THIS APPLIES TO ALL DISCUSSION RESPONSES: Responses to peers should be at least two paragraphs and be substantive in nature

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THIS APPLIES TO ALL DISCUSSION RESPONSES: Responses to peers should be at least two paragraphs and be substantive in nature. Substantive means that you should add something to the discussion, referring to the original post. Referring to any reading or other scholarship is always a plus.

 

Guided Response: Respond to at least three of your classmates’ posts by Day 7. Review several of your peers’ postings and respond to at least three of your peers, providing recommendations or suggestions on how to more clearly define their goals.

TANYA’S POST:

I hope all is well with everyone during these times. I am Tanya Lorraine Best, originally from Brooklyn, NY, currently living in New Jersey. I am a mother to three boys ages 4, 8, and 14. I am returning to school after taking a few months off going through a divorce. Trust me. The divorce was not a bad thing. It has given me peace, and now I want to return to school and continue with the MHRM program. I graduated last year with my B.A. (formerly at Ashford U) in HRM, minoring in Operations Development. I am continuing with HRM and specializing in Leadership because I am building two of my businesses and assisting some leadership curving in my current role. 

Currently, I work for a large organization in NYC in the H.R. department. I have observed some events/issues that have taken place, and the Leadership that has been in office for 20/30 years is not about change because they are more into comfortability. We have lost great talent with older people retiring with the knowledge (not able to cross-train), and we have lost fresh thinkers because they are not valued. As leaders, you should not be afraid to change and make changes to better the company and the people. Not everything will work, but it doesn't hurt to try something different.

I am looking forward to receiving from this course, Leading Organizational Change, dealing with diversity and people with different backgrounds. I have purchased many books in Leadership, as a woman, as a black woman, as a person who can lead in 100 days, formalize processes in running an organization, etc. It is vital to understand the people who work for you or manage and lead them to growth and development, teaching them to be innovative and creative, building a culture (sustainable), agility learning, and motivating, coaching, and transforming as a leader those who require inspiration. 

I look forward to learning new things to add to my portfolio for the next six weeks.

 

MARGUERITE’S POST:

Hello classmates, 

  I am very excited to be a part of this class as organizational and business change is now more than ever at the forefront of exciting topics facing today's workforce. I am hoping to gain insight as how to navigate and lead organizational change in such a way that leads to the most impactful outcomes for all parties involved. I have served in leadership roles for several companies over the past 15 years and now work somewhat independently as a financial advisor, however my hope is to someday lead other financial advisors on their journey which is why I have pursued my MA in HR Management. 

  Change is challenging because it always involves external shifts that often demand learning new skills or adapting to new situations plus human beings and teams are all unique in the way that they react to change. I am expecting to learn techniques that will help me lead change in a way that accomplishes business objectives while remaining mindful of the needs and responses of those who are impacted by the change.  

  I have two daughters, one is six years old and the other is three. My free-time is spent with them, hiking, swimming, and often times tutoring my six year old as she fell behind last year with the remote learning model due to covid. I graduated in 2004 from Edinburgh University with a BA in Social Anthropology and this degree is the first time I have returned back to school since then. I have thoroughly enjoyed all my courses up to this point and am very excited to learn more about all of you through our assignments together. 

Thank you 

 

DYANI’S POST:

My name is Dyani Smith and I reside in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. I am the mother of 3 children, an 18- year-old daughter and 14-year-old boy/girl twins who recently started high school. I received my undergraduate degree in Public Administration from California State University Dominguez Hills nearly 20 years ago so initially I was “out of touch”. I work in the insurance industry and have been with my current employer for 17 years.

This course is relevant to my career because I have been in a leadership role for over 9 years and I am constantly looking for ways to improve my skills and master being an effective leader throughout an organization that is constantly changing. Over the last 10 years, my organization has gone through several mergers and acquisitions which has attributed to the organizational changes. We recently acquired another insurance company and as expected there has been resistance from the employees that followed. The timing of the acquisition happened right before the pandemic thus there has been several challenges that continue to linger.

My expectation of this course is to walk away with new concepts related to organizational change. All organizations are affected by change. It's inescapable, and it might happen from within the company or because of business or economic shifts such as the example I provided above. Effectively leading change is not only crucial, but also for gaining and retaining competitiveness.

Family is very important to me and spending quality time with family and friends is one of my favorite past times. My twins are in sports and being a former athlete, I enjoy attending my kids sporting events and connecting with my fellow team moms/dads. I also enjoy outdoor activities, reading, and cooking. The pandemic has temporarily impacted my ability to travel although I look forward to exploring again once the economic restrictions have lessened.

I look forward to learning and collaborating with everyone.

Dyani

 

CHANGE INITIATIVES DISC

Guided Response: Respond to at least two of your classmates' posts. Evaluate their chosen articles and their reviews of the change strategies by agreeing, disagreeing, or adding content to further the discussion.

MARGUERITE’S POST:

Article Summary: Harley-Davidson Overtime Initiative Shows Complex Challenges, By Robert Teachout 

In 2016 the U.S Department of Labor implemented updated rules related to overtime, these rules impacted the classification of employees as either ‘exempt’ or ‘non-exempt’. The regulation was enacted quickly and left many employers rushing to make the necessary adjustments to payroll and job descriptions as the change more than doubled the salary threshold for salaried employees to be exempt from overtime (Teachout, 2016).  

Harley-Davidson is a multinational organization that was forced to adapt to this sudden and significant change. Harley-Davidson used what they described as a “multiprong” approach to the change initiative, this meant that they first analyzed what exactly was needed to bring the company into compliance with the regulation and then further assessed the unique needs of the organization related to how to best implement the change. By conducting an “impact analysis” the company developed implementation options that complied with the law while remaining aligned with the company’s values and compensation philosophy (Teachout, 2016). This approach prompted the company to gain increased knowledge about the types of work being performed and how information would best be delivered to members of the organization.  

Article Analysis:  

One of the most impactful and effective aspects of HD’s approach was that they created a streamlined communication plan that ensured that employees had access to the information they needed regarding the change. This helped employees transition to the new compensation structure and provided them with up-to-date information regarding the change as it was happening. This established transparency in the process and invited employees into the roll-out process so that they were engaged and felt a part of it. The company decided that individual meetings with individuals or small groups was going to be more effective than large broad-based announcements that did not provide a platform for employees to express questions and concerns. Overall, HD’s approach to this change initiative was experienced positively by employees while also allowing the company to adapt the new and drastic regulations announced by the labor department.  

Change is constant and organizations that adopt strategies in anticipation of change, ultimately allow change initiative processes to be more effective, complete, and considerate of employees. A common misstep of organizations when rolling out change initiatives is that they do not identify the most significant potential hazards and opportunities that come with every organizational shift early enough to formulate creative means of approaching them (Kotter, 2012). In the case of Harley Davidson, the organization did not have a choice to change their compensation structure and were forced to change with very short notice, yet by taking the time to thoroughly evaluate the needs of the organization before effecting the change they were able to understand the risks and potential rewards that the change offered.  

 

References:

Kotter, J. P. (2012, November). Accelerate! How the most innovative companies capitalize on today's rapid-fire strategic challenges - and still make their numbers.  Harvard Business Review, 90(11), 43-58. Retrieved from the EBSCOhost database. 

Teachout, R. (2016, November 8th) Harley-Davidson Overtime Initiative Shows Complex Challenges. SHRM.com.  https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/legal-and-compliance/employment-law/pages/harley-davidson-overtime-rule.aspx (Links to an external site.)  

 

JOSHUA’S POST:

"And like many other organizations, there were too many development and change initiatives being run by corporate headquarters" (Palmer et al. pg 5. para. 3). This sums up my experience with organizational change initiatives, always too many cooks in the kitchen. I have been a part of a few different companies that had too many things going on at once and lost focus, causing chaos for the employees.

When I started looking for articles, this is the idea that I had in mind, organizations try to do too much. Then I found an article about Subway. "The Sandwich That Ate the World" was a quick read, but the company had a simple plan to grow the business; open as many franchisees as possible (Helm, 2013). Subway even lowered the price of a franchise when they weren't any buyers. They also offered to pay successful franchises to help grow other stores in the area. In the early 2000s' Subway added new bread and new menu options to generate more interest from customers.  The company kept opening more and more stores until they eventually passed McDonald's U.S. and then global store count.

A downfall that I felt was obvious; the article even mentions it. They opened so many stores that different locations started to compete.  This article was written in 2013, so hindsight being what it is, the organization also put too much faith in their spokesman Jared Fogel. Both issues would be an unintended outcome, but they could have been mitigated by management.

I think the simplistic model for Subway is what made them so successful. I remember when the company changed to healthier options and the new bread baking in the stores, I can still smell it sometimes. Not to mention the insane popularity of the $5 footlong.

Helm, B. (2013). The Sandwich That Ate the World. Inc, 35(4) 78-82.

https://eds-b-ebscohost-com.proxy-library.ashford.edu/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=14&sid=3bdfaa88-fc54-4f16-96df-3c87d7312164%40pdc-v-sessmgr02 (Links to an external site.)  (Links to an external site.)

 (Links to an external site.) Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D. (2022).  Managing organizational change: A multiple perspectives approach (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

 

IMAGES DISC

Guided Response:Respond to at least two of your classmates post and provide a substantive response to their evaluation of the images of change.

DYANI’S POST:

I chose images coach and director to discuss.

According to Palmer, et al. (2021), the premise of the coach image is that change managers may transition an organization's structure in certain ways. Much like an athletic coach, the change manager molds the performance of an organization or team so that it will be more likely to thrive in a competitive environment." The theoretical support associated with a coach as a change manager is organizational development (OD). The relevance of values such as compassion, equality, and professional growth is emphasized in the OD paradigm of the change manager as coach (Palmer, et al., 2021).

"Management is viewed as controlling in the director's image, and change outcomes are viewed as being attainable as intended (Palmer, et al., 2021). The function of the change manager in this situation is to direct the organization toward the intended objectives, as the name implies (Palmer, et al., 2021). The director oversees developing the methods and techniques that will be used to attain the intended outcome. Change necessitates a corporate strategy decision that is critical to the organization's well-being and existence.

The theoretical support associated with a director as a change manager is the “n-step” models which consists of various steps throughout each model. The models are linked by the belief that if the change manager follows the model, the desired change outcomes can be accomplished (Palmer, et al., 2021).

The goal for each change manager is to accomplish the intended outcome. In addition, each change manager must learn to develop followers to advance to the next level.

The coach focuses on building the appropriate values, abilities, and "trainings" so that the organization's members may achieve the intended results while the director dictates the aspect of each action. A coach is about helping other to develop problem solving skills while the director has more of a controlling, dominant approach that does not involve developing their followers. The director focuses on specific outcomes that need to be accomplished and what steps are needed to get there (Palmer, et al., 2021).

Change managers should modify their vision of change and perspective of what is feasible based on the circumstances (Palmer, et al., 2021).

Reference:

Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D. (2021). Managing organizational change: A multiple perspectives approach (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education

 

FELESHIA’S POST:

After completing the self-assessment in chapter 2, I am choosing Director and Nurturer to compare and contrast. My self-assessment results showed dominance in director and coach and low scores in nurturer and navigator as my image of how to manage change. I understand that being able to adjust images and see change from a different perspective is critical for change success. I am hoping that throughout this class I can gain a better understanding of how to think differently and make that happen. Looking at the director’s image versus the nurturer’s image they seem almost polar opposite.

The director’s approach to change is just how it sounds direct, to the point, and ensues the top-down approach.  According to Palmer et al. (2022), the director’s approach is best used “when urgent change is required for survival” (Table 2.4, p. 52). The change manager in the director’s image guides the organization down the change path to reach the intended goal. The focus from the director’s image is more about the end result versus the process itself. A change manager with the dominant image of director must be aware that this approach regardless of the process steps may not be the right approach. Each change has its own unique internal and external factors that must be considered. The change manager must be able to understand from multiple images for successful change.

The nurturer’s image is less about controlling the outcomes and more about the change process or the stakeholders involved in the change. According to Palmer et all (2022), the nurturer’s approach to change “develops resilience, encourages involvement, continuous learning, and self-organizing.” (Table 2.4, p. 52). The approach is more of a collaborative approach getting the stakeholders involved to develop the end goal and solution. Educating and developing stakeholders along the way is a plus for the organization. This approach is acceptable when there is not an immediate need for change and there is time available to work through the change process. This is the opposite of the warranted director’s approach when there is a dire need to make an immediate change.

Each of the six images has a purpose. A change manager may default to their comfortable or dominant image which can cause concerns. No single change is the exact same so the image approach to change should not be either. According to Palmer et al. (2022), the image in use should reflect the type of change occurring and take into consideration all the variables of change. Each organization is different and there are both internal and external factors, different depths, and different processes to consider. As a change leader understanding and adapting different change images is essential for success. Being able to use different images or a combination of images creates a better chance of success.