A LEARNING-BASED APPROACH TO ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE:
FIVE CASE STUDIES OF GUIDED CHANGE INITIATIVES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Five successful examples of a learning-based approach to organizational change were studied in order to identify some key success factors. All five change initiatives, in major manufacturing corporations, were guided and supported through the MIT Center for Organizational Learning . Following the change there were dramatic improvements in business results . This article examines several factors that made these change initiatives successful.
One central finding is that the goals for a successful learning-based change initiative are typically formulated in a way that combines two crucial elements: 1) meeting a
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Lack of openness in the workplace is very costly. Design engineers who say nothing about the problem they cannot solve run the risk that, when they do solve it, they will require other key parts of the design to be changed. And by that time others have made costly investments in tooling that must now be scrapped, compounding costs and delays. In one of the cases we studied, the Epsilon new car design project at a leading auto-maker, major cost savings were achieved (over $60 million) through their ability to confront and change this powerful pattern of secretiveness, a long-standing part of their workplace culture. They recognized that this tacit norm was based on deeper-lying assumptions (shared by all of them) about what is expected from "a good design engineer" and that those "mental models" were reinforced by the behavior of managers who consistently chastised and humiliated engineers who brought up unresolved problems. So, naturally they concealed their problems, reporting nothing, until they were close to a solution. During the Epsilon change process, Epsilon's top managers learned to see how their own behavior was creating results they did not want and they learned how to behave differently and get better results -- both in terms of cost savings and in the satisfaction they all derived from their work. With less blaming, there was more trust, openness, and better
One possible outcome measurement strategy that will be utilized will be patient satisfaction surveys. These surveys are sent out after patients have been discharged from the rehabilitation hospital. The surveys consist of questions that cover the quality of care received by nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, dietary services, speech therapy, physician care, etc. The survey also covers the hospital itself, to include cleanliness, noise level and so on. These surveys will allow the quality management director to collect data on areas that need improvement and areas that are doing well. The areas that need improvement will show where training can be developed or new policies developed to assist with implementing new changes or making adjustments to the current changes.
Leading and managing change require a solid theoretical foundation. This assignment will research the theoretical elements of change and change management. Addressed will be the following: Organic Evolution of Change, Formulating Strategic Development Approaches, Leadership and Management Skills and Gathering and Analyze Data. As societies continue to evolve and changing demand creates the need for new products and services, businesses often are forced to make changes to stay competitive. The businesses that continue to survive and even thrive are usually the ones that most readily adapt to change. A variety of factors can cause a business to reevaluate its methods of operation. According to literature from the past two
Van de Ven A, Sun K. Breakdowns in Implementing Models of Organization Change. Academy Of Management Perspectives [serial online]. August 2011;25(3):58-74. Available from: Business
For most companies, identifying what a learning organization should be and actually becoming one is tricky at best, impossible at worst. One way that manager's and companies can promote the concept of being a learning organization is to assess whether the company is in need of a short-term fix or whether it is more focused on long-term results. Organizational learning is a long-term activity that will build competitive advantage over time and requires sustained management attention, commitment, and effort. Learning organizations maximize their competitive positions during strong economic times and they prudently train their employees and prepare for change even in turbulent times. As a result, learning organizations and learning
The Burke-Litwin Model highlights the main elements or source of major transformational change and also the changes that are incremental in nature. The four transformational factors are external environment, mission and strategy, leadership, and organizational culture. The main cause that makes a company to make changes is the external environment. It can force any organization to make changes to its mission, culture, leadership, and operating strategies. Changes in the 12 drivers in The Burke-Litwin Model bring a series of change to the overall structure. Various internal and external organizational factors that influence the changes in the organization are:
Managing organizational change is the process of planning and implementing change in organizations with maximum effectiveness and minimum circumstances and resistance. Today 's business environment requires companies to undergo changes almost constantly if they are to remain competitive. In this project paper I am going to discuss organizational change in PepsiCo. I will take a closer look on management approach and forces for change. I will introduce the change, make diagnosis and discuss how the change can be implemented.
Changing situations throughout the world affect all organizations in business today. Therefore, most organizations acknowledge the need to experience change and transformation in order to survive. The key challenges companies face are due to the advancements in technology, the social environment caused by globalization, the pace of competition, and the demands regarding customer expectations. It is difficult to overcome the obstacles involved with change despite all the articles, books, and publications devoted to the topic. People are naturally resistant to fundamental changes and often intimidated by the process; the old traditional patterns and methods are no longer effective.
For any business in the rapidly evolving world of business, planning and implementing successful organizational change is indispensable. Essentially, organizational change refers to a process whereby an organization strives to optimize performance in order to achieve its ideal state characterized by high performance and profitability (Côté & Mayhew, 2014). Any business would be more likely to lose its competitive edge, as well as fail to meet the demands of its loyal consumers if it doesn’t plan and implement change. Weiss (2012) emphasizes that all organizations ought to embrace change, and it’s imperative to note that successful organizational change doesn’t involve simple process of adjustments; instead it requires appropriate change management capabilities.
In this dynamic business environment, change is inevitable. Changes can be planned, or unintentional: depending on the driving forces behind. The major forces for change can be derived from the nature of the workforce, technology, economic shocks, competition, social trends, and world politics (Robbins & Judge, 2011). In this post the author will explain the Kotter’s eight –step approaches to managing organizational change and discuss how his company handles the planned changes in term of organization reconstruction.
Organized Change Consultancy. (2010). Re-engineering and TQM: Approaches to Organizational Change . Available: http://www.organizedchange.com/village.htm. Last accessed 2nd January 2014.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss organizational change and the management of that change. I will talk about the different drivers of change, the factors a leader needs to weigh to implement change effectively, the various resistances a leader may encounter while trying to implement change, and how various leadership styles will effect the realization of change. I will also discuss the knowledge I have gained through the completion of this assignment and how I think it might affect the way I manage change in my workplace.
Change has become necessary for every organisation there is. World is moving rapidly towards better technologies, efficient systems, new techniques, compact profits, different friendlier environments and organisations are always in the race to reach new heights by thriving effectively in this competitive environment (Kotter, 1996).
In the review of the book, “Making Change Work: Practical Tools for Overcoming Human Resistance to Change,” I decided to summarize the major steps the book establishes. It discusses how to begin the change process by understanding your need for change, to the final step of the change process where an organization needs to implement changes. After summarizing the steps, I am going to show how the book relates to the textbook, Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit, as well as giving a managerial implication.
Week 3, the lecture on Managing Change describes organizational changes that occur when a company makes a shift from its current state to some preferred future state. Managing organizational change is the process of planning and implementing change in organizations in such a way as to decrease employee resistance and cost to the organization while concurrently expanding the effectiveness of the change effort. Today's business environment requires companies to undergo changes almost constantly if they are to remain competitive. Students of organizational change identify areas of change in order to analyze them. A manager trying to implement a change, no matter how small, should expect to encounter some resistance from within the organization.
Many companies emphasize a culture of continuous improvement. While never being satisfied with the status quo can drive