Literature Critique

LITERATURE CRITIQUE

Literature Critique

Tiffany Burgi

School of Business, Liberty University

Author Note

By submitting this assignment, I attest this submission represents my own work, and not that of

another student, scholar, or internet source. I understand I am responsible for knowing and

correctly utilizing referencing and bibliographical guidelines.

LITERATURE CRITIQUE

the company’s control.

Keywords: change, workplace, levers, environment

LITERATURE CRITIQUE

Literature Critique

Introduction

Possessing knowledge and skills for how to create successful changes in both your

personal life and in a professional setting are essential. Currently, with how the world around us

is changing, there is no way to avoid leading change in the workplace and there are many

approaches to enacting change. For leaders, they need to know what to do to be successful, and

there are also aspects they need to avoid so they do not fail in implementing and maintaining

those changes. Finding resources to lead you as a leader in relation to change is important and

change leaders are trying to make or established in the workplace. There are also things that can

hinder or prevent us from succeeding when trying to make changes. The book shows how failure

is not always because no one tries nor leadership be fully blamed for changes failing to be

established. Shea and Solomon (2020) want us to look at a failure and see what can be done to

ensure that change will take effect next time or even what should be avoided. They also discuss

how a behavior may be the issue and that it needs to be altered to make an impact on change.

Change is challenging, but it is not unattainable for those that want it.

The first chapter discusses how we can change to fit the environments we are leading in.

Shea and Solomon (2020) point out that we need to remember the basics when it comes to

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change and not to overthink it. They also point out that those in charge cannot solely be

responsible for all the change. They can lead the change but the workers, the ones being led, are

the ones that make the changes. Shea and Solomon (2020) believe that the workers will adapt if

you create the environment needed to be set up for success. Overall, "1. focus on the behaviors

you want from people. 2. Design the work environment to foster those behaviors" (Shea &

Solomon, 2020, p. 8) sums up the first chapter well.

The second chapter focuses on how you need to make sure you are clear about what

changes need to happen. They want you to have a good story for the transition that will occur in

Levers of Change. The Levers of Change are the organization, workplace design, task people,

rewards, measurement, information distribution and decision allocation (Shea & Solomon,

2020). The chapter goes on to explain each one more in-depth and notes that when there is a

change to one of the levers, it will modify the work environment.

The fourth chapter looks at how one change to the work environment affects the other.

An example the book provided is when new technology is introduced. New technology will

affect the "workflows (Task), teams (Organization), roles (Organization, People, Information

Distribution), and Decision Allocations" (Shea & Solomon, 2020, p. 35).

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The last chapter discusses when it is and is not the right time to make a change. The

authors' theory is that if you are not going to alter at least four of the change levers in a

significant and impactful way, then it is not the time to enact the change. Additionally, if you are

not able to stay committed to the change and to its sustainability, then it is also not the right time

to make them. When the Change Levers are implemented in the right way, the culture will

change in the workplace.

The authors support the idea that significant change to workplace settings/environment

are able to happen when said change is applied appropriately. The text provides insight and a

When there is a change in the workplace, the leadership can initiate it, but it is the

employees being led that make the change. Leadership needs to lay out a clear plan for the

change, but it will not go far if the employees are not on board with the plans for change. In one

study, the reason a new program implementation ended up being successful was because the

employees fully supported it and they even lad the initiative to make it successful (Koide et al.,

2021). The employees are the change-makers. We need to make sure we have them set up in the

best way to ensure the changes that leadership is wanting to make become successful. This kind

of employee support made me think of "Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of

love and good works" (Hebrews 10:24, New Living Translation). As Christians in the workplace,

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we should always look for ways to motivate each other and those we are leading. When

leadership makes sure that the employees feel included, they will embrace change more (2020).

When you feel like you are included in something, especially something big, you are going to

want to see it succeed.

Levers of Change

The levers the text discusses are eight steps. Each lever is helpful in the majority of

workplaces. Organizations, design, tasks, people, rewards and measurement can be applied to

most workplaces. When you get into more specialized work or places that have a narrow focus

appropriate time to make changes. When thinking back to the book, they suggested that if you

are not going to make changes to four of the levers, you should not be starting changes in the

workplace. Also, often when different kinds of workplaces were looking at the levers to change,

the barriers were also addressed (Loughlin et al., 2020). Barriers are also an important aspect to

take into consideration. If there are hard and fast things that a workplace is not able to change,

that also needs to be addressed. "Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed"

(Proverbs 16:3, New Living Translation). Making the best-laid plans for the best outcome have

the potential for success. We need to ensure that we have thought of all the angels to develop the

best game plan for success.

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Workplace Environment

The text talks about how the workplace environment is an important dynamic to consider

when enacting change. I would go as far as to say the workplace environment is always an

important aspect to keep on the leadership's radar but an even more important thing when

making changes to the workplace. When the workplace environment is taken into consideration,

employees' productivity improves and there is also a benefit that it will translate to the people the

company serves (Maassen et al., 2021). When making changes to a workplace environment,

making sure it is benefiting the employees needs to be the first thing that is taken into

of what a workplace environment should be and look like (Leslie et al., 2021). Even more now

with COVID, the workplace environment is constantly changing. COVID has forced all work

environments to shift and make changes. Most companies did not have plans established about

what to do when a global pandemic happened. Due to COVID, you may be working from home,

part-time in the office and full time in the office workplace. Additionally, mask requirements

have been a constant changing recommendation. Change is always happening in our and out of

our control but change needs to occur in the workplace. Whether or not those changes were

forced by outside entities, it is the company's responsibility to take ownership of the changes and

how to implement them.

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Constant Change

One important thing that I feel like the book should have touched on was the frequency of

change. If a workplace is constantly enacting change, the employees are not going to be content

and they may feel like they never have a real hold on what they are required to do. When this

happens, the turnover rate of employees can quickly become a problem (Arvidsson et al., 2021).

Change typically is a good thing, especially in the workplace. But too much of it can take away

the employee's sense of security. Constant change can lead to poor performance because workers

may be more alert or uncertain about their expectations, which may lead employees to search for

change or changes in the workplace. It is essential that leaders also plan for the changes they

cannot control, even if those changes seem unlikely. Furthermore, having the employee's support

when implementing the changes that need to be made, I believe, is key to the success of changes

that are implemented. The book, Leading Successful Change, takes you through a well laid-out

way to decide what and when change needs to be made in the workplace. It also makes you

consider when it is best to make changes or refrain from making changes.

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References

Arvidsson, I., Leo, U., Oudin, A., Nilsson, K., Håkansson, C., Österberg, K., & Persson, R.

management.KAgronomy for Sustainable Development,K41(3), 1–18.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-021-00700-4K

Holy Bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure

Koide, K., Okamoto, R., Makabe, M., Tanaka, M., & Nakase, K. (2021). A feasibility evaluation

of an employee-led brief health promotion program to promote lifestyle change in the

workplace.KJournal of Primary Care & Community Health,K12, 1–5.

https://doi.org/10.1177/2150132721993649K

Leslie, B., Anderson, C., Bickham, C., Horman, J., Overly, A., Gentry, C., Callahan, C., & King,

J. (2021). Generation Z perceptions of a positive workplace environment.KEmployee

Responsibilities and Rights Journal,K33(3), 171–187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-021-