Essay Quiz
Compare and contrast RAND's Six Steps (2005) and Leppitt's Integrated Model (2006). Be sure to include an explanation of when an organization would prefer to use one model over the other and the disadvantages of using each model.
Response: Change management is hardly easy. Organizations that are in the midst of change or have been through a series of changes will tell you all about upheavals and most of all, the resistance to change that can come from employees who are used to roles and ways of how things have always been done. So, depending on the type of organization, there is still a possibility for change to take place but without causing chaos in well-planned stages. These stages have now been expressed in management as models and of which, RAND's Six Steps and Leppitt's Integrated Model are a couple of these popular models (“Chapter VIII, 2009; Syren, n.d.).
At first glance, when one compares RAND's Six Steps and Leppitt's Integrated Model, the first thing that comes to mind is the amount of detail and precision that is involved when using the latter model. One would assume that the former would be more suitable for smaller organizations that want to implement a series of small changes that won't necessarily have a big impact on the company's bottom line. These changes will not only have to be quick but also be implemented to continue to make improvements to a system of working that has been tried and tested but needs to be improved for greater effectiveness. As for Leppitt's Integrated Model, which is composed of 13 stages, they are not only a checklist of action-oriented steps but that are also reflective and measurable in nature. One can tell that this model will be more suited to larger organizations or even changes that can prove to be vital to the organization's survival in the future. If anything, these stages will also help small to midsize companies that have little or no experience with change in helping them set up a comprehensive change management plan that controls and evaluates the changes that are being implemented. One can make the assumption that the organization that implements the latter would do so in order to make changes to a process that is causing the company harm. As for the disadvantages, RAND's Six Steps fails to take into consideration a number of aspects that Leppitt's Integrated Model does, in terms of change management evaluation. On the other hand, Leppitt's Integrated Model, being as comprehensive as it is, can prove to take too long when it comes to implementing change in an organization. There are only certain circumstances in which this model would be suitable for, since the changes are made would require constant monitoring and resources that can take away from company productivity and time. Still, depending on how vital this change can prove to the organization, both these models can be used to great effect.
A vision is intended to provide direction to an organization. However, some organizations create vision statements but do not work to ensure that the vision statement is an integral component of the organization's strategy. Explain how an organization can utilize its vision statement so that it becomes a central component of its strategic plan.
Response: There's a clear difference between the mission and vision of an organization. While the first deals with the organization's current purpose and outcomes, the latter focuses on future aspirations. Having said that, it should be evident that the vision should play a key role in propagating change in an organization. Yet sometimes since the vision isn't crafted clearly and meaningfully, it turns out to be weak and vague, in terms of direction or motivation (Palmer, Dunford & Buchanan, 2017).
So, how does one make its vision a part of the organization's strategy? Given that an organization's ultimate aim is to please its customers while also being socially valuable in a unique sense, the redrafting of an organization's vision must be focused towards meeting broader corporate objectives. These objectives have to be specific enough yet clearly revealing how each employee will contribute to that overall objective in the roles that they play (Palmer, Dunford & Buchanan, 2017).
Since change management is so intimately linked with the vision of an organization, the first step to ensuring that an organization's vision is aligned to the strategic plan is to draft a company's ideal vision of the future first. Upon deciding the vision of the organization in a democratic manner or as proposed by senior management as well as the CEO, the strategic plan should take into consideration the problems that necessitate change, the solution involved so as to implement these changes as well as the actions that will be made to spur change within the organization itself. In a nutshell, this is nothing but the ideal vision statement crafted by any organization and which should ideally govern the direction for the future (Palmer, Dunford & Buchanan, 2017).
Keeping this in mind, the easiest way to align these two plans involves making the vision statement as outcome-oriented as well as value and belief-oriented as possible. It is the foundation from which all change can occur and which can prove to be beneficial for the organization and without which, failure of any organization is inevitable. If anything, all current and future strategic plans must be based on the organization's ideal vision.
References
Chapter VIII 8 Ha Chi: Implementing Change. (2009). AJ After Book Place. Retrieved from https://jason855043.wordpress.com/2009/05/09/chapter-viii-8-ha-chi-implementing-change/
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Buchanan, D.A. (2017). Managing Organizational Change (3rd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Education.
Syren, K. (n.d.). Six Steps to Effective Management During Change. Retrieved from http://www.businessperform.com/articles/leadership/management_during_change.html
