Coursework on Management: Assessing Organization Readiness for Change

A change in the organizations that had previously achieved a plateau performance is the spark that ignites the new achievements in the organization. The change process involves fully understanding the why the change is necessary, the vision to be achieved through the change and the commitment to the change process for it to be successful (Haddad, 2002). The most critical aspect when analyzing the rationale for change situation in the organization is the readiness for change and the awareness of the need for change. This paper will try to explain the concept of readiness for change in organizations.

Readiness for change is the degree to which the organization as a unit understands the need for change and buy it. Primarily, the perceptions of the organization depend on the individual opinion of the staff. Their readiness to change is evident on how they perceive the change and accepts it. The experience with change influences the readiness for change. A positive experience with change is likely to bring the positive perception of change results thus the organization will easily accept the change process. This is because the experience with the change that yielded good results will enhance a positive attitude towards change (Liu, 2013).

Similarly, the support of the executive directly influences the readiness for change in the organization. The involvement of the senior managers in the change process through sponsoring and sharing its vision with other junior staff in the organization makes it be readily accepted. This becomes more effective in the instance when the success of the executive depends on the change occurring since they (executive) will give it their full attention. The absence of executive support delays the change process (Haddad, 2002).

Also, the readiness for change is also influenced by the credibility of the leaders involved in the change process. The ability of the organization to maintain the best influential middle managers and trusted leaders for change help prepare the organization for change. The leaders entrusted to change should, therefore, give guidelines on how the change is to be realized.

Nevertheless, the acceptance of the change both by the leaders and by the organization is dependent on the openness to change shown by the leaders and the employees (Liu, 2013). The change process will face resistance when leaders are bent on usually the old approaches and methods of operations. Also, the failure to involve the employees in a dialogue and get their perceptions regarding the change is a tragedy in waiting (Haddad, 2002).

The leaders must ensure that the vision of the change is communicated efficiently with more emphasize on the benefits to prevent any form of resistance and boost the readiness for change. This can be promoted by adopting a system that encourages innovation among the employees without any form of criticism (Liu, 2013).

However, albeit the innovative ability displayed by the employees, the need for change is measured based on the data collected analysis. Also, the organization depends on the level of satisfaction registered by the customers. Moreover, the use of change needs tracking system has been responsible for the efficient and efficient improvement in response to change. The system has ensured that the change is only effected at the right time. Nevertheless, the success of the change will be dependent on the availability of the resources required to implement the change (Haddad, 2002) successfully.

In conclusion, the readiness for change in the organization is a critical factor that requires more attention to effect change. This can be done by creating a crisis, creating a better vision, having an able and trusted leader and involving the use of education and communication.

Reference

Haddad, C. J. (2002). Managing technological change: A strategic partnership approach. Thousand Oaks, Calif: Sage Publications.

Liu, X. (2013). Readiness to change, body composition and anthropometric assessment among overweight or obese subjects participating in a 12-week weight reduction program.