Organizational change is best achieved by setting a clear objective, carefully planning all necessary tasks, and following a detailed plan. The above statement is very true given the fact that failure to articulately effect change in organizations has led to unnecessary internal and external conflicts that breed business failure. Competition has gone global and the market and industry dynamics have necessitated the need for companies to make concerted efforts streamlined towards ensuring that high-quality goods and services are offered in the market at competitive prices. This has resulted in the adoption and implementation of several tools and strategies in change management geared towards the attainment of the aforementioned goals. A good example is the discovery of the internet that has enabled faster communication and easier access to knowledge. In addition to the above, globalization is tearing down traditional approaches to management. It is no wonder relentless change has become a fact of organizational life. Whereas change forms an entrenched part of organizations, one fundamental question has been asked in change initiation efforts by most organizations.
Three Perspectives of Organizational Change
The ability of organizations to manage change is becoming increasingly important in this competitive environment. Through the mid- 21st Century, there had been increased attempts to apply perspectives of organizational change to the analysis of human organizations. This has led to concerted and wide applications of the ten perspectives of change in attempts to successfully manage change in organizations. This article will seek to analyze the three perspectives of change – rational, resource, and cultural and underline the need for setting a clear objective, carefully planning all necessary tasks, and following a detailed plan for the best achievement of organizational change.
1. Rational Perspective
The rational perspective views an organization as a rational administration of unitary organizations. Within this perspective, the role of the manager is to play the role of a technician whose core duty is to take the rational path in light of the established knowledge to effectively manage change. This perspective remains the focal point of reference in organizational literature that forms the foundations of decision-making. This is because the underlying factor that changes management is a multifaceted discipline that affects the life of individuals, groups, organizations, societies, and nations, and as such organizational change is best achieved by setting a clear objective, carefully planning all necessary tasks, and following a detailed plan. This is because change is an entrenched part and parcel of an organization that is directly linked to the success of an organization. With the continuous increase in technological development coupled with competition, individuals and organizations need to adapt to new efficient ways of operations to effectively and efficiently execute their duties rationally that not only retains the culture of an organization but also involves the input of all relevant departments.
The underlying factor in the rational perspective of change underlines the idea that every organization is unique in all senses and there is a need for businesses to match their structures and competencies to the available opportunities in the external environment. The pressure to institute change in most instances may arise due to the internal characteristics of an organization that differentiates it from the others. Under this approach, the change process starts with the designation of clear goals and objectives, and particular attention is given to the desired output of the organization, the formal transformation process, the related information processes. These calls for the fundamental role of managers and the choices they make that can shape organizations and change must be planned and executed according to the organizational aims and objectives. It can be discerned from the discussions on the rational perspective that organizational change is best achieved by setting a clear objective, carefully planning all necessary tasks, and following a detailed plan.
2. Resource Perspective
Resource perspective on the other hand refers to the desire within an organization to align its practices in line with its resource capacity. Pressure to institute change because of resources is a driver to organizational capacity to operate within sustainable outcomes. A contingency perspective is an exploitative approach of organizational change that seeks to drive change in line with other pressure factors. This changed perspective seeks to exploit the available contingency factors that present themselves to an organization. This is in line with the need and desire within organizations to achieve and increase chances of survival. The underlying factor within this perspective is that change comes along with the acquisition of resources that are critical in the measurement of organizational performance.
Managers, therefore, pursue these resource acquisitions purposely and to improve organizational performance. It must be noted that change will lead to competition for organizational resources that are often scarce; managers must balance these demands and appreciate that resource perspective not only requires a rational approach but must also be strategic. The need to successfully execute organizational change best by setting a clear objective, carefully planning all necessary tasks, and following a detailed plan arises from the background knowledge that change will lead to competition for resources. This will demand careful planning and balancing organizational needs to avoid conflict and underline priorities.
In addition to the above, personnel training is part of the overall development program that is directly correlated to the enhancement of their capacities to solve problems. Leadership style on the other hand refers to the manner and approach in which directions, motivation, planning, and implementation of projects are executed. The process of coming up with the right and effective approach to leadership is complex and many considerations must not be left aside especially in change management and problem-solving. Effective leadership skills are thus critical in efficient organizational management especially in seeking solutions to problems. Training and the achievement of effective leadership demand careful application of the organization’s resources.
3. Cultural Perspective
The cultural perspectives of organizational change technically influence the operational culture of an organization to adopt the demands of external pressures in cultural lines. Organizational change activities can be fruitfully examined from a complexity of political and cultural framework. Change is a product of collective responsibility that involves the active participation of individuals or groups to change the culture of organizations. Furthermore, the cultural perspective takes consideration of an organization as a collection of values and norms that draws organizational elements together.
Change, therefore, involves a keen cognizance of organizational cultural values and aligning them through a shift of behaviors and thoughts of a group, rather than an individual. Systems perspectives hold the view that organizations are a composition of a complex interaction of dynamic parts that focus on coordinating the rules and instituting small isolated changes that generate ripple effects. In addition to the above, system perspectives underlines the fact that change must be wide open, is nonlinear, and must be appreciated holistically. It can be confidently stated that to achieve the above, organizations must set a clear objective, carefully plan all necessary tasks, and follow a detailed plan to achieve the best out of change.
The processes of change is defined as the ordered set of activities which are used to generate the outputs of an organization. A business process is defined as a collection of activities that take one or more kinds of input and creates an output that is of value to the customer. Nilakant and Ramnarayan Change model presents business managers with innovative ideas on how to handle change management. The authors present a new model of change management which identifies four core tasks that are crucial to the success of any change initiative in organizations. These core tasks are: appreciating change, mobilizing support for change, executing change and building change capability.
Appreciating change of change is an important indicator of the support advanced by employees towards change. Change management requires the active appreciation for the initiated change. Organizations will require that all the employees appreciate the need for change and transformation geared towards achieving the best for the organizations. Appreciation of change means that people will not only embrace change but also be part of the change program. In addition to the above, there is a need for mobilization of support for change. There is need for support mobilization for change intervention in an organization. This calls for the preparation of people for change before change program implementation. This takes into consideration the role of each and everyone in participating in change efforts.
Furthermore, the change will demand employee training on this innovative approach to sales and marketing management. The need for personnel training and the role of leadership form the most critical elements in seeking solutions to problems within organizations. This is because personnel training equips them with the necessary skills in managing change and solving internal employee problems. These aspects of the organization impact its culture and thus underline the need for setting a clear objective, carefully planning all necessary tasks, and following a detailed plan before initiating organizational change. Change requires that individuals, institutions, and businesses transform their work culture and skills and is a process that involves different phases. The ability to transform the culture and skills within the workplace calls for better-equipped personnel with the know-how on balancing the demands of the workforce.