Organizational Management - Assessment 1 Answers and Analysis

This document presents answers to an organizational management assessment, covering various aspects of change management. The answers address key concepts such as the three phases of change management (preparation, management, and reinforcement), the reasons for organizational change, and different change models like Kurt Lewin's force field analysis and the Burke-Litwin model. It also explores Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model, strategies for successful change implementation, and the impact of external environments on organizations. Additionally, the assessment delves into participative management styles, the influence of organizational behavior on decision-making, and the components of a change management plan. It also examines resistance to change, barriers to change, and strategies for structuring teams to maximize their potential during change initiatives. The assessment concludes with change management imperatives, including understanding the organization's history, forming an acquisition committee, and developing a strategic communication plan. This document offers a comprehensive overview of organizational management principles and practical strategies for managing change within organizations, contributed by a student and available on Desklib, a platform providing AI-based study tools.

Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT
ORGANIZATIONAL MANAGEMENT
Name of the Student
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Author Note

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Assessment 1
Answer 1
In a change management process, managers and teams need to institute their plan in three phases:
preparation, management and reinforcement. The company needs to be assessed to figure out
why the change is necessary and how it will affect the organization. Then a strategy needs to be
developed to prepare for the intended change (Goetsch and Davis 2014). Most change methods
agree that change is difficult and cumbersome. Therefore, involving people early on,
implementing process, and continuously adjusting for improvement is critical to success. This
includes thorough planning, buy-in, process, resources, communication, and constant evaluation.
Answer 2
The three reasons for organizational change are -transition from a start-up to a scale-up
company, take on a partner, or introduce change in management and moving into new product
lines. Internal business needs can also prompt business change. For example, to raise additional
capital, improve cash flow or profitability of your business, to address outdated and inefficient
working practices and processes and to eliminate excess job positions and remove duplicate
management roles.
Answer 3
Kurt Lewin's force field analysis change model was designed to weigh the driving and
restraining forces that affect change in organizations. The 'force field' can be described as two

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opposite forces working for and against change (Williams 2013). It provides a framework for
looking at the factors (forces) that influence a situation, originally social situations. It looks at
forces that are either driving movement toward a goal (helping forces) or blocking movement
toward a goal (hindering forces).
Answer 4
The Burke-Litwin change model strives to bring in change in the performance of a team or an
organization by establishing links between performance and the internal and external factors
which affect performance. This change model is based on assessing the organizational as well as
environmental factors which can be tweaked so as to ensure a successful change. The Burke-
Litwin change model begins with outlining a framework, comprising the affecting factors which
can be manipulated to guarantee a smoother transition from one phase of the change process to
another. External Environment, Individual and Organizational Performance, Leadership, Mission
and Strategy, Organization Culture, Management Practices, Structure, Systems (Policies and
Procedures), Work Unit Climate, Motivation, Requirements and Individual Skills/Abilities and
Individual Needs and Values are the parameters which need to be aligned in a proper framework
to ensure required change in the management (Della Torre and Solari 2013).
Answer 5
According to Kotter’s 8 Step Change Model is the most important step is make employees aware
of the need and urgency for change, support will be created. This requires and open, honest and
convincing dialogue. The following steps include creating a guiding coalition, creating a vision
for change, communicating the vision, removing obstacles, creating short-term wins,

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consolidating improvements and anchoring the changes. Values and standards must agree with
the new vision and the employees’ behavior must provide a seamless match. Employees must
continue to support the change. Regular evaluation and discussions about progress help
consolidate the change.
Answer 6
The two strategies include formulating a clear vision can help everyone understand what the
organization is trying to achieve within the agreed time frame. It makes changes more concrete
and creates support to implement them. The ideas of employees can be incorporated in the
vision, so that they will accept the vision faster. Linking the adopted vision to strategies will help
employees to achieve their goals. Creating short-term goals so that the employees have a clear
idea of what is going on. When the goals have been met, the employees will be motivated to fine
tune and expand the change. By acknowledging and rewarding employees who are closely
involved in the change process, it will be clear across the board that the company is changing
course.
Answer 7
External Environment is a factor which represents any forces or conditions outside of the
organization that will affect its processes. Political-legislative factors, legal and policy
framework comprising the organization exists. The legal framework includes all laws and legal
regulations and policy framework refers to the relational system created between political power
and business. Example: commercial law regime of taxes, labor law, environmental law etc.
Economic factors that directly affect business organizations by interest rates, inflation, exchange

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rate, fiscal policy, price fluctuations, etc. Technological factors, with the new technologies very
quickly we achieve productivity today, creating new products, creating the need for them while
their consumption.
Answer 8
A participative management style offers various benefits at all levels of the organization. By
creating a sense of ownership in the company, participative management instills a sense of pride
and motivates employees to increase productivity in order to achieve their goals. Employees who
participate in the decisions of the company feel like they are a part of a team with a common
goal, and find their sense of self-esteem and creative fulfillment heightened. Managers who use a
participative style find that employees are more receptive to change than in situations in which
they have no voice. Changes are implemented more effectively when employees have input and
make contributions to decisions. Participation keeps employees informed of upcoming events so
they will be aware of potential changes. The organization can then place itself in a proactive
mode instead of a reactive one, as managers are able to quickly identify areas of concern and turn
to employees for solutions.
Answer 9
Whether at the organizational or individual level, people make the decisions. Organizational
behavior influences the decisions that people make. Companies with robust, effective
communication mechanisms enable managers and employees to make informed decisions,
because they understand the business context. The organization's approach to risk will determine
the extent to which managers and employees feel comfortable taking risks in their decision

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making. Organizations that encourage informed risk-taking foster innovation and creativity.
While the need to earn a salary ensures people will show up for work, organizational behavior
suggests that employees need other motivational elements to perform to the best of their ability.
Employees are most likely to feel motivated when they see a clear link between the effort they
put in and the reward they receive. Employees must consider the reward system as fair and
equitable to inspire them to increase performance. Managers can motivate employees by setting
realistic, achievable goals and measuring progress. Employees should receive rewards for
attaining these goals, either financially or through recognition from the manager.
Answer 10
A change management plan defines activities and roles to manage and control change during the
execute and control stage of the project. Change is measured against the project baseline, which
is a detailed description of the project’s scope, budget, schedule, and plans to manage quality,
risk, issues, and change. During the execution and control stage, changes may require one or
more revised project baselines to be issued. The five components of change management plan are
policy and procedure for example in a quality management plan; describes how we will make
sure the products are fit for propose. The plan should be executed in a time phased manner,
hence including will be a high-level schedule, which highlights the key deliverables in the form
of a milestone schedule. Budget is a cost plan showing the planned expenditure, with time, for
each work package. Being able to predict with some certainty the rate at which the project is
spending its funds is crucial to know whether the project is on track.

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Answer 11
In an organizational setting, employees, peers, and managers will resist administrative and
technological changes that result in their role being eliminated or reduced. Organizational
stakeholders will resist change when they do not see any rewards. Organizational stakeholders
will resist change to protect the interests of a group. In order to overcome resistance, it is
imperative to engender a good team spirit, so you should consider ways in which you can do so.
During periods of change, tensions may run high and personal anxieties will be heightened.
Team meetings and team bonding sessions will help your people to understand and appreciate
their colleagues more easily, especially if you ensure transparency of communication and a
systematic approach to problem solving that encourages frank exchange of view to reach a
collective and collaborative partnership.
Answer 12
The barriers arise as organizations develop more complex processes, systems and products —
change becomes more challenging. Complexity of change is a fundamental barrier. Complex
changes require diligent and highly effective project, risk, quality, knowledge and change
management. There is a common belief that just getting a message out to an audience is enough
to get buy-in, eliminate resistance and even drive behavior change. As a result, too many
organizations singularly invest in top-down, one-way communications that don’t motivate people
to move from the status quo to the desired state. One of the most common barriers to accelerating
a change is the lack of a common understanding, too often there is no clear, concise picture of
what the future looks like. While most organizations spend the bulk of their resources and energy

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on the technical and business process components during a change, the greatest risk for failure is
actually on the human side of projects. This is especially true when the business change is
enterprise-wide or a transformational change.
Answer 13
Structuring the team to maximize its potential as the team member’s appropriate roles and
responsibilities that use skills to their best advantage, while also providing the potential for
personal and team development. After communicating the change initiative, consider the
strengths and weaknesses of each team member. In one-to-one sessions, establish how the team
member is best suited to aiding with the change initiative, and consider ways in which it may
help the individual improve personal weaknesses while simultaneously taking advantage of their
strengths. Such a personal collaboration within the team effort will help engage each team
member in the change effort (Turner 2014). Setting challenging, achievable and engaging targets
will enhance clarity in guidance about goals and targets. Break change projects into smaller
milestones, and celebrate achievements. Goals should be progressive and in line with values and
beliefs. Resolving conflicts quickly and effectively, utilizing the seven methods of care-
fronting to regulate and control communicative breakdowns. Encourage openness and honesty
and engender an environment of mutual trust and respect.
Assessment 2
Change management today requires companies to elevate the level of active leadership, move at
a faster pace, include employees in decision-making, and ingrain new behaviors. By addressing
these four imperatives as part of their overall change efforts, companies can strengthen their

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adaptiveness, competencies, and ability to change. They will also go a long way toward making
change stick and achieving critical business outcomes.
1. Solidify understanding of the family: Get to know the people and the history of the
organization before you start to implement change. The work environment could have been a
place where people were mistreated, creating feelings of mistrust, fear and manipulation. You
must know your audience for change to run smoothly. If you have never worked with a corporate
life coach before, now is the time (Hechanova and Cementina-Olpoc 2013).
2. Create an acquisition committee: Your committee should have at least one person from the
following departments: Human resources, information technology, finance and operations, and
an employee advocate or team lead. Others can be added depending on your industry and
organizational structure. Having a head from each department ensures efficiency and keeps
everyone on the same page.
3. Map out a strategic communication plan: Lack of communication is the No. 1 morale killer.
Having gone through hundreds of acquisitions, I have repeatedly noticed that what will make or
break the merger is how things are communicated across departments. Employees want
transparency. They want to know:
• What does this transition mean for them?
• What are the steps involved?
• Should they be worried about their jobs?

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• Will departments be affected?
Make sure you are keeping your employees involved. This will strengthen the relationship, build
buy-in, encourage reactions and identify barriers. You should be prepared to ask: "How are we
doing? Is there something we could be doing better?" Merger success is hinged upon your
employees' understanding that they are in good hands. Their jobs are major parts of their lives,
and it is crucial that they understand what is going on, and that they aided in the decision making
process.
4. Make sure employees understand their role: It is also important that all employees are
steered toward a growth mindset. They should know that change is an opportunity, and that they
should not lose sleep over a merger. This merger should be viewed as a situation that has
potential for positive new beginnings. Having a corporate life coach during such times to guide
employees through their anxiety is beneficial to the organization in gaining trust.
These innovative strategies for change management will largely boost the rate of success for
mergers and acquisitions in your company. It is vital that human resources or a change
management consultant be involved to streamline the process and make sure that these tactics are
implemented in a timely matter. This approach will create a solid foundation that will be able to
hold its own, enforce corporate health and bounce back from many obstacles.
Assessment 4
A change management plan helps manage the change process, and also ensures control in
budget, schedule, scope, communication, and resources. The change management plan will

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minimize the impact a change can have on the business, employees, customers, and other
important stakeholders.
1. Readiness Assessments.
2. Communication and Communication Planning.
3. Sponsor Activities and Sponsor Roadmaps.
4. Change Management Training for Managers.
5. Training Development and Delivery.
6. Resistance Management.
7. Employee Feedback and Corrective Action.
One method of evaluating the process of change is through key performance indicators (KPIs).
These monitor how well parts of an organisation are working towards fulfilling business
objectives. For example, if an objective was to increase productivity, output can be measured and
then compared to output data from before the change program. This helps to establish if it has
increased (Cameron and Green 2015). Evaluating the outcomes helps to keep the process of
change moving forward. For example, if the original strategy needs to be revised, it allows
managers to make decisions that enable future processes of change to be more effective. After
the change training and development, staff morale and managers’ confidence grew. They started
to think more strategically about how to overcome challenges. First-line manager turnover fell
significantly. This was because the issues identified in inspection reports had been tackled.
Managers were able to approach challenges in a completely different way. They developed a
better understanding of leadership and management, and of their own strengths and development
needs as leaders. The programme helped to reduce costs and retain talent (Hayes 2018).

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Ultimately, it enabled individuals to contribute effectively to the setting and fulfilling of the
organisation’s objectives.
Assessment 5
The final step in the change management process is the after-action review. Good
project managers apply these components effectively to ensure project success, avoid the loss of
valued employees and minimize the negative impact of the change on productivity and a
company's customers. Organisations implement changes to increase the effectiveness of the
business. Change can be a complex process and there may be barriers to overcome. This is why
implementing change programmes within an organisation requires effective managers.Training
and development ensures that managers have the skills and competencies required to manage
their team through a process of change. It enables them to deal with the change process and to
monitor and evaluate change (Hammer 2015). This helps to reduce possible resistance to change
and establish if the change objectives were achieved. Another business objective for transitions is
to improve organizational performance and effectiveness. What constitutes performance
improvements varies by organization but can include achieving measurable goals on desired end-
state readiness such as productivity increases, competency improvements, service-level
agreement (SLA) adherence or internal policy compliance. Many organizations have transition
goals around growth/position/efficiency, as well as performance improvement objectives. In the
prior example of establishing a telequalification team, this change could also be measured by the
new team’s productivity and adherence to SLAs with sales and marketing (Frankland et al. 2015)
Progress and adherence to plan/timeline. These metrics track the status of the different activities
established in the transition plan – including task progress (e.g. tasks initiated, completed or

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delayed), changes in task ownership, and issues that are surfaced, escalated and resolved. Any
adjustments made to deadlines and project scope are also tracked.
Milestone achievement. Milestones are tools used in project management to mark specific points
along the project timeline that must be reached to achieve success (e.g. start/end dates, reviews,
project phase completions). When combined with project scheduling methodologies, milestones
allow project managers to accurately determine whether a project is on schedule. Specific
metrics include the calculation of critical path, schedule variance and the amount of slack/float
time in the schedule.
Budget/resource utilization. In addition to measuring against schedule, organizations must also
measure against project budget. Large transitions frequently have dedicated budget allocated to
the change effort, and key metrics include actual spend against the allocated budget, the number
and amount of budget transfers and accruals, and overall cost variance (Doppelt 2017).
Training completion. Other project management activities to report include stakeholder
participation in any training classes conducted to support the transition. Specific metrics include
stakeholder training course attendance, satisfaction, training completion and certification.
Communication effectiveness. Track the creation, delivery and effectiveness of transition
communications with a change management communications plan that segments stakeholder
audiences, identifies key messages for each, establishes the optimal communication frequency,
determines the appropriate messengers for the communication and ascertains the mix of
communication vehicles. Key metrics include execution against the communications plan,

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collection of stakeholder feedback, and responses to the communication deliverables and
messages.
References
1. Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence.
Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.
2. Williams, C., 2013. Principles of management. South-Western Cengage Learning.
3. Della Torre, E. and Solari, L., 2013. High-performance work systems and the change
management process in medium-sized firms. The International Journal of Human
Resource Management, 24(13), pp.2583-2607.
4. 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.
5. Hayes, J., 2018. The theory and practice of change management.
6. Turner, J.R., 2014. Handbook of project-based management(Vol. 92). New York, NY:
McGraw-hill.
7. Hammer, M., 2015. What is business process management?. In Handbook on business
process management 1 (pp. 3-16). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.

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8. Frankland, R., Mitchell, C.M., Ferguson, J.D., Sziklai, A.T., Verma, A.K., Popowski, J.E.
and Sturgeon, D.H., Applications in Internet Time LLC, 2013. Integrated change
management unit. U.S. Patent 8,484,111.
9. Doppelt, B., 2017. Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide
for business, government and civil society. Routledge.
10. Hechanova, R.M. and Cementina-Olpoc, R., 2013. Transformational leadership, change
management, and commitment to change: A comparison of academic and business
organizations. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 22(1), pp.11-19.