Organizational change - Power Org Politics (Coursework Sample)

Small Group Discussion Questions
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Organizational Change
1.
The three ideas that are central to change indicates that managers or other change agents should clarify and give communication to all the problems that are more in the situation at hand. The main goal is to ensure that people understand that the current way of doing things is not right or effective and would therefore be ready to try another way through change. The second one is that the managers should be ready to involve all he people in the organization to adopt the change process. When people are involves it makes them feel part and parcel of the change process. The third idea is that the managers should recognize that changing is not simple and people would need more time to adapt the new way of doing things.
Discontinuous change is where the managers feel that it would be necessary to make more fundamental and dramatic changes in the organization. For example, when a city government finds challenged by the increased population might rethink their operation strategies.
Strategic change is where the management involved in planning makes their choices. Example is during strategic planning where the management establishes the vision, mission and values of the organizations.
Grass roots change is the change that take place at the lowest level of an organization also called the street level which include supervisors and workers. Example is when executing the changes outlined in the top management level.
According to lewin (1951), a group life is prone to change due to the interplays of forces that affect their organizational behavior. On the organization context, there are forces that seek to bring change while others are resistant. These are what Lewin (1951) refers to as driving force and restraining force respectively. The force field analysis requires that the manager list down in columns the driving forces and the restraining forces. This ways it would be easy to know the force that could be successful.
The action research model involves a cycle of processes that enable the research from the organization which could provide information that would help the managers to take further actions. An external consultant is therefore collaborated with an external consultant, which is important in helping the workers and other members to provide uncovered information that can help the organization to come up with the required change.
There are several concepts of modifying organizational culture which include the artifacts and creation of the culture which is the social and the physical environment layout, technology and other issues that guide people behavior in the day to day operation of the organization. The values of the organization is another concept which brings about how the organization should appear to be. The last one is the basic underlying assumptions of the organization which are these behavior or some actions that are often ignored. According to Argyris and Schon (1974) provide theories that affect or guide the people’s behavior. The espoused theories which is the kind of theory that people give allegiance, it is what people describe when there is a question regarding what governs their actions in an organization. The other theory theories – in –use is what actually governs the actions of an individual.
There are five disciplines by senge (1990) which build a learning organization, they include:
Personal mastery which is concerned with our sense of focusing to those issues that are important and remain truthful to the view of reality. It usually connects through spiritual growth, personal leaning and being able to have self-mastery that is in line with the organizational learning.
Mental models is also concerned with the way in which each person sees the world . this includes , the assumption we have about how things work, innovation and leaning. This sometimes poses as a barrier to developing new ideas. It could however be a source of knowledge.
Shared vision is another which is concerned how a good idea could be adopted and become part of the whole organization.
Team leaning is concerned with how many people working together could integrate their effort to accomplish a goal. This is where the individual leaning is translated to the individuals.
System thinking is another discipline which is concerned with how human actions are interrelated through a system of closely related events.

Denhardt in his book the themes that emerged during his study include:
That the managers that seek change to their organization should be committed to values. They should be committed to the mission and values of the organization to meet the goals stipulated.
The managers should be committed to serving the public which mean that they should be giving priority to service to both their clients and citizens.
The managers should be concerned to empowerment and shared leadership which implies that they should encourage high level of participation and involvement to all members of that organization .
Change could occur if the managers have pragmatic incrementalism which implies that there should be a free flowing process that help steer the organization to the desired direction.
That managers should be dedicated to public service which require a democratic governance. They should therefore insist on high ethical standards and integrity.
Collins work however gives five essential elements for building great public organization. He laments that an organization should define its great which means that they should calibrate success without business metrics though finding a consistent and intelligent method of assessing the output results. Collins also gives a level 5 leadership which means that the organization should get things done within a diffuse power structure by empowering others. This gives people the freedom to choose. The management in the public sector should also be concerned with finding out who would lead others to the right direction. The public sector according to Collins should rethink building an economic engine without having motive for profits. Finally he says that the management or public leadership should help the organizations build a vibrant brand

This approach is enacted to the planned changes in the organization: It is based in the behavioral sciences. He also laments that the organization should be aimed at improving its functions in all the systems. It should also be primarily focused on individual capabilities of all the members. This would ensure that they are all motivated. The organization development should also be guided by an extern...