Learning Organization as the Organization of the Future - Term Paper Example

? OUR ICEBERG IS MELTING (An essay on change management) of (affiliation) Introduction Change, as they say, is a constant. There is nothing more permanent than change, one of those hackneyed expressions keep reminding us. Change happens whether people like it or not. It occurs when it is least expected, on some occasions, while in some instances, it can be predicted with a certain degree of certainty, based on observed trends. The trajectory of change may go on as forecast or it may deviate from a given path. Nobody knows for sure how change will turn out. To a certain extent, nothing is permanent except change itself. This should perhaps remind all of us how to cope with change and adopt to it. Some people adopt to change quite remarkably well, while others flounder and get left behind because of a different attitude towards change. Management scholars, change experts, and talented academicians have studied change and its effects on people, on how to manage the change process to make it a positive outcome, or on how to teach people to adapt and accept change as a positive event that will bring new options or opportunities for those quick enough and astute enough to embrace change as beneficial. The conventional wisdom is that people resist change because it implies chaos and uncertainty. However, a paradigm shift is needed to make people realize how change brings with it a new set of opportunities, the chance to start afresh and the option to wipe the slate clean, so to speak. Some people definitely thrive when exposed to change because they are quick enough to grab the chances presented by change when old rules no longer apply and new ones are just now being implemented. The change process can be managed efficiently only if people open up their eyes and their minds to the benefits that change brings. Change can be a positive event because it brings progress for humankind in ways unimaginable but only if it is steered in the right ways. Discussion Since change is inevitable and oftentimes unavoidable too, people should be ready at all times to adopt and adapt to whatever changes are coming their way. Human recorded history is a continuum of constant changes over the centuries and cumulatively, all those changes can now be seen in the way human civilization has progressed over several millennia. Change itself can be evolutionary (gradual) or revolutionary (abrupt) depending on the circumstances but change is happening all around sometimes without people consciously knowing how change is proceeding. Some people will resist change because they prefer to stay in their comfort zones and be happy with the present way of doing things while some people embrace change for new opportunities it brings. This dichotomy in people's responses is starkly illustrated in the two groups of friends who discovered their cheese was missing; Sniff and Scurry were able to adapt and went about searching for new cheese, while another group (Hem and Haw) just waited for the cheese to just re-appear somewhat magically for them, without them doing anything (Johnson, 2003). Change can be managed actively and steered towards a desired outcome if people will be strong enough to do so. In other words, people can influence change in ways that are positive for them in the long run if they want to, all it takes is just personal willpower and political will to achieve positive change. It means people need to be proactive for change to succeed for them or otherwise, change will force people to adapt or wither away. This had been the case of most of ancient civilizations in the world, which achieved their heights and peaks of development but in the process, an unexpected change or event came along to which these civilizations were not able to adapt and caused their decline while new societies came along which prospered with change. Put differently, a person can be an active participant by being a change agent himself or choose to be a passive bystander watching all the change events affecting his own life in ways that might not be favorable for him. An attitude of openness for change is the very essence and theme of the book Our Iceberg is Melting because one penguin chose and decided upon himself to manage change actively to ensure a desirable or favorable outcome for their colony. Reactions and responses to change will determine the eventual outcome when change is completed. Fred is the name of that activist penguin, and he essentially followed the eight-stage change process that was enumerated in the book Leading Change (Kotter, 1996). In their case, Fred first established a sense of urgency that their iceberg is melting, so other penguins will recognize the problem. Further along, Fred enlisted the help of other penguins, the decision-makers who belong to the Group of Ten, led by the Head Penguin. He convinced Alice, one member of that group, to see for herself what is happening under the iceberg and so was able to form a coalition that will then formulate the vision and the strategy to achieve that vision (Kotter & Rathgeber, 2005). It is also through this eight-step process by which change agents will be able to achieve change that is proactive and positive. Resistance to change will be weakened and the change process can then be implemented more smoothly and much sooner. Imparting a sense of urgency avoids the most common problem in change management which is complacency, a tendency for the status quo. As stated earlier, change can be gradual, like in the case of the invention of the iron plow (much harder than a bronze plow) and this discovery was spread gradually by a slow process of knowledge diffusion of a new technology (Ogburn, 1922) which developed in a more settled lifestyle from agriculture. Change can be quite abrupt and disruptive too (Grove, 1996). What Any Grove of giant chipmaker Intel meant was the appearance of new technology is an inflection point, or a break in the usual pattern of things, which brings about change in the lives of people. The Chinese accidentally discovered gunpowder first, but they used it mainly in fireworks displays to drive away evil spirits. The early Europeans who first came into contact with China saw the potential of gunpowder in warfare hence they adapted it into the gun making industry and then evolved into artillery. Thus the Europeans gained world dominance in the age of empire and colonization because they had the advantage of advanced gun technology to wipe out far larger numbers of native warriors armed only with crude weapons like bows and arrows. Globalization in trade and commerce brings with it many changes which corporations can try to prepare themselves. Changes like cost reductions, product quality expectations, locate new revenue streams, sources of sales growth, outsourcing, global capital flows and other macro-economic factors pressure organizations and individuals to accept and adapt to change. A world that is getting flatter by means of information and communications technology (ICT) has now shortened both geographic distance and the vast differentials in various time zones. Those who accept change as inevitable are better prepared for it because they determine their own future by creating their own space (Kim & Mauborgne, 2005) by influencing its direction where it goes. Conclusion The organization of the future will be a learning organization because this will allow it to adapt to changes much more quickly and to never be again complacent (Marquardt, 2011). Organizations can apply the new Russian theory of innovative thinking called as TRIZ (Kaplan, 1996) to solve problems and then by applying strategic intent (Hamel & Prahalad, 1989). References Grove, A. (1996). Only the paranoid survive: How to exploit the crisis points that challenge every company and career. New York, NY: Currency/Doubleday. Hamel, G. & Prahalad, C. K. (1989, May). Strategic intent. Harvard Business Review, pp. 1-14. Johnson, S. (2003). Who moved my cheese? New York, NY: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Kaplan, S. (1996). An introduction to TRIZ: The Russian theory of inventive problem solving. Southfield, MI: Ideation International Incorporated. Kim, W. C. & Mauborgne, R. (2005). Blue ocean strategy: How to create uncontested market space and make the competition irrelevant. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press. Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press. Kotter, J. P. & Rathgeber, H. (2005): Our iceberg is melting: Changing and succeeding under any conditions. New York, NY: Macmillan Company. Marquardt, M. J. (2011). Building the learning organization: Achieving strategic advantage through a commitment to learning. Boston, MA: Nicholas Brealey Publishing. Ogburn, W. F. (1922). Social change with respect to culture and original nature. New York, NY: B. W. Huebsch. (a re-print of the original). Read More