Change and Culture - Article Example

Change and Culture Leading by Leveraging Culture is an article that gives the reader an in-depth understanding of the organizational culture and norms. Jennifer and Sandra define culture to be a value system that defines what is important in the organization whiles the norms to be the appropriate attitudes and behaviors of employees in the workplace environment. In any organization, a culture is usually incorporated into its ranks and workforce. Leading by Leveraging Culture has several points that every leader should take into consideration. The organization culture is a strong force that exists in all organization. A culture clarifies what is important to the employees. It enables them to coordinate their work with one another without the need for supervision. The employees are self-driven and thus can perform their duties while saving the organization the cost involved with hiring supervisors. If the supervisors are already on the payroll, then they can focus on other tasks other than constantly monitoring the employees. An organization’s culture is not limited to the internal environment. The article also clearly shows that an organization’s culture gives it a distinctive identity to external constituencies. For instance, these external constituencies are made up of other organizations, customers, and suppliers. To employ the organizational culture successfully as a tool for leadership, the managers have to satisfy several needs. The managers must recruit, select, and employ staffs who fit into the culture of the organization. During the selection process, the managers should focus more on the person culture fit than on the person-job fit (Jennifer & Sandra, 2003). After selection, the selected employees should be trained and socialized. The training and socialization ensure that the newly selected employees acquire the cultural knowledge, which helps them to bond with the rest of the employees. The employees are thus able to assume their organization roles faster. The employees whose actions reflect the organization’s culture should be rewarded. The article also points out the pitfalls that may befall a manager who decides to adopt culture as a leadership tool. The manager should act in a way that promotes the culture of the organization. Occasionally, the manager should review his or her behaviors to ensure that they always communicate the correct passive information about the culture of the organization to the employees. It is important to note that the Leading by Leveraging Culture article puts its focus on a strong corporate culture. This culture improves the staff performance that results in organizational effectiveness. Such a system usually appeals to the staffs higher ideals while guiding their behavior. In addition, the decision-making skills that the employees make within the cultural system enables an organization to have a stable foundation of realizing its goals. Managing Change through Networks and Values is an article that has its focus trained on the methods employed in the management of change within a given organization. This article brings to the fore the fact that the literature on the subject of effective management of change has widely and rapidly expanded while the process by itself has stagnated. According to the authors of this article, even though 90 percent of organizations had undertaken changes within their ranks, only 5 percent of these organizations had managed to achieve the changes without disrupting their operations. It is clear that institutions are rigid and resist change. This article attributes this rigidity to the informal network that exists in organizations. To elaborate the informal network involvement, the Managing Change through Networks and Values article gives a variety of case studies. The informal communication usually is made up of different cultures that play an enormous role, which ultimately influences the progress of change. The article mainly points out to managers to manage the cultural networks of their organizations effectively. Such management of the cultural networks is to be done in cohesion with the formal structure when the change is being enforced. The Managing Change through Networks and Values article further points out the plight the executives face in the modern corporate firms. On a day-to-day basis, the executives are responsible for the large-scale organizational changes. These changes are done under tight time schedules with limited resources. However, the outcomes that are often expected do not materialize since there is a lot of internal resistance that ultimately leads to the slowing down or derailment of the change initiatives instigated. In response to these barriers, the article provides an in-depth assessment of not only culture but also the informal structure that helps to identify them. It further provides the initiatives that an organization can take to overcome the barriers to change (Michael, Salvatore & Cross, 2007). To illustrate this approach, the article shows how ten organization were affected by it. The demonstration through the body of the article clearly shows how change can be driven through people and values. In addition, it succinctly demonstrates how to diagnose the existing dominant believes within a network and proposes means of intervention through expressive relationships. A number of useful pointers can be drawn from both articles. The major issue that has been highlighted by these two articles is the need of assessing the cultural compatibility of organizations amongst the various departments and employees. The assessment of the culture that exists in the organization will help the manager in determining the best mode of incorporating new or upholding existing strategy in the organization (Jennifer & Sandra, 2003). In order to develop a working framework, the manager is tasked with ensuring that employees are well informed and share the ideals of the organization. Additionally, new employees must be trained so that they are assimilated quickly into the new environment. The result of such action is that an organization will avoid some dislocation that occurs between the management and the employees. The second thing that can be drawn from the articles is that as processes of production change in organizations, it is thus inevitable for the management to become more sensitive to the changes that occur within its structure and workforce (Michael, Salvatore & Cross, 2007). The managers should allow participation and open discussion among the different levels of employees. In addition, the managers should champion for innovativeness and change that supports growth, expansion, and development of their organizations. The information sharing at St. Gertrude’s Laboratories is skewed in favor of the high-level managers. According to the network diagram (Figure 2), there is vertical information, which starts from the senior managers and flows down to the lower cadre employees. The information coming from lower cadre employees are feedback. The exception is the spatial horizontal flow of communication between senior managers or mid-level managers. Therefore, it can be suggested that the communication at St. Gertrude’s Laboratories be decentralized away from the upper-level management. The lower cadre should be involved in the decision-making process so that they are empowered to think on their own. Such action ultimately spurs innovation. The most important thing about St. Gertrude is its well-established and dedicated communication channels. There is a spirited effort by each department and staff to ensure that every message is delivered effectively and is well understood. The dedicated communication has created a culture where every employee cares about his or her information delivery. The comparison of the two charts provides a vivid picture of the hierarchy at St. Gertrude’s Laboratories. From the figures 1 and 2, one can learn that the queries and information flow in one primary direction: Vertical. There was also minor horizontal information flow. The top-down flow of information means that in any circumstance, the senior person is the one who is looked up for guidance. The juniors also look up to the seniors for information. This analysis is valid as it was observed in both the organizational chart and the information network chart. References Jennifer, C., & Sandra, E. C. (2003). Leading by Leveraging Culture. California Management Review, 20-33. Michael, J.-C., Salvatore, P., & Cross, R. (2007). Managing change through networks and values. California Management Review, 85-109. APPENDIX Figure 1 Figure 2 -Administrative Secretary/ Senior Managers - Mid Level Manager’s (lab managers, quality assurance and safety officers) - Lower level managers (Laboratory managers) - Laboratory staff and laboratory technicians - Janitors and cleaning staff Read More