How Systems Theory Relates to Systematic Approach - Essay Example

'Systematic' approach to Learning & Development Systematic approach to training are actually based upon evaluative techniques that are adopted in order to ensure that managers are utilising the best of their capabilities and their employees. A systematic approach requires systematic theoretical background for understanding the functioning of organisations and for identifying some critical organisational functions required for effectiveness. However the effectiveness of an organisation depends upon its internal ability to function as a unified system under current operating conditions and policies that help with adjusting in unpredictable marketing situations of the external environment. Systematic approaches evaluates flexible organisational responses to problem solving situations and points up the role of organisations as problem-solving, decision-making, action-taking systems in which the basic purpose is to take direct unified action in highly turbulent and complex environments. A systematic approach includes a unique but practical network that evaluates approaches before, during and after training to ensure employees truly benefited from the training in terms of enhanced results to the organisation. To be evaluative under such conditions, an organisation must possess capabilities that produce a highly responsive and adaptive system of decision and action. In such a system, it is necessary to evaluate the means of the information, where decisions, and actions are brought into conjunction and involves a complex interplay between individuals, positions, and levels. Such an interplay plays a critical role in evaluating organisational responsiveness and makes flexibility highly important where control and guidance of these processes in a flexible manner are a critical function of an organisation. How Systems Theory relates to 'Systematic Approach' Systematic approach serves as a tool to apply systems theory in context with organisational change as systems theory or systems thinking is the idea that an organisation is made up of many different resources. It relies upon various sorts of resources which are helpful in utilising it as a person, a group of people, a function, a product or a service to be one part of the entire system. The basic concept lies with the notion that in case one element of the system is changed, the nature and makeup of the entire system is also changed, that means the systems or components of systems that make up an organisation are integrated to accomplish the overall goals of the company. System thinking enables the organisation to make decisions in order to note down even minute effects and their consequences which result in changes that have a broader impact on the company from a broad perspective. This help ensuring the facts that the decisions and steps that that are being taken are made in a wise manner by considering the overall structure of the organisation rather than seeing only isolated specific events. On the other hand systematic approach addresses the loopholes that remain in the organisation's infrastructure and analyzes the capabilities of their employees in relation to the working scenario. This indicates systems theoretical approach enables systematic approach to first make appropriate decisions and then analyzes the change in the form of evaluation, resulting in change management. The resultant of the systematic approach is the organisational change which in a broader aspect views the impact of change on the organisation and helps the organisation identifying the real causes and issues and address them quickly. However critics point out that such change under the approach of a systematic manner, does not guarantee the notion that change will be without negative consequences. In fact, what is seen is that if the major organisational parts are recognised, their relationships help the organisation integrate the goals of the change throughout the organisation. Evaluating Performances under Change Management Changing organisations advices to fix the theory in context with the assumption that a group of people responds to enforced change at work in a corporate way and sometimes presupposes that there will be a consensus that change agents should work for in the larger group (Randall, 2004, p. 79). Change initiatives whether at elementary or higher level, though planned are implemented at group and individual levels. Indeed, employees behaviors must be based at the level of the individual, who not only learns about but also responds to the environment because it is through their behaviors that they may be interconnected into group and the groups may brought together to cooperate with a larger body of people. Systematic approach enables changing organisational activities to rely upon the performance of individuals and groups. Both group competencies and organisational competence derive ultimately from the actions and performance of individuals. Competencies go beyond traditional knowledges, skills, and abilities (KSA) that make up 'KSA' and a cluster of demonstrated KSA defines a competency and makes a real difference for organisational success (Olmstead, 2002, p. 104). Such an approach states that what mostly employees experiences in daily job performance is the arise of problem situations requiring decisions or actions and when the problems are routine or familiar, they are handled with little thought about the process. Here systematic approach is deployed resulting in organisational change. When dealing with organisational problems that require conscious solving, competencies are needed to structure the information, create ways of handling the problems, determine alternative solutions, and evaluate results of solutions selected (ibid). Consequences Critics suggest that systematic approach has disadvantages in being emphasizing relentlessly on change that has led to widespread complaints of initiative overload (Randall, 2004, p. 80). Many public sector employees had complained that they started their working careers with hopes of coming up better in various circumstances for their fellow citizens but now that they have become tired with centrally imposed targets and initiatives (ibid). However the findings of CIPD research and the Cabinet Office's Center for Management and Policy Studies show that some public-sector organisations have found the key to successful change. These public sector organisations not only have tackled the challenge of modernisation but also have achieved a focused perspective on results and have released the hidden capabilities of their people. Many complaints have been heard for being overloaded in the public sector change management where initiatives are found too often (Jackson, 2001). Management writers often assume that the volume of change initiatives alone causes dissatisfaction, however, it would be better to ask what might underlie such discontent. Argument can be made that since radical change makes demands on those who are required to perform in very different ways to those they have become accustomed to. Change initiatives are, in this scenario, a precursor of change requirement in work behavior. But what critics blame is why such change on its own trigger such a response Answer lies with us, we assume that changing work practice will always be resisted because it requires unaccustomed behaviors, however this does not always need to be the case. At least some change to work practices would be appreciated because individuals will feel they were being relieved of bureaucratic burdens or clearly inappropriate or unworkable behaviors. Whatever be the change, one mode would remain the same i.e., the communication mode and what we see in the light of plans, policies and strategies is that irrespective of the plans or strategies, if a manager fails to communicate effectively to his people the organisation has no right to expect to achieve success (Thomas, 1997, p. 90). Every manager or team leader needs to be an effective communicator, since communications is a skill that lies at the heart of any successful working relationship. However the main obstacle to improving organisational communications skills relates to our ability to listen since most of the employees are bad listeners. The result is employees often put their own interpretation on things that they hear which inevitably creates confusion and in some instances conflict. Organisational Training and Development Learning to build stronger relationships with customers is the most initial prerequisite as a way of ensuring the survival of organisations in the face of highly competitive market conditions. Chaston et al (2001) while commenting upon this, suggests that researchers often pointed out that in situations where products and processes both are imitated, the only real source of competitive advantage is to stimulate learning by employees (Chaston et al, 2001). Organisations today throughout the world are operating in an environment of competitive pressures where globalisation has emerged as a solution to all the complex communication problems that we faced yesterday. Trade agreements are making international commerce easier and the global marketplace presents companies with opportunities to sell their goods and services across national borders, but it also increases international competition. Competitors which were once neighbours, are now as likely to come from another continent as another town. This intensified competition has made it increasingly difficult to develop and sustain any kind of competitive advantage. New products are quickly reverse-engineered, copied, and produced less expensively and when new services are launched, competing services soon follow. In such a scenario where promising industries grow, and then consolidate when sufficient competition leads to an industry shakeout the ability to adjust continually is a prerequisite for a successful organisation. Managing such complex interwork and boundary-spanning interrelationships is an organisational challenge where people need to share information and ideas with members of their external network, but some information may still be proprietary. Kraiger (2002) points out that team members and collaborators need to possess the requisite skills and knowledge to work together effectively, but the best ways to build those capabilities are not always clear (Kraiger, 2002, p. 15). The most compelling challenge being confronted in this global era is the implications for a company's training strategy. Labor shortages is the main problem that is faced in many markets, and particularly in knowledge-intensive industries. Heightened competition exacerbates this problem in many forms, like if products and services can be copied, then competencies for example, to innovate, to refine processes, to solve problems, to form relationships become an organisation's only sustainable advantage. Attracting, retaining, and developing people with critical competencies becomes paramount particularly when the labour competition is on peak. The talent challenge is exacerbated by a shift in the type of work people perform which can also be called as knowledge workers, they work with information and ideas or solve problems and carry out creative tasks. Training Interventions Training interventions that facilitate change management are among the most powerful of educational experiences which bring together different functions, departments, and levels into a single and often ongoing initiative, they hold the promise of building widespread commitment to new directions. More importantly, training interventions and other informal types of initiatives can accelerate the implementation of major change by spreading ownership broadly, ensuring well-coordinated change efforts, and building a shared mindset about implementation approaches. While there are numerous variations to systematic approach, the more common training designs for change management involve three phases. The first is an evaluative and agenda setting stage during which, program designers conduct assessments of the organisation's readiness and capacity for change as well as clarify the change agenda that will guide the actual training experience. Typically, designers interview key players to determine the central issues that the education initiative must address. For example, assessments survey the state of knowledge about change management, potential obstacles to the change effort, the level of organisational readiness, the leadership capabilities of the key players, potential benchmarks to measure progress, and the range of possible implementation approaches. In parallel, the senior-most leaders responsible for the change effort should be engaged in discussions to clarify and refine the change agenda that will be presented in upcoming educational workshops (Ukens, 2001, p. 48). The second phase consists of one or more training sessions that have both educational and application components for organisational workforce. Typically, intact work groups or newly formed companies are brought together in these workshops and in the ideal case, they are mixed in levels and functions so that all those concerned with implementing the change effort are together in the educational experience. This is to ensure a multi-functional perspective that in turn can build consensus and ownership into the change effort. With the aim of generating a sense of urgency and garnering the commitment of participants, the educational program begins with an overview of the organisation's change effort and its rationale, followed by educational content that provides information on the state of knowledge on change management, along with diagnostic and implementation frameworks. The focus then typically shifts to the application of this knowledge to the change situation facing the participants and various change management frameworks and diagnostics are employed to build consensus around the key change issues, identify specific action steps, set targets and goals, assign responsibilities, and establish follow-up steps. The third phase centers around ongoing reinforcement designed to maintain the momentum of the change management workshops. For example, programs might be followed by informal meetings to further communicate and disseminate the change effort, the implementation of new reward and performance measurements, and changes in organisational structures and reporting relationships (ibid). Critical perspective of Training Issues Training needs analysis, in theory, ensures that training addresses individual and organisational needs and this is what contemporary research has proved that the use of training needs analysis methods is positively related to training effectiveness. But when applicable, training needs analyses are often shortchanged, and the strategic or organisational analysis component of them is performed infrequently. Many believe that formal training is the primary source of learning, however this is not the case because though training can play an important role in learning, but research reveals that learning in organisational settings is not the only means to train employees. This is elaborated in the work of Pfeffer & Sutton (2000) that "Center for Workforce Development's study in which one thousand employees in various organisations reported that up to 70 percent of workplace learning is informal" (Pfeffer & Sutton, 2000). The business trends and research for the current environment for organisations offer insights into the types of strategic learning imperatives organisations should adopt. Learning imperatives can serve as a strategic road map to guide an organisation's learning and training efforts and strategic learning imperatives are the high-level actions that an organisation must take to ensure its competitiveness. Since no two organisations operate in similar environment therefore organisations need to establish their strategic learning imperatives which vary and differ according to industries, goals, and capabilities. Organisational awareness in this context is the most common imperatives that can help stimulate analysis of company-specific imperatives. In most cases, organisations are dedicating a proportionate amount of attention and resources to traditional training methods, instead of paying attention to other means of building capabilities. To borrow a phrase from the investment arena, a strategic imperative for many organisations should be to diversify their portfolio of learning opportunities, what they need is a broader view of training. Contemporary research suggest two areas in which organisations should consider focusing additional attention, those areas are informal and personalised learning. Companies need to recognise the importance of informal learning that occurs on the job as a result of interactions with others and through trial and error, however most learning occurs informally with some leading to positive behaviors, and some of it to pessimistic attitudes. But although informal learning cannot be controlled in the same way as structured learning, it is worthy of additional attention because it is so prevalent that organisations should consider how they can actively foster positive informal learning. When critics claim the consequences of formal learning, managers simply state that since most of the nonstandard workers are less likely to remain with the firm than standard workers, therefore they receive training from their employers which is 'not' formal because it includes that 'informal' means that is often provided by coworkers or supervisors showing them how to do the job (Tuers & Hill, 2002). Chandler and McEvoy (2000) point out that organisations that are more concerned in investing in employee training and deploy formal performance appraisal are likely to have lower employee turnover with higher productive financial performance (Chandler and McEvoy, 2000). Litz and Stewart (2000) established a link between employee training and superior firm performance and argued that management training should greatly improve organisation survival and performance by establishing a major distinguishing factor between high-growth and low-growth small firms on the basis of education, training, and experience of their senior managers (Litz & Stewart, 2000). Flexible Learning A flexible workforce entails a learning organisation which, according to Watkins and Marsick (1993), learns continually and has the capacity to transform itself, and is often represented in positive terms. Indeed, much is made of the need for employers to maximise their human resource potential in this transformative process which is a growing emphasis on the importance of human resources and the workers who constitute 'human capital' and draw attention to the perceived need of corporations to make strategic use of professional development or training opportunities. The so-called 'knowledge workers' now keenly sought by employers must be appropriately skilled and capable of indulging into workforce participation which serves as a key criterion for financial success. This 'human capital' conception of education, learning and training has been endorsed by various OECD governments, thereby emphasizing the need for their populations to become more educated and to work smarter (Jakupec & Garrick, 2000, p. 151). The kinds of training and development necessary to achieve an educated nation and an upskilled workforce also need to demonstrate their own efficiencies. This often entails being seen to articulate with a workforce that is 'flexible' with staff more likely to be positioned as part of the peripheral rather than the core labour market, whilst also being flexible enough to allow these same staff access to education or training in their own time and at their own place a situation which seemingly benefits both the employee and the employer, though for clearly different reasons (ibid). Systematic approach to learning has transformed postindustrial, information and knowledge-based economies into new technologies and new forms of work organisation and divisions of labour. In such contexts, higher understandings of what constitutes 'valid' learning are also transformed and this time the transformation includes increasing demands by enterprises for flexible approaches to education and concurrent discourses of 'lifelong' and 'experience-based' learning which locate education as directly work related. In these discourses, training system is, shaped by market needs where learning becomes a function of its economic profitability, which in turn is related to the higher skill requirements of the economy. This then foregrounds a human capital theorisation of flexible work-based learning that is based on the correlation between levels of learning and productivity which according to many theorists have referred to as 'mercantilisation of knowledge'. A managed economy is resulted in which any excess of skill supply result in diminishing returns of wages and subsequently lead to a decrease in the individual demand for learning and development. It is through deploying theories that we are able to implement a human capital theory which has become the principal justification for the promotion of flexible workplace based approaches to learning and contends that work-based learning is embedded in financial thinking offering organisation a convenient new tool in the management of intellectual capital. References Chandler, G. N., and G. M. McEvoy (2000). Human Resource Management, TQM, and Firm Performance in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 25(1), 45-58. Chaston Ian, Badger Beryl & Sadler-Smith Eugene, (2001) Organizational Learning: An Empirical Assessment of Process in Small U.K. Manufacturing Firms, Journal of Small Business Management. Volume: 39. Issue: 2, p. 139. Jackson, P.M. (2001) Public sector added value: can bureaucracy deliver Public Administration, 79 (1): 73-88. 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Thomas Mark, (1997) Mastering People Management: Build a Successful Team Motivate, Empower and Lead People: Thorogood: London. Tuers A. Wiens & Hill T. Elizabeth, (2002) Do They Bother Employer Training of Temporary Workers, Review of Social Economy. Volume: 60. Issue: 4, p. 543. Ukens L. Lorraine, (2001) What Smart Trainers Know: The Secrets of Success from the World's Foremost Experts: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer: San Francisco. Read More