Reflective Case Study: Organizational Change and its Implications

This report presents a reflective case study on organizational change, examining its role as a potential architect of improvement or decay within organizations. It highlights that change is often triggered by internal or external factors, sometimes leading to resistance. The case emphasizes the importance of adapting to changes to gain a competitive advantage, citing examples such as adopting new technologies to enhance productivity and meet evolving customer needs. The analysis incorporates Kurt Lewin's model of change (unfreezing, changing, and refreezing) to explain how organizations can successfully introduce and solidify new behaviors. Furthermore, the report identifies two key learning outcomes: how organizational change can shift business perspectives by aiding organizations in staying current, opening up opportunities, encouraging innovation, increasing efficiency, and improving workplace attitudes; and why implementing organizational change can be challenging due to resistance, emotional factors, and a lack of consultative approaches. The study concludes by underscoring the necessity of organizational change for long-term business success.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR
Organizational Behavior
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction...............................................................................................................................................2
Case Study:................................................................................................................................................2
Learning Outcomes:.................................................................................................................................3
LO1: How Organizational Change Helps in Changing Business Perspectives...........................3
LO2: Why it is Hard to Implement Organizational Change........................................................4
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................5
References:................................................................................................................................................6

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Introduction
The report aims at providing an overview organizational change that is also one of the
aspects of organizational behavior. The report commences with a reflective case study on
organizational change. Based on the case study, the report also put forward two learning
outcomes that help in analyzing different aspects of the case in closer detail.
Case Study:
Organizational Change: The Architect of Improvement or Decay for Organizations
According to Benn, Dunphy and Griffiths (2014), the cause of the organizational change
is either the internal or the external factors. These factors in addition to bringing about an
organizational change might sometimes result in creation of resistance to change process. As
most us knows, any change in the initial stage gives rise to the resistance that sometimes lead to
bigger problems.
The key force that leads to change in the organization depends on its environment and the
organizational context. Organizational change might take place due to change in technology,
newer product development, government policies and legislations, social and cultural change of
the values, change in regulation of trade policies and the change in the national and global
economic condition (Cameron and Green 2015). Sometimes the change is due to the customer
taste, innovative manufacturing process, introduction of the new innovative design for the
products and services, new ideas about products and the way adopted for delivery that helps in
generation of customer value and satisfaction. Organizational change also depends on office or
factory reallocation, nature of workforce, social trends and the world politics.
However, I feel that change is necessary as it helps an organization in gaining
competitive advantage. An organization can experience various benefits by adapting to such
changes. This can be explained with the help of an example where the adoption of a new
technology leads to enhanced productivity and changes in the manner of communication. The
change also helps in the creation of the newer demand for the product and services thereby
opening up newer opportunities for meeting the consumer needs. Further, this change also leads

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to the expansion of the organization with the addition of new staffs and the facilities. In addition,
it benefits the employees in learning new skills but also in exercising their qualities.
Organizational change also aids the organization in having a changed perspective of
viewing the customer needs and adopting newer means of customer delivery and interactions.
This is explained through Kurt Lewin’s model of change that involves three steps, unfreezing,
changing and refreezing. He stated that the change process entailed the creation of a perception
of the need for change followed by move towards the change and the solidification of the newer
behavior as accepted norm. Such perspectives also help an organization in launching newer
products with the capability of attracting a newer range of customers (Shin, Taylor and Seo
2012). This opens up a platform for the portrayal of the opportunities for newer employees.
Learning Outcomes:
LO1: How Organizational Change Helps in Changing Business Perspectives
Change represents an inevitable part of the employees and the business that might not
initially find acceptance amongst the business owners. Thus, as per the case study the benefits
brought about by organizational change are as follows:
Aids Organization in Staying Current: Whenever the competitor develops and markets
newer product, then a business can make sure not to lag behind and can adopt ways of product
development that will make it increasingly attractive to the customers (Bryson 2018)
Opens up Opportunities: The capability of embracing the changes can help the
business in the creation of the newer opportunities. For example, a worker enthusiastically
applying for the learning new computer method can also take the responsibility of providing
training to the others (Alvesson and Sveningsson 2015). The leadership role entails the capability
of the employees in taking additional responsibilities.
Encourage Innovation: Adaption of the business to the organizational change leads to
the creation of an ambience that encourages the aspect of innovation (Cummings and Worley

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2014). Employees are however motivated to think creatively when management for ensuring
further growth considers their thoughts.
Increase in Efficiency: Organizational change not only enhances the efficiency of work
process that helps in satisfying both the employees and customers. For example, the adoption of
the new system of delivery can help in enhancing the speed through which the customers
received merchandize (Burke 2017).At the same time installation of new machinery helps in
speeding up production process.
Results in Improved Attitude at Workplace: The organizational change also results in
a positive influence on the attitudes and morale of employees (Gin, Kwon and Kim 2013). For
example, change in certain stringent human resource policies can lead to more relaxed work
ambience.
LO2: Why it is Hard to Implement Organizational Change
Organizational change does not refer to any problem but the problem is in the difficulties
resulting from the implementation of changes. However, organizational change is an inevitable part
of the business if it wants to thrive for the long term (Bateh, Castaneda and Farah 2013). The
problem occurs when the employees motivate and engage employees in the change process since
they are neither consultative nor outcome driven.
Resistance to the change often considered one of the major reasons for the change programs
in not delivering desired outcomes (Battilana and Casciaro 2013). The resistance to change is brought
mostly by the people who seemed unwilling in acceptance of the change. Getting to the core of the
matter will help one in understanding that they do not resist the change but it is their perception and
fear about the adapting to newer changes.
Organizational change might go horribly wrong when treated as new process. It went wrong
in cases when managers only made use of logical approaches in dealing changes without considering
the emotional side (Chung, Su and Su 2012). This is explained with the help of a simple example of
office relocation. Although the managers might consider it to be a straightforward move for the
employees but for some employees it might be something more than the move since it involves

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significant changes in the daily routine which might also be an emotional aspect threatening the level
of the safety and security of the employees.
Conclusion
The report concludes by throwing light on two learning outcomes derived from case
study thereby explaining them briefly. The first deals with how organizational change brings
about a change in the perspectives of the business and the second deals with its difficulty in
implementation.

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References:
Alvesson, M. and Sveningsson, S., 2015. Changing organizational culture: Cultural change work
in progress. Routledge.
Bateh, J., Castaneda, M.E. and Farah, J.E., 2013. Employee resistance to organizational
change. International Journal of Management & Information Systems, 17(2), p.113.
Battilana, J. and Casciaro, T., 2012. Change agents, networks, and institutions: A contingency
theory of organizational change. Academy of Management Journal, 55(2), pp.381-398.
Benn, S., Dunphy, D. and Griffiths, A., 2014. Organizational change for corporate sustainability.
Routledge.
Bryson, J.M., 2018. Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide to
strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement. John Wiley & Sons.
Burke, W.W., 2017. Organization change: Theory and practice. Sage Publications.
Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2015. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to
the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
Chung, S.H., Su, Y.F. and Su, S.W., 2012. The impact of cognitive flexibility on resistance to
organizational change. Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 40(5), pp.735-
745.
Cummings, T.G. and Worley, C.G., 2014. Organization development and change. Cengage
learning.
Gin Choi, Y., Kwon, J. and Kim, W., 2013. Effects of attitudes vs experience of workplace fun
on employee behaviors: Focused on Generation Y in the hospitality industry. International
Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 25(3), pp.410-427.
Shin, J., Taylor, M.S. and Seo, M.G., 2012. Resources for change: The relationships of
organizational inducements and psychological resilience to employees' attitudes and behaviors
toward organizational change. Academy of Management Journal, 55(3), pp.727-748.