Organizational Change and Innovation Processes - Assignment Example

?Organizational Change The notion of organizational change is closely associated with the changes and development that are made in business organizations for the purpose of creation of overall betterment of the organization. These changes and developments are regarded as the central aspect in the process of organizing decision-making choices and also choices in respect to organizational strategy formation. Various organizational innovations as well as inter-organizational networks are developed with the help of these organizational changes (Poole, 2000, p.3). This paper is aimed at providing an analytical structure of the application of Kotter’s 8-Step Approach in an American based organization. Company Overview: R.R. Donnelley, one of the largest printing companies in the world, is based in the United States of America. The company, which is listed in the NASDAQ: RRD, is regarded as the global provider of different integrated communications as well as printing services. The company is working collaboratively and collectively with more than almost 60,000 customers across the world for the purpose of developing different solutions in respect to custom communications. These solutions are reducing costs of the production of the company, driving top line growth in favor of the company and also are enhancing research and development and are also ensuring observance. Drawing on the range of proprietary as well as commercially accessible digital and different conventional technologies organized across four continents, R.R. Donnelley & Sons employs a group of leading “Internet based capabilities” as well as other resources. These resources are applied for the purpose of providing “pre-media, printing, logistics and business process outsourcing services” to different clients in practically every private as well as public sector around the world (About Us, 2012). Diagnosis: There are various needs or requirements for organizational changes which are conducted in different business organizations across the globe. One of the most important factors which emerge as constant in different business organizations today is organizational change. Undeniably, the organization’s ability or capacity to deal with different changes gives the company a competitive advantage in the market. Organizational learning and changes have been identified as one of the most significant methods for making certain the success of different continual changes made in organizations. Researchers, however, do not deal with various emotional implications in respect to the changes which are made in various business organizations across the globe. Large number of researchers, in their articles, has shown the advancements in regard to the proposal that organizational changes are inherently emotional as well as produce wide ranges of emotions and/or feelings in individuals and in organizations during these organizational change which require micro-level as well as macro-level management. Large number of researchers has also pointed out the emotional aspects in respect to dealing with these organizational changes. In general, these researchers have identified the fact that emotional consequences of those organizational changes, however, there exists small research available, which identifies the fact that emotional skills are needed to successfully manage these organizational changes (Jordon, n.d., 456). Organizational changes which are required by the company R.R. Donnelley are mainly related to those organizational changes which are made for the overall improvement of the organization. These changes are required to be made on the ground of the fact that the business organization is needed to be made more and more effective in respect to developments of the working environments and also in respect to the overall growth of the organization. In this context the changes are needed because Understanding the degree of staff commitment is expected to assist the business organization under consideration in selecting the most efficient working force for the alliance of the changes. These efficient individuals are expected to be able to affect other employees also. These changes are also essentially required to move up the business organization under consideration to the greater level. This upward movement of the company is required to increase the base of profit earning ability and also to increase the volume of investment in favor of greater level of growth. The intent of these organizational changes is to present a discussion of various ways through which these most important components like visioning, communication as well as empowerment will fit with the business strategies and policies of the company, R.R. Donnelley, and will also create different more significant organizational changes. Kotter’s 8-Step Approach and the plan of changes: Researchers are sometimes asked the question regarding policies which are required to be implemented by business organizations to improve the existing conditions. This question is often related to the changes made in respect to the policy of better and improved employee engagement. The notion of culture change is regarded as a difficult task to attain for any business leader. Leaders, work under different circumstances to help transforming their organizational culture, are surprised by the fact that how hard they need to work in experiencing real improvements. Large number of researches has highlighted Kotter’s eight steps (1997) to organizational change in establishing different steps regarded as a guideline for the process of examination of these processes (Scheid, n.d., p.1). These eight steps incorporate: 1. “Create a sense of urgency”. 2. “Create a powerful coalition”. 3. “Create a vision”. 4. “Communicate the vision”. 5. “Empower the people”. 6. “Achieve quick victories”. 7. “Consolidate the positive changes”. 8. “Institutionalize the changes” (Scheid, n.d., p.1). In regard to the first two important steps researchers have discussed the significance of leaders recognizing the fact that there is a need for change to be practical and also in respect to the fact that apart from the changing or evolved environment as a replacement for reactive. When urgency for these changes is recognized, then leaders should have the alliance of supporters in favor of these changes. Individuals, in this respect, with affective pledge, those who have deeply believed in the vision and mission of business organizations and who will greatly commit to these organizational changes, are, in general, the individuals who want to remain in leaders’ union of supporters. On the contrary, individuals with average pledge levels will most likely commit if and only if they consider that their job is in the balance (Scheid, n.d., p.1). Creating a Vision: Creating a vision, and/or direction, for the business organization, R.R. Donnelley, will give a visual roadmap which will be showing the path of changes. According to many researchers, senior managers of the company have reported that almost 75 percent of all possible change processes have not yield the anticipated results (Scheid, n.d., p.2). Thus possessing the correct roadmap for these changes will help the organization, R.R. Donnelley, to wind up where and what the company desire. Without the vision there will be a propensity to bounce over the procedure of transitioning individuals and also to jump right to the process of institutionalizing various changes through fiat. The vision will be the key element in helping individuals in transiting these changes. Starting the Process of Visioning with the notion of Truth: One of the most important roles of the leader is regarded as to identify as well as articulate the reality of the current situation (Scheid, n.d., p.2). The assessment of truth of the leader should be somewhat harmonizing with respect to the belief of each and every individual in the organization. It is very much unlikely that every individual will concur with all the aspects related to the process of assessment of the leader; however, it should be fairly lock to an agreement view of the business organization when the vision as well as a new path will be accepted. When consensus on the current status of the business organization is recognized, then conformity on the conduit to improvement will be preceded. Focus: When the importance for organizational changes and the reality of the current situation is recognized, the focus of these changes will be determined. Thus there will three general focal points of these changes efforts which will be strategic changes, different structural changes and also the culture changes (Scheid, n.d., p.3). The strategic change will be made on the ground of the direction of the organization and will clearly identify the existing and potential customers and also the products along with the pre-specified organizational goals and vision and mission. The structural change will involve changing all the roles and processes in the organization; and the cultural change will be dealing with the behaviors and cultures. In addition to this notion of focus, the range of the mission as well as the vision must be proportionate with the needs or requirements which are to be attained by the company. Creation of an all-inclusive the mission and vision for an inaccessible development or limited apparition for the far reaching difficulty or problem would likely not to work. Alternatives for the process of Creating Vision: When the area of the focus for a vision is resolute and when the information as well as the expertise is identified, then the process aimed at developing the vision must be adopted by the company, R.R. Donnelley. According to Scheid (n.d.), “there are three different approaches which would determine the process – authoritarian, charismatic or consensus. The authoritarian or charismatic is rarely effective with modern workers except in certain situations” (Scheid, n.d., p.3). Hence, the authoritarian approach needs to be regarded appropriate by the management of the company when the leader is located at the level of top technical expert of the organization, R.R. Donnelley which is the most common aspect in regard to low skilled industries. Achieving the Vision: Part of converse a vision that lies in the process of communicating different plans for attaining the vision, is very important for this company, R.R. Donnelley. Creation of a clear plan will help individuals in understanding the tasks that are involved in the process of accomplishing the vision as well as will present a more thorough definition of various goals. The plan will reduce all probable confusions or disagreements regarding how to achieve the preferred vision state by helping individuals in understanding how the vision can be made possible (Scheid, n.d., p.4). With a convincing vision as well as no general or comprehensive plan, individuals will rapidly become aggravated and renounce on the vision. Those efforts in achieving the vision will most likely wind up with perplexity, misdirection as well as conflict when a clear plan will not be in place. Empower your People: After creation of several plans, individuals are required to understand their part in the particular plan and thus in the organization. This management process, which is very important, starts to assign the responsibility that will empower the workers of working in the organization. If assigning roles are bounced over, then the responsibility for attaining the vision will be remained with the leadership. And the employees might be left with powerless aspects to attain that vision. Also, in this context it is worth mentioning that assigning roles might disclose some issues as well as problems with regard to the general plan that can be solved before that problem or issue becomes a crisis. These employees might believe extra work is being loaded on them; the brand new work can be confusing and/or seem insuperable. The fair “division of labor” is thus needed in the organization, R.R. Donnelley, and also the notion of leadership must take on larger share to make sure that individuals do not distinguish a lack of promise from leadership (Scheid, n.d., p.4). These changes will be wise for the approach of leadership in respect to the process of addressing the issue related to the empowerment of the workers before these leaders engage on the change of effort thus ensuring the fact that they understand the perception of these workers. Conclusion: These organizational changes are required in the company in order to make drastic changes in favor of the business organization in the process of overall re-structuring of all the possible changes. The management of the business organization will keep the focus on putting most effective policies in respect to the daily decision-making processes and will align with the significance of different shared values during the changing processes. Sharing these values of putting these changes suggested by the Kotter’s 8-Step Approach will help the company to clarify the path or direction of the business organization and will likely bring conformity as to the requirement for those changes. References: 1. About Us, (2012), R.R. Donnelley, retrieved on April 27, 2012 from: http://www.rrdonnelley.com/AboutUs/AboutUs.asp 2. Jordon, P. J. (n.d.), DEALING WITH ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE: CAN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ENHANCE ORGANISATIONAL LEARNING?, International Journal of Organisational Behaviour, Vol.8, No.1, pp. 456-471 3. Poole, M. S. (2000), Organizational Change and Innovation Processes: Theory and Methods for Research, USA: Oxford University Press 4. Scheid, K. (n.d.), Moving Your Organization Ahead, Best Christian Workplace Institute, retrieved on April 27, 2012 from: http://www.bcwinstitute.com/Learningcenter/Press/rp_change_process.pdf Read More