Managing Change and Innovation - Coursework Example

Reflective Diary Name Professor Date Week 4 A major idea that has been discussed is that organizational design tends to be more concerned with the construction as well as the changing of the structure of the organization with the aim of achieving the various organizational goals (Robbins and Barnwell 1989). Another idea is that it seems to be the right time for a combination of scientific and systematic techniques into the insightful art practices by the experienced managers as they tries to design and plan their complex organizations (Lawrence and Lorsch 1967). There also exist a number of issues from the week reading and the major one is related to new management design. Based on Ghoshal and Bartlett, organizations can design their own way to assist them in coping with the changing environments and this can be done through three core processes that are entrepreneurship, renewal and integration. The other issue is that the matrix organizational structure is not seen as rigid when compared to other structures. Based on this kind of structure the departments are mainly combined with various groups and this is mainly done on a short term basis. The structure brings along a number of benefits such as the harnessing of specialized talents in an organization, decreases in duplication, it is also flexible and enhances the sharing of ideas. My work in a way aligns with some of the ideas that have been covered in this week’s reading in that my organizations makes use of the star model and based on it the manger in the organization base their design choices. This means that the individuals in the management positions design policies in collaboration with the models five categories that is the strategy, processes, structure, rewards as well as people. My work also align with the reading in that I have become aware about change and those in management positions in our organization appreciates the fact that managing change requires a great focus on the processes, people and structures. In instances when such focus has lacked the company have failed in attaining the planned change. From this session I have learned rant that there are three major dimensions of organizational structure (Robbins and Barnwell 1994) which includes complexity, centralization and formalization. Complexity deals with the extent to which differentiation exists in the organization, centralization deals with the level to which the decision making is concentrated into the organization while formalization deals with the manner in which the jobs are standardized. Week 11 A major idea that has been discussed in the reading is Kotter’s 8-step plan when it comes to the implementation of change. This is clearly shown in the diagram below Another issue that has being discussed in the reading relates to the various methods if enhancing creativity as well as problem solving techniques in the organization (Kotter 1996). This method includes the establishment of the idea quotas, brainstorming, the pet-peeve techniques, building a kitchen for one’s mind, the excursion method as well as the forced association technique. In respect to this aspects, leaders in organization needs to come up with a number of creative ideas and this will assist them in improving the quality, productivity as well as satisfaction. A common issue that have been outlined and that leaders in modern day business environments needs to adopt is appreciating the fact that the creation of a climate that seems to be conducive for creative problem solving seems to be a major requirements for achieving and maintaining effective leadership (Graetz et al. 2010). For organizations to foster organizational creativity there seems to e a need to establishing a mission and vision that is coupled with creativity. My work experience in the workplace in a way aligns with concepts and ideas and issues that have been covered in this week readings. I have stayed and work long in the organization and I have observed that as an organization we have moved through the various phases of the change and this includes the following phases complacency, turbulence, resistance, small wins, consolidation in addition to a new baseline in certain activities while in some activities were are still in the initial stages. From a broader perspective, I have learned a lot from the reading. I have learned that strategists should always decide the level at which they will need to place a great emphasis on innovation and this is based on the notion that in the rapidly changing industries, the concept of innovation tends to play an important role in that it helps in maintaining an organizations competitive advantage. Additionally, since it seems to be tasking to institutionalize innovation, those institutionalizing it needs to come up with routines that ensure that there are routine disruptions. I have also learned that for one to succeed in today’s business world one needs to learn the various disciplines of innovation. Workshop 2 A main idea from this week’s workshop is that the open systems are usually embedded within the larger system, they can avoid entropy, cynical when it come to determining their mode of functioning, regulated y feedback, equilibrium seeking and they are also subject to equifinality. The other main idea from the reading relates to the six features of total quality management which are continuous improvements total management approach, group problem solving techniques, quality control mechanisms, high trust relations and internal and external customer suppler relations (Bolman & Deal 2003). A key issue that have been outlined in the workshop is that the framework logics mainly categories the aspect of change in various categories and they included the driving if change, the change enactors, change levers, maintaining change in addition to the affecters. In addition to this issue, the workshop have outlined another key issue in that it has outlined that knowledge seems to be an essential resource when it comes to the effectiveness of organizations. At the same time knowledge can be improved and this can be done through the learning process. My experience in the workplace aligns with the ideas and concepts from the workshop in that it our organization aims at ensuring that all employees make use of the best practice. Thus, great emphasis is placed if the simultaneous improvements in quality, delivery and costs. They also aim at forming closer and lasting relationships with the customer and suppliers and make use of technology to the company’s strategic advantage. Additionally, the HR policies that are in place in the organization promote continuous learning, participation, teamwork as well as flexibility. A major aspect that I have learned from the workshop is that despite the usage of the concept of best practice in organization it still have a number of drawbacks and it is mainly criticized in its suitability for all the situations, whether the adherence to the principles aims at ensuring survival and competiveness and what and who it is best suited for. I have also learned about the concept of high-performance work organization in which work is mainly organized so as to allow the workers in the front-line to participate fully when it comes to the making of decisions that are likely to make changes to the routines in an organization (Graetz et al. 2010). I have also learned that in the high-performance work organization there exists three aspects and they includes the quality management approach, the human resource approach as well as the industrial relation approach. Workshop 3 A major idea that is discussed that is discussed is that being strategic is a major requirement when it comes to organizational change. Another idea is that organizational needs to improve their chances of success and this can be done in a number of ways. In respect to these, organizations need to conduct an organizational analysis which identifies the current situation, problems as well as the forces that leads to the problems. Another way of improving success is that organizations need to conduct analysis of those factors that seem to be relevant to producing the much needed changes. In addition to the above, organizations also needs to select a change strategy and this ought to be based in the previous analysis and this plays an essential role in that it specifies the speed of change, mount of preplanning as well as the degree of involvement. Lastly, organizations need to monitor the implementation process (Kotter & Schlesinger 2008). A major theory that has been discussed in the workshop relates to the fact that the Human Resource Frame is mainly built on the assumptions of individuals as well as their symbiotic relationships within organizations (Bolman & Deal 2003). Thus, organizations mainly exist for the sole purpose of serving the needs of the human and that organizations and people need each other. My experience in the workplace aligns with the ideas covered in the workshop in relation to change. Through my experience in the organization I have realized that culture seems to be a very essential element when it comes to managing change in the organization. Another alignment relates to the fact that I have realized that decisions mainly arises from the application of the managerial experience as being a filter of both the internal and external stimuli (Johnson, 1992). My experience in the workplace aligns with ideas in this workshop in that my organization integrates HRM with strategy. Based on these, my organization aims at ensuring that we achieves interests in HRM and this done through system alignments which assists in managing organizational change. A major concept that I have learned from this workshop is that HRM emerged so as to appease the spread of more humanitarian and democratic values from the society. Another aspect is that HRM is mainly concerned with the facilitation of management control over their workforce. Additionally, the eventual rise of HRM represents a strategy aimed at getting greater productivity from the employees. Workshop 1: Managing change and innovation A main idea that can be derived from the reading is that change can at times generate fear, the type of change that is needed in organization tends to be perceived differently, the manner in which the change ought to be designed and implemented is also perceived differently and a basic assumption is that there exist no best way for organizational change (Graetz et al. 2010). Another main idea from the workshop is that there exist various types of changes which include the discontinuous change, incremental change, anticipatory change and reactive change. A major issue that can be derived from the workshop is that change and innovation seems to be interlinked and that change in a number of ways tends to enhance innovation. The workshop in a way aligns to the workplace experience and more so in respect to change. During the implementation of change in my workplace a great number of employees have resisted change. To curb this issue those in the management positions have played an essential role in helping to overcome the status quo and as result they have rough about the needed and much anticipated organizational change. Based on the various reactions to organizational change, my experience in the workplace tends to align well with what is in the workshop reading in that it depicts a situation where there are forces of change versus the forces for stability. A major concept that I have learned from the workshop relates to the various organizational behaviors that tends to play an essential role in promoting innovation. This includes behaviors such as the tolerance of failure, encouragement on risk taking, looking beyond the organization for best practices, iterating and making improvement on solutions rapidly, pursuing innovation even at an individual level, thinking outside the box as well as the pursuing of innovation across the teams (Van de Ven & Johnson 2006). I have also learned that there are a number of organizational pressures which impact in change and this includes pressures such as the identity pressures, power and political pressures, new broom pressures, growth pressures and integration and collaboration pressures. References Bolman, L & Deal, T 2003, Reframing organizations: Artistry, choice, and leadership, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco. Graetz, F, Rimmer, M, Smith, A & Lawrence, A 2010, Managing Organisational Change, Wiley, Milton, Qld. Johnson, G 1992, ‘Managing strategic change – strategy, culture and action’, Long Range Planning, vol. 25, no. 1, pp. 28-36. Kotter, J 1996, Leading change, Harvard Business Press, Massachusetts. Kotter, J & Schlesinger, L 2008, ‘Choosing strategies for change’, Harvard business review, vol. 86, no. 7/8, pp. 130. Lawrence, P & Lorsch, J 1967, ‘Differentiation and Integration in Complex Organizations’, Administrative Science Quarterly, vol. 12, pp. 1-30. Robbins, S & Barnwell, N 1989, Organization Theory in Australia, Prentice Hall, Sydney. Robbins, S & Barnwell, N 1994, Organization Theory in Australia, Prentice Hall, Sydney. Van de Ven, A & Johnson, P 2006, ‘Knowledge for theory and practice’, Academy of Management Review, vol. 31, pp. 802–82. Read More