Week 2 Discussion Question 1 Identify an organization with which you are familiar, or one from management literature that

is or has been going through an organizational change. Using Table 3.1 on page 51 in the text, choose one of the images of managing change and adopt this role (i.e., you are to adopt the role and role play). Now you are in attendance at a senior management meeting and you are being asked to explain why the organization that you identified is going through the change you identified. 1. Discuss how you will respond to this request, based upon the change management image you have adopted. 2. Explain why you considered this image to be the best one to use in this circumstance. 3. With which image do you more easily identify? What would it take to change this? Introduction The organization i have chosen is the one that I am working in as of late we are going through a period of change and the change isnt even fully completed yet. Changes are taking place not only in terms of company structure but also in terms of procedures and processes so as to accommodate the transformation. Needless to say some have benefitted and are happy while some are not. I have chosen the caretaker image of managing change from Table 3.1 of our text. Response to Request According to our text organizations change mainly as a result of environmental pressures which include (fashion, mandated, geopolitical, market decline, hyper-competition, reputation and credibility), organizational pressures (growth, integration and collaboration, identity, new broom, political and power). To respond to the request I will do the following:
1. I will first of all highlight the different change images possible and

develop a criteria or set of rules which take into cognisant the following: the kind of pressures the organization is facing, the level of threat of such pressures, the interactions between the forces of stability and change, if theres a need for change. This will help to determine the best possible change image to be adopted.

2. I will now need to examine the environment and organization and

determine which pressures it is that are affecting the company. At this point it is also important to note that one needs to be objective and proactive without being rigid. According to our text organizations respond differently to l pressure and this is due mainly to the way those in charge explain/view the pressures. In page 60 of our text we read not all managers respond to change in the same way, some resist, some are slow to respond, some do not recognise them as a threat(1). In assessing the pressures I also need to know to what extent they threaten our existence and how to balance a need for stability as well as a need for change.
3. Having identified the pressures we are experiencing and determining

their threat levels as pressures over which managers have no real control over. I will now assess to see the possible effects or non-effects of responding to them. In choosing to respond I will take into cognisant the nature of the organization, the interaction of the forces of stability versus change as this have an effect on the type of change management image to be adopted or even if change will take place at all and to what extent.
4. The pressures the company is facing have now been identified, their

threat levels have been determined and the pro and cons of the not responding have been identified. The organizational structure and behaviour has been looked into. The interactions of the forces of stability and change have been looked at. The necessary changes that will need to be put in place have been mapped out.
5. Having come to the conclusion that change is needed, we now need to

have the buy-in of the higher ups. We need to know what resources are in place to carry out the change. We need to know the level of control that those carrying out the change will have. We need to know what the effects will be on the organization and whether there will be any drops in productivity and to what extent, any turnovers, any anticipated forceful resistance, e.t.c. As change is learning process it is a given that there will be a few hiccups along the way it is necessary that they be anticipated and controls put in place to handle them.
6. I will now show the management meeting a presentation highlighting

why the organization is going through change as a result of the pressures it is facing and the fact that in its present state/form failure to respond and do so effectively, smartly and efficiently will result in its loss of market share and position in the industry. And also why I have chosen the caretaker image as the best suitable image based on my criteria for choosing a particular change image from the onset Explanation of Choice of Image I have chosen the caretaker image because of the following reasons;

The pressures the organization is facing are inexorable (unyielding and relentless) in the form of geopolitical pressures; a need to be based close to the countrys power brokers, mandated pressures; new legislation coming into place that redefines how business will be done, hyper-competition pressures; new entrants into the market who as a result of political clout are gaining a foothold; growth pressures; new business opportunities and expansions are necessitating that the way operations are carried out be cost effective, security issues are forcing the relocation of key services. In summary the company has no control over these pressures and must of a necessity react before its too late. The organization is one that is used to the concept of change; in fact its new slogan has change as the watchword. As a result the resources needed and the control to be assigned will not be hard to get. The organizational behaviour is also such that the employees will adapt without too much resistance they also being aware and in tune with the environment. The organization having communicated in advance that change was on the horizon. According to our text; the caretaker image of change is suitable for scenarios where most pressures to change come from a variety of inexorable influences both internal and external, change managers act as caretakers to look after the organization as it is buffeted by such pressures. This is the scenario in which we find ourselves and as such I am of the opinion that the caretaker image is the best image.

Conclusion I identify most closely with the caretaker image and to change this image would need that some factors change such as the types of pressure that the organization be facing or the type of leadership that is at the helms of affairs or the type of organizational culture at play. If the pressures were more of an internal type and related to just a few SBUs then a director image might be adopted but given what we have, Ill stick to the caretaker image. regards, Olumide References. 1. Managing Organizational Change A multiple perspectives approach 2nd Ed. Palmer I, Dunford R et Akin G Pg 60