Organizational Change

Running Head : Organizational Change

Organizational Change

Research . Abstract

The aftermath of 2004 US presidential elections left bitterness in the political leaders , the followers and the entire populace after a closely fought race . It left two divided masses of people polarized on party lines with different political ideologies . There was a felt need for bringing perspective and focus on the common issues facing the nation while erasing the memories of the bitterness of the recent past . The local economic agenda needed to be addressed as much as the external threats facing

the nation . The issues were needed to be analyzed like any business organization and appropriate changes made for motivating people of all faiths towards a common purpose . The following paragraphs discuss , analyze and provide some insights into what theories exist to handle conflict and what can be done to change the culture and manage change for better outcomes for all concerned

Understanding Conflict

Conflicts seem to be inevitable in the modern day organizations whether they are political or apolitical . Conflict resolution , rather , conflict reduction , seems to be the main focus of the present day organizations Conflict can happen for various reasons including competition for fixed or limited resources , variance between individual and group /organization promises and expectations . Conflicts can be functional or dysfunctional However , it is the functional conflict that the modern organizations and managers seek to nurture while avoiding the dysfunctional conflict Conflict management , has thus become very critical in the many varied functions of the managers who seek to improve productivity . Factors such as individual tolerance for conflict , leadership style impact the outcomes of conflict resolution / conflict reduction

Culture

Organization culture also seems to play a major role in the way conflicts are sought and addressed in the present day groups and organizations . Culture , which is a complex intermix of deep rooted values , physical artifacts and basic assumptions , conditions the individuals and the organizations . Hence culture plays an important role in how organizations and individuals within an organization respond to the stimuli emanating from within and outside the organizations . There are various dimensions in organization culture like pervasiveness plurality , implicitness , politics , interdependency etc and various levels like artifacts , values and basic assumptions . The dimensions and levels correspond to various degrees of visibility of the organization culture . Different organizations like nation states or societies exhibit distinct cultures

Managing Change

Change management is the most difficult but important aspect of modern day manager 's / organization 's responsibility . Implicit in change management is the requirement for understanding organization culture conflict reduction and use of various tools and techniques available for change management . Many useful concepts and techniques are available for modern day organizations to successfully understand and manage change Force field analysis of the forces for and against the organizational change targets of change ( who needs change , targets of change and priorities for change revolutionary and evolutionary models of change resistance to change and OD Interventions - Human Process intervention Structural and technological interventions Human Resource Management interventions and Strategy Interventions...