The Change to Make in the World - Case Study Example

Introduction The term change has become frequent in the contemporary world owing to the impact that individuals wish to leave behind within the environment where they live(By, Burnes, & Oswick, 2011). Individuals feel that they should leave an impact on the society by making it better or still, become pioneers of better things. In the organizational contexts for instance, leaders always propose new ways of doing things from the organizational structure to the culture that dictates or influences individual behaviors(O’Toole, 1995). However, there are various factors that affect change initiation ranging from the availability of resources to the elements of change that commonly refer to as change agents. For instance, change initiation requires certain personality traits which the essay discusses comprehensively. Therefore, the aim of the essay is to outline how to bring change in the society especially the financial situation in the world so as to help the small and middle-income people cope up with the tough economic times. My special interest draws from the fact that the world is soon reaching an economic deadlock with worrying rates of unemployment. Nonetheless, I drew my special attention to people who could not afford basic healthcare especially after spending some time in the hospital. It is worrying that at this era of economic inequality some people have no cash to pay for their surgeries and live to see another day. Therefore, the essay discusses how my goals in life can help me bring about the necessary change in the society with reference to resources as well as challenges that will come about from the many choices. The changes in the world According to Kotter (2007), there must be a need or urgency that drives the urge to initiate change in the society. In my case for example it is evident that many people are facing rough financial times and cannot afford fundamental human needs like healthcare, food, clothing, and even housing. As a young change agent, it will be necessary to dig deeper and find out the reasons behind the financial inequality. In fact, every problem in the society begins with poor management of finances hence I wish to major on the area to learn how to manipulate finances for the benefit of the underprivileged in the community. Poor management translates to bad leadership; it will be necessary to look at the different aspects of transformational leadership that can drive or hinder change(Kotter, 2007). When advocating changes, it is also imperative to take note of the situations when changes are successful as well as scenarios that are unfavorable for change. Such knowledge will be useful in this project since change cannot come about haphazardly but depends on both external and internal factors. Change agents only become successful in flexible situations where it is possible to make choices from many alternatives(Pascale, & Sternin, 2005). The agents also become successful where they can exercise their authority, and there are opportunities to collaborate with others. Active involvement of the community is another indicator of successful change initiation and the agents also succeed through clear vision(Gerth, 2013). Moreover, change agents where there are shared values and cultures with self-awareness and reflection. Change agents cannot succeed if there is poor situational analysis(Kotter, & Cohen, 2012). In such a scenario, individuals barely learn from their mistakes, do not have self-awareness and there are no problem-solving skills. When initiating a change in the world, it is very crucial to identify some of the principles of change management. Firstly, change should involve people all the time(Banks et al., 2013). The implication is that the change system should integrate the component to others like processes, the environment, behaviors, relationships, and culture. The second principle is that the change agent should understand where he or she wants to be and why or the impact of the whole process(Kotter International, 2015). Thirdly, a change agent should plan for the activities he or she wants to undertake to achieve the results and they should be measurable and achievable. Finally, communication is crucial where early involvement of people should be a priority. All these principles will guide me in setting up my goals and visions for change the entire change process. Theoretical underpinnings/frameworks of change management When setting up my goals for changing the world, it will also be imperative to identify theories and models behind some assumptions about change management. For instance, John Kotter is famous for developing an eight-step model of successful change (Kotter International, 2015). The 8-steps summarizes as: Increase urgency-inspiring the team to move by making objectives relevant and real Building a guiding team-getting people with the right emotional commitment, levels and skills in the right places Visioning-establishment of a simple and clear vision Communicating effectively-getting as many people involve in the process through simple and efficient communication Creating short-term wins-setting easy-to-achieve aims Not letting up go-encourage and foster determination persistence and determination: keeping a state of on-going change. Making the change stick: through promotion, recruitment, and the introduction of new change leaders. Resources A successful change initiation depends on both external and internal resources since they are interdependent. Internal resources are personal in nature and must come from the individual in terms of interpersonal skills and personality traits(By, Burnes, & Oswick, 2011). An important internal resource is leadership skills. For managers in the 21st C, leadership is an important personality trait that that determines the success or failure of the change process (Kotter, 1996). Studies also show that leadership depends on personality traits. For instance, influential or charismatic individuals exhibit charismatic leadership styles, the same way as authoritative individuals exercise the same with their leadership styles(Northouse, 2012). In my case, I believe with the good teamwork and good interpersonal skills I will the lead the project successfully. Flexibility as a good leadership trait enabled me to steer various success in the Korean social clubs and also have helped me to cope with the clubs in the university (Northouse, 2012). A good leader should be empathetic and engaging with disabled children made me develop such a personality trait that will help with the change initiation process. Above all, a good leader should show respect to people regardless of their ranks as I have learned through experiences in the various clubs. On the other hand, external factors are organizational based where factors like teamwork or team building mark the success of the change process(Pascale, & Sternin, 2005). Like in this scenario, external resources will come from the stakeholders who will inject finances into the new organization. The finances are necessary for running day-to-day activities and paying the necessary bills. Nonetheless, stakeholders will also offer resources in terms of advice on the dynamics of financial management because the success of this community project will depend on the effective management of the limited stock in the form of money. The change process will also require employees to run different tasks. Kotter (2007) suggests that when initiating change, employees should be fully aware of it and the management must make efforts of influencing them to a personal level. For instance, it will be necessary to have a close-one-one communication with each employee to explain to them the need for changes in the organization. The implication is that change can only be successful when everyone takes part by contributing their ideas to the whole process(Stevenson, 2008). Another useful external resource is the public or the public that has experience in the field of financial management. They will be significant for this project because their advice can give the direction on different financial aspects of the community. It will be necessary to build an executive team with right attitudes towards community engagement and flexibility to different situations. My experience in the Leadership Development Portfolio shaped my leadership style and this will help me in building a strong executive change management team. I gained perfect interpersonal and team-working skills as a member of various societies and Clubs from Korea and the University. Besides, working as a volunteer with the disabled children made me develop the right attitude towards the community or society in general. Internally, change initiation requires the right leadership(By, Burnes, & Oswick, 2011). My engagement with various clubs and teaching in the Korean Society has groomed me as a resonant leader with a positive attitude with strong self-belief and visionary in nature. As a leader, I advocate taking initiative and putting things under control at difficult times. Nonetheless, the primary resource is the investment that will come from the venture capital and some from government support. Challenges Challenges have seen many change projects remain at the planning stage though preparedness to counter them will see this project through. First and foremost, the community and employees may fear the change since they perceive it as interference with their ordinary lives. Many people might fear, for instance that there are many obstacles to overcome because of the change(Pascale, & Sternin, 2005). Besides, different stakeholders may have different interests on the projects thus the conflicting ideas may hinder the whole process. The change management team may be too anxious to accept change or not in a position to handle the eminent success. The other obstacle to change is the articulation of the change ideas (By, Burnes, & Oswick, 2011). Sometimes communication may become a hindrance since it must follow the right chain. For instance, inter-generational communication may be difficult owing to the different views and perspectives of both the older and younger generation. Nonetheless, communication of the ideas should be inclusive and follow the triple-bottom-line approach where the process treats everyone as equal in the organization (Lewis, 2011). Lewis (2011) argues that the change process also risks failing if the ideas are not clear or simpler to the target audience. The executive management must explain the rationale behind a financial institution for helping the needy because critics may question the motive behind such a project. The management should have a justifiable defense to convince relevant stakeholders that the project is solely to help with the financial situation in the society. Another possible change, that may affect this project, is the lack of self-belief among the change agents especially the new team that has little experience in success or failure. Stevenson (2008) states that sometimes team might undermine its potential for fear of failure. In this case, they may not fully exploit their skills and capabilities in community services and financial management(Lewis, 2011). For instance, success may mean everything to some and the achievement may breed slackness where the team only focuses on short-term goals. Being a new team, failure can be demoralizing since it implies that the project is not succeeding. However, a strong team should pick up from failure and mend its way to success. Moreover, it always very difficult for a new project to find external support since such help comes as a result of good performance. For a new project, attracting funding from investors and government is difficult since there are still no tangible results(Pascale, & Sternin, 2005). Nevertheless, the nature of the project, finance project for the community, raises eyebrows as some may question the motives behind such a proposal. Conversely, it will be difficult to find networks for such community financial organizations since they equally offer financial advice. The project has not established hence connecting to a network of community organizations will still be difficult. The proposed change can only enter the networks after providing tangible results or achieving something in the society(Stevenson, 2008). Last but not least is the challenge on policy formulation since the project is still new with limited skills and knowledge on legal issues surrounding financial organizations or institutions. The project is a non-profit organization and should maintain this position. The impact I strongly believe that the despite challenges, the change will succeed. There are many indicators that will mark the success. Firstly, an improved financial status in the community confirms that I have been successful as a financial specialist helping poor to improve their lives. The project aimed at creating awareness on financial management. The long-term effect of any change process is to leave a long-lasting impact on the society(Stevenson, 2008). Therefore, it will be my joy to see a people that knows to manage the little they have with enough support from the government and other relevant stakeholders. I also wish to leave a mark by ensuring that the community gets sound financial advice with equal distribution of basic resources. The impact should not be limited to the financial status but also the social aspect as well. I wish to see the project leave a mark on the community as a reference to good leadership. The community lacked people to mentor them on leadership and maybe I can become a role model for those interested in such roles. The project should also teach the community on morals like respect, accountability, integrity among other positive personality traits. Conclusion Change initiation may not be an easy task, but individuals need to understand the dynamics of the process. There should be a mixture of internal and external resources in the form of employees, the funding and personality traits to drive the whole process. While identifying and elaborating the change I want to make in the world, it was necessary to identify challenges that change agents experience. Having acquired the necessary skills and knowledge for the change management, including leadership skills, I believe I can change the financial situation in the community by offering a long-lasting solution to the problem of inequality. The essay has also made references to theories and models of change management like Kotters’ 8-steps. Briefly, the project not only aims at improving financial status of the community, but also creating awareness on good leadership and favorable social behaviors. 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