MBA755 - Reflections on Module 4 Concepts

a) Which of the change models you were introduced to seems to make sense to you? Why?

I believe that the normative-reeducative approach seems to make the most sense to me. In previous years, such as the industrial and agircultural ages other change models would have made sense and have been more effective, but today, I believe the most effective model would be the normative-reeducative. This change attempts to change the attitudes and ideas of the people. It attempts to change for the long-term and gives employees the opportunity to become a part of the change. They are not forced to change and punished if they do not, they are not thought of as machines who come to work and act like a robot and then go home. They are asked rather than told and educated rather than forced. The renewal effort is successful if all parties can participate and buy into the effort, if coercion is used the entire event may be ruined.

b) What criteria seem to be particularly appropriate for use in selecting an option for organizational renewal? How could your choice vary if the organization was a non-profit? A unit of government? A for-profit enterprise?

There are several criteria for an organization to consider prior to making a renewal choice. It seems that most renewal efforts are the result of a company's desire to make more money. For example, GM has been losing money and now it is starting to see a turnaround in its renewal efforts to market smaller cars in India and alternative fuel cars elsewhere. Another example, is the renewal efforts of Coke. It has just launched its "vitamin" tapped Diet Coke drink to compete with healthy energy drinks that have been taking over the market. These companies want to stay in the competition and staying in the competition means making more money. If the organization were non-profit - the idea for renewal would be to make more money through donations. Perhaps the organization is not synchronized and needs a new organizational structure to get people motivated to go out and host fundraising events. The only way the organization can stay alive is through monetary donations, once again money is a factor. With government - these organizations rely on budgets from their constituents to stay afloat, but on top of that they must be effective in what they do. The people they serve must see a need for giving more of their money (taxes) to these organizations.

c) In what ways does the renewal stage apply to a project instead of an organization?

If a large corporation is doing well, yet a project has not been doing well - the obvious answer is that the project needs rejuvenation, maybe not the company. I don't know how else to respond to this question. For example, when I worked at Cardinal Health, I was a project analyst. They brought me on to a Pedigree (drug-tracking) project because they were at a standstill. They couldn't come up with a way to create a system to track products. Every avenue seemed to have been taken, but still no solutions. The company was doing well, and this project was not impacting most of the organizations subsidiaries or groups. The obvious response was to bring in new leadership and a new direction for the project, not the entire organization.

d) What are some other ways to make the renewal option choice other than by comparison against pre-selected criteria? Under what conditions may these ways be preferable?

Does instinct count? Many times an organization may be doing well, but if it continues to be on the same path - the success may surely run out. A good example, is the video gaming business. What if Nintendo never came out with anything other than its original gaming system? Would it still be successful? No! But how does it know to put out newer and better systems each year and upgrades almost every month? It has taken the approach that it needs to be competetive now with the XBox and Playstation. It was losing profits for quite some time because it failed to continue to innovate and create. Now it is leading the industry with the Nintendo Wii (expected to not meet demands for a heavy Christmas season).

e) What traps await the renewal option decision maker?

Failure! Of course, with any new take on an organization there is a risk involved. What if the people of the organization fail to recognize the need for change? What if I can't motivate the organization to renew itself? What if I make the wrong renewal decision? What if its too late? How many people should be involved? What changes do I need to make? There may be financial crisis', loss of support, the overwhelming feeling of renewing an entire organization.

f) How does the process of making renewal apply to your own life?

I'm assuming this question relates to my own career. Making renewal can help strengthen my core resume by building on current strengths and changing my weaknesses into strenghts. The renewal options can help identify when an organzation is trouble and needs a renewal. I would be able to identify how the competition is doing and if they are in a renewal phase or not. This information can help build a stronger corporation and a stronger me :)