Table of Contents
Trustworthy leadership
It is not possible for any company to achieve successful growth or productive change if its employees do not trust each other. The first element that is required for a company to achieve OCC (Organizational Capacity for Change) is for it to have transparent leadership. Apart from being highly competent, good leaders are expected to put the company’s interests before their own. Trustworthy leaders are supposed to be role models who set good examples for their subordinates.
This dimension is significant to organizations because it sets the measuring standard for leadership qualifications. Companies will only look to hire leaders who have a record of accomplishment of honesty and competence. Trustworthy leadership is essential to OCC because change can only be achieved if employees trust their leaders to steer them in the right direction. For example, if a leader has been caught in numerous corruption scandals, his employees may not find him trustworthy. Therefore, any development proposal the leader comes up with will not be implemented because the workers are mistrustful.
Trustful followers
Besides having truthful leaders, a company’s employees should also be trusting. Employees that readily embrace change and experimentation are usually optimistic, trusting, and hopeful because they have had leaders who never disappointed them. Alternatively, employees who have had untrustworthy leaders tend to be cynical, distrustful, pessimistic, and not open to change (“Focusing on Organizational Change 1.0 | Flat World Education”, 2017).
This dimension is significant to any company that is planning to undergo organizational changes. Trusting followers are essential for OCC because they are open-minded and directly affect the productivity of the company. Without trusting followers, any changes or development proposals are bound to fail. For example, a company that is upgrading its software to improve efficiency may require the company leaders to walk their employees through the whole process. The employees need to feel safe and not have doubts that the management is holding out information.
Capable champions
For change to take place, company leaders and employees both need to exert extra energy and effort. Most times, people opt to stick to conventional methods of doing things, and this hinders any organizational change. Specialists advise the company officials to delegate a small team of innovative people whose main task is to develop, anticipate, and lead the organization towards dynamic change.
Capable champions are significant to a company because they are focus groups that channel all their energy towards change while the rest of the company continues its normal functioning. These groups are essential to OCC because they are very goal-oriented and promise to deliver their promises. For example, a company can delegate a team of members to come up with new mission and vision statements and present them to the whole company.
Involved middle management
Middle managers are people who act as links between top executives and company employees. Middle managers play a vital role during OCC as they relay instructions and information between leaders and their subordinates. Most organizations today try to reduce the presence and the role of middle managers and foster direct communication between employees and employers.
Despite the reduction of their roles, middle managers are still essential in stewarding organizational change. These managers are essential to OCC because they are capable of either blocking or nurturing change initiatives due to their position in the organization. For instance, company executives may change some policies within the organization or add new rules, and they will expect middle managers to relay this information to the employees. If the middle managers fail to do their jobs competently, they may cause a communication strain and block progress efforts.
System thinking
For the process of organizational change to be successful, a company requires a lot more than just hiring the right people for the job. The process also necessitates appropriate organizational infrastructure, which are also referred to as “systems thinking”. These systems comprise of the budgetary procedures, rules, and structural arrangements that make or break an organization.
Systems thinking are significant to a company because it facilitates strategic decision-making and organizational change. System thinking is essential to OCC because it helps members of an organization to focus on how various units affect the functioning of the system as a whole. A company could concentrate on perfecting organizational systems that would bring positive change. For example, the company could cut costs by lying off some of its employees or reducing production costs. This measure will ensure the company has sufficient resources to fund its change initiative (“Examples of Organization Change”, 2017).
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Communication Systems
Communications systems is the second infrastructure dimension that counterparts systems thinking. This dimension involves things like telephone calls, emails, corporate announcements, and face-to-face meetings. These systems are meant to ensure smooth communication during the execution of organizational change. Many establishments usually fail to implement changes due to poor communication systems among employees.
The dimension is significant to an organization because it emphasizes the role of proper communication during the enactment of organizational change. The dimension is essential to OCC because it warns leaders on the effect of underestimating the company’s communication needs necessary for change. For example, when a company holds meetings without ensuring full employee attendance, some workers may omit vital information. The employees that have been left out may not participate in implementing any discussed changes, and this may have a negative effect on the company’s advancement.
Accountable Culture
While it is important for companies to allow their employees to explore their innovative skills, employees must be held accountable for their actions. Companies should not get too involved in creating change and neglect monitoring if its employees are honoring deadlines, delivering results, and working within the budget. Organizations with an accountable culture tend to be more “results-based” because they carefully observe how results are produced.
The dimension is important because it helps companies ensure that deadlines are being met and that valuable resources are not being wasted. An accountable culture is essential to OCC because it keeps employees on their best behavior and helps them find a balance between developing innovative ideas and producing results. For example, the company could hold monthly performance reviews to gauge which employees are working hard and those that are wasting company resources. The good employees could be given positive reinforcements while the non-performers could be punished.
Innovative culture
Different companies all over the world have organizational cultures that vary. For some establishments, their organizational culture promotes equilibrium and stability, while others favor change and innovation. Studies have revealed that there is a strong correlation between improvements in company performance and organizational culture changes. Some organizational cultures are counterproductive as they hinder change and innovation.
The dimension of innovative culture is significant because it encourages company officials to be more experimental and to step out of their comfort zones. The dimension is essential for OCC because it discusses how improving the organizational culture could bring positive changes in the company. For example, a company could change its norms, principles, symbols, and working habits. The company could begin by setting aside time for employees to come up with innovative ideas and share creative opinions (Mar, 2017).
- Examples of Organization Change. (2017). Smallbusiness.chron.com. Retrieved 31 January 2017, from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/examples-organization-change-11694.html
- Focusing on Organizational Change 1.0 | Flat World Education. (2017). Flat World Knowledge. Retrieved 31 January 2017, from http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/5576?e=judge_1.0-ch02#judge_1.0-ch02_s04
- Mar, A. (2017). 10 Types of Organizational Change. Simplicable. Retrieved 31 January 2017, from http://management.simplicable.com/management/new/10-types-of-organizational-change