TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 1
SUMMARY 3
AN ARCHETYPICAL ENTRY AND CONTRACTING PROCESS 5
LAWLER’S ENTRY AND CONTRACTING PROCESS 9
ASSESSING LAWLER’S ENTRY AND CONTRACTING PROCESS 11
WHAT WOULD I HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY 14
THEORIES AND MODELS TO MAKE SENSE OUT OF THE DIAGNOSTIC DATA 17
ORGANIZING THE INFORMATION FOR FEEDBACK 22
CARRYING OUT THE FEEDBACK PROCESS 23
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THAT COULD BE COLLECTED 25
CONCLUSION 28
BIBLIOGRAPHY 29
APPENDICES 30
B.R. RICHARDSON TIMBER PRODUCTS CORPORATION
INTRODUCTION
Organizational Development (OD) is concerned with the performance, development, and effectiveness of human organizations. OD is directed at bringing about planned change to increase an organization’s effectiveness and capacity. It is an applied behavioural science that is focused on the organization as a system, and among other issues is concerned with the health of the organization, its effectiveness, its capacity to solve problems, its ability to adapt, change or of self renewal, and its ability to create a high quality of life for its employees.
An organization is defined as two or more people brought together by one or more shared goals. OD promotes the notion that a successful change is a planned change. Monitoring of both internal and external influences needs to be conducted on a continuous basis. To understand how change can be managed, OD draws knowledge and concepts from other disciplines (notably behavioural science, psychology, organization theory).
One of the early approaches to organizational change was provided by Kurt Lewin and his associates. It starts from the premise that targets of change and the social processes underlying them are relatively stable, when forces driving for change are roughly equal to forces resisting the change. To change this status quo requires a three-step process:
1. unfreezing
2. movement
3. refreezing
Unfreezing underscores the need to assess the present situation before change is contemplated. It examines the driving and restraining forces in the change situation that maintains the status quo. This information is essential for unfreezing the current situation and creating a readiness for change among organization members.
Movement involves intervening in the situation to change it. This addresses organizational issues such as human processes, strategic choices, work designs and structures. It shifts the behaviours, attitudes and values of the organization, department and individuals to new levels.
Refreezing stabilizes the organization at a new equilibrium state. If this step is ignored the organization reverts to its previous state. Refreezing rebalances the driving and restraining forces in the changed situation so it remains stable.
Output of change is highly dependent on how the change process unfolds, and the change process will need to be facilitated. The OD process is a recurring cycle (Appendix II).
Leading Change was named the top management book of the year by Management General. There are three major sections in this book. The first section is ¡§the change of problem and its solution¡¨ ; which discusses why firms fail. The second one is ¡§the eight-stage process¡¨ that deals with methods of performing changes. Lastly, ¡§implications for the twenty-first century¡¨ is discussed as the conclusion. The eight stages of process are as followed: (1) Establishing a sense of urgency. (2) Creating the guiding coalition. (3) Developing a vision and a strategy. (4) Communicating the change of vision. (5) Empowering employees for broad-based action. (6) Generating short-term wins. (7) Consolidating gains and producing more changes. (8) Anchoring new approaches in the culture.
A theoretical framework provides guidance as a project evolves. The end results will determine whether the knowledge learned from implementing a project should create a change in practice (Sinclair, 2007). In this project is relied on the Kurt Lewin’s Change Theory. Burnes (2004) states that despite the fact that Lewin built up this three-step model more than 60 years prior, it keeps on being a commonly referred framework to support effective change projects. The three steps are unfreezing, moving and refreezing. Lewin decided in Step 1, unfreezing, that human conduct is held in balance by driving and limiting powers. He trusted this equilibrium should be disrupted with the end goal for change to happen (Burnes, 2004). Step 2 or moving, includes learning. Learning incorporates knowledge of what the conceivable alternatives are and proceeding onward from past practices to new practices which will...
Change is something that presses us out of our comfort zone. Change is the only constant. It can happen in any sphere of life. But the most predominant of all changes is Change in the Organizations working methods.
Change as defined by Thompson (2010) is “a process through which people and organizations move as they gradually come to understand and become skilled and competent in the use of new ways.” Change is not a process that happens in just one day. It is something that takes time to build and strengthen amongst an organization. The people involved in the process of change need to have the same goals and have the same clear ideas; this so they can be in the same mindset and be able to work together towards success. Communication is crucial during the process of change to facilitate the work for the people involved in the organization.
Change is the only constant in life. And therefore it should be understood as part of a continuing work in progress that calls for a much broader canvas that seeks out competing voices, and works with the resulting ambiguities, contradictions and tensions of messy reality (Graetz, F. & Smith, A., 2010). In this submission I try to show that organizational change is majorly based on the environment surrounding it much more than the desire of the members or change agents working in that organization. This view diverts from that of Lippitt, (1958) who suggests that implementing planned organizational changes successfully depends on premeditated interventions intended to modify the functioning of an organization. It also diverts from the traditional approaches to organizational change that generally follow a linear, rational model in which the focus is on controllability under the stewardship of a strong leader or ‘guiding coalition (Collis, 1998). In this discussion therefore, comparison made between the different philosophies of change and I try to show that successful change implantation largely depends on an organizations appreciation of what goes on around it rather than what they have planned as a strategic direction.
One of the change models of Organizational Development was created by Kurt Lewin. It includes three phases: unfreeze, move or change, and refreeze (Lewin, 1951, 1958). Lewin’s model recognizes the impormance of changing the people in organization and the role of top management involvement to overcome the resistance of change.
Change is a fundamental element of individuals, groups and all sorts of organizations. As it is the case for individuals, groups and societies, where change is a continuous process, composed of an indefinite amount of smaller sub-changes that vary in effect and length, and is affected by all sorts of aspects and events, many of which cyclic are anticipated ones. It is also the case for organizations, where change occurs repeatedly during the life cycle of organizations. Yet change in organizations is not as anticipated nor as predictable, with unexpected internal and external variables and political forces that can further complicate the management of change (Andriopoulos, C. and P. Dawson, 2009), which is by itself, the focus of many scholars in their pursuit to shed light on and facilitate the change process (Kotter 1996; Levin 1947; et al).
In business, when we approach change, whether it is about cost reduction, merger or supporting a new technology we need to treat it as a seriously disruptive and stressful activity for all involved especially those leading the change.
When I think of Organization Development, as a company, it’s a new way of structure and organizing that is happening within a company. I
Change usually comes with resistance in any workplace because change disrupts the employees’ sense of safety and control (Lewis, 2012). Kurt Lewin (1951) created a three step process for assisting employees with organizational Change (Lewis, 2012). The three stages are Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze. These are the steps to a smooth transition for change within organizations. Further, these steps are not possible without good communication from upper Management through line staff. Communication was consistently listed as an issue in surveys conducted by the department.
Change in an organization occurs when an organization identifies an area of where necessary change must be undertaken, examines it thoroughly and adapts to it. This may lead to gaps where employees may not adapt to a certain change and therefore it is important that an organization takes into considerati...
Robbins et al. (2011, p. 186), states ‘Change is an organizational reality and affects every part of a manager’s job’. Today’s wave of change primarily created by economic condition so change is now such a constant feature of organization life (Goodman, E. 2011, p.243). Organizations need to be changed at one point or another in structure, technology or people. These changes are defined as organizational change (Robbins et al. 2011, p.18). Organizational change is important because changes can increase effectiveness and efficiency, the innovation of products, services as well as dealing with changes in external and internal forces (Goodman, E. 2011, p.243). However, ‘the bottom line is that organizational change is difficult because management systems are design and people are rewarded for stability’ (Lawler, E.E. & Worley, C.G. 2006, p.11).
The world is constantly changing in many different ways. Whether it is technological or cultural change is present and inevitable. Organizations are not exempt from change. As a matter of fact, organizations have to change with the world and society in order to be successful. Organizations have to constantly incorporate change in order to have a competitive advantage and satisfy their customers. Organizations use change in order to learn and grow. However, change is not something that can happen in an organization overnight. It has to be thought through and planned. The General Model of Planned Change focuses on what processes are used by the organization to implement change. In the General Model of Planned Change, four steps are used in order to complete the process of change. Entering and Contracting, Diagnosing, Planning and Implementing, and Evaluating and Institutionalizing are the four steps used in order to complete the process of change in an organization. The diagnostic process is one of the most important activities in OD(Cummings, 2009, p. 30).
...ess of the organizations inclination to change; the staffs skills and competency; magnitude of revolution capability and decision-making strategy. This change must be pertinent to the organizations objectives and to its members; opportunities for the members of the organization to make informed and prudent choices for a prudent decision-making.
One of the first scholars to describe the process of organizational change was Lewin (1974). He described change as a three-stage process that consists of unfreezing, moving and freezing stage. During the unfreezing stage the organizations become motivated to change by some event or objective. The moving stage is like implementation when the organization actually makes the necessary change. Furthermore the freezing stage is reached when the change becomes permanent. Organizational change has also...