Implications of change management on organizational behavior

Implications of change management on organizational behavior Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have-and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up. (James et al 1994) Change Management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people-side of change to achieve the required business outcome (Prosci 2009). This report outlines a massive Change Management exercise rolled out at Infosys Technologies Ltd (ITL), India. ITL is a NASDAQ listed fortune 500, Indian IT company with 63 offices across the globe with an employee base of 1, 22,468 (Infosys 2010). Pre-recession scenario in Indian IT companies witnessed employee promotions in every 2-3 years. As a result, a person works on technology for 4-5 years and then moves up to management. This has resulted in clients complaining about the lack of technically strong people. To urgency to meet the client expectations triggered the launch of iRACE (Infosys Role and Career Enhancement) change management exercise in October 2009 amidst peak recession climate (Huczynski et al 2010 pp. 563). iRACE, implemented by global HR services firm Mercer Consulting, was a career transformation exercise with 24 career streams to ensure the growth will no longer be defined by movement up due to frequent promotions. This review sights the analysis of the nature of iRACE transformation using Scale Of Change and Change Leadership Style plot (Stace and Dunphy, 2001), change agents approach, communication strategy and implications of iRACE change and compares it with theory. Also suggestions that could have led to effective change management at Infosys with minimum resistance and impact on the employees have been proposed. Change characteristics Scale, Leadership style Context Analysis: With approx. 1, 00,000 employees getting affected by the iRACE change rollout the analysis of the scale, leadership style context of the change becomes very significant. Stance and Dunphy (2001) defined that the change of scale using four characteristics: fine Tuning, incremental adjustment, modular transformation and corporate transformation. Stance and Dunphy (2001) also defined the categories of change leadership style: collaborative, consultative, directive and coercive. Plotting Scale Of Change against Change Leadership Style and Dunphy Stace contingency approach to change implementation helps to analyze the scale of change, leadership style and evaluate the approach of iRACE change whether it fits in the right context or not . (Huczynski et al 2010 pp. 574). Fig1 : Scale of change and leadership style Scale of change Style of change leadership Fine Tuning Incremental Adjustment Modular Transformation Corporate Transformation Collaborative Type 1 Type 2 Consultative Participative evolution Charismatic transformation Directive Type 3 Type 4 iRACE Change was a necessity for survival. Had to rely on external support for doing the change. Coercive Forced evolution Dictatorial transformation Source: Adopted from (Huczynski et al 2010 pp. 574). This matrix analysis categorizes iRACE into a Corporate Change with Coercive leadership style and fits iRACE into a Dictatorial corporate transformation context. Role and approach of Change Agents in fostering the change: Effective management of change is necessary to sustain the competition. Balogun and Hope Hailey (2004) report a failure rate of around 70% of all change programmes initiated. The facts thus suggest that there is no well-defined framework across domains that outlines the management and implementation of change. What is available is a wide range of confusing theories and approaches (Burnes, 2004). Guimaraes and Armstrong (1998) support this by saying that mostly superficial analyses have been published in this basic area. With the lack of a fundamental framework of change, the role of change agents becomes exceedingly crucial. A change agent is defined as a manager who seeks to reconfigure an organizations roles, responsibilities, structures, outputs, processes, systems, technology or other resources in the light of improving organizational effectiveness (Buchanan and Badham 1999). Buchanan and Boddy (1992) list competencies of effective change agents: clarity of specifying goals, team building activities, communication skills, negotiation skills and influencing skills to gain commitment to goals. Gronn (2002) and Bennett et al (2003) sight that distribution of change agency means that more people need to have the skills required. Also contrary to Gronn (2002) and Bennett et all (2003) sighting, iRACE change agency was not distributed as major part of the change was formulated by Mercer Consulting (external change agent) and a committee of only 65 top level managers (internal change agents) Fig2 : iRACE Change Management and Communication (Phases and Timelines) Source: Self-understanding of knowledge of iRACE gained at Infosys (2009) Kanter (1989) speaks of superhuman change agents, with wide-ranging expertise, as a business athlete. Although the change agents seemed to be effective in Phase I but contrary to Kanter (1989) argument, change agents in Phase II couldnt perform effective organizational diagnosis and Phase III IV were ineffective because of the lack of expertise the change agents took much longer time than expected in dealing with the design complexities. This resulted in excessive delay in (Phase V) and thus delayed communication led to mismatch with the stakeholders expectations of the change resulting in resentment of the stakeholders (Kubler Ross, 1969). Importance of Communication- An underestimated picture An effective communication smoothens the delivery of the change. Bovee and Thill (2000, p.4) believe that effective communication only takes place when participants achieve a shared understanding, stimulate others to take actions and encourage people to think in new ways. Opposite to Bovee and Thills (2000) saying iRACE change communication lacked shared understanding at the managerial level. Gibb (1961) argues the importance of Communication Climate. Contrary to Gibb (1961) argument the climate was not favorable for iRace change with global recession cloud, layoffs and other stringent policy amendments (e.g. 9.15 work hour policy, ISTAFF policy) and communications taking place simultaneously. The communication process also lacked effective communication strategy. The communication was merely based on tactical analysis. Even though communication involved just tactical analysis, It failed to cater to all the areas of tactical analysis i.e. it lacked right channels for communication flow, timeliness and efficient monitoring. Communication was made highly complex. The delay in design phase worsened the communication by percolating the delay in delivery phase and as a result of shrinked timelines, communication process lacked two-way communication, dialogue and feedback, review exercise for the communication delivered and last but not the least the employee discomfort went un heard during the entire communication phase (Huczynski et al 2010 pp. 226-27). Fall out of the Change Impact on Organizational Behavior : Role Restructuring Demotions: Over 4,500 people got demoted because of the iRACE implementation. This created a furor. Loss of Loyalty of Employees: The employees criticized iRACE and the HR leadership through use of social media to express their resentment and the fading out loyalty. Unprecedented Attrition- A key failure indicator: In the initial half of 2010- Infosys lost 4000 employees in the month of February 2010 alone accounting for 3% of its total strength (Dexter 2010). Over 10,000 that have quit since October 2009, 4,000 left in February10 alone. About 1,000 e-separations were filed on the intranet on a single day: December 31st (Current IT Market 2010). Fig3 : Attrition Rate at Infosys Pre and Post iRACE change implementation Source: (Infosys Reports Filings 2010) Pre iRACE Implementation- Q3-09 to Q2-10 relate to Peak recession scenario iRACE design phase. iRACE Implementation- Q4-10 iRACE Implementation phase Post iRACE Implementation- Q1-11 to Q2-11- iRACE fall out phase. Refurbishing process- The Resolution : Unitarist frame of reference views organization as fundamentally harmonious, co-operative structures, consisting of committed, loyal, worker-management teams that promote harmony of purpose (Huczynski et al 2010 pp. 662-63). Ackroyd et al (1999) and Johnston (2000) identified the key features of unitarist frame of reference which use communication failures between management and employees to explain the workplace conflict. To overcome the communication failures continuous impacts, management must re-structure the communication process so that the objective of the change is communicated to the employees clearly. Firstly, using Gronn (2002) and Bennett et al (2003) theory of distribution of change agency management must involve more skilled persons in the communication thus distribute the change agency. Secondly, iRACE change agents should restructure the communication process by using a Strategic Planning- Iceberg which outlines the strategic approach to communicating change based o n four levels of planning outlined below (Clampitt et all N.D.). Fig3 : Strategic Planning Iceberg Source: (Clampitt et all N.D.) The Ice Berg strategic planning will benefit iRACE change agents in focusing on all four strategic approaches contextual analysis (anticipate possible resistance points), audience analysis (isolate key groups of employees that may be directly or indirectly impacted by the change) and strategic design (development of a sustainable strategy based on the outcomes of contextual and audience analysis) unlike the previous approach which focused on Tactics (how to s?) only. As the market is stabilizing after the recession, substantial rewards (salary hikes, exceptional performance promotions, role progressions if not role change) can be given to the employees which will be beneficial for the employees and the organization as a whole. Conclusion: The Scale Of Change against Change Leadership Style and Dunphy Stace contingency approach helped in accessing the characteristics of the change. The analysis also uses Gronn (2002) and Bennett et al (2003) change agency distribution theory to analyze the importance of distribution of the change agency viz a viz emphasizes on competencies of effective change agents. These strategies, if used, strategically, would have led to the involvement of more competent people into the change process as change agents. Diversification of change agency if ignored like in case of ITL leads to inefficient change strategy. The unitarist frame of reference helped to identify the causes of conflict in ITL. This analysis further highlights the (Clampitt et all N.D.) Ice Berg strategic planning approach to understand the significance of strategic communication of the change and communication climate Gibb (1961) and its benefits in communicating the objective of the change. Value of the strategic communic ation in fostering the change, if undermined, wreaks serious threats to the organizational behavior. The solutions suggested may involve extra manpower, extra effort and time in restructuring the communication process and communicating the essence of change. Given solution may also incur cost to give wage hikes initially but are competent enough to solve the problem and lead to a smoothened and sustainable organization change viz a viz improvement in organization behavior. References Ackroyd, S. and Thompson, P. (1999) Organizational Misbehavior. London: Sage Publications. Balogun, J. and Hope Hailey, V. (2004) Exploring Strategic Change, 2nd edition (London: Prentice Hall). Bennett, N., Wise, C. and Woods, P. (2003) Distributed Leadership. Nottingham: National College for School Leadership. Bovee, C.L. and Thill, J.V. (2000), Business Communication Today, 6th edition., Prentice-Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Buchanan, D.A. and Badham, R. (1999), Politics and organizational change: the lived experience, Human Relations, Vol. 52 No. 5, pp. 609-29. Buchanan, D.A. and Boddy, D. (1992), The Expertise of the Change Agent, Prentice-Hall, London. Burnes, B. (2004) Managing Change: A Strategic Approach to Organizational Dynamics, 4th edition (Harlow: Prentice Hall). Clampitt, Phillip, G. and Berk, Laurey, R. (N.D.) Strategically Communicating Organization Change. http://www.imetacomm.com/otherpubs/pdf_doc_downloads/strat_commg_org_change_v5.pdf [Accessed 28/10/2010]. Current IT Market (2010). Most Viewed Posts Today: Infosys to give unheard of increments. http://www.currentitmarket.net/2010/03/infosys-to-give-unheard-of-increments.html [Accessed 27/10/2010]. Dexternights (2010). Daily dose of Technology and Reviews: Infosys iRace makes employees say I QUIT. http://www.dexternights.com/2010/03/20/infosys-irace-makes-employees-say-i-quit/ [Accessed 27/10/2010]. Gibb, J.R. (1961) Defensive Communication, Journal of Communication, 11(3): 141-48. Gronn, P. (2002) Distributed leadership as a unit of analysis, Leadership Quarterly, 13(4):423-51. Guimaraes, T. and Armstrong, C. (1998) Empirically testing the impact of change management effectiveness on company performance, European Journal of Innovation Management, 1(2), pp. 74-84. Huczynski, A., and Buchanan, A. (2010) Organizational Behaviour, 7th edition. Harlow: Pearson Education, pp. 563-575, 662-663. Infosys (2010). About us: What We Do http://www.infosys.com/about/what-we-do/pages/index.aspx [Accessed 23/10/2010]. Infosys Reports Filings (2010). Quarterly Reports, FY 09-11: Fact Sheet: Consolidated financial data: Attrition. http://www.infosys.com/investors/reports-filings/quarterly-results/2010-2011/Q1/Pages/index.aspx [Accessed 26/10/2010 ] James, A., Belasco and Ralph, C., Stayer (1994). Flight Of The Buffalo http://www.leadershipnow.com/changequotes.html [Accessed 23/10/2010]. Johnston, R. (2000) Hidden capital. In J. Barry, J.Chandler, H. Clark, R. Johnston and D. Needle (eds), Organization and Management: A Critical Text. London: International Thomson Business Press, pp. 16-35. Kanter, R.M. (1989) When Giants Learn to Dance: Mastering the Challenge of Strategy. Management and Careers in the 1990s. London: Simon Schuster. Kubler-Ross, E. (1969) On Death and Dying. Toronto: McMillan. Prosci (2009). Proscis Change Management Webinar Series http://www.change-management.com/Prosci-Webinar-Prereading-2009.pdf [Accessed 23/10/2010]. Stace, D., and Dunphy, D., 2001 The strategic management of corporate change, Human Relations, 46(8), pp. 905-918.

Fathers and Sons †The Quarrel †Chapter 10 Essay

Chapter ten begins with Arkady and Bazarov discussing Nikolai and his ‘outdatedness’, Nikolai consulting his brother Pavel about the same issue follows this. These two events barely fit into the same chapter as the quarrel that occurs next. Bazarov and Pavel have not gotten along since they met and share different views on basically everything. Pavel loathes Bazarov’s nihilist attitude and Bazarov, being a nihilist doesn’t care much for Pavel’s aristocratic nature either. They have both been burning to have an argument, especially Pavel who was just waiting for a spark to start a flame. When the conversation drifted to one of the neighboring landowners Pavel noticed his chance and uses this as a catalyst to start the conversation about nihilism and their different viewpoints. As the two men begin dueling it is noticeable how both seem to be trained advocates. Their questions are brief and their answers to the point and don’t give away too much. Bazarov seems to not care less about what is happening whereas Pavel seems to be dripping with enthusiasm. Pavel acts as more of an interrogator than Bazarov and begins the argument by stating his opposing viewpoint of aristocratism which Bazarov mocks so plainly. Both men have their dignity at this point and although Pavel seems pressured not much tension is in the atmosphere. â€Å"I do not share the same opinion†, said Pavel igniting the debate. Bazarov then asks Pavel what can be proved about the supposed superiority of the aristocrats. Though Pavel does answer the challenge I feel Bazarov is trying to change the subject when he chooses to personalize the argument and begins to talk about what the point of all of Pavel’s trouble is. He implies that Pavel doesn’t achieve anything in his life and so his aristocratic way of life has been a useless one with no progress. Although this is clearly personal to Pavel I don’t feel as if Bazarov was purposely trying to attack Pavel’s life and ridicule it. Unsurprisingly Pavel is offended and retorts, losing some of his dignity. He makes another personal statement towards Bazarov saying that only ignorant or stupid people would live without the principals that aristocrats preach; he is directly implying that Bazarov is ignorant and stupid. This argument I feel was more of a personal statement made towards Bazarov rather than a good argument to debate over, however Bazarov retains his dignity and moves to another topic, naming a few words used in aristocracy and labeling them as utter nonsense. At this point I think Bazarov is winning the argument, as Pavel seems confused and temporarily overwhelmed by Bazarov’s questions. But Pavel does do the right thing next by asking Bazarov what he feels should be done about the situation, but again Pavel adds another personal statement at the end of his argument saying that if Bazarov’s views were put into effect the Russian people â€Å"shall find ourselves beyond the pale of humanity, outside human laws†. Next more of Pavel’s dignity is stolen as they describe to him exactly what a nihilist does and does not do. Turgenev clearly states that Pavel is overwhelmed by the definition of nihilism and what plans they have for Russia. In his view it is as if Pavel underestimated their ignorance. Bazarov says that at present time the most useful thing that can be done by the Russian people is to deny. To deny authority, principals, art, everything. I fail to understand how much can be gained by this, Bazarov’s theory is that all that has been built must be destroyed in order to construct a new life which the people want. Although I feel Bazarov is running a better argument I don’t agree with his philosophy and feel that instead of denying everything an attempt can be made at just trying to change what has been built instead of destroying it and reconstructing it from scratch. Pavel continues to lose his temper and his arguments get worse as he loses his dignity and begins acting childlike. To reply to Bazarov and Arkady’s description of the Russian people he says â€Å"No, no! I can’t believe that you young men really know the Russian people, that you represent their needs and aspirations! No, the Russian people are not what you imagine them to be. They hold tradition sacred, they are a patriarchal people, they cannot live without faith . . .† This sentence with its abundance of ‘no’s’ sounds very childlike and most of it seems as if Pavel is trying to tell himself rather than the others that what they say is not true. Bazarov still contains full dignity and as adultly as possible agrees to ease Pavel, but he still refuses to admit if he is wrong. Then he states that although Pavel may be right it still proves nothing. His next argument is basic, but effective, Pavel says that in that case Bazarov must be going against his own people and Bazarov replies with an analogy that implies that according to Pavel if the majority of the people do something utterly stupid he must do so as well. Pavel ignores the last argument made by Bazarov and instead chooses to retaliate by attacking Bazarov by saying he is not part of the Russian people after he opposes them in so many ways. Bazarov handles this argument simply by referring to the most Russian people he knows, the peasants, who have knowledge of the past peasants who have risen and become of higher status now. Bazarov, as we have seen earlier in the book, talks to the peasants and doesn’t mind answering their questions and talking to them. Although he may look down on them and not think much of them he still treats them like people and so they will obviously support him on this one so Pavel made bad move by challenging how Russian Bazarov is as he has more to show for it than Pavel. But again I do feel that comparing Pavel to himself was unnecessary and just made the argument more personal again. There is a short break in the chapter as Nikolai stands up and tries to cool the two down asking them not to make this personal. He is a bit late. With Nikolai’s interference Pavel has a chance to compose himself and regain some of the dignity he had had before. They start to discuss nihilism once again with a cooler and less tense atmosphere. Bazarov gives another definition for nihilism, this time focusing more on their actions as a group. They then begin to talk about the strength of the nihilists, which Pavel is proved to have underestimated. I agree with Bazarov’s view here that a large number is not needed, but rather a stronger faith or force in what they are doing as the truth to be stronger then a large number. Although slightly irrelevant Bazarov’s analogy to a single candle burning down the whole of Moscow, I feel was a strong argument. Pavel seems to lose his dignity along with the argument as he again starts acting restless and angered. Pavel then loses all dignity when he starts to be sarcastic saying â€Å"Bravo, bravo!† and trying to make what Bazarov is saying foolish by pretending to acknowledge it. His loss of dignity is made clear with Bazarov’s statement â€Å"You have departed from your praiseworthy sense of personal dignity† and with this Bazarov chooses to close the argument, but not without his closing sentence in which he asks Pavel to think of institutions where the aristocracy has had an outcome of no problems. Pavel attempts to name a few but is proven wrong by Bazarov for his attempts. Bazarov once again asks Pavel to take his time and think about it; with this he takes his leave and the discussion comes to an end. Bazarov is clearly a powerful advocate who can maintain his dignity even when he is criticized and although many people oppose his views he has managed to keep his views alive. Pavel, although a good attempt would make a weaker advocate, his weaknesses lie in his quick temper. Maintaining your cool is very important and Bazarov proved that, he left the argument with all his dignity and my vote as the winner whereas Pavel was left tongue-tied and labeled as the loser.

Analysis Of Emily Bronte s Wuthering Heights - 975 Words

Emily Bronte’s two main sources of imagery are nature and the supernatural. Using Wuthering Heights, write a well-developed essay that explores the symbolic associations of storm and calm through the characters. â€Å"Wuthering heights†, a novel that explores different types of imagery: natural and supernatural. Along the storyline, the characters change and the reflections are noticed throughout with symbolic natural occurrences. In times of disarray and unrest, â€Å"Wuthering Heights† becomes symbolic in representing the uncertainty of the characters. In times of calm, â€Å"Thrushcross Grange† takes over as the new setting for a time of stability. When there is need from escape, many of the characters retreat the the moors for peace and a change in†¦show more content†¦These natural effects also show the physical surroundings of the Heights. The house is described as â€Å"strong and sturdy, with deep set windows†, those physical attributes coincide with the physical attributes of Heathcliff, who is a defensive character. He is the change and disruption of peace and calmness within the lives of the Lintons and Earnshaws. Nelly describes him as having â€Å"demonically dark eyes† and then Hindley calls him an â€Å"imp of Satan†. Mr. Lockwood, at the beginning, questions as to why Heathcliff, owner of both houses, chooses the one of less luxury [Wuthering Heights] and doesn’t retire back to a more hospitable home. After the death of Heathcliff however, when Cathy and Hareton plan to be married, the dark force of evil is now out of the home and it starts to look presentable and open, â€Å"I had neither to climb the gate nor to knock- it yielded to my hand.† Thrushcross Grange acts as a counter towards the darkness and elusiveness of Wuthering Heights. It is a constant in terms of it is an escape but when people leave the Grange, they are changed internally. However, in times of stability, Thrushcross Grange is home to characters of flat personality. Thrushcross Grange was the home of the Linton’s who lived across from the Earnshaws. Isabella and Edgar Linton, their children are flat characters until Isabella leaves

Essay about The Effects of Snuff Use on the Body’s Health

Introduction The use of snuff is widespread in the recent years, especially among male adolescents and young adults. Snuff was first introduced in Europe in the 17th century and it was inhaled through the nostrils in dry form, but nowadays most snuff is moist and taken orally (Asplund, 2002). Snuff use, as an issue, has been a great concern to many researchers. A handful of studies have been conducted in this area to find out the factors that may contribute to such a phenomenon as well as to identify its impact on the body’s health. Snuff users are at risk of many diseases such as heart disease, blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases (Asplund, K, 2001; Wickholm, Galanti, Soder, Gilljam, 2003). On the other hand, many†¦show more content†¦First of all, cardiovascular, People who use snuff have a 40% higher risk of cardiovascular death compared with people who do not use it at all (Wickholm, Galanti, Soder, Gilljam,2003). Moreover, nicotine has a negative influen ce on the cardiovascular system. It increases the heart rate and the blood pressure, and it also constricts the peripheral blood vessel which leads to increase the risk of a fatal cardiovascular (Asplund, 2002). Furthermore, nicotine inside snuff has immediate effect on the rate of heart and it causes disturbance of the heart rhythm which may lead to the risk of a sudden death (Asplund, K, 2001). In addition, as long as the nicotine is absorbed, the blood pressure of both systolin and diastolic in heart rate will rise rapidly (Asplund, K. 2001). Moreover, Rolandsson, Hellqvist, Lindqvist, Hugoson (2005) have mentioned that people who use snuff, their hearts beats are faster and increasing by an average of 16 beats per minute. In addition, more than 95% of snuff users showed that snuff promote artery lesions. (Rolandsson, Hellqvist, Lindqvist, Hugoson, 2005). Second, snuff, especially the dry one, increases the risk of cancer in the upper respiratory tract considerably (Asplund, K.2001). It contains around 28 harmful chemicals known to cause cancer. Asplund (2002) stated that Nitrosamines, which is considered as the majorShow MoreRelatedSmoking Tobacco Is The Leading Cause Of Death Worldwide880 Words   |  4 PagesTobacco products such as, snuff and chewing tobacco also contribute to similar health issues and risk. The idea of banning smoking and tobacco products is great because it could prevent millions of deaths yearly. There are many different negative side effects that come along with the use and smoking of tobacco. Smoking tobacco is often referred to as a â€Å"slow death†, because it shortens a person’s life expectancy. The use of tobacco often leads to many different health related risk and issuesRead MoreThe Negative Effects of Tobacco1424 Words   |  6 PagesThe Negative Effects of Tobacco The nicotine can be consumed by chewing tobacco apart from smoking and sniffing .The article provides insight into the hazards of chewing tobacco . If you believe that only smoking is injurious, certainly not. Any form of nicotine consumption is injurious. Tobacco is bad for health, no matter in what form you take it the ill effects are always there. Tobacco are leaves of plant that are used in dried form, they are high in nicotine and consequently addictive in natureRead MoreSmoking Cigarettes Should Be Banned as a Drug1854 Words   |  8 Pagesstress and work more effectively, and they are contributing to their country’s economy when they smoke. On the other hand, people will get addicted to cigarette. Moreovers, smoking has many negative effects on the smokers, the non-smokers, and the environment. Smoking cigarette extremely affects human health. Smoking can cause diseases of the lungs, liver, and heart. Smoker’s life expectancy will be reduced greatly compared wi th non-smokers. The people near the smokers also inhale the toxic smoke, andRead MoreSubstance Abused Disorder9645 Words   |  39 Pagesthe substance-use disorders (dependence and abuse) and the substanceinduced disorders (intoxication and withdrawal). Other substanceinduced disorders (delirium, dementia, amnesia, psychosis, mood disorder, anxiety disorder, sexual dysfunction, and sleep disorders) are included in the chapters with which they share symptomatology (e.g., substance-induced mood disorders are included in Chapter 6; substance-induced sexual dysfunction is included in Chapter 10, etc.). ââ€"  SUBSTANCE-USE DISORDERS Substance