Change

Do some research and answer the following critical thinking questions from this week’s readings. In your analysis, cite a minimum of three (3) references from different sources (the textbook can be one source).Business man in a suit comtemplating with plan on chalkboard behind him.

Dealing with change is an ongoing challenge for every manager. Describe how an organization can tell that it needs to change. What are indicators that change is needed?
Organizational development (OD) is a set of techniques for implementing a planned change to make people and organizations more effective. Describe metrics that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of a planned change, and explain why it is often difficult for managers to implement change.
Social psychologist Kurt Lewin developed a three-stage model. Summarize the model and provide an example of how that model was implemented or used in your company (or previous one) or a change initiative.
Your submission should be a minimum of two (2), double-spaced, full pages of analysis with proper reference citation per current APA guidelines.

ANSWER

Change Management Process

Organizational change refers to operations in which a business or an industry modifies its primary components from one state of affairs to another. A change in an environment normally needs change within the institution operating within the environment. The process can be affected with diverse resistance raging from cultural to human aspects; hence, hindering the overall process. To facilitate change, major processes can be initiated to decrease workers’ anxiety and ease the transformation process. Frequently, the simple operation of engaging workers in the change process can lower their resistance to change. Organizational change can take numerous forms, such as its structure, processes, policy, or culture. The paper thus discusses more on change procedures and their effectiveness.

Indicators of Change

Unsatisfactory performance is one indicator that a business needs change within its operations. Every business has its goals and missions, and it must also measure how well it’s performing compared to the objectives. When the business plus its administration are constantly surprised by industry news or unwanted obstacles, there is an existing gap between the company’s market perceptions. It also means that the business is not effectively positioned and that it requires prompt change actions (Contributor, 2017). If the competitors are doing better, the organization should implement change strategies. Any business that wants to maintain a long-term survival should try and enhance its market status. As the world is changing, there are continuously emerging markets and niches plus opportunities presenting themselves for the taking. These opportunities will need some changes in the organization’s operations.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of Planned Change

Accessing the change management effectiveness requires a focus on measuring personal transition success in response to the planned change. An institutional advantage is only evident if a significant mass of the impacted people implements and use the change. Therefore, measuring personal transitions’ success requires one first to evaluate the transition to a reasonable degree. Once this has been effectively evaluated, it is possible to measure personal progress in making the transition. Competency is also a significant metric as it describes how well the change has been adopted. Following feature usage presents critical insights on how adequately the planned change had been acknowledged. On the other hand, change needs constant commitment to engage people and their perceptions in the process (Levine, 2017). However, several change efforts fail because of a lack of comprehending the dynamics of such changes. In most cases, workers resist organizational change efforts, making it harder to initiate a successful change program.

Kurt Lewin’s Change Model

Kurt Lewin designed a change plan engaging three phases, namely unfreezing, changing, and freezing. The plan outlines a very easy and practical way to embrace the change procedure. Change must go through the first step of unfreezing because several people will naturally oppose the process. The freezing step has a primary goal of creating awareness of how the status quo, or existing level of acceptability, affects the business in some ways. Now that people are unfrozen, they can start to move forward with the plan. The changing step is associated with the actual implementation of the change. The changing phase is normally marked with fear and uncertainty, making it the hardest action to overcome. Finally, the refreezing phase describes reinforcing, solidifying, and alleviating the new state after the change process. Toyota Company, this model was used to incorporate technological advances that would promote active production of automotive vehicles and other critical procedures.

References

Contributor, S. (2017, March 18). Determining the Need for Change in an Organization |. https://www.shmula.com/determining-the-need-for-change-in-an-organization/22516/.

Kakucha, W. N. (2015). The Role of Charismatic Leadership in Change Management Using Kurt Lewin’s Three Stage Model. The International Journal of Business & Management, 3(10), 634.

Levine, S. (2017, August 22). Why Is Implementing Change So Hard? https://stuartlevine.com/articlesbystuart/why-is-implementing-change-so-hard/.