting them will lead to positive social change. “Mistakes are the pathway to great ideas and innovation, and with the support of their leader, people are set up to learn (rather than set up to fail) from experimenting and venturing outside of their comfort zones” (Kouzes & Posner, 2017, p. 186).
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons.
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2nd Colleague – Natasha Mills
Natasha Mills
The Organization of the Future
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Other than the proposed change vision for my organization being long overdue, it is also effective. “…it motivates people to take action in the right direction, even if the initial steps are personally painful” (Kotter, 2012, p.88). Another element that proves its effectiveness is the ability to find strategies to implement all the eight stages of the change process, which are all critical and significant contributors to the success of the change vision. Lastly, at no point have I considered changing the change vision for my organization since I identified it in Week 3. All these factors make my change vision effective, viable, and worth pursuing until the organization achieves a successful transformation. Further, the factors lead me to the conclusion that my change vision does not need any changes.
Currently, my organization looks segregated due to people’s commitment to their various departments. Most of the interactions between employees are with their fellow team members except those at the top who have to interact for effective operations. This trend has had negative implications on the organization's performance, leading to the necessity of the change vision that is currently in motion. After the change vision is implemented, my organization will be very different in the sense that interpersonal communication and interactions between employees, irrespective of their departments, will be heightened. There will also be a significant difference in the level of collaboration and trust between teams from the various departments. The overall result will be a unified enterprise with a highly collaborative workforce, that, in turn, will work together toward increasing customer satisfaction. Simply, the change vision will enable the organization members to understand their differences, pay attention to each other, and create new ways of working together (Schein, 2009). This will result in organizational success that will have a ripple effect and positively impact all those with a stake in the enterprise.
The main factors that may influence my change management plan are the organization’s systems and formal structures. Members of the organization are aware that a redesign is needed. However, they have become so accustomed to its current structures and systems that it will be difficult to push for the needed change and maintain that change once it has been achieved. Failure to remove these structures and systems barriers in good time will adversely influence my ability to implement the change vision. The employees will likely get frustrated and reduce their effort toward the entire transformation process (Kotter, 2012). Therefore, I have to ensure that these factors are adequately addressed for a successful transformation.
The characteristics that I possess as a change leader and manager will significantly aid in achieving the change vision. I possess high levels of emotional intelligence that I believe will be fundamental in effectively leading and managing the change vision. “People are sensitive to the emotions that undermine change, and they find ways to reduce those feelings. People are sensitive to the emotions that facilitate change, and they find ways to enhance those feelings” (Kotter & Cohen, 2002, p.180). As a result, I will be able to identify emotional triggers and effectively address them, deal with emotional situations that may arise, and attain emotional balance during the entire process of the transformation.
Consequently, I possess communication skills that can be equated with professional excellence. Whereas the effectiveness of the transformation will significantly depend on leading by example, excellent communication strategies will also play a crucial role. “Change leaders show people the truth with a variety of creative live presentations and events. They use videotape of both angry and joyful customers. They rely on vivid stories, even tales of bodies in living rooms” (Kotter & Cohen, 2002, p.180). In other words, my emotional intelligence, excellent communication skills, and ability to lead by example will help me lead and manage the change effectively. Also, they make me sufficiently prepared to be an effective change manager and leader.
Based on the above facets, it is logical to state that my change management skills and characteristics will positively impact my organization. At the same time, the skills will help me become an agent for social change because they will not only contribute to an improvement of the organization and thereby its people, but also the society at large by ensuring the production of excellent goods and services that in turn lead to customer satisfaction. This means that the identified change management skills and characteristics will positively impact the competitive capacity of the organization (Kotter, 2012). Competitive capacity is widely associated with social change.
Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Kotter, J. P., & Cohen, D. S. (2002). The heart of change: Real-life stories of how people change their organizations. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.
Schein, E. H. (2009). The corporate culture survival guide (Vol. 158). John Wiley & Sons.
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