In the digital age, new channels of communication have developed that simply did not exist a few decades ago. Cell phones, e-mail, text messaging, Facebook, Twitter? who kn

Change Management.html

Change Management

Given the pervasive nature of change, a primary concern of every leader is to plan, manage, and sustain positive change. According to several different studies and sources, the failure rate of change initiatives is between 60% and 90%. Although many reasons for such a high failure rate might exist, often, change endeavors do not fully consider the impact of change on human needs and behaviors. Organizational members might not accept the need for change, believe in its benefits, or be motivated to embrace it. Leaders may not successfully connect change initiatives to the overall organizational vision and values, or employees may not be aligned with the new organizational vision. In essence, if the impact of change on human behavior is not adequately addressed, change will likely fail.

Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson (2010), suggested that behavior and job performance result from the combination of capacity, willingness (motivation), and opportunity.

• Willingness to Perform: the degree to which an individual both desires and is willing to exert effort toward attaining job performance (i.e., motivation)
• Capacity to Perform: the degree to which an individual possesses the task-relevant skills, abilities, knowledge, and experiences
• Opportunity to Perform: can be both positive in terms of chance, but negative in terms of difficulties opposing (e.g., equipment breakdown)

To effectively lead change, leaders must positively influence the willingness, capacity, and opportunity factors.

Reference:

Ivancevich, J. M., Konopaske, R., & Matteson, M. T. (2010). Organizational behavior and management (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Although the presence of motivation, along with capacity and opportunity, does not guarantee high performance levels or success of a change initiative, it is likely that high performance and change acceptance cannot occur without motivation. According to Ivancevich, Konopaske, and Matteson (2010), motivation includes three components:

• Direction is what an individual chooses to do when presented with a number of possible alternatives. Will he or she be motivated to choose an alternative consistent with that desired by management?
• Intensity is the strength of the response once the choice (direction) is made. Intensity is synonymous with effort.
• Persistence is the staying power of behavior or how long a person will continue to devote effort.

A key component for successful change management and organizational leadership is to understand by what (content) and how (process) humans are motivated and how to align them to the organizational vision and values. In other words, leaders must create an environment wherein employee motivation and behaviors are channeled in the right direction with the necessary levels of intensity and persistence.

Reference:

Ivancevich, J. M., Konopaske, R., & Matteson, M. T. (2010). Organizational behavior and management (9th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

Additional Materials

View the PDF transcript for Managing Conflict 

Change Trends.html

Change Trends

Everywhere one looks, change is occurring. Seasons are changing. Everybody you know is aging. Buildings are being constructed; buildings are being torn down. Life is nearly synonymous with constant change. The same point is true in organizations. Even in the most established companies, pressures for change require constant adaptations. Change is pervasive. According to Colteryahn and Davis (2004), there are eight change trends that every organizational leader ought to know:

1. Uncertain economic conditions are the rule rather than the exception
2. Lines between life and work are blurred with telecommuting possibilities and the expectation to be available 24/7
3. Globalization is increasing
4. Diversity in the workplace is increasing with increase in the number of minorities and an aging workforce
5. Rate of change is increasing and appears to be doubling every 10 years
6. Heightened security concerns exist around the globe
7. Technological advances appear to occur almost every day, affecting when and where, and how work is done
8. Widely publicized ethical dilemmas and failures are affecting employee loyalty and trust (e.g., WorldCom, Enron, Bernie Madoff, collapse of the banking industry, etc.)

Reference:

Colteryahn, K., & Davis, P. (2004).Eight Trends you need to know.            Training and Development, 50(1), 28-36.

The drivers of organizational change refer to the factors that create a need for change or propel change. These drivers are sometimes referred to as triggers that result in a sequence of change—one change triggering the next. These drivers tend to be more prominent in radical change than incremental change.

The seven key drivers of change are:

• Environmental forces: Factors external to an organization, such as social, economic, political and governmental, technological, and demographic forces, that affect its business, growth, and profits.
• Marketplace requirements: The total requirements needed to meet customer demands.
• Business imperatives: The strategic "must do's" for an organization to be successful in the marketplace.
• Organizational imperatives: The required changes in structure, systems, processes, technology, and resources undertaken within an organization in order for it to meet marketplace requirements.
• Cultural imperatives: Change drivers that reflect the collective behavior in an organization.
• Leader and employee behavior: Change in employee and leader behavior is in itself a change driver.

Leader and employee mindset: Change in the mindset of the employee and leader that affects how the organization functions.

Influence of Communication.html

Influence of Communication

Given its pervasive presence, communication exerts a significant influence on organizational behavior. One way of thinking about this influence is to consider some communication metaphors or images of organizations.

Eisenberg and Goodall (2004) note several images that help us understand organizations and organizational behavior.

Organizations as Dialogues: Organizations can be thought of as dialogues wherein members’ self-concepts are determined in part through their interactions with others and their responses to what we say and do. In other words, what others think of us influences what we think of ourselves. Similarly, we begin to identify ourselves as our job and as our organization. These self-beliefs influence our attitudes and behaviors. From this perspective, an organization is a context in which human beings, in interactions with each other, form self-concepts that affect behaviors.

Organizations as Narratives: Organizations can be thought of as a narrative. Every organization has history (even if it is just the brief history of its formation), significant events, and significant people or heroes and villains. Organizations often have legends, myths, and well-worn stories. All of these items can be woven into a single, cohesive story that “is” the organization. Further, this story and its pieces help individuals and groups to make sense of their world. Thus, the story or organizational narrative influences human behavior.

Organizations as Networks: Organizations can be thought of as networks. A communication network is a collection of individuals linked by the ongoing patterns of their interactions. The emphasis is not on formal structure but adaptive structure based upon needs such as a need for knowledge or social contact. Although individuals might have potential links to any number of other humans, not all links are routinely utilized. We can consider the behavior of humans based on the linkages they are using at any given point in time.

Reference:

Eisenberg, E. M., & Goodall Jr., H. L. (2004). Organizational communication: Balancing creativity and constraint (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martins.

Communication occurs everywhere we look in an organization, holding the organization together and propelling it forward. It is through communication that organizational members are able to work interdependently to accomplish both personal and organizational goals. It is through communication that goals, strategies, and vision are shared among organizational members.

Common Terms used in organizations reveal a communication element:

• Command
• Instruction
• Vision/Values
• Listening
• Persuasion
• Discipline
• Orders
• Purchases
• Encouragement
• Learning
• Marketing
• And ????

Additional Materials

View the PDF transcript for Effective Communication