Organizational Problem Solving - Coursework Example

Organizational Problem Solving University Name Introduction This paper intends to reveal a common organizational problem that I have encountered at work which caused a great impact that nearly set all the workers off balance forcing some of them to prepare resignation letters. Many staff members complained continuously, and few had a clue of how to resolve the issue. An organization that has been operating for more than a decade has an established system of operation probably with proper documentation of procedures. In addition, its structure is well defined, and a clear procedure for settling conflicts and managing problems/difficulties is also well defined. However, in my case, there was an issue that caught up with the organization I was working for, and hence left most of the operations staggering. Description of the problem and how it rose The organization deals with curriculum and syllabus development. It was massively involved with organizing workshops, seminars and book evaluation. In this case, the nature of the organization forced it to have various different departments like procurement, stores, human resource management, transportation and housekeeping. Most of the workers in the organization had worked there for more than seven years. Most of operations in these departments were carried out manually. There came a time where the country was hit by a wave of technological improvement that forced most organizations to automate their systems in order to build greater levels of accuracy, and to improve speed of activities to catch up with global trends. There was a big wave that blew from all sides, and it demanded every person involved in these operations to be well informed on automation, its purpose and benefits. Therefore, staff members had to start storing information in computers as opposed to paper work and filling. Additionally, communication through e- mail had to be intensified as opposed to usage of fax and letters. Intranet and internet tools had to be installed to ensure that the system was well implemented to enhance communication within the organization and outside the organization. For instance, the procurement department had to start floating quotations using e-mails and to send local purchase orders (LPOs) using emails. This became a great problem where very few were ready to embrace change. Instead, most of the staff members were in a state of inertia and deeply resisting the change. This incidence demanded answers from the management. Top management had to come up with a definite decision promptly to cab the laxity, and to build a positive attitude that would help the employees to embrace the new technology that had been introduced in the form of a wave. This was checked as a problem because most of the operations were stuck and very little was being achieved leading to violation of the organization’s vision and mission. Moreover, most employees were feeling displaced, and motivation to work was low. Some of the employees even felt like the changes were introduced as a disguised method of laying-off the employees. Most of them had worked in that organization for more than seven years. They were used to the traditional methods of storing information. Changing needed a definite method of managing change. Use of manual systems of operation was like a culture to the organization right from the top management to the subordinate staff. With regard to this, the new technology acted as the change to the framework of operations. The organization had to incorporate new structures that would accommodate automation. Stakeholders of the organization were affected too. This is where stakeholders like suppliers would be rarely involved in the face to face conversations that would be replaced by use of the electronic mails and internet. Technology had to be embraced due to the changing needs of the market. This is where the syllabus for compu­­­­­­­­­­­ter studies had to be reviewed, and implemented in the country. Therefore, employees as stakeholders had to embrace this change considering that it was inevitable. Customer expectations, markets, and technologies were changing rapidly (Hock, 2007). Resolving the problem based on reference from management theories Management usually relates to the art of boosting productivity through nurturing employee’s talents while, on the other side, offering them opportunities for advancement and self enrichment (Shepherd etal, 2010). There is the perspective of managing context (Dubrin, 2008). A manager needs to understand culture, context, and environment in taking given actions and making decisions (Shepherd etal, 2010). This could be through visiting cultures, countries in order to understand why and how products are used. In this way, it is also easy to understand why and how given policies work or why they may not work. There is also the perspective of managing relationships. It is important to possess skills of managing relationships between people and among people. This involves creating positive attitudes whereby tasks can be accomplished with ease. It also involves the ability to collaborate with others (Evantia, 2011). Change in an organization demands that the organization establishes the required mechanisms or rather techniques for managing, controlling, and implementing change (Dubrin, 2008). Most of the organizations have faced the challenge of change management, and have ended up failing to adopt change. Change acts as a steering gear towards optimization of organization performance and gaining better results. Embracing of change by stakeholders in an organization is a crucial step that aids in change implementation (Dubrin, 2008). In this case, transformation from manual systems to automated systems like introduction of machines (computers, shredders, photocopiers, printers, extension phones) would increase speed and accuracy of operations. Computers store massive information, and retrieval of information is easier. Change management entails the developing and formulating of the mechanisms of change adoption in the workplace. The management of change finds facilitation from the managers of an organization, but stakeholders of the organization of a significant influence on change adoption. The goal of change management is to reduce any risk of failure that may result from change implementation and maximize on the benefits of change adoption. This involves taking into consideration human aspect of change and industrial psychology. However, as organization focus and concentrate on change management, they are often faced with the challenge of change saturation where at times the change is huge or changes are too many. Organization changes like introduction of new machines, installation of intranet and internet, and use of new modes of communication aims at improving the performance level of the organization, and adapting to the environmental operation conditions of the organization (Manuela, & Fuentes n.d). Behaviour differences among employees and different types of culture influence the rate of change adoption and implementation in an organization (UNDP, 2006). Therefore, the managers need to understand the personalities of their employees. In this way, they can detect the way change affects the employees. Change in an organization demands that the organization establishes the necessary mechanisms for managing, controlling, and implementing change. Most of the organizations have faced the challenge of change management, and have ended up failing to adopt change. Change acts as a steering gear towards optimization of organization performance and gaining better results. Appreciation of change by stakeholders of a given organization is a crucial step that aids in implementation of change. However, most organizations appreciate change extensively, but managing change becomes a significant challenge (Changing Minds, 2012). Thus, there is a need of comprehending change management strategies in order to formulate the most effective measures that need adoption during change implementation process. Success of a given organization occurs at the instant of change acceptance by employees. Human beings undergo five stages of grief. These stages include denial stage, anger accumulation stage, bargaining stage, depression and acceptance (Changing Minds, 2012). These stages play a vital role in change management in an organization. As such, employees have to undergo these stages as they assimilate change. Therefore, the management of an organization needs to create time for employees to assimilate change effectively (Changing minds, 2012). However, resistance towards change may result from the context in which change is occurring. In addition, personal perceptions towards change act as a barrier to change acceptance. Change resistance may be eliminated through involving employees in the process of change or creating a room for employees to make changes themselves. Many organizations accept and appreciate change; however, few organizations have the ability to gain from the change (Barnard, & Stoll 2010). To counteract negative effects of change failure, three stages find application in the process of change implementation in an organization. These stages include: disowning the current practice, moving to a new practice, and then adopting, as well as making use of the new practice (Dubrin, 2008). Planned change is formulated and implemented by the organization. The change involves the analysis of the group dynamics, and carrying out action research and field theory. Emergent change like that of new technological trends is unpredicted change that arises in the organization. The change has the characteristic of realigning and aligning the environment in which the organization has been operating. Approaching this change demands that organization resources and situations be analyzed effectively for the change to achieve better results. In this case, the organization needs to identify slow manual systems that should be automated and the resources required. In this way, it will be easier to introduce training of the user of a given machine to be introduced through helping the user identify the benefits of the new machine. Managing change is a complex process that calls for consideration of aspects of change. Intrinsically, culture like that of filing as a way of documentation (record keeping), over many years, forms one of the aspects of change. Culture has inherent dynamics that surround human beings, which find alteration from leaders, the established norms, set of structures, rules, and routines. As such, when managers endeavour at changing employees’ attitude towards the change and behaviour in the organization may encounter resistance (Changing Minds, 2012). This resistance results from the influence of culture among the employees. Organizations also have their own culture of operation. Therefore, organizations need to ensure that change adoption and implementation is effected with adherence to the existing cultural behaviour of the organization (Hofstede 2009). Communication, support and training also form part of the aspects necessary to foster change assimilation in an organization. Adoption of these strategies ensures that employees comprehend change in an effective manner. Communication ensures that employees understand what the change means and the benefits of the change (Kienzler, 2008). Training equips employees with the necessary knowledge and skills that aids them in assimilating, as well as adopting change. Support forms the most effective means of encouraging employees to adopt change effectively. Conclusion There are a number of situational factors that should be considered when introducing change. First, it is important to analyze the magnitude of resistance likely to be anticipated. It is also important to consider the position of power of the initiator of change (Kotter, 2008). It is wise if change is initiated by managers with strong initiation power, and hence respected by others. There is also the factor of the information, consultation and involvement of others. It is also important to consider the risks involved in implementation of change and their magnitude. Finally, in implementation of change, a manager needs to analyze problems, situation on the ground and source of given challenges (Kotter, 2008). In this way, it will be possible to prioritize problems, and gauge which should be addressed first and the changes needed. Then it will be easy to establish the relevant factors to make the required changes. It is at this point where one can gather information, make consultations and gauge the likelihood or magnitude of resistance. A change strategy can then be put to task with the appropriate speed, planning, involving other people and selection of tactics to be used. Lastly, it is the process of monitoring effects in order to control the implementation process through correcting mistakes that arise (Kotter, 2008). List of References Barnard, M, & Stoll, N, 2010. Centre for Understanding Behaviour Change. Short Policy Report No. 10/01. Dubrin J. A. 2008. Essentials of Management. Newyork: Cengage Learning. Pp 20-30 Eventia 2011. Getting the message across. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.eventia.org.uk/html/article/Eventia-Launches-White-Paper. [accessed on 17 April 2012] Hofstede, G, 2009. Cultural Dimensions. [online] Retrieved from: http://www.geert-hofstede.com/hofstede_singapore.shtml [accessed on 1st August 2012] Hock, T, 2007. Singapore Quality Award 2007 winner. Application report executive summary. ST Engineering. Kienzler, L. 2008. Business and Administrative Communication. New York: Mc Graw Hill Companies. 8thed Kotter J. P. & Schlesinger L. A. 2008. Choosing Strategies for Change. [online] Retrieved from: http://hbr.org/2008/07/choosing-strategies-for-change/ar/9 [accessed on 1st August 2012] Manuela, P, & Fuentes, M, n.d. Resistance to Change: A Literature Review and Empirical Study. 46022 Valencia- Spain. Changing Minds 2012. The Kubler Ross Grief Cycle. [online] Retrieved from: http://changingminds.org/disciplines/change_management/kubler_ross/kubler_ross.htm [accessed on 1st August 2012] Shepherd M. V., Vaillancourt M. A. & Burns A. M. 2010. Pharmacy Management, Leadership, Marketing and Finance. United States of America: Jones & Bartlett Learning. UNDP, 2006. Institutional Reform and Change Management: Managing Change in Public Sector Organizations. Read More