REFLECTIVE BLOG ASSESSMENT 9-2: MODELS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE

In this weeks blog assessment we examine two models of organizational change. The first being the Lewin’s Three Stage Model which is made up of three steps: Unfreeze, Move, and Refreeze. The second model our textbook looks at is the Complexity Theory, this implicates that organizations react best to change when it is not in the norm of their environment. More information can be found on pages 228 & 229 of our textbook.

I  will now give examples of how the Lewin's Three-Stage Model of Change and Complexity Theory can be used in a retail workplace setting.

Step 1 : Unfreeze

Retail stores are constantly getting in new products, with these products comes promotions. Employees must learn new techniques to approach customers with these promotions every time. So there is always a need to step outside their comfort zones. This may not be so easy for some to do, so there is three methods that can help:

·       Whole System Planning – The store has a staff meeting where they discuss the plans for upcoming promotions and the steps that need to be taken to accomplish a successful quarter. In the meeting staff members can resolve or confront any issues or concerns about changes being made.

·       Setting Goals – Each employee set a goal or objective for that motivates them to change, this is done at the beginning of every shift.

·       Visioning – Make sure your store has a motivating mission or vision statement widely available to view, so that employees can come to work every shift and know what they have to work towards.

Step 2 : Transition

Moving away from the status quo may not be such an easy process for the employees so there are methods to help make transition process smoother. Here are the best three methods when working with retail.

·       First Steps – Let the employees get  “the feel” of things before moving into more complicated sales. This means no pressure to meet a certain goal until they are confident in themselves.

·       Challenge – Once employees are confident that they can hold their own encourage them to push themselves to meet those goals. Managers should set records so employees can compete with one another.

·       Involvement – Managers have a duty to get involved in the transition process by motivating their employees through inviting them to discussions and assigning meaning roles, this way the employees really feel they are a part of the change.

Step 3: Refreeze

The final stage of the Lewin’s Model of Change has to do with ensuring that all the changes that have taken place so far are in permanently put into place and reinforcing any new changes that may occur. There are also three methods management can use at this stage to maximize success.

·       Evidence Stream – The employees will want to see results of all their hard work and to see if they have made any progress with all this change. This is why management should prepare statistics for each month to show how well the store is doing. This will prove to the employees that the change is real.

·       New Challenges – This method has to with letting the employees know that change never ends. With more promotions in the future they must be prepared to face new challenges and not be allowed to go back to how things were in the beginning. Managers must make sure there is always something keeping them interested in the change; this might mean competing with other retail stores.

·       Reward Alignment – Motivating your employees through challenges will only take them so far, they will need more incentive to continue with the change. Managers will need to find ways to reward their employees. One way would be to give them first pick of choosing their shifts for the month. Another would be to give them a gift card to the store. These rewards will go a long way in motivating the employees to always do their best.

I hope this weeks blog assessment was beneficial to anyone who will face similar situations in the future, whether it be from the employees or the managers view.

REFLECTIVE BLOG ASSESSMENT 8-2: CRITICAL INCIDENT ANALYSIS

      In this week's blog assessment I will be discussing a recent discouraging experience I had while working with a group. I will going through the questions asked in our textbook section 10, Pg 332 Management for You: Diagnosing Group Failures

1.       What type of group was this?

An incident where I was face with a problematic group was in a second year business management course at SAIT. This group was made up of five randomly selected students by the professor. This was his way of giving the students a real world work force environment. The problem was that once in a group it was either you stayed with them the whole semester or you would have to do all the assignments individually, a difficult task to do since the majority of the course material was meant to be done in a group. There was an assignment every week of the semester, which was to be presented each week in front of the classroom. Each assignment was meant to be completed evenly as a team.

2.       We’re group members motivated to achieve group goals? Why, or why not?

The issue within this group was that three of members including myself were seen as the hard working students aiming for a good grade. Meanwhile the other two members were looking for an easy grade without having to do as much work. The central problem was that our group leader was one of the members who did not one to pull their weight. The two group members defended their loafing with the excuse that their workload was too overwhelming even though all of members were in the same class with the same workload and being able to manage alright.

3.       What were the group’s norms? How much conformity and deviance existed in the group?

The norms of the group were to try to meet at least once a week to work on the assignments for that week by booking a meeting room in the library and splitting the workload amongst each member. The conformity within the group was good because we completed each assignment on time and received good grades for each.

4.       How cohesive was the group? Why do you think the group’s cohesiveness was at this level? What consequences did this level of cohesiveness have for the group and its members?

The group’s cohesiveness was fairly poor as I stated early, this was mainly because our group leader was motivated to stay on top of their own priorities in the class and this left three of the group members to take initiative and complete the assignments ourselves without their guidance. The consequence of this was that the other two members were unprepared when presenting and in turn made the rest of the group look bad. Our group leader was also very defensive when we tried to give them feedback or any sort of criticism and would just ignored the problem.

5.       Was social loafing a problem in this group? Why, or why not?

Social loafing was an issue with two members in the group who did not have their priorities in order. This was especially evident during the group meetings where there was always someone absent because there was something that came up. This was frustrating for all group members who attended these meeting because they would have to catch them up on what they missed on a time convenient to them. During class time there were few lectures but relevant and helpful information was provided each class. Half the group shows up and paid attention by taking notes for the group, while the other half was either absent or playing with their cell phones.

6.       What could the group’s leader or manager have done differently to increase group effectiveness?

For the group leader to increase group effectiveness they could have made a better example to follow by being open to what the other members had to say and take the criticism as a way to improve instead of becoming defensive and not making any changes at all. The leader should be the one taking initiative on what the next step for the group and encourage members to voice their opinion on any issues or concerns within the group and try to resolve them.

7.       What could group members have done differently to increase group effectiveness?

A way the group members could have increased group effectiveness was to be more strict on members that were consistently absent from meetings by giving them deadlines and warnings.

REFLECTIVE BLOG ASSESSMENT 6-2 : CONTROLLING FOR SUCCESS

In this week’s module we are analyzing how good organizational control during the great recession of 2008 allowed certain companies to come out on top. The textbook lists 10 big and small companies that have managed to do this. I have chosen to evaluate CEO Steve Jobs and Apple Inc. on why they deserved to be labeled as a “recession winner”. 

One of the main reasons Steve Jobs & Apple Inc. were able to survive the recession was that they knew the importance of organizational control.

This means being able have these six guidelines to correspond with the organization’s goals.

1.       Adapt to change and uncertainty – Apple has always been ahead of the curve with their products. Steve Jobs was known for being prolific when it came to coming up with innovative new products for the consumers. This along the side of a world renowned  design team, Apple Inc. is a force to be reckoned with.

2.       Discover irregularities and errors – Apple has been able to monitor and control irregularities and issues with its operating system OS X which they developed themselves to support all their equipment and machinery.

3.       Reduce costs, increase productivity, or add value. – Apple has maintained a relatively low labor cost because their manufacturing is done in China. But has control over product quality as most of the designing and testing is done in California. The Apple brand is known around the world and is instantly recognizable with their signature white ear buds.

4.       Detect opportunities – Steve Jobs has stated he created many products at the same time but released them separately based on the market trend or until he thought they were ready.

5.       Deal with complexity - Apple Inc. employees are specialists who are not exposed to functions outside their area of expertise. Steve Jobs saw this as a means of having best-in-class employees in every role.

6.       Decentralize decision making, and facilitate teamwork - Apple is known for promoting individuality and excellence that consistently attracts talented people into their employ.

Here is the outline of the steps in the control process shown in our textbook:

1.       Establishing standards against which performance is evaluated

2.       Measure actual performance

3.       Compare actual performance against chosen standards

4.       Evaluate results, and take corrective action when the standard is not being achieved.

5.       Repeat the process

Now I will relate it to how Apple Inc. goes through the process:

1.       Establishing standards against which performance is evaluated

-          Measures of standards: efficiency, quality, ethics, responsiveness to customer service, and innovations in technology.

-          Measure of costs: operating costs, employee training costs, labor costs, machinery maintenance costs, and marketing costs.

2.       Measure actual performance

-          Monitoring Output : Financial performance, Organizational Goals, Operating budgets

-          Monitoring Behavior: Direct supervision, (MBO) Management by objectives, and Bureaucratic control

3.       Compare actual performance against chosen standards:  

-           Measuring the performance of customer and employee satisfaction equally. Apple has made great strides to ensure that their low wage employees in China have suitable conditions unlike many large companies operating in China.

4.       Evaluate results, and take corrective action when the standard is not being achieved:

-           Confirming the use of appropriate standards, matched with appropriate rewards. Encourage employee input and address any concerns or issues that need corrective action.

5.       Repeat the process

Even though Steve Jobs sadly passed away on October 2011, his vision and beliefs live on with Apple Inc. Where they continue to value and follow the steps in organization control which has helped them remain successful all these years. They have surpassed the pioneers in the industry such as Nokia, Motorola, and Samsung, because they were smart and learned to adapt to the ever changing world around them. This is why I believe that Apple Inc. deserve to be labeled as a "recession winner".


Resources:

http://www.yoyow.com/marye/mtstories/kawasaki.html

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/08/25/how-apple-works-inside-the-worlds-biggest-startup/