Organisation Change - Research Paper Example

This paper identifies organizations that have implemented different organizational strategies, the one that is most successful, and the reason behind its success. Organizations That Have Adopted Different Change Strategies Tuning (Anticipatory and Incremental) Tuning is implemented when management anticipates a change and an incremental change is initiated. An example of this is the tuning of marketing activities by Du Pont. Du Pont adopted a marketing strategy called Adopt-a-Customer program, wherein a blue-collared worker would personally visit a customer to understand his needs and pass them on to the company (Kreitner, 2008).

This innovative idea replaced the traditional way of waiting for the customer to report a problem and then fix it. This was an effective strategy that translated into organizational success. Adaptation (Reactive and Incremental) Adaptation is also an incremental change, but here the change is not proactive but reactive to external stimuli. Ford with its aerodynamic styling had made a successful change that positively affected the performance of the company. In order to compete with Ford, Chrysler and General Motors were forced to adopt a change in their design (Oden, 1999).

Reorientation (Anticipatory and Discontinuous) Reorientation is an anticipatory change wherein significant redirection of the organization occurs. An example of this is the change made at At&T by CEO Bob Allen. The company went through many radical changes in the 1980s such as restructuring of the business units, new management teams, change in overall strategy, new acquisitions, etc (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2008). These changes were in response to anticipatory changes in the industry expected due to deregulation and pressure from international competition.

Re-Creation (Reactive and Discontinuous) Re-creation also involves major modifications in the organization, it is similar to reorientation but the change here is reactive. An example of this is the complete restructuring of Apple Inc., in the mid 90s. Apple was under the threat of being shut down; it had not been able to adapt to the changing times and competition. It was then completely restructured which included a new product line and even new board members. Most Successful Changes and the Reasons behind Them The success of an organizational change is dependent on various factors and, hence, each change must be evaluated individually.

In the above-identified changes, the most successful is the re-creation change in Apple. The simple reason for this is that the changes made in the company during the 90s have today resulted in Apple being one of the most valuable companies on the planet. There are numerous reasons behind this. The change brought focus to the product line. The number of products was reduced and more focus was given on developing a generation of the same product rather than a number of products. The restructuring of the board brought in new ideas and expertise to the company.

In addition, the change in the leadership style (Steve Jobs’ charismatic leadership) made a huge difference to the company’s fortunes. One Category More Successful Than Another Even though the recreation change is identified as the most successf