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reflection on organizational development
reflection on organizational development
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Introduction
A vision is a statement that paints an idealized picture of what an organization wants to become. Jick (2002) offers a similar definition. He calls it, “an attempt to articulate what a desired future for a company would look like” (p. 142). Although many definitions for vision are similar, the effects visions have on organizations vary. For some the vision is an agent of change, for others it is a source of confusion. The difference lies in certain elements of the vision, and how the leader implements the vision throughout the organization. This paper will look at what makes an effective vision and how it impacts an organization; it will highlight the significance of employee identification, and how a leader can develop and institute a vision in an effective manner. It also takes a look at the current vision of an organization, and offers some recommendations to increase that vision’s effectiveness.
An Effective Vision
Constructing a vision statement is not as simple as scribbling down the first thing that comes to mind. A leader take must include certain elements in the vision to ensure it is effective and contributes to the success of the organization. A few of those elements include long-term, inspiring, and aligned with the values and culture of the organization.
A vision should look beyond the day-to-day operations of the organization and focus on the future. By developing a long-term vision, a leader moves the focus of employees from the daily tasks to the future goal. Deetz, Tracy & Simpson (2000) write, “When an organization has a clear sense of purpose and knows where it wants to go, that gives meaning to what happens day in and day out” (p. 53). A long-term vision impacts the organization by highlighting the contrast between where the organization is and where it needs to go. Jick (2002) argues, “This creates a structural tension between today and tomorrow that seeks a resolution" (p. 144). The organization then succeeds as motivated employees work towards their objectives in order to calm the tension, lessen the gap, and turn the vision into reality.
For a vision to be truly effective, it has to inspire employees to take action. This means it has to reflect a greater purpose that stirs up passion in employees. As an example, Nike’s vision is “to bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world” (Nike, 2011). The vision reflects a greater purpose to impact the lives of athletes everywhere, and paints a picture for employees of why their work is important.
As stated by Simpson (1994), the intent of a company’s vision should be to move forward and create enthusiasm amongst employees. Masco Cabinetry’s vision faltered in the early days of the recession. The vision created by its previous president was “One brand in one out of every two homes” (Employee Handbook, 2012). This vision, at the height of the recession was meant to create energy and drive, the opposite happened as many employees felt the goal was too lofty given the state of the economy. Today’s executive team is hard at ...
Any successful organization in in the 21st century should have a mission and a vision. When an organization has a foundation and a purpose for existence, they will have the basic qualities of a successful establishment. To follow through with a mission, a vision must be created. A vision is based off of a company’s purpose for existence and formation of long-term goals. Without goals, an organization has nothing to work for and no reason to become successful. While working at Safeway, I was aware of the mission of the company and the vision that the company had.
Andy Stanley begins with the origin of a vision. Stanley (1999) contends, “Visions are born in the soul of a man or woman who is consumed with the tension between what is and what could be” (p. 17). According to Stanley, a vision is the ability to see what is possible in light of the present reality. A leader will not a have a vision for an organization if he is content with the status quo. Conversely, it is out of discontent that a vision is birth within a leader’s heart.
A vision statement describes the organization as it would appear in a future successful state. When developing a vision statement, try to answer this question: If the organization were to achieve all of its strategic goals, what would it look like 10 years from now? An effective vision statement is inspirational and aspirational.
It focuses on how to formulate and define clearly vision statement (organizational culture), challenging goals (organizational strategy) and gaining respect and trust (Humphreys & Einstein, 2003). The leaders encouraging participations, willing to take risks and acting as role models, who are highly admired, respected and trusted by their followers (Conger and Kanungo, 1998; Howell and Frost, 1989 and Bass & Riggio, 2006). Therefore, the followers will be highly motivated to perform beyond leaders’ expectations (Howell and Avolio,
Answer: “Visions seen only by the leader” (Kouzes & Posner, 2013, p.100). This is a very common obstacle that is both valid and can be overcome. It’s valid because leadership drives vision and purpose. If the leader has not expressed a vision that all can understand or support, the organization will not be successful. This obstacle can be overcome by other leaders within the unit having the courage to identify this failure and address it.
According to the text, vision statements should be massively inspiring, overarching, and long term. Provide several examples of potential vision statements for various organizations and discuss how such vision statements would inspire employees around a cause.
Frequently communicating the vision to members of the organization should be done often and thoughtfully. A company’s leadership team should develop strategies for achieving the vision. One way to communicate the vision is to discuss it daily, and include it as a part of your decision making and problem solving process. Managers should demonstrate the change manifested by the organization, so employees recognize this kind of behavior is present. Communicating the organization’s vision can also address any concerns or difficulties openly and honestly. Robert Tanner agrees that, “many employees and managers will be wary of change and will need to be convinced that this new future is better than their present
Visionary leadership as its name suggests involves having a vision. In chapter about Transformational Leadership, the author said that a transforming leader “had a clear vision of the future state of their organizations.” (Northhouse 2013) As we learn from week one, leaders are visionary, they are able to inspire their followers. In order for leaders to inspire others, they might be able to internalize the vision for themselves. First step to creating a new vision for the school, the leader must understand why there is a need for the school and he or she must agree with it. Second, the leader must be able to see the needs of the organization, the leader must be able to have a person touch (also known as Authentic Leadership) with its members in order to be be able to see the true needs of the organization. As the leader creates the vision, it should be “simple, understandable, beneficial and energy creating”. (Northhouse 2013) The author of the textbook follows to say that “vision originates from both the leaders and the followers”. (Northhouse 2013)
As a leader, whether of a “Fortune 500” company or simply a manager of a local “mom and pop” store, it is important to have a clear idea of what the vision and main priorities of the company you are working for are. We have discussed the creation of a vision statement a lot in class. This statement should be focused and well known by both you and your employees. A vision statement is meant to clearly communicate both the purpose and the values of the organization. For employees, it should give direction about how they are expected to behave and also inspire them to give their best. When the vision statement is shared with customers, it helps to shape their understanding of why they should work with your organization. Defining a short, concise list of your company’s main priorities is also a very important task. As Kaplan...
to achieve or accomplish in the mid or long-term future. Vision is putting what you hope to
While the revised vision statement expressed “what” the company was planning to achieve, however, the company did not identify the connection for employees with “how” (Coate, 2014). The biggest issues lay in the fact that, the current vision statement is not known throughout the organization (H&R Block, Inc.
Inspire a Shared Vision- leaders believe that they can make a difference in getting others excited and drafting them into their dream and the future possibilities.
All employees have a vision and idea about the future it helps everyone deal and reach their goals in difficult times. At times transformational leaders may tend to depend on their passions and fail to realize reality and
Creating a vision, carefully crafted, can help the team know who they are and who they are not. Miranda was able to get buy-in to her vision through her reputation and strategic thinking. Creating a vision for Runway proved to be very effective for Miranda to motivate the organizational member and get them to perform well.