University of Phoenix Week 2 Organizational Change Discussion

In 175 words or more

Response 1:

The need for change can definitely be different than the ability to change. The company I work for recently just went through a voluntary separation situation. This was the companies way to get employees to volunteer to take a severance package that would have never normally taken a package. During this time we lost so many seasoned 20, 30, 40 + year experienced people in the company. This was a major hit compared to a normal layoff, which usually includes your lower performers in the company. This time the company needed to make a major change for financial reasons to perform a Voluntary Separation Plan. Everyone remaining in the company got first hand experience with change. Every organization was forced into change. It was then that the leaders of each organization and team had to manage their teams through this change. This was one of the most challenging times in my career. Many managers had to shuffle to other teams to cover for the managers that left the company. I believe the more lead time an organization can provide when an up coming change is coming such as this one the better.

Respond 2:

Helping to implement change in an organization is a big job and a lot of responsibility comes with the territory. With many of the changes I have seen at the companies I have worked the one big factor that comes into play is setting a clear vision and having transparency throughout the entire process. In order for people to accept change they need to know the reason behind it and what the goal is trying to be achieved with this change. Communication skills are a must when trying to lead change, as well as being able to motivate and inspire others to accept and embrace the change. Those leading the change need to be open to suggestions and understanding when it comes to have the change affects everyone involved.

In order for the organizations structure to accommodate change they need to be supportive of the change. The organization should be providing the necessary resources to make this change as seamless as possible. The organization has to understand that change does not happen over night and the proper expectations, time frames, training, etc need to be realistic. Also the organization should be open to feedback/concerns regarding the change. If you want your staff to buy in on the change they need to feel included and that their opinions do count.