Organizational And Individual Response To Change

There are two orientations to change, Seismic and Kaizen. Among the two orientations to change, my organization’s approach could best be described as Kaizen rather than Seismic. Seismic change refers to big changes that are done all at once. They are mainly originated from the top level management and passed down to the employees. This is together with the time of implementation that it is expected to take. Kaizen on the other hand is change that is gradual and takes a much longer time to implement.

The other variation to this is known as the Kaizen events, which mean very rapid changes that are made over a very short period of time. The changes are simple and easy to implement (Manos, 2007). The organization in which I work introduces changes over a long time. Before change is implemented everyone in the company is usually aware that there will be a change coming through. This is so because the company usually starts by conducting a research in order to gauge the feelings of the employees and therefore take into consideration the results obtained in the research.

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Most of the changes are usually successful and this does well to give employees a positive attitude towards change rather than a negative one. The best example for this kind of change is when the company was rolling over to the use of business intelligence (BI) system. Prior to this, the company collected information using questionnaires to find out what sort of improvements were needed in the company.

After a compilation of the data, information was communicated by the use of memos and departmental meetings over what the company intended to do in response to the needs identified.

Gradually the issue of the use of business intelligence was introduced. The company went into great lengths to train and provide information on the benefits of BI as well as how it would meet most of the needs of the employees if not all. The whole of the top management threw in their support for the program and the venture was undertaken as a company venture rather than an IT initiative. Overall it took about two years to adopt the new system but the whole change was successful. If Dr. Ashby were to do an assessment of the organization, he would label the organization as one with a very good organizational structure.

This is due to the fact that the company has time and again displayed good practices in implementing changes. For instance during the time when the company was introducing BI, it made effort to find out what the needs of the employees were. This was done in a manner as to encourage honest feedback from the respondents as they were allowed to remain anonymous during the whole exercise. The manner in which they undertook change not only paved way for its success but also ensured that in the long run the company under went a revolution. The other reason why Dr.

Ashby would term our company as one having great a great organizational structure is the fact that change was implemented successfully. It did not stall midway neither was it abandoned but it was adopted fully into the company which now uses the change to the advantage of everyone involved, the customer, the employees and the whole organization at large. Personally the fact learnt through the course is that change is natural. The lesson has helped me to learn of ways in which I can adapt to change with a better mental attitude. This is not to say that I may not find myself resistant at one point or the other.

Resistance to change is natural and how one deals with the change is what makes a difference. Even those who are at first enthusiastic about change may find that their attitudes change over time (Beaudan 2006). With this in mind I would strive to find out why I am negative to the change and try and deal with that as an individual. This experience would also be useful to me when I get into positions that are instituted with the responsibility of planning and implementing change. Also having in mind the benefits of other changes that I as an individual or the organization went through would help shed some resistance.

Finally I would air my views honestly if the avenue to do so arose. This maybe for instance during a mid project review where employees would be asked to give a feedback concerning the change being implemented. Chances may be that I would get other colleagues with the same concerns and these would help the management deal with the issues at hand. The lesson learnt about change is that it is inevitable. Life is dynamic and therefore things have to keep on changing. Refusal in accepting change does not by any means mean that change will not occur.

Rather than resist change one should always try to get a way of going through it the best way possible. Those who have been resistant to change have always risked fading away to insignificance For instance if the Microsoft company owned by Bill Gates refused to embrace change by way of building a data processing plant to compete with Google’s pioneer plant, the giant computer organization would have gown downhill and eventually disappear, Carr (2008). Microsoft a leader in computer issues had done very well in the sale of computer hardware and programs.

As a revolution came into the computer world led by Google, Microsoft greatest competitor which was now allowing companies as well as individuals to access programs through the internet, most of Microsoft clients would have shifted to this faster, cheaper and effective way of getting and running programs. With this example one learns that change does not mean that one’s services are not needed anymore and therefore they are doomed to fail but rather that ways can be found of making one remain significant in the face of change.

Again one can prepare for change by means of coming up with structures designed with an anticipation of change. In the work place for instance when one is in an influential position, making sure that the structures in place are flexible and the minds of the employees are flexible as well will ensure that changes take place more easily (Worley & Lawler 2006). Training oneself in order to be able to grow with the progress in life situations is invaluable and a must. One thing is clear, change will always be there, how one deals with it makes all the difference.

References Beaudan, E. (2006, January/February). Making change last: How to get beyond change fatigue [Electronic version]. Ivey Business Journal. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=14&did=983077891&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1218579717&clientId=29440 Carr, N. (2008). The Big Switch. Rewiring the world from Edison to Google. New York. W. W. Norton & Company Inc. Manos, A. (2007). The benefits of Kaizen and Kaizen Events [Electronic version].

Quality Progress, 40(2), 47-48. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=9&did=1241187931&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1218722771&clientId=29440 Worley, C. G. & Lawler, E. E. (2006). Designing organizations that are built to change [Electronic version]. MIT Sloan Management Review. Retrieved August 7, 2009, from http://proquest. umi. com/pqdweb? index=11&did=1145080661&SrchMode=1&sid=4&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1218579717&clientId=29440