Organizational Development and Change Management

Need for Change

Think about a major organizational change that your organization has undergone in the past five years or so.

For the first paragraph of your post, tell the class a little about your organization and describe your position in the organization. Briefly explain the change that occurred.

For the second paragraph(s) of your post, select any one of the following starter bullet point sections. Review the important themes within the sub-questions of each bullet point. The sub-questions are designed to get you thinking about some of the important issues. Your response should provide a succinct synthesis of the key themes in a way that articulates a clear point, position, or conclusion supported by research. Select a different bullet point section than what your classmates have already posted so that we can engage several discussions on relevant topics. If all of the bullet points have been addressed, then you may begin to re-use the bullet points with the expectation that varied responses continue.

• Assess the factors that made that change necessary. Were the forces for change internal or external to the organization? How did the organization recognize the need for change? Does your experience mirror the information from your readings regarding how a need for change is discovered? Does your organization actively scan the internal and external environments for elements that indicate the need for a change? If so, what does your organization do? If not, are there any scanning techniques you would recommend?
• Evaluate what problems your organization experienced in meeting its goals prior to the change, how the organization performed during the change, and how it performed once the change was fully in place. Did the organization need to change its strategic plan, goals, objectives, mission or vision, or operating procedures as a result of the change?
• Analyze whether other areas were affected if the change occurred in one area of the organization. If so, how? If the change occurred throughout the organization, were some areas affected more than others? How and why? Were all the impacts of the change correctly anticipated, or were there unintended consequences of the change? What was the effect of the consequences (anticipated or unintended)? What were the leadership lessons learned?

The final paragraph (three or four sentences) of your initial post should summarize the one or two key points that you are making in your initial response.

Provide a substantive (500- to 1,000-word) initial discussion posting addressing each of the components in the discussion question. Justify your answers with research, examples, and reasoning. Comment on the initial postings of at least two peers. At a minimum, your responses to other initial posts must be 100 to 200 words each.

By the end of the week, begin commenting on at least two of your peers’ responses. You can ask technical questions or respond generally to the overall experience. Be objective, clear, and concise. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress. Submit your responses to the appropriate topic in this Discussion Area.