Module 1 - Case
ORGANIZATIONAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE (AND WHY GOOD COMPANIES
FAIL)
Assignment Overview
In the Module 1 Case Assignment, you will write a 5- to
6-page paper in which you analyze in-depth the reasons that good companies fail
due to their reluctance to respond to changes in the internal company and the
external environment.
Case Assignment
To begin the Module 1 Case assignment, read the following
article:
Butt, J., & Ivanov, S. (2017). Study of a large office
supply retail organization: How good companies slowly go out of business.
International Journal of Organizational Innovation, 9(4), 100-116. Retrieved
from EBSCO – Business Source Complete.
After you read the foregoing article, visit the library, and
consult IBISWorld (download the IBISWorld Academic Overview). Search for
“Office Supply Stores in the U.S.” Scan through the various pages associated
with the large office supply retail industry, noting key areas of opportunity,
key areas required for success, and key threats. Then, in a well-written 5- to
6-page paper (not including Cover and References pages), respond to the
following:
Based on your research, what are the key drivers for success
in the large office supply store industry? This section should be at least 2
pages in length.
What were the reasons for the failure of the Fortune 500
office supply company as discussed in the Butt and Ivanov (2017) journal
article? Are these reasons consistent with the reasons for organizational
failure as identified by Sheth & Sisodia (2005)? What other reasons, if
any, have you identified? Are there any practical difficulties that served as barriers
to needed organizational change? (This section should be at least 2 pages in
length).
What recommendations would you have given the leadership of
the foregoing Fortune 500 company relative to how the company may have avoided
organizational failure? (This section should also be at least 2 pages in
length).
Conclude your paper by identifying the key lessons you have
learned from Module 1 (as taken from both the Background materials and the
Module 1 Case assignment) concerning the need for ongoing adaptation on the
part of the organization and the need to avoid organizational inertia and
resistance to change. This section should be at least 1 page in length.
Assignment Expectations
Minimum length requirements for the Module 1 Case assignment
are 5–6 pages (not including Cover and Reference pages).
Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.
Upload your paper to the Case 1 Dropbox before the
assignment due date.
Module 1 - SLP
ORGANIZATIONAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE (AND WHY GOOD COMPANIES
FAIL)
For the Module 1 SLP, we will continue our research into why
good organizations resist change. To this extent, please visit the library, and
find the following text:
Managing Change by Brown
Brown, B. B. (2002). Easy step by step guide to managing change.
Havant: Crimson eBooks. Retrieved from EBSCO eBook Collection.
Read the chapter entitled “Organization barriers to change.”
In this chapter, you will note several key barriers that cause organizations to
resist needed change. Namely, these are:
Unclear objectives;
Inappropriate structures; and
Poor communications.
It is important to note the author’s emphasis that any one
of these factors create organization-wide resistance to change because they
have become part of the organization’s status quo.
After reading the chapter “Organization barriers to change,”
respond to the following in a well-written, 3-4-page paper:
Part One: Description
Think of an experience you have had with an organization
that failed to change when change was needed. Describe the change and explain
why the organizational change you identify was needed. Describe what negative
consequences (or outcomes) resulted from the organization’s failure to enact
the needed change. What were the costs to the organization (e.g., poor employee
morale, loss of customers, poor company image, financial losses, etc.)?
Part Two: Application and Analysis
Apply Brown’s (2002) perspective to demonstrate how unclear
objectives, inappropriate structures, or poor communications contributed to the
resistance to change in this organization. In other words, explain how Brown
helps us understand why the barrier you have selected caused organization-wide
resistance to needed change (keep in mind that we are focused on
organization-wide – and not on individual – resistance to change).
Part Three: Solution
and Recommendations
Finally, as a leader, what could you have done to avoid or
minimize this resistance to change? Be specific, and be sure that your
recommended actions target the barrier you identified in Part Two (e.g. unclear
objectives, inappropriate structures, or poor communications). Be sure that you
“connect the dots” by making a clear argument regarding how these specific
recommendations would have helped the organization implement the needed change
without resistance. If the resistance
to change is ongoing, what suggestions do you have for resolving this problem
going forward?
SLP Assignment Expectations
Minimum length requirements for the Module 1 SLP assignment
are 3–4 pages (not including Cover and Reference pages).
Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.
Upload your paper to the SLP 1 Dropbox before the assignment
due date.
Module 2 - Case
INDIVIDUAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
Case Assignment
Read the following case study:
Nelsen, B. J., & Valadez, M. S. (2012). Resistance to
technological change: The case of the unused calculators. Journal of Case
Studies, 30(2), 14-20. Retrieved from EBSCO—Business Source Complete.
calculator
Then, in a well-written 5- to 6-page paper, please respond
to the following:
Part One: Briefly summarize the circumstances confronting
Ms. Figueroa in her quest to have the calculators widely used at the ASD?
Part Two: Identify the key individuals (stakeholder groups)
in the unused calculator case, and discuss the extent to which each stakeholder
is resistant to change (i.e., is amenable to use of the technology). How might
the different perspectives of each of the major stakeholders in this case have
come together to further increase the overall resistance to change at the ASD?
Part Three: Using the background readings, what
factors—other than the technology itself—do you believe contributed to the
resistance to change on the part of each of the major stakeholders you have
identified in Item #2 above (mistrust, fear, loss of job security)?
Part Four: Conclude your paper by commenting on the
following: Is it possible that Ms. Figueroa can resolve this situation such
that the calculators can be used at the ASD? Or is the resistance to change at
the ASD now impossible to overcome? Be sure to explain your reasoning.
The following articles may be helpful to you in completion
of the Module 2 Case:
Unicorn HRO. (2016, June 7). Handling resistance to
technological change in the workforce. Unicorn HRO. Retrieved from
http://www.unicornhro.com/blog/handling-resistance-to-technological-change-in-the-workforce
Quast, L. (2012, Nov 26). Overcome the 5 main reasons people
resist change. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2012/11/26/overcome-the-5-main-reasons-people-resist-change/#4e88687f3efd
Assignment Expectations
Your paper must be at least 5–6 pages in length.
Be sure that you incorporate sources found at the Background
page into your written analysis.
Be sure that you properly cite all sources used in your
paper (APA Style) in-text and in your end referencing.
Upload your Module 2 Case to the Dropbox before or on the
assignment due date.
Module 2 - SLP
INDIVIDUAL RESISTANCE TO CHANGE
As we have established, resistance to change occurs at
various levels: Individual, group, and organization. Moreover, resistance to
change is both a workplace and personal phenomenon. Therefore, organizational
change theory applies in both contexts.
For the Module 2 SLP, you will consider either a personal or
workplace situation in which you personally resisted change. In a well-written
3-4 page paper, please respond to the following:
Part One: (Description): Describe a situation in which you
resisted a personal or an organizational (workplace) change.
Part Two (Application and Analysis):
Identify the specific reasons that contributed to your
resistance to change. You may use the following article as a source (note the
12 reasons that people tend to resist change):
Torben, R. (2011, May 23). Top 12 reasons why people resist
change. Retrieved from
https://www.torbenrick.eu/blog/change-management/12-reasons-why-people-resist-change/
What measures, if any, were taken (by yourself, by others,
by top leadership, etc.) to decrease resistance to change?
What was the outcome of the change, and how were the
concerns you identified in Part One above resolved?
Part Three (Insights): Now that you have a better
understanding as to why individuals resist change, what insights have you
gained that would affect how you would approach this change today? What have
you learned that you can use to enhance your ability to lead change? Will you
approach the change process differently in the future?
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your SLP should be 3–4 pages in length (not including Cover
and Reference pages).
Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.
Upload your paper to the SLP 2 Dropbox before the assignment
due date.
Module 3 - Case
THE FOUR CHANGE ANTECEDENTS: CULTURE, CAPACITY, COMMITMENT,
AND CAPABILITY
Case Assignment
Begin the Module 3 Case assignment by reading the following
Case study:
Burton, O., & Pope, D. (2012). Winds of change at
Measurement Equipment Supply Co., Inc. Journal of Case Studies, 30(1), 51-57.
Retrieved from EBSCO—Business Source Complete.
Then, in a well-written 5- to 6-page paper, respond to the
following:
What do you believe are the most important 3-4 threats
confronting the Measurement Equipment Co. Inc. (MESCO)? Hint: As you read the
case, take note as to how events that have emerged in the company’s external
environment, for example, increased regulation, economic, social, and
technological—have created the need for the company to consider undergoing
major changes.
In the Background section of this module, we reviewed the
role of:
Culture
Commitment
Capacity
Capability
in determining the extent to which companies are prepared to
successfully undertake major organizational changes. Your task is to rank each
of these four factors from the highest (#1) to the lowest (#4) company need as
they relate to MESCO’s readiness to change. Next, defend each of your rankings
(for example, if you ranked “Commitment” as #1, explain specifically why you
believe Commitment is the factor that the company has the greatest need to
address; what circumstances or threats faced by the company cause you to rank
this factor as being the most important need?).
Using the factors you ranked as #3 and #4, provide 2 or 3
recommendations for each concerning what you believe the company should do in
order to sufficiently prepare the company to undergo a major organizational
change. For example, assuming you have ranked the company’s “Capability” as #4
(the lowest of the four factors—and as the greatest need), what do you
recommend Bill Smith should do to improve “Capability” before MESCO can
successfully move forward with the company’s major organizational changes?
Assignment Expectations
Your paper must be at least 5-6 pages in length.
Be sure that you incorporate sources found at the Background
page into your written analysis.
You may want to review information about the industry in the
library’s IBISWorld resource.
Be sure that you properly cite all sources used in your
paper (APA Style) in-text and in your end referencing.
Upload your Module 3 Case to the Dropbox before or on the
assignment due date.
Module 3 - SLP
THE FOUR CHANGE ANTECEDENTS: CULTURE, CAPACITY, COMMITMENT,
AND CAPABILITY
For the Module 3 SLP, you are asked to administer the
adapted Organizational Readiness to Change (Climate of Change) to someone you
know who has experienced a major workplace change. As you learned from the
Background materials, one of the four factors that may be used to determine the
potential success of a major organizational change is the organization’s
culture; that is, the organization’s culture must exist in a state that is
ready for—and amenable to—major change or organizational transformation. For
purposes of this SLP, you are free to administer the survey to someone who has
experienced either a major (transformational) or minor organizational change.
This adapted survey is intended to measure an organization’s
readiness to change from the perspective of the organization’s culture.
Download the survey: Organizational Change Questionnaire - Climate of Change -
Adapted).
Following completion of the survey, respond to the following
in a 3- to 4-page paper:
Identify the nature of the change: What was the change that
the organization experienced? Then, identify the change as a minor or major
organizational change.
Was the organizational change successful? In other words,
does the interviewee believe that the organization achieved its stated purpose?
Provide the total score and the level of readiness for
organizational change.
From the perspective of the organization’s culture, what
does the interviewee believe was the single, most important characteristic of
the organization’s culture that contributed to the success or failure of the
change (e.g., open communication/ poor communication, high level of trust/
mistrust, etc.)? How does this identified characteristic compare with the
general responses (and the total score) given by the interviewee?
Conclude your SLP by commenting on the extent to which the
interviewee’s organizational culture contributed to the success or failure of
the change. How do the interviewee’s responses inform (or align with) the
success or failure of the organizational change?
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your SLP should be 3-4 pages in length (not including Cover
and Reference pages).
Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.
Upload your paper to the SLP 3 Dropbox before the assignment
due date.
Module 4 - Case
THE “CYCLE OF CHANGE” MODEL
Case Assignment
For the Module 4 Case Assignment, you will use the Cycle of
Change Model to evaluate the organizational transformation process of a
familiar company: Caterpillar, Inc.
Read the following case study about Caterpillar’s
organizational transformation. As you read through the case, be sure that you
carefully consider how the various steps in the Cycle of Change Model were
employed by Caterpillar as it undertook its massive—yet immensely
successful—organizational transformation. Essentially, Caterpillar “wrote the
book” as to how major organizational change should be successfully
accomplished.
Neilson, G. L., & Pasternack, B. A. (2005). The cat that
came back. Strategy+Business. Retrieved from
https://www.strategy-business.com/article/05304?gko=56862
After reading the Caterpillar change case study, respond to
the following in a well-written 5- to 6-page paper:
Apply the Cycle of Change Model to the Caterpillar case
study, that is,
Direct the change: Minimally, describe the process by which
Caterpillar determined the nature and scope of the change needed. Did the
organization explicitly state what the expected outcome(s) of the
transformation would be? How well was the change articulated?
Drive the change: How was the company’s new vision made
known? What was the process for “driving” and energizing people involved with
and responsible for the organizational transformation?
Deliver the change: Describe the process by which
Caterpillar delivered the change (project management, e.g.).
Prepare for the change: Discuss Caterpillar’s change
management process; how were the company’s people and culture prepared for such
a massive transformation?
.
How was the change propagated throughout the organization?
What benefits/ value did Caterpillar realize from the
organizational transformation process? Were the outcomes consistent with the benefits
that were contemplated at the outset of the planning process?
With the understanding that Caterpillar’s transformation was
tremendously successful, provide your impressions concerning the extent to
which Caterpillar adhered to the Cycle of Change Model.
Related to Item #2, what did Caterpillar do particularly
well in terms of following the Cycle of Change Model sequence?
Conclude your paper by providing recommendations as to what
Caterpillar might have done differently to improve the organizational transformation.
The following sources may also be helpful to you in the
completion of the Case assignment, as it provides very current background on
Caterpillar.
Hymen, J. (2017, July 18). 3 reasons to be bullish on
Caterpillar (CAT) ahead of earnings. Nasdaq. Retrieved from
http://www.nasdaq.com/article/3-reasons-to-be-bullish-on-caterpillar-cat-ahead-of-earnings-cm817686
Caterpillar ranks #47 on Fortune’s “Most Admired Companies”
list, and is ranked #59 on the 2017 Fortune 500 list:
Caterpillar. (2017). Fortune. Retrieved from
http://fortune.com/worlds-most-admired-companies/caterpillar/
Assignment Expectations
Your task for this assignment is to “map” the events you’ve
read in the case study to the various steps in the Cycle of Change Model. Bear
in mind that Caterpillar did not utilize the Cycle of Change Model as the
“script” by which the company undertook the various steps of its organizational
transformation. Therefore, you may not find that Caterpillar followed the Cycle
of Change Model precisely, and in certain instances, you will likely be
required to interpret how Caterpillar fulfilled some step(s) in the Cycle of
Change Model sequence.
Your paper must be at least 5-6 pages in length.
Be sure that you incorporate sources found at the Background
page into your written analysis.
You may want to review information about the industry in the
library’s IBISWorld resource.
Be sure that you properly cite all sources used in your
paper (APA Style) in-text and in your end referencing.
Upload your Module 4 Case to the Dropbox before or on the
assignment due date.
Module 4 - SLP
THE “CYCLE OF CHANGE” MODEL
For the final SLP in this course, you will be given a fair
degree of latitude to explore some aspect of Organizational Change and
Transformation. The SLP for this module requires that you visit the library,
and that you choose a chapter from a textbook or a journal, trade magazine, or
newspaper article that is of interest to you, and that is related to some
aspect of organizational change and transformation.
You will then choose some portion of the chapter or article
that is of interest to you, briefly summarize the contents of what you have
read, and then apply the contents of what you have read to some aspect of your
personal life and/or workplace (remember that organizational change theory
extends beyond organizations, and that it applies to personal changes as well
as changes that occur in the workplace).
Be creative! Use your imagination and critical thinking
skills as you consider how change theory you read applies either to your person
or to some workplace experience you have had. Importantly, you have flexibility
to choose your topic and its application, so long as you can demonstrate that
you are able to effectively apply the theory/ concepts you have read to your
personal or organizational life.
Visit the library, and perform a search using one or more of
the following keywords:
Organizational Change;
Organizational Transformation; and/or
Change Management.
After choosing and reading some aspect of a book chapter or
article that is of particular interest to you, respond to the following in a
well-written 3- to 4-page paper:
Summarize what you have read from the article or chapter you
have selected. Be sure to cite specific concepts that are applicable to the
personal or work experience you have selected for this module (one page).
What did the author say that was particularly relevant
and/or of particular significance to the past personal and/or work experience
you have selected? Why did you select this particular chapter or article?
How have the organizational change and transformation
concepts you have selected informed your personal or work experience? What new
understanding or insights do you have after having had applied these concepts
to your personal or work circumstances?
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your SLP should be 3-4 pages in length (not including Cover
and Reference pages).
Be sure to cite your sources using APA Style.
Upload your paper to the SLP 4 Dropbox before the assignment
due date.
Module 1 Discussion
Abandoned: Circuit City
Week 1: Please watch the following video concerning the
failure of Circuit City:
Then respond to the following:
Did the management of the company fail to recognize
significant changes occurring within the external environment of the retail
industry and fail to adapt to them?
What internal issues were responsible for the company’s
ills? Be sure to respond to your classmates’ postings.
Abandoned: Circuit City
Week 2:
What, in your opinion, were the top three reasons that the
company failed, and how might these failures have been avoided?
Was the failure of the company attributable to
organizational resistance to change – or to poor decisions made on the part of
top leadership?
In Week 2, be sure to respond to your classmates’ postings.
Bright Sun Films. (2016, September 30). Abandoned - Circuit
City [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/BWPLKXPM9F
Module 2 Discussion
Resistance to Change
Week 1: Resistance to Change
What are the dynamics that create resistance to change in
individuals? In organizations?
Visit the library, and locate an article on “resistance to
change.”
Summarize the article and its findings.
How does the article inform “resistance to change” on the
part of individuals, groups, or organizations?
Week 2: The Role of Social Identity Theory (SIT) and Social
Categorization Theory (SCT) in Resistance to Change
How might either of these theories inform our understanding
of resistance to change?
For example, the employees of Organization A resist a merger
with Organization B because they are loath to give up their social identity as
an Organizational A “in-group.” What role might social identity dynamics play
in the organization’s resistance to change process?
Module 3 Discussion
Organizational Culture
Week 1: Organizational Culture: What Is It?
As you have learned from the Background readings,
organizational culture is one of four critical factors that contribute to the
success or failure of organizational change; that is, the organization’s
culture must exist in a state that is ready—and amenable—to change.
What is organizational culture? What are its
characteristics? What role does the organization’s culture play in the
processes of organizational change and transformation?
Week 2: Organizational Culture: Can Culture Truly Be
“Managed”?
Some organizational theorists would assert that an
organization's culture cannot be "managed" in the same sense that the
processes, activities, and things that exist within an organization can be
managed. David Campbell (2000, p. 28) says that an organization
is being constructed continuously on a daily, even momentary
[italics added], basis through individual interactions with others. The
organization never settles into an entity or a thing that can be labelled and
described, because it is constantly changing, or reinventing itself, through
the interactions going on within it.
At the same time, Campbell says that an organization “does
have a certain character to it, such that, like driving on the motorway, not
just anything goes" Let’s consider a massive multinational organization
with thousands of employees: Clearly, no one individual—no matter the extent to
which he or she has legitimate and/or expert power—is capable of
single-handedly affecting culture (i.e., moving it in one direction or
another); the sheer multiplicity of formal and informal groups, structures,
tasks, functional operations, and individual interactions that exist and occur
within many large organizations are seemingly endless.
Consider the potential number (and combination) of
individual-to-individual, individual-to-group, and group-to-group interactions
that are likely to occur on a momentary basis within an organization (and then,
there are endless numbers of contacts/interactions with external stakeholders
as well). The possibilities are seemingly infinite—or at least they are
indefinite.
However the concept of organizational "culture" is
defined, culture is abstract, fragmentary, fluid—and even relative and
momentary. Which leads to the question:
Can an organization’s culture really be “managed”?
Reference:
Campbell, D. (2000). The socially constructed organization.
London: Karnac Books.
Module 4 Discussion
The Cycle of Change Model
Week 1: The Cycle of Change Model
It is recognized that the following is a challenging
exercise, because it requires that you make a very difficult choice; however,
this exercise will also ensure that you have fully evaluated each step of the
Cycle of Change Model, and that you have considered the requisite value of each
step to the overall organizational change and transformation process.
Your task for the Module 4 Discussion is to reflect on the
various steps of the Cycle of Change Model. Then, answer the following
question:
If you were required to choose only one step in the Cycle of
Change Model as being most important to the success of any major organizational
change or organizational transformation initiative, which step would you
choose? Why?
Be sure that you justify your choice with sufficient depth.
If possible, give an actual organizational example to defend your choice.
Week 2: Respond to Your Peers’ Choices
In Week 2, please respond to at least three (3) of your
classmates’ Week 1 postings, stating whether you either agree or disagree with
their choices (please do so respectfully), and explaining why.
Module 4 Reflection Discussion
Uber: A Broken Culture
Week 1: Uber: A Broken Culture
The upbeat tag line at the transportation company Uber’s
website (“Get there, your day belongs to you”) stands in stark contrast with
the company that has experienced multiple scandals over the past several
months: the company’s culture of sexism, a legal battle with the company’s
investor (Google), and hefty fines ($20M) levied by the Federal Trade
Commission, among other things, have led to the recent departure of Uber’s
co-founder and CEO. In response, the company has recently hired Bozoma Saint
John to repair the company’s image. A native of Ghana, Ms. Saint John is
well-spoken and accomplished.
Watch the following video interview, and then respond to the
following questions.
CBS News. (28 July, 2017) Meet Bozoma Saint John: The woman
tasked with fixing Uber’s image. CBS News. Retrieved from
http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/meet-bozoma-saint-john-the-woman-tasked-with-fixing-ubers-image/
In Module 3, we discussed four antecedents for successful
organizational transformation—as you recall, one of these was the
Organizational Culture. Ms. Saint John has specifically been tasked with
changing Uber’s culture.
Is there an “organizational transformation” needed by Uber
that extends beyond the reparations of the company culture that are so clearly
needed?
What should be the expected outcome (value/ benefits) of
Uber’s organizational transformation?
What challenges confront Ms. Saint John in her role as the
organization’s change leader? (Hint: Be sure that you consider both
organizational and individual resistance to change).
The following article may also help you in formulating your
response:
Solon, O. (2017, 28 July). Can Bozoma Saint John repair
Uber’s troubled image? The Guardian. Retrieved from
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jul/28/bozoma-saint-john-troubled-image
Week 2: Change Leader Characteristics?
Identify what you believe to be at least three (3)
characteristics and/or past experiences that make Ms. Saint John an excellent
choice as the company’s change leader. Be sure to justify your choices.
Respond to at least two (2) of your peers’ postings.
Consider the following article in your response:
Clay, B. (2010, 10 August). Six characteristics of highly
effective change leaders. Innovation Excellence. Retrieved from
http://innovationexcellence.com/blog/2010/08/20/six-characteristics-of-highly-effective-change-leaders/
