Critical Evaluation of an Organizational Change Process - Example

Organizational Development and Change Name: Institution: Date: Introduction Multinational organisations are facing changing environmental dynamics in the market. As such, this increases the overall competition levels in the respective domestic and foreign markets. This has been further by the developing technology dynamics that have allowed for the venturing and establishment of organizations both on the online and physical platforms. Therefore, based on this analysis, organisations have resolved to executing changes in their management structures to ensure that they retain their overall market relevance and competitiveness. In this case, one f the adopted strategic measures is the development of strategic, strong and future oriented organizational vision statements. An organizational vision statement is an expression outlining the future expectations of organisations. The statements are adopted s a guiding framework for both the internal stakeholders through guiding their operations. On the other hand, a vision statement offers expectation criteria for external stakeholders such as consumers and investors through developing a mind map on issues to expect from an organization. This essay develops a unique argument that organizational vision statements are used and defined as products for social construction. As such, the essay develops a critical analysis and review on the usefulness and advantages of defining the visions as products of social construction. Reduce Resistance An organisational change process is influenced by two agent groups. On one hand are the internal change agents. These are the respective employees and organisational managers tasked with the mandate of executing change. On the other hand, are the external change agents who comprise the external organisational stakeholders namely the clients, suppliers, investors and other regulators. In order for the organisations change process to succeed it is imperative that the stakeholders focus is harmonised through the development of an informative organisational vision. The process of change though an eminent and crucial organizational improvement process, faces a wide range of challenges. In this case, as Dulewicz and Herbert (2000), while focusing on leadership development discussed, the fundamental and most common challenge to change application is resistance from all stakeholders both internal and external. In this regard, the resistance process is based on the need and human nature to desire for the retention of a status quo. A review of the change resistance process in organisations illustrate that this emanates from a series of causative factors. On one hand is the concept of insecurity. In this case, the change process is surrounded and includes the risk of facing the unknown. For instance, changing organizational systems may lead to employees’ redundancy or effects on prices and quality of the products. Therefore, this fear of the unknown and the subsequently developed insecurity leads to increased organizational change process resistance. In addition ad of great concern is the resistance to change due to misinformation. In this regard, Doyle (2001) while discussing change in high volatile organisations established that most of the stakeholders in organisations reject and resists change due to misinformation and miscommunications. In this regard, misrepresentation of facts causes panic and thus objections to resistances, forming the need for a social structure based vision statement to overcome it. In order to overcome this challenge, organisations have resulted to the development of elaborate vision statements. In this case, the vision statements outline the expected changes, their justifications as well as expected implications. This approach is often supported and facilitated by the increased adoption and presence of change leaders and change managers. On one hand, the change managers are those with authority and develop the relevant policies and organisational vision structures to reduce on resistance. On the other hand, the change leaders are those with no legal authorities such as informal social group leaders but influence and motivate followers to accept change. In this regard, through jointly working together, the two change agents are complementary and support each other. Therefore, the communication of the vision statement among stakeholders ensures the elimination of the misinformation and miscommunication challenge. Therefore, this increases the overall organizational objectivity. To this end, such a vision statement ensures clarity to all stakeholders on the expected organizational changes well in advance. Thus, this allows the stakeholders the viable adaptation opportunity to suit the expected outcomes, consequently reducing the resistance levels in such organizational change processes. Initiate Action Research and Continuous Improvement Organizational change in the current market conditions and changing dynamics is characterized by two basic steps and variables. On one hand, is the research aspect. Through research evaluations, organisations are able to focus and establish the changing market dynamics and aspects and consequently develop the relevant strategies for organisations to adopt. In this regard, in order for organisations to execute change initiatives to match these dynamic aspects, they rely on the presence of change leaders in organisation, who can be described as individuals willing and ready to initiate the change process activities in their respective organisations. In this regard, such change leaders rely on both primary and secondary research avenues to establish the market conditions such as consumer surveys and industry forecast reports (Senge, 2002). Once a theoretical market evaluation is effected, organisations align their capabilities with the needs to ensure the development of logical and executable strategies. This is the point at which vision definition as products of social construct comes into play. In this case, such a vision is defied and laid down as a sequential approach. In this case, the sequential approach includes the strategic objectives of the organisations in the long term market operations. The objective represents the desired market position and performance as well as reputation desired by the organization into the future. While as most of the market change could be changing, the evaluation of an organizational vision statement enables the narrowing down on factors to consider. Hays, Rose-Quirie and Allinson (1998 while discussing the role of training and development in organizational HR development stated that once the vision statement is applied to narrow down on the respective macro factors to consider, organisations can initiate the second aspect of the social construct change that includes the action stage. One of the strategic approaches through which organisations develop their employees is through the adoption of the consulting service as a form of storytelling. In this case, the consultancy services are offered as an evaluation of the industry past [present and future expectations thus impacting the right knowledge on such organisational leaders and managers to facilitate in the organisational action stage. In the action stage, the organizational managements are actively involved in the process of establishing executable practical activities as well as executing them to increase organizational performance. In this regard, the evaluation of the vision statement as a guiding framework in organizational development continuous improvement process in the dynamically changing global market, this essay establishes that the defining of a vision statement as a product of social construction increases the efficiency as well as reducing on the overall cost of research and development in organisations. Consequently, this adaptation plays a significant change role in the enhancement of the development of flexible organizational systems that can easily change and adapt to external environment changes thus developing a sustainable organizational market competitive edge. Ensure Connection between Past Present and Future Narratives One of the virtues of social construct changes in organisations is the narrative concept. In this case, there are two basic narrative categories. Alvesson and Johansson (2002) in a case study on the operations of professional consultants argued that on one hand, the narrative concepts include the past that reflect on the past performances and challenges facing the organisations operations in the market. On the other hand, the second narrative concept involves the present that reflects on the issues and challenges facing organisations in their current operational market external environments. In order to develop relevant mitigation strategies in organizational operations, it is imperative to develop a link and connection between the organizational past and present narratives. In this regard, this involves the process of learning and drawing from an organisations past mistakes to develop better current organizational systems. Moreover, it involves the process of enhancing increased organizational flexibility. In this context, defining an organisations vision statement as a product of social constructs plays a significant role in facilitating the success of the respective social construct narratives. In this case, an organizational vision statement is a guiding framework for the expected future in an organization. However, in order to ensure and guarantee a stable and accurate future forecast, it is imperative to base such an evaluation on the past and existing market conditions. On one hand, a failure to develop a vision statement based on current and past organizational industry and market narratives exposes them to increased failure chances. In this case, such vision statements lack the required objectivity and reality perception on changing market needs (Barrett, Reason, Regan, Rooney, Williams, Woods & Stothard, 2002). On the other hand, the development of an organizational vision statement based on past and present narratives increase the future forecast success possibilities. As such, the vision developed as products of the narratives social constructs emerge as realistic and easy to achieve. This such visions developed on the narratives basis not only demonstrate to the stakeholders on the expected future gains and achievements in an organization, but also enable them reflect on the past and current market situations. This reflection opportunity enables the stakeholders both internal and external appreciate the strive and strides the vision statement seeks to achieve thus increasing its overall support. Serve as a Motivation Tool One of the components of a social structure change is the concept and components of a force field. In this regard, the force field forces argue on the systematic and gradually change process in organisations. In this case, Farnham (2002) arguing on the role of managers as change proponents in an organization argued that organizational change is gradually and its success is pegged on the execution of a definite change process. In this case, the change process in this perception is classified into three stages that make up the force field. On one hand, is the unfreezing stage. This involves the development of an organizational platform through which change is allowed by opening up the existing systems to review and critical analysis. As such, the unfreezing process involves the evaluation and identification of deficiencies in the current system. In this regard an approach is developed through the application of a manager clients perceptive, which involves the evaluation of factors and services in the organisation based on the clients own perspectives thus the managers serve as he clients representatives in this change process section. On the other hand, the second stage is the change process. This involves the development and execution of process and strategies aimed at increases an organizational performance, market success as well as overall competitiveness in the market (Czarniawska, 1988). Finally, the force field theory has the freezing stage that includes the evaluation of stability on organizational systems to allow for functioning and evaluation of the change process success. The definition of an organizational vision statement as a product of such a social structure enhances the change process success. In this case, in order for an organization to increase its evaluation of its current situation, it ought to have a benchmark and threshold against which to evaluate and compare. In this regard, relevant vision statements serve as the ideal benchmarks in this case. As such, organisations evaluate the extent to which their current systems are aligned and befitting to achieve these vision objectives. Consequently, for any of the systems deemed insufficient, improvements are initiated in the second stage in line with the organizational vision statement. Finally, once the strategies are implemented, the vision is reserved for use as benchmark into the future. Therefore, this essay evaluation section evidenced the fact that the defining of an organizational vision as a product of social structure ensures ease of strategies development, redefinition and the overall application of an organizational systems appraisal process as well as the execution of the systems continuous improvement system in the long run. Conclusion In summary, this essay develops a critical evaluation of an organizational change process. As such, it bases the entire argument on the discussed rationality and necessity for frequent and continuous organizational systems changes to increase market and industry competitiveness. In its analysis, the essay argues that there is a rationale and justification for the definition of vision statements as products of social construction. Therefore, in a body to justify this argument the essay lists four of the fundamental uses of such a vision statement definition. The discussed merits include serving as a continuous development enhancement tool, reducing resistance, increasing motivation and ensuring future objectivity respectively. In its analysis, the essay conclusively establishes that a combination for the four discussed merits leads to the ultimate change success and the establishment of sustainable organizational competitive edges. Therefore, it forms a conclusion advocating for the development of organizational vision statements with a social construction definition. References Alvesson, M. & Johansson, A.W. (2002). Professionalism and politics in management consultancy work", in Clark, T.and Fincham, R. (Eds), Critical Consulting: New Perspectives on the Management Advice Industry, Blackwell, Oxford, pp. 228-46. Barrett, M., Reason, R., Regan, T., Rooney, S., Williams, C., Woods, K. & Stothard, J. (2002). Co-researching the concept of 'noticing and adjusting' in monitoring literacy learning, Educational Psychology in Practice, 18, pp. 297-311. Czarniawska, B. (1988). To Coin a Phrase: On Organizational Talk, Organizational Control and Management Consulting, Stockholm: The Economic Research Institute. Doyle, M. (2001). Dispersing change agency in high velocity change organisations: issues and implications, Leadership and Organizational Development, 22(7), pp. 321-9. Dulewicz, V. & Herbert, P. (2000). Predicting advancement to senior management from competencies and personality data: a seven year follow up study, British Journal of Management, 10(1), pp. 13-23. Farnham, A. (2002). Managers as change agents, Journal of Change Management, 1(1), pp. 21-9. Hays, J., Rose-Quirie, A. & Allinson, C.W. (1998). Senior managers' perceptions of the competencies they require for effective performance: implications for training and development, Personnel Review, 29(1), pp. 92-106. Senge, P. (2002), "Illuminating the blind spot: leadership in the context of emerging worlds", Retrieved from www.dialogueonleadership.org Read More