Discussion Responses - Essay Example

1. My company does not have any formal processes but I have knowledge of one company who uses a system that incorporates the use of charts, tree diagrams. The charts outline the change objectives, the major things they will do to obtain them and then the smaller tasks they will need to implement in order to attain the major ones. They then work with this to brainstorm what can go wrong and how they can fix it before it happens.2. The decision to change the company’s motivational and incentives scheme was based on sound decision and with very clear guidelines as to how such changes were to be made.

The manager of Human Resources however, failed to implement the changes in accordance with the guidelines. He neglected the most important step – to inform all employees that changes were about to be made – instead he told them when they were being made. Obviously the repercussions were terrible.3. The manager needs to ensure that decisions are made within certain time lines. I think that like all people working within a schedule they keep working to the limits and constraints provided, so if the manager provides a strict time frame, that is in fact longer than that really required, he/she will attain what he/she wants within the ‘real’ time schedule.

I don’t think you will ever come to the situation where you need to consider giving up.4. Obviously management needs to follow up on the outcomes of made decisions but this should be done in such a way as not to undermine middle management personnel. Feedback should be sought from them rather than embarking on their own inspection. Trust and autonomy are paramount and if not considered by employees as provided, will impact negatively on future decision making.5. One way to deal with change resistance is to organize a group of personnel to determine who are the protagonists and advocates of the change and to determine who are the most influential among the protagonists.

Concentration should then be placed on convincing that person of his/her personal gain with the change and the disadvantages for them without the change.6. Ethics are in the eye of the beholder. If we believe the decision is truly right then we should have made it in consideration of everyone involved. If there is an employee who stands to lose by that decision then this needs to be acknowledged and dealt with my offering alternatives for that employee. The ethical option is not to lie and deceive but to be honest.7. I know that business is undertaken in very different ways within other cultures.

In China for example, ‘guanxi’ (you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours) is the most powerful means of business deals. Such dealings may appear repugnant to many western businesses but in dealing with Chinese we need to take acknowledge but not necessarily commit to such dealings. The important thing is to maintain respect between cultural partners.