This reflective essay presents a brief exploration of my experiences and ideas that were acquired from taking an HRM class on Organizational change and cover the highlights of the points that stood out for me from Chapters 6 to 8 particularly leadership change and the models used for those changes to take place in an organization To enable me to reflect on this issue in more depth, I have chosen Gibbs model (1988) to guide my reflective process.
The rationale behind choosing Gibbs model is that it is structured in six different stages including description of the situation, feelings, evaluation, analysis, conclusion and finally an action plan. This allows a thorough account of the incident to be developed and later reflected on. (Word count 123) Description of the situation: This is the first and I think the most important stage of the entire cycle.
In this stage I have to provide a detail description of the situation on which I am reflecting and according to me the triggering point wherein the leader should realize the need for change; the first instance when the requirement of changes is identified. (Word count 63) The Leadership of Change One of the major aspects, but not limited to, of Organizational Change is leadership change in organizations. When I was reading this topic I was curious to know more about it. I had heard about management and organizational changes but a leadership change???
Is there such a term as leadership change and if there is, why is there a need for a change in leadership? Why do we need to change? I can’t make the effort that’s needed to bring about effective change if I’m not truly convinced it is necessary. Reviewing this chapter as a whole, it became evident to me that changes of all kinds are inevitable in business. Perhaps it has become a cliche to say that today we live in a globalized world in which there is no chance for keeping on going with old ideas.
The economy needs changes from time to time whether they involve adopting new technology or reorganizing to meet a challenge and these changes are not always welcomed. Apart from reading chapter 6, I did some research from other resources to find out more about change management, Change is constant in today’s business world as Charles Darwin quotes, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, neither the most intelligent, but rather the one most responsive to change”. Who and what can change? Many different people and processes have to be involved if change is to be effective.
What frameworks can help me to identify the key areas for my attention? Organizations need change to be better, and change here I mean is positive change happening in the right place. Managing or undergoing a change situation, I do agree, is often a very difficult phase for most people. We are more likely to think negatively about changes that are imposed than about changes over which we have control. If a change were to occur that affected me, my first reaction, as would I am sure for most people, be a resistance to change, fear of the unknown, concerns about being unable to adjust.
Would the change pose a threat to a familiar or established situation where routine, predictability and comfort rule the day? But then on reflection, changes could have a positive effect, perhaps a change could open up an opportunity to learn new technologies and thereby an advancement in personal and professional development. In order to move forward and keep ahead, I believe an organization need change leaders who have capabilities to have their workforce go from change avoidance to change acceptance. One of the most significant strengths of an effective leader is the ability to create a positive work climate where people are energized to do their best work, free of unnecessary distractions” (Cronkite, n. d. ). During this part of the change process I feel the change leader would have better success if he would be tactful and harness the skills of others by working in a collaborative rather than hierarchical way. Leadership in an organization involves instilling motivation and enthusiasm in the employees. An effective leader knows how to manage and tackle difficult situations and people.
Many reasons can cause a force of change in organizations but I feel it’s up to change leaders to manage these planned and unexpected changes. (Word count: 548) Hard Systems Models of Change Due to the constantly changing environmental forces that affect businesses day by day, I feel organizations must prepare well initially for success and remain flexible enough through the ages to change with the times in a manner that supports continued success. Organizations are always looking for new business innovations to salvage their ailing enterprise. (Hammer and Champy, 1993).
One of such solutions that have been identified and used by some companies is the hard systems models of change (HSMC). This model is designed basically to focus on complex problems and adapted by managers to implement a change in their respective organization and obtain a certain level of control and certainty over the system. However I have learnt that there are certain negative aspects of the system. For instance the demand for it is limited because it requires the objectives to be clearly defined which cannot be a realistic situation for many firms.
Also the hard system approach often fails to identify the human component in the technical systems and this creates problem of implementing the desired changes. Nonetheless because of its positive aspects, this model of change is applied by management in many intervention strategies. (Word count: 200) Soft System models of Change The soft system model of change becomes necessary because there are many factors such as organizational culture, leadership style and the environmental factors which are complex for the hard system model to handle.
This model considers human approach and therefore is more effective for the above factors. It also recognizes the emotional and other needs of the people who constitute the main component of the business. Now as far as my understanding goes, both these methods are equally applicable but learning from the situation I think the deliberation should be a well researched and a thoughtful one which means that the implementation of the change in the overall organization should mostly be a reflective process. (Word count: 120). Evaluation:
I was initially not very excited about being asked to do a reflective essay on the above topics and being swarmed with unrewarding work. However, looking at this reflective essay with a critical eye, as I worked on it I found my attitudes changing as a result of the knowledge I was acquiring. It has presented me with a self awareness for proper management of myself and with others, helped me make changes to develop myself in certain areas so I am better equipped with leadership and teamwork skills and to evaluate my individual performance and potential personal development. Word count: 100) Conclusion – Specific: Upon reflection I have learnt that both the hard and soft models have their respective implication in the process of change management. As is the case with most models, I cannot say either of the models is full proof but both have their respective advantages. For that reason I believe it is advisable to understand the overall business. The choice I strongly feel will depend on ‘situational factors’ such as speed of the change, amount and type of resistance, position of the initiators and the stakes involved.
I also believe the leader has to observe the situation of the organization and decide on the fact whether to use a system intervention strategy or a long term organizational development process. Depending on the business model, the actual application of the process I feel should be done. (Word count: 137) Conclusion – General: The knowledge and experience that I have gained in this reflective essay will serve as a foundation to understanding leadership changes. I see that every organization I work in needs to go through a change process.
Given the importance and breadth of the change process, this assignment has managed to only introduce me to the main aspects of individual and organizational changes thereby paving the way for me to develop a personal and professional development agenda for myself and to continue the process of inquiry into the topic through further research and learning. (Word count: 95) Action Plan: What I have gathered from this project is that when I enter into the corporate world it will help me make connections between what I have learnt in theory and what I need to do in practice.
All changes involve learning. Some people thrive on new situations; others prefer to plan and prepare in advance. I would like to plan ahead and identify training or other resources that can help me to be prepared I know it will be great being able to be part of the change process in any organization that I am in and bring to the process of change the valuable insights gained in my HRM undergraduate program! (Word count: 114).
