An example of a previous situation where I experienced change was when my company
decided to combine the two instances of Salesforce, we used for our two product lines. The IT
team created the new system without input from any of the departments that were actually
using the system and it was a disaster. We were previously told the new system was coming
but did not receive a lot of formal training before the go live date. When we started using the
new system it was completely chaotic, when we would ask questions of why this was missing
or that wasn’t there, we would receive answers like “we didn’t think about that” or “its not
important” (even when it was). After about a month or two of complaining, we finally were
able to schedule weekly meetings with IT to go over what our pain points were and what
needed to added/adjusted. Progress was slow at first but these meetings were mutually
beneficial to both my team and the IT team because we learned a lot about each other’s jobs
which gave us better understanding for the issues we were facing. c
I think initial approach taken by both teams were wrong. The IT team should have consulted
with my team when creating the new system to understand what was needed for us to do our
jobs and probably could have given more formal trainings before going live with the new
system. Me and my team could have been more embracing of the change and less frustrated
every time something went wrong. The main disconnect was the fact that IT did not
understand our jobs and we did not understand what went into their jobs. After months of
having meetings and communicating with each other things did get better and almost all of our
issues were resolved.
I am transitioning from my current role on the accounts payable team to a staff
accountant role. The change management skills that I will I have found most relevant in this
class that I plan to apply include approaching this position with an open mind, effectively
communicating questions and comments during training and actively listening.
Throughout my experience in the engineering world thus far, I have been exposed to many
dynamic situations. In terms of specific examples of change in my professional career, I will
touch on the implementation of design templates at a previous employer. This particular
organization was a machinery OEM for wire & cable equipment, which often grew into large
systems, taking over a year to engineer. Having started as an intern, I was exposed to many of
the internal engineering practices from front to back, often learning how clumsy things were.
While I was there, a staffing slump took place, where degreed engineers were hard to come by.
In an effort to maximize the utilization of the engineering team, I was tasked with developing
& implementing design templates. These templates were created as a combination of all
machinery types, where different configurations could be added, deleted, or modified to tailor
the project. Once compiled, the automated reporting of AutoCAD would like the applicable
sheet cross-references, creating reports and critical information for the user. These reports
were used in conjunction with new-hire designers, in place of degreed engineers, to reduce the
level of critical thinking & calculations required to complete the projects. In the end, these
templates reduced engineering time & mistakes by over 30%, greatly expediting project lead
times and completion dates from the engineering perspective. Looking back, I think I
would’ve approached things a bit differently. Having originally created the templates myself,
without the input or collaboration of others (partially due to a lack of colleagues), it would
have been valuable to integrate the feedback of others to ensure things were as “user-friendly”
as possible. Granted, I knew how the templates worked and they were tailored to my style of
work, but not everyone operates the same way. Skills such as clear, concise communication
are key, and something that has been reinforced throughout this course. There are times when
I need to slow down, observe the situation, then move on, rather than shooting from the hip.
This course has reinforced my obsession with being organized, especially when coordinating
change / communication with others. Moving forward, taking the time to slow down, while
remaining critically organized will lead to successful interactions and opportunities. Thank
you all for a nice term, and best of luck in your future courses.
There are a multitude of instances, both personal and professional, that I could reference for
this post. I think of managing life changes when returning from deployment, starting a family,
or undergoing any major life change. A major life instance is subjective, and we handle
change differently. This course has helped lay the groundwork for change relating to planning,
prioritization, organization, and execution. A specific instance was when I stepped into a
leadership role and inherited a team. It took time, patience, and persistence to instill in the
team the true direction of the organization. This was in a retail setting, but by determining
what motivated each employee, I was able to successfully execute the change in operations to
reflect company initiatives. This included hiring new employees, promoting others, and
having honest conversations about resistance.
The change management skills covered in this course would have been useful when
integrating the changes. I had a core support staff that were the change leaders, but it would
have been more effective to delegate initiatives, instead of attempting to the manage the
change individually. The most important take away from this class has been the importance of
clearly communicating the overall direction of an organization, Presenting the why to every
stakeholder. Although this doesn’t necessarily impact their daily responsibilities, it clarifies
the reasoning and logic behind the change. A change management skill I will apply moving
forward is transparency. Within an organization, there needs to be full transparency. I find
myself more rewarded and fulfilled when I can trust that my colleagues are on the same page
as me. This also opens the door for input and feedback. This will ensure the initiatives are
supported, creates a collaborative team, and allows change to be achieved by and organization,
not an individual.
At the medical clinic where I work, there are a few of my co-workers that are upset about a
new MHS Genesis software program that will be taking over our current system. Change is
essential for growth, but I think the resistance comes from not knowing how to navigate and
the current system works for the tasks required. However, the new system will include more
features such as reports, cross-functional communication, less errors and full medical history
for the patients. Organizations need to adapt to the markets changing needs and
managers/supervisors can help to prepare for these changes by listening to concerns and
explaining the benefits.
Based on the change management skills covered in this course, I would not have used a
different approach. Team leaders have a very important role when implementing change in an
organization and communication is key. Being transparent and honest builds trust in the
manager and the organization through inclusion and understanding. This also helps to reduce
resistance to change.
The change management skills that I found most relevant to my personal and professional life
are to be able to listen and understand the needs of the stakeholders and to be able to
communicate effectively. Have good problem-solving skills. As a leader, there are multiple
types of issues that can happen daily such as technical, inter-personal and performance-based
problems; it is up to a good leader to have the characteristics and experience to be able to
remedy these issues or be able to network and find the information to help solve the problem
for the stakeholder or the organization. The team leader’s skills help to deplete resistance and
improve performance innovations.
Congratulations class, we made it! Thank you, professor, for helping me to better understand
organizational change, change management and ways to prepare and manage my business for
change.
Immediately after graduating from undergraduate school, I accepted a position as a Lean
Manager for a company that manufactures battery cans for Energizer. One of my
responsibilities was to improve the appearance and efficiency of several production areas by
incorporating a lean manufacturing method called 5S. This is an acronym for Sort, Set, Shine,
Standardize, and Sustain (Taneja, 2020). I divided the plant into 16 key areas, created
evaluation criteria for each location, and assigned a weekly auditor to assess a particular area.
I noticed that month after month, the employees performed fewer and fewer5S audits.
c c c c c I handled this situation by explaining to the employees how the data was making us look
bad when I reported it to senior management, which was effective because most of the
employees feared that their performance reviews or raise would be impacted. However, after
learning a multitude of change management approaches in this class, I know that I should have
explained the organizational benefits of 5S and how it improves employees’ ability to focus on
performing more value-added activities, instead of dealing with problems associated with
having an unorganized work environment.
One change management skill that I found interesting was performing a stakeholder
analysis prior to implementing a change. The purpose of doing this is to help determine the
most effective level of communication for each stakeholder and anticipate any resistance, so
that you can counter it (Lucid Content Team, 2021). I believe I will apply this in the future
when I am marketing for trying to persuade a customer to replace their old equipment with my
company’s product(s).
References
Taneja, H. (2020). “What Is 5S?” Quality info.
https://qcin.org/nbqp/knowledge_bank/uploads/2020/09/1600506696_205-Quality-Info-
Journal-15Jan20.pdf
Lucid Content Team. (2021). “How to Perform a Stakeholder Analysis.” How to Do a
c c c c c c c c c c c Stakeholder Analysis | Lucidchart Blog.
https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/how-to-do-a-stakeholder-
analysis#:~:text=A%20stakeholder%20analysis%20allows%20you,for%20the%20opposition
%20you%20anticipate.
Kalenda, M, Hyna, P, Rossi, B. Scaling agile in large organizations: Practices, challenges, and
success factors. J Softw Evol Proc. 2018; 30: e1954. https://doi.org/10.1002/smr.1954
Lewis, L., Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2021). Leading Organizational Change for
Southern New Hampshire University. Wiley Global Education.
https://wileyplus.vitalsource.com/books/9781119832591
