RESPOND TO THE TWO CLASSMATES. 500 WORDS EACH. SUBMIT AS TWO SEPARATE FILES ADDRESSING EACH PERSON'S NAME

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CHANGES OF ORGANIZATIONS

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CHANGES OF ORGANIZATIONS

Discussion Board 4: Changes of Organizations

John Ireland

Author Note

John Ireland

I have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Changes of Organizations

Introduction

Organizational changes and reengineering are as old as organizations' existence and even referenced in the bible. The story of Moses and his father-in-law (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Exodus 18:13-27) discussing the people's judgment is an example of how delegation of authority can be implemented and handed down to others to complete the same judgment that Moses was employed and responsible for. It is equivalent to organizational leadership delegating authority to make decisions and effect changes with the limited risk involved. It is one of the first examples of a loosely coupled system. A loosely coupled system reduces the risk that a change made within one element will create unanticipated changes within other elements (Tech Target, 2011). Today, organizational changes have several factors of consideration by an organization to reduce the risk associated with decisions to implement changes. Those factors include the organizational structure, the current strategy, and the environmental impact on the market and industry.

The Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world stage in early 2020 is a prime example of recent changes that affect the changes that impact organizational operations today. The changes included a teleworking environment where employees considered non-essential to the traditional in-person approach could work using technology platforms to communicate and remain productive at a safe distance, not infecting or becoming infected by a deadly virus. Like anything encountered in life that is not ideal, knowing that God has a plan already in place for us and digging deep to persevere for a better day is essential to come out victorious on the other side. Merida, Platt, and Akin (2015) say “we should be reminded of the grace of God, who brings refreshing fall-like seasons in our life (Merida, Platt, & Akin, 2015, p.277).”

Remote Workforce

An emerging switch in how organizations had to adapt and rapidly respond to a change to the working environment that affected millions around the globe was a remote working environment to continue operations. Something considered impossible became a welcomed necessity to continue operations and maintain the same level of service and production as before the pandemic hit. The rise in how many organizations embraced and executed a telework posture almost quadrupled.

Early estimates suggested that, due to the pandemic, approximately 50% of the European workforce worked remotely compared with 12% prior to the pandemic (Ahrendt, Cabrita, Clerici, Hurley, & Leončikas, 2020). Private sector organizations were moving toward telework as an option to continue operations, and the public sectors were as well. The Department of Defense (DoD) identified non-essential or non-critical personnel as members allowed to telework

Past Summary

Remote work or telework was always available to civilian federal workers in the DoD, but not on a permanent or temporary basis. It was situational and on a case-by-case basis that depended on the situation. The main reason for this was security concerns and the old ideology of needing to be present to accomplish tasks and projects. However, in times of a pandemic, where the spread of the disease is crucial, working from home is a critical opportunity and can give a competitive advantage to sustain and improve the performance of organizations (Galanti, Guidetti, Mazzei, Zappalà, & Toscano, 2021).

Like many other organizations, the DoD quickly realized that the same work could be accomplished, with even higher proficiency levels, from home through a telework posture. The only concerning issue that is still prevalent is how to disseminate top-secret information, but even that hurdle became less challenging through the installation of secure virtual private networks (VPNs) on home computers.

Current Summary

Trust in the personnel is the only way organization's can see the benefits of remote work. The change from the transactional leadership style where structure, monitoring, and micro-management embody managers to the transformational leadership style where teams are built, trust is instilled, and positive change for the organization and the individual is welcomed. Job autonomy is a significant job resource for employees, and, in the proper doses, it encourages profitable innovations at work (Zappalà, Toscano, Polevaya, & Kamneva, 2021). Not every aspect of the DoD can be telework eligible. There are necessary things that require personnel to be present for operations to continue. Still, staying current with certifications and training remained possible in the remote environment. Evidence shows that eLearning can enhance education, overcome geographic isolation and be as effective as other training methods (Fontaine, 2019).

Possibilities included defense medical technicians remaining certified through remote training became a reality. This could be achieved by providing a central, secure online resource bank, such as Defence Connect by SMOs, Training Wings, or the Surgeon General’s staff (Hodgetts, Claireaux, & Naumann, 2021). Web-based teaching that combines online and in-person learning (hybrid) has synergistic benefits and is the way of the future even after the pandemic to respond to future crises. Learning is just one way the DoD stays current and relevant with the world’s changes, constantly adapting to technology and applying innovative thinking.

Multigenerational Workforce

Leaders of organizations often manage as many as five generations at once, each with distinct preferences, experiences, and viewpoints that pose challenges and opportunities (Graystone, 2019). Different viewpoints from various perspectives and life experiences will improve the organization. Leaders across the organization need to understand how to manage each generation under them and what motivates them to achieve the organization’s goals and objectives. The idea of people working for an organization until retirement is long gone in the newer generation. Keller and Alsdorf (2012) addressed this in the statement, “while such a line of thought might have seemed self-indulgent to my parent's generation, we know dozens of people for whom those questions led to a new vocation (Keller & Alsdorf, 2012, p. 72).”

Extrinsic values in terms of status and money were preferred more by Generation Z in comparison to the baby boomers (Yang, Yu, & Wu, 2018). Intrinsic motivating factors such as challenging assignments, recognition, and professional growth may be attractive to both. With as many as four generations sharing one table, age diversity in the modern workplace is a unique phenomenon that companies are experiencing for the first time (Glass, 2007). Leaders in the organization must be able to manage the balance of their subordinates effectively without compromising the mission.

Past Summary

Understanding the work value of different generations, their convergence, divergence, and their impact on their work behavior becomes critical with new generations entering and older generations departing with the experience and knowledge of an organization departing with them (Singh, Verma, & Chaurasia, 2021). In the past, life experiences and vested interest in an organization or company proved invaluable compared to education and skillset for accomplishing the organization's goals. The newer generation brings so much more to the table, and a combined effort of multi-generations is the recipe for success and growth. It was common practice to promote from within and keep talent internal to the organization, but even the promotion from within culture and outlook did not achieve the notoriety and success without the help and assistance from others. The bible has a passage from Hebrews 10:24-25 that reads, “Let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works (King James Bible, 1769/2017, Hebrews 10:24-25).” This passage means that sometimes people rely more on others to accomplish their goals, but it is challenging without the help of others.

Current Summary

Generational differences, whether a myth or reality, are real and are prevalent in managers' heads that cause them to respond and react to how workers interact and approach projects, including assignments on a team (Van Rossem, 2019). New vocations and options are plentiful for all to attain and not feel locked in or stuck, which brings about a melting pot of talent. Organizations are more open to receiving talent, regardless of the pool, it pulls from. Diversity and inclusivity in the workplace is a top priority to create an environment for the employee and customer that is welcoming. Nevertheless, around 58% of the human resource (HR) professionals experience intergenerational conflict due to differing perceptions on varied factors such as value-based, behavior-based, and identity-based factors. (Urick, 2017). The DoD is an organization that is as diverse in age, gender, and race as they come, and it is the most successful in terms of might and action.

Historical Analysis of Organizations

Management who are advised and directed with concerned, verifiable data through observations or experience are the most effective in executing the organization’s objective of change and seeing the vision through to fruition. Institutional knowledge and perspective are vital to understanding where the organization was and how it can move to a strategic and competitive position. Ignoring the past and not relying on the data from the past or what did or did not work well will inevitably result in stagnancy and increasing maintenance and create a barrier to change. An organization that can leverage the data collected and use it to make decisions to propel it forward or make the necessary changes to remain current and relevant do so without guesswork or at the expense of wasted resources.

Data-Drive Decision-Making

Data-driven decision-making is one of the most important ways leaders within an organization can exploit its advantage. Without data, leadership is left with only opinions and intuition to rely upon efficient decision-making efforts. Scott (2007) mentions that “even the most self-consciously neutral and precise scientific exercise, ‘empirical observations’ represents only an explicit focus (Scott & Davis, 2007, p.369).” Although opinion and intuition are essential when applied in the right frame, as they can steer the organization to look into significant areas of interest, they should not be the determining factor for the decisions made.

Personal Perspective

The most effective organizations know what is under their control and what is not to affect organizational changes. These organizations put more weight on the efforts of supporting data that reveals the most advantageous outcome possible without expending unnecessary means to test a decision when considering changes. On the flip side, some organizations rely on and follow what is successful for other organizations in the competitive space that is out of their control and not tested internally. Focusing efforts on changes that aim to build the brand, redesigning a website, increasing the digital footprint, and digital advertisements may all work well for one organization in the same industry, but it may result in fruitless and often painful lessons learned if followed blindly and without supporting data.

Over the years, organizations have seen changes that would not be possible or within the realm of possibilities to be possible and considered a success. As organizations move into the twenty-first century, it is more apparent than previously known societal systems are no longer suitable (Brown, 2009). The traditional dynamic of the workforce has changed, allowing more opportunities, outlook, and growth, which only strengthens the organization, not hinders. Environmental, social, and international events have proven to be the driving force behind the recent changes. The thought of a remote workforce was not a reality or considered a moonshot only five years ago. Managers have had to adapt to a change in supervising employees, from managing time to managing performances based on output from a remote environment. Communication and the need for expenses on office spaces changed, resulting in budgets being more flexible and freed up. Adaptable and flexibly innovative organizations can be the difference between reaching and exceeding objectives' expectations.

Conclusion

Changes within an organization’s structure brought up positives that were not initially forecasted. Working from home is one of those changes not foreseen as positive outcomes upon rollout and execution. Not only is telework an embedded and ingrained part of an organization, but it is also an attractive option that job seekers look for in an organization. Remote and hybrid settings are now specifically sought as an option for recruiters and potential employees seeking new opportunities. Even the Pentagon announced that it would implement the lessons it learned throughout the pandemic to create a more efficient and effective workforce, and telework is here to stay to make the DoD a more flexible and attractive employer (Maucione, 2022).

Organization’s have strategically placed younger employees in leadership roles to steer the organization toward what is current and trending and provide a different perspective and outlook on the organization's future. This fresh outlook ensures that organizations remain competitive, productive, and innovative. The DoD has a hierarchal structure with vast generational diversity of leadership and front-line level personnel comprised of knowledgable and effective people strategically placed to respond to daily and long-term tasks. Recent changes that organizations have embraced included a multigenerational workforce that now embodies younger leadership that brings a fresh outlook to the organization's direction, working collaboratively with experienced and long-term professionals within the organization.

References

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Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design. Harper Collins Publishers.

Fontaine, G., Cossette, S., Maheu-Cadotte, M.A., Mailhot, T., Deschenes, M.F., Mathieu-Dupuis, G., Cote, J., Gagnon, M.P., Dube, V. (2019). Efficacy of adaptive e-learning for health professionals and students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open, 9(1), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-025252

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Keller, T., & Alsdorf, L. (2012). Every Good Endeavor. Penguin Random House.

King James Bible. (2017). King James Bible Online. https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/ (Original work published 1769)

Maucione, S. (2022, March 17). DoD mulls how to return to office, promises telework is here to stay. Federal News Network. https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2022/03/dod-mulls-how-to-return-to-office-promises-telework-is-here-to-stay/

Merida, T., Platt, D. & Akin, D. (2015). Christ-Centered Exposition: Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Kings. B&H Publishing Group.

Scott, W. R., & Davis, G. F. (2007). Organizations and Organizing: Rational, Natural, and Open System Perspectives. Routledge.

Singh, V., Verma, S., & Chaurasia, S. (2021). Intellectual structure of multigenerational workforce and contextualizing work values across generations: a multistage analysis. International Journal of Manpower, 42(3), 470-487. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJM-04-2019-0207.

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Urick, M. (2017). Adapting training to meet the preferred learning styles of different generations, International Journal of Training and Development, 21(1), 53-59. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijtd.12093

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Van Rossem, A. H. (2019). Generations as social categories: An exploratory cognitive study of generational identity and generational stereotypes in a multigenerational workforce. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 40(4), 435-455. https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1002/job.2341

Zappalà, S., Toscano, F., Polevaya, M., & Kamneva, E. (2021). Personal initiative, passive-avoidant leadership and support for innovation as antecedents of nurses’ idea generation and idea implementation. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 53(1), 96-105. https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12615