Organizational Change

The only thing that is constant is change” (Heraclitus)

Organizational Change

Introduction

The revolution in communication and technology has made the world a smaller and vastly more interconnected place. The ripple effects of this revolution extend to the very structure of our society.

These changes have implications not only for industries but also for organizations many of which serve the poor, the displaced, and the diseased. In addition, accompanying these major societal transformations is a general philosophical shift that leans toward adopting the “corporate model” as the gold standard for efficiency in both public and nonprofit sector organizations, irrespective of its degree of applicability and relevance. (Kegan, 2009)

Discussion and analysis

It is not surprising then that the challenge of navigating an organization in times of rapid and multifaceted change may seem staggering to the people within. With so many things happening simultaneously, it is difficult to know where to focus, to understand what is critical, and to be aware of the opportunities and resources that may be available. Much like first-time parents, leaders can be overwhelmed by the barrage of new information and the struggle to determine what is most important. (Ciulla, 2007)

However, their sense of being consumed by these details can be significantly reduced if given a lens through which to see what is critical and tools with which to confront the new challenges. In this chapter, various lenses are offered to help leaders navigate change: a wide-angle one to understand the broader context of the challenges they face and a telescopic one to focus on those aspects of the external and internal environments that are critical to their organizations. While there is no “magic bullet” to make organizational transformations easy and painless, the research and theories presented here will enhance understanding of the complexities involved and help leaders move forward in the context of their organizations' missions. (Kotter, 2002)

Some organizations do, however, engage in substantial change processes that are successful and result in significant restructuring to the benefit of the organization. These transformations may have resulted from small, incremental steps taken over a number of years, or they may have been the result of planned, radical strategies. (Kegan, 2009)

Organizations and Their Relationship to the Environment

As open systems, organizations are dependent on their environments for survival. They import human, financial, technical, and natural resources, such as skilled labor, knowledge, and investment to produce a product or provide a service of value to the customers. Therefore, the organization is dependent on its environment both for its resources and for the consumption of its services or products. If resources are not available or if the organization's outputs are not valued, the organization will be unable to sustain itself. Together, the resource suppliers and the service consumers constitute the organization's niche. (Hickman, 2006)

Barriers to Change

How organizations respond to internal and external pressures to change may affect the course of their development and even their survival. It is generally acknowledged that major organizational change is very difficult. Statistics indicate that the majority of organizations fail to ...