Kim woods (15 5.2 response)

Post #1

Success is aided when change recipients become willing implementers” (Cawsey, Deszca, Ingols, 2016). I am a firm believer in all of the strategies the textbook presented and have seen them have positive effects in my experience. However, the one strategy that I have used as a change leader and as a change recipient is involving people in decision making. The change initiative I am implementing is for an HR department, and this case, the HR leadership can create an HR focus groups that could help implement different phases of the change. It could be around policies, processes, or technology decisions. Additionally, as the HR department goes through the changes, an additional focus group consisting of cross-functional employees can be formed. An example could be as a policy review committee which would be part of the overall decision-making process with respect to policy development, communication and implementation. “The workforce need consistency and to feel included in communication to prevent insecurity and loss of motivation” (Shute, Davies, Clee, Coupland, Melton & Forsyth, 2012).

References

Cawsey, T.F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Shute, R., Davies, G., Clee, S., Coupland, T., Melton, J., & Forsyth, K. (2012). Inclusive communication: a tool for service innovation. British Journal Of Healthcare Management, 18(1), 19-26.

Post #2

According to Stanleigh (2013), "Today an organization must ensure that its culture, work environment, and work processes are meeting the constantly changing requirements of its customers" (p.39). Change is a necessity for any organization in today's competitive environment that we operate in, and as mostly the case with change, it may come with some form of resistance. One of the strategies that can be used to overcome resistance is by engaging employees in the actual change by asking for ideas and suggestions that might help to plan out the implementation of the change; this will lower the level of resistance by the employees (Stanleigh, 2013). A simple example that to illustrate this is when an Army command decides to change the something as simple as the unit crest or even the unit coin. The command engages all Soldiers of the unit in coming up with the new design. An incentive is offered for the Soldier whose designed is selected. By so doing the Soldiers of the unit develops a sense of ownership to the change; this will reduce the possibility of resistance.

Just as there is some employee resistance to change, there are some employees that will remain neutral to the change. A strategy to use for this group will be to effectively communicate to clarify any doubts or confusions that may be lingering. Example of is when the Army decided to abolish the “don’t ask don’t tell” policy, there were Soldiers that were neutral because the change did not affect them personally.

Finally, the positive reaction towards change, communication and employee engagement is the best strategy to address this group. A simple example is a change in certain practices in the organization, such as introducing an incentive for performance and productivity. A commander was trying to implement change that would have a negative effect on our company's logistics. The junior leaders rallied together, and consult with a higher authority, and the change was not implemented due its adverse potential (Cawsey, Deszca & Ingols 2012).

Cawsey, T. F., Deszca, G., & Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational change an action-oriented toolkit. Los Angeles: Sage Publ.

Stanleigh, M. (2013). Leading Change. Journal For Quality & Participation, 36(2), 39-40.

Post #3

When faced with change, organizational members may react positively, negatively or be ambivalent. Identify and discuss one (1) strategy change agents can effectively use for each type of reaction supporting your response with specific examples.

According to Lunenburg (2010), change agents are the individual or group that “undertakes the task of initiating and managing change in an organization” (p. 1). Change agents “may initiate, implement, or facilitate the organizational change” (Cawsey, Deszca, & Ingols, 2016, p. 26). One strategy change agents can effectively use for a positive reaction from employees is involving them in the change process and decision-making. At my previous job, employees were consulted about and involved in the change process. During our meetings, employees were able to give feedback and suggestions on how to improve the overall organization. For the organizational members that may react ambivalent, it is essential to communicate effectively to reduce employees’ uncertainty. A negative correlation exists between uncertainty and employees’ willingness to accept change. My husband’s current unit has a lot of miscommunication between senior leaders. This makes it very difficult for soldiers to communicate effectively with their leaders and understand what is needed from them for the change initiative, which reduces productivity. Lastly, one strategy change agents can use for negative reactions is to use emotional intelligence. This is the capacity to “recognize our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships” (Wittig, 2012, p. 23). As stated above, gaining employee feedback is important during the change process because it allows leaders to not only gain ideas and suggestions on how to improve the change process, but also to see how the process is affecting the employees.

References

Cawsey, T.F., Deszca, G., Ingols, C. (2016). Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit (3rd ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.

Morris, L. (2013). The driving forces of change. Innovation Management. Retrieved online from http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2013/07/18/the-driving-forces-of-change/

Lunenburg, F.C. (2010). Managing Change: The Role of the Change Agent. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 13(1): 1-6.

Wittig, C. (2012). Employees’ Reactions to Organizational Change. OD Practitioner, 44(2): 23-28.