ANSWER 2 DISCUSSIONS ATTACHED
KCplul76
DavidWileydiscussion6.1.docxINSTRUCTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
· PLEASE post the responses to this Discussion Below from my classmates. PLEASE posts with meaningful and relevant responses that add value to the original post or the discussion.
· Write in a clear, concise, and organized manner; demonstrate ethical scholarship in accurate representation and attribution of sources (i.e., APA format); and use accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Possible Dissertation Topics
Topic One:
The internal consultant: Maintaining interpersonal relationships through organizational change.
An internal consultant has the advantage to be part of the organizational fabric where they are immersed in the daily politics of the organization. I feel this topic would be helpful in exploring the benefits and boundaries that an internal consultant has to endure. According to Block (2011), an internal consultant has a status in an organization that can be limiting to the access of top management because of their level in the organization as compared to an external consultant. This study could be beneficial in helping internal consultants build and maintain stronger interpersonal relationships within their organization while boosting their ability to get line managers on their side and to accept their ideas and policies from their department.
Topic Two:
Maintaining the organizational culture through times of change.
Organizational change is often challenged by those who are well versed in the culture. A consultant is essentially there to shake up the complacency of the organization and to find what is causing the culture to shift. I believe this study would be beneficial in helping a consultant to understand better the politics of an organization and how to navigate the powers that be, that are working against the consultant and the leadership in implementing new changes leading the resistance. Uhl-Bien, Schermerhorn, and Osborn (2014), defines organizational politics as members of an organization that seek resources to achieve desired goals through informal systems and structures. It is important for a consultant to build and maintain trust and to break through countercultures within the organization to keep the outwardly rejection of the organization to a minimum (Uhl-Bien et al., 2014).
Topic Three:
Overcoming resistance in cross-generational leadership teams.
Resistance in organizations is a natural occurrence that I believe can be magnified by the existence of multigenerational teams. There are approximately four generations in the workforce now with three in positions of leadership, Baby Boomers (1946-1964), Generation Xers (1965-1980) and Millennials (1981-1999), (Hershatter & Epstein, 2010). Different extent literature defines the generations differently and takes into consideration cuspers, or people born on the cusp of the beginning or end of a generational group. The problems associated with generational differences in the organization is that all generations perceive each generational cohort differently (Meriac, Woehr & Banister, 2010), they share different behaviors and their work ethic is different.
The study could help consultants to better understand the generational cohorts and how to appease each of them yet setting a standard goal for the organization that is approachable and attainable. It is important to understand the roles of each cohort and their leadership styles to better prepare for the oncoming resistance that will be inherent in each cohort.
