Expert Answer :Assignment

Solved by verified expert :For many individuals, groups and organizations alike, at the mere inference to change, there is immediate resistance. Change will often times be met with resistance for a variety of reasons. Some may be:Dislike (fear) of changeCan I trust the change?Perceived negative impactDo not see the need to change current ways of doing thingsThere is no time to changeLack of clarity as to what is expectedUncertainty of future employment: Am I safe? Will I measure up to new standards?“We have been down this road before” or “We keep trying to reinvent the wheel”Belief that the wrong changes are being made and the leadership team is out of touchThere are many theories of addressing change, change models, and diagnosing the necessary changes in organizations. Senge (1999), Kotter (1996), Kahn (2010), Palmer, Dunford & Aiken (2009), and Bridges (2009) agree on one word: Communication! How better to reduce and overcome resistance than through communication? The act of informing, involving, and educating employees will aid in reducing resistance. All of the above are forms of communication! Think for a moment of a recent change you experienced. Did you resist the change? If so, why did you resist it? Did you completely understand the change? Did you understand the need for the change? Did you understand how it would affect you? Conversely, while some resist change there are groups that will embrace it. Some reasons for embracing change are:More streamlined processesFinancial gainPromotions and additional responsibilitiesIntrinsic motivation/Sense of satisfactionWhy change agents? A change agent can be the facilitator of the change, the OD consultant, or employees enlisted to help facilitate the process. An employee that is enlisted in the change process will be in the group that has embraced the change and the need for change. Often times, these newly enlisted change agents go back to their respective teams, groups, or departments carrying the change message and are able to be a vehicle in overcoming resistance. Kotter (1996) also reminds us that celebrating short-term wins is important throughout the change process. He defines short term wins as having the following three components:It’s visible – where people can see the numbers or results to date opposed to just believing in the hypeIt’s unambiguous – there is little disagreement about the resultsIt’s clearly related to the change effort (Kotter, 1996)Celebrating short-term wins serves as a tool to motivate everyone involved, incent the resistors, reinforce the change initiative, serve as a litmus test and be a tool in which the initiatives are reviewed and adjusted, if necessary. References:Bridges, W. (2009). Managing transitions: Making the most of change. Philadelphia, PA: DeCapo Press.Kahan, S. (2010). Getting change right: How leaders transform organizations from the inside out. San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass.Kotter, J. (1996). Leading change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press.Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2009). Managing organizational change: A multiple perspectives approach. New York: McGraw-Hill.Senge, P., Kleiner, A., Roberts, C., Ross, R., Roth, G., & Smith, B. (1999). The dance of change: A fifth discipline fieldbook for mastering the challenges of learning organizations. New York: Doubleday.ASSIGNMENT:Select two change models in Chapter Two. Compare and contrast the models and, referencing this week’s lecture, discuss resistance, or how change could be embraced.