Week 4 Discussion

 

Supporting Lecture:

Review the following lecture:

• Managing Change

Discussion Questions

Before beginning work on this discussion forum, please review the link

Doing Discussion Questions Right

, the expanded grading rubric for the forum below, and any specific instructions for this topic.

Before the end of the week, begin commenting on at least two of your classmates’ responses. You can ask technical questions or respond generally to the overall experience. Be objective, clear, and concise. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress. Submit your responses in the Discussion Area.

Introduction

Force Field Theory Analysis

Lewin’s force field analysis is a tool for distinguishing factors or forces that influence an individual towards or away from a desired outcome (or change). The forces that aid in making decisions that will make change more acceptable can be analyzed. Forces are more than attitudes to change. People’s emotional state can prevent them from accepting change, therefore we need to understand factors that are related to their values or experiences that contribute to resistance. Force field analysis helps us to analyze a condition and then plan corrective actions.

There will be two discussion questions listed below. By the due date assigned, respond to one of the discussion questions and submit your response to the Discussion Area. Your initial posting should be addressed at 500–1000 words. Use the lessons and vocabulary found in the reading. Support your answers with examples and research and cite your sources using APA format.

Tasks

In 2012, Yahoo’s new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) implemented a change for employees who were working from home to stop the practice and required them to commute to the office. The change in culture was driven by the desire to improve innovation through human interaction. The organizational change now requires employees who work from home to work in the office.

Discussion Question 1:

What are the main driving and restraining forces involved in making this organizational change at Yahoo?

Discussion Question 2:

What resources would Yahoo need to manage this change and how will they will help to implement action steps?

Hint: Sometimes it’s easier to reduce the impact of restraining forces than it is to strengthen driving forces.

To support your work, use your course and textbook readings and also use the

South University Online Library

. As in all assignments, cite your sources in your work and provide references for the citations in APA format.

South University

file:///C|/Users/CWATKIM/Desktop/Managing%20Change.html[3/11/2020 9:41:57 PM]

Managing Change
It is no surprise that organizations today are almost always in a state of change. Change can bring positive
results to an organization but can also create tension and strain throughout, yet organizational change is
an integral part of the planning process. An effective plan requires that organizational planners possess an
understanding of organizational change. Organizational strategy provides the framework for senior
managers to lead the change to effectively compete as required by their strategy.

There are various levels of organizational change in response to industrial, societal, and firm-level
developments. At the industrial level, change follows a typical S-curve pattern where new products are
slow to catch on but then experience rapid sales and the sales then decline as the product matures. At the
societal level, environmental and economic issues drive change. Blockbuster video closed hundreds of
brick-and-mortar stores and has been relegated to an online retailer of on-demand movies. At the firm
level, change is driven by the demands of stakeholders who create pressure for change, such as improved
financial performance or changes in strategic direction or even changes in leadership.

Blockbuster experienced trouble because the marketplace changed to online video streaming and
Blockbuster, at first, refused to see or couldn’t see this change as a serious threat to their business model.
Blockbuster’s leaders did not see online competition as a problem. Once a problem has been identified and
a strategy crafted in response to the problem, leaders must lead the necessary change throughout their
organizations. Organizations develop their strategies by first correctly identifying a problem. Leaders spend
a lot of time and energy formulating strategy and they spend a lot of time developing the change that is
needed to execute their strategies. Change is not always predictable. Since change is unpredictable it
must include various methods and perspectives.

Additional Materials

From your course textbook, Managing Employee Performance and Reward (2nd ed.), read the following
chapters:

Individual reognition plans

Collective incentives

Employee share ownership

From the South University Online Library, read the following article:

Organizational Culture and Leadership 

http://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=335269&site=ehost-live

http://www.thecampuscommon.com/library/ezproxy/ticketdemocs.asp?sch=suo&turl=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=335269&site=ehost-live

South University
file:///C|/Users/CWATKIM/Desktop/Managing%20Change.html[3/11/2020 9:41:57 PM]

From the Internet, read the following articles:

Beer, M., and N. Nohria. 2000. Breaking the Code of Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.
Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/3094840?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Hayes, J. 2010. The Theory and Practice of Change Management. (3rd ed.). New York: Palgrave
MacMillan. Retrieved from https://he.palgrave.com/page/detail/The-Theory-and-Practice-of-Change-
Management/?K=9781137275349

• Local Disk

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