Change at DuPont - Case Study Example

The management wanted to highlight the identification of the strengths of the company in a positive manner, which is aligned with appreciative inquiry. In addition, when Akin conducted his research, he did not ask about problems but inquired in such a way that will help him gain a strengths-based understanding of the model of work at DuPont. There was no “judgment” or “bias” in his research, and instead, there was more emphasis on the strengths of the people.c) Sense-making- Sense-making is applied in the story because Akin understood the culture and work system of DuPont by researching with the people.

This means that together, the researcher and the workers made sense of their experiences and generated the local organization theory that people used to do their work. In addition, the research paved the way for identifying and understanding the stock-car racing metaphor that the people used to explain their idea of teamwork and how they worked together.2) In your opinion, how compatible are these three approaches? Why? What evidence is there in the DuPont story for your answer? As a change manager, to what extent could you utilize insights from each approach?

For me, these approaches are compatible, because OD can use sense-making and appreciative inquiry as a means of understanding the needs for change, preparing people for change, and collaborating with them to achieve organizational changes. Sense-making, for instance, helped reinforce appreciative inquiry by focusing on the meaning of their work. The evidence is that since these approaches are applied, the management and the people were made aware of the people's strengths and how they can be used to enhance organizational effectiveness.

At the same time, when changes are framed as “experiments,” people would be more open to changes, knowing that they will only be applied, if they truly worked at shop levels. This will increase the buy-in for changes and decrease resistance to change efforts. As a change manager, I would also utilize insights from each approach by identifying their contribution to the different stages of change. For instance, if I will use Lewin's change management model, the insights from sense-making and appreciative inquiry will reveal to the organization what changes are necessary and if the people are aware of it, they will become more cooperative in accepting changes.

OD can be used for changing people and processes, because of the existence of the change agent who would help facilitate these changes. Finally, in the freezing stage, the same insights from sense-making and appreciative inquiry can ensure the re-institutionalizing of new attitudes, mindsets, processes, or any change that the company wishes to attain to enhance organizational effectiveness.3) Imagine you are an OD practitioner brought into DuPont at the time of the Orlon manufacturing operation closure.

Describe the steps you would take to help manage this change based upon action research.As an OD practitioner, I would also apply OD, sense-making, and appreciative inquiry in preparing the people for the Orlon manufacturing operation closure. The management would have to introduce me as the change agent so that I would prepare the people of the upcoming changes. I will also conduct interviews and surveys to understand employee morale and satisfaction and how they will be affected by the closure.

I will use sense-making to understand how they feel about these changes so that the management can provide the right interventions to allay their fears or doubts. I can do this by spending time at the plant and getting to know people at a more personal level so that I can gain their trust and for them to feel that they can open their innermost feelings and ideas to me without apprehension. Furthermore, I will also use appreciative inquiry to emphasize to the people that they have remaining strengths that will be used to ensure job certainty and success of the organization.

I will use ordinary conversations to uncover the strengths of the people and what they are doing right. I will keep a field diary that includes standard research questions that I can answer at the end of the day and I will also write down other observations about how people work and interact with each other, as well as their motivations and fears.