Business

Organizational Behavior

Change Strategies

Change within the work place can be brought by several factors, which can be both internal as well as external. However, it is impossible for these changes to be successful if certain change strategies are not put into place. The change process is very technical and requires planning, evaluation, implementation, benchmarking as well as monitoring of the objectives and goals that an organization has (Osland et al, 2007). Change also requires a leader who is motivated, strong as well as confident in order to survive and have competitive advantage.

As observed in the ‘pajama talk’ each of the leaders, Berg and Johnson had their own unique styles of leadership. However, it is only Johnson’s leadership style and implementation of the appropriate change strategies that led to her success. Among the strategies she used include participative, negotiating and educative strategies. Participative strategies refer to the involving of all the parties affected by the change “she let the partied do all the working.” Although the process is still led by the senior management, every individual is allowed to speak his or her mind and contribute to the discussion.

This view and opinions then have to be carefully considered before any changes can be made. This move is very effective, as it will make it easier for the workers to accept the changes that will then be made as they also have a responsibility in its implementation. On the other hand, it can be disadvantageous, as it will take a longer time to implement.      Educative strategies are the changing of the values and beliefs that people have, helping them understand that the changes being made are for their good. This will ensure that it is well supported (Outward bound USA & Carter, 2007).

There are some negative ways of implementing change. These methods were used by Berg and as seen, they were not successful. They include directive strategies and expert strategies. Directive strategies are those that highlight a manager’s right to manage and impose changes in the organization, without considering the involvement of the people involved. Although it is advantageous in that it can be undertaken very quickly, it is very likely to lead to the loss of valuable ideas and information and lead to resentment by other members of staff. Expert strategies are those that are involve having a professional. The change will be lead by an expert or specialist in the field.

The Finance Case

The best solution for this case would be taking up the role of a facilitator because of my limited knowledge in stocks, it is imperative that I seek counsel from the experts in the field. The staff members are dedicated employees but they are quite argumentative. This will require someone to fill in the gap and control the meeting so that people are not diverted from the main agenda. A facilitator sets the boundaries or the limits within which the decision has to be made.

The management has already provided with a set of constraints, which the firm’s current portfolio has to satisfy. The staff is quite versed with the intricacies of the stock market. The members also possess knowledge in different capacities. This means that their knowledge covers different areas. The vice president has given me a deadline of six weeks within which I am supposed to have presented the report. This will be ample time for the members to argue and deliberate over the issues. I will take the ideas and recommendations presented by the members. There are limited chances that the group will weigh my decisions heavily because my knowledge is limited.

Engineering Work Assignment

Group consultation seems to be the best alternative in this case. The engineers have the same level of qualifications and so it would not be practical to select on that basis. Group consultation involves letting the members come up with ideas and deliberate on them. In the end, I will have to make the final decision based on the ideas they have presented. The project is located in an undesirable location. Some of the engineers may not be in favor of working in that particular place. Volunteers are needed in this case and in case there is any disagreement, the members can decide on the best way forward. This style is also preferable since the members will be comfortable with the decision made and they will support it (Outward bound & Carter).

The Oil Pipeline

This case calls for personal decision. It means that being the general supervisor, I can come up with the ideas of how the project will proceed and sell these ideas to the other supervisors. I am knowledgeable in all the areas required and I have useful information at my disposal. When making the decision, I have to consider the time it has taken to do similar work, the resources that have been used and how those resources are utilized. This will help me in making rough estimates of the time it will take to complete the project and avoid wastage of time and resources. The workers and supervisors have to be paid for the time spent. Idleness will result to huge losses and this has to be avoided at all costs since we have all tried to work within the limits set (Osland et al, 2007). The supervisors and the workers have worked diligently to ensure that everything is running smoothly and they are expecting bonuses if the project is completed ahead of schedule. They are therefore willing to do extra work to ensure that this happens.

Decision-making is not an easy task. The person in charge does not have to presume that he or she has all the answers to the different problems that come up. ”Great decisions begin with really great people and a simple statement: I don’t know.” Exchanging ideas is more preferable and everyone in a particular group should be encouraged to provide suggestions. The leader has to consider different points of views and must be ready to be a facilitator when the need arises. There are several instances where junior members are more knowledgeable about a specific subject and the supervisor or leader should not be too proud to ask for opinion. Delegating tasks ensures that every body in the particular group participates (Outward bound USA & Carter, 2007). However, the leader has to ensure that everyone is performing their duties as expected since people have different levels of responsibility. Change in any organization requires the participation of members. They need to know that they are part of the process and this will be more effective than when they are left out. “The sooner people are brought into a change effort and allowed to participate in the decision making, the better.”

 

References

Outward bound USA & Carter J. (2007). Leadership the Outward Bound Way: Becoming a Better Leader in the Workplace, in the Wilderness, and in your Community. Seattle, WA: The Mountaineers Books.

Osland, J. S., David A. K, and Irwin M. R. (2007). Organizational Behavior: An Experiential Approach, (8th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.