Change Initiatives In The Military

South African war (Boer war.) “The South African War (1899-1902) or, as it is also known, the Boer War, marked Canada's First official dispatch of troops to an overseas war. In 1899, fighting erupted between Great Britain and two small republics in South Africa.” MILLER, C., & FOOT, R. (2015, November 12). South African War. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/south-african-war/

Retiring from the military can be a tough process both mentally and emotionally. Soldiers often find themselves overwhelmed when considering the various paths they could pursue. Transitioning service members are usually optimistic about their future, however that sometimes changes once the reality sets in that they have little to no experience with jobs in the civilian sector.

Organizations must respond to their internal and external environment. Therefore, organizational success heavily relies on leaderships ability to manage change. Unfortunately, many leaders struggle to effectively lead change initiatives. In fact, Ashkenas (2013, para. 1) reported 60 – 70% of organizational change initiatives fail to meet their objectives.

According to Kotter, establishing a sense of urgency is necessary for a change to be successfully implemented because it ensures that everyone believes that a change is necessary and therefore people more likely to commit to the change (Kotter, 2012). Establishing urgency can be difficult for organizations to implement. A primary reason can be traced to company culture (Kotter, 2012). Many companies have a culture of complacency, which causes them to be wary of change (Kotter, 2012). This complacency can be attributed to many sources which must be addressed if a company wants change (Kotter, 2012). This culture of complacency is existent at the Coast Guard Academy and the whole military in general. According to Theo Farrel and Terry Terriff, editors of The sources of Military Change: Culture, Politics, Technology (2002), historically, militaries tend to shy away from broad sweeping change due to their beliefs in the strategy of old. In summary, the military and the Coast Guard Academy, shies away from change because, in the words of many officers and cadets, “this is the way we’ve always done

This paper focuses on two distinct diagnostic methodologies that represent change management development for the U.S. Army. These methodologies provide guidance to the Army in determining vital factors and their degree of congruence. The main work of these methodologies is minimizing the challenges associated with the change. This is attained through identification of the fundamental change variables that call for critical attention from the chain of command in the U.S. Army. Further, the models seek to establish a routine that the U.S. Army activities need to put in place in handling change situation. In addition, they determine how different units of the U.S. army are interconnected. The paper has outlined differences and similarities between Congruence and Burke-Litwin models and their usage in the U.S. Army. The Army has evaluated their weaknesses and strengths and selected the Burke- Litwin as the most effective methodology (Ingols, Deszca & Cawsey, 2011).

“Change, in its broadest sense, is a planned or unplanned response to pressures and forces. Hence, there is nothing new about change or the need for it.” (Jick & Peiperl, 2011, p. Intro xx). Change in a business environment or in a military atmosphere is very rarely embraced with open arms. As leaders, how we choose to openly show our support for change coupled with how we communicate this change to our subordinates will make or break the difference in the overall success or failure of those very things we are attempted to change.

Leaders face many difficult ethical choices as they develop and implement their strategic change initiatives. Many of these ethical challenges are ethical dilemmas that result from competing stakeholder rights such as employees versus shareholders, not issues of unethical behavior. What is the one ethical dilemma that concerns you the most as a leader preparing to implement a strategic change initiative? Why? How might you address this dilemma? Why would you select this approach?

“Special Forces must be prepared to meet a variety of unusual mission requirements. With little notice Special Forces could be assigned a mission requiring great aerobic demands when their immediate physical training was directed toward another component of fitness (ex. strength training). Marked improvements in maximal aerobic power will generally require several weeks of intense training, which unfortunately will also be associated with manpower attrition because of orthopedic injuries.” This is an excerpt from a study conducted by the US Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine in 1986. In 2009, some 23 years later, the same problem still plagued Special Forces. As a potential solution to this problem and in holding true to

Not only did the Navy effect the way I view exercise, it also helped my wife and children excising, whether it is a sport or in the gym. If I had not joined the military I would be most likely facing health problems, the military has effected my health

90% (211) of the subjects enlisted finished the run-in period and were then randomized to an activity gathering. Of those randomized, 155 subjects (74%) finished the examination. A subset of this gathering (119; 77%) had reliable estimations of body structure utilizing a similar methodology for both of the testing time frames. Information from these subjects are incorporated into the present investigation. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA; Statview or SAS Software, SAS Institute, Cary, NC). When the ANOVA was impressionable (P < 0.10), a Fisher's PLSD post hoc analysis was performed to determine differences between groups. The analysis intentionally was restricted to three pairwise comparisons (the AT, RT, and AT/RT exercise groups compared with each other). P < 0.05 was considered significant in post hoc testing. Paired, two-tailed t-tests were used to determine if the post vs. pre score for changes within each group differed (Slentz,2012).

On March 9, 2009 I joined the military I assumed it would have many changes for me. It had many changes but not all were what I was expecting. Some things changed I was expecting and then there was things I thought would happen never did and things I never could have dreamed of happening also happened.

US armed forces will be given six months to assess impact change will make on the country. Military leaders have made decision after ban on gays serving in Military had been lifted a few years back. Military chiefs just want some time to assess all costs that might

to lose something of value, a misunderstanding of the change and its implications, a belief that the change does not

This research paper looks at a major change initiative experienced at our organization recently. The aim of this paper is to outline the manner that a major change affects the entire organization. The mandate for change for our organization was that the organization had developed a culture that did not support the talent and innovation of the employees. Consequently, the organization was performing poorly due to lack of advanced technology and coordination between the management and the employees. To overcome these problems, the organization initiated programs that empowered the employees such as allowing them to participate in decision-making, and actively listening to their innovation ideas among others. Additionally, the management communicated to the employees the full details about the change and allowed them to participate throughout the entire change process. The leadership team initiated activities such as team sports and barbecue that engaged the entire organization on a more personal environment. This was aimed at making the employees develop a relationship with the management to improve work performance. The empowerment phase was revised to ensure that the management changed their attitude towards the employees and involve them in the operations of the company. Support of the management is very critical as it boosts confidence of the employees as well as motivates them to put extra effort in their jobs.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Companies and organizations are changing continually to be more efficient in what they do. Change is not always readily accepted. Many people like to stay where they are and become comfortable with their current position. Business writers and managers have stated that unless organizations continue to change, they will become stale and inefficient. There have been many change management initiatives such as Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, and the Japanese Kaizen. Although these initiatives carry different names and slightly different processes, they all have a few elements in common. The most important elements for successful change management, as emphasized by the course text Human Resources Management in