WGU C721 - NJP1 Task 1 Change Management Latest Updated with complete Solution 2024

C721 Task 1 – Change Management Western Governors University C721 T1: Change Management Name: Student ID: Date: A. Using either the contingency model or the organizational life cycle model, discus s the need for change for the company in the scenario. In regard to the organizational life cycle model, the company in the scenario is in the second stage. While the company in the scenario has a strong and strategic company direction, the company suffers from a l ack of autonomy br ought on by the stage two crisis of the organizational life cycle model due to the fact that the company is structured in a manner of top-down hierarchical leadership. Stage two is known as the gr owth/survival stage , and autonomy is a critical component to employ for a company to make it through to stage three . Because of the structure of the company in the scenario, the company's employees feel trapped by the company's rigid and outdated way of doing things. To ensure the company continues to grow and survive in such a competitive labor market, the company must loosen some of its grasp on control and decision-making responsibility and allow both the lower -level managers and employees to contribute. Employees will feel more empowered to play a strongC721 Task 1 – Change Management role in the company if the company delegates and loosens restrictions. This will ultimately result in more balanced control and decision-making across the whole of the company . B. Describe the differ ences between a learning organization and a traditi onal organization. Compared to a tradi tional organization , a learning organization i s different in that a learning organization focuses on "big pictur e" ideas, in other words, long-term ideas, and these organizations take a special effort to learn and gr ow from lessons learned in the past . Learning organizations encourage their members to think of new and creative ways of doing things that will ensure the orga nization continues to adapt, evolve, and thrive in today's competitive labor market. In a learning or ganization, as employees try dif ferent roles and teams change, leadership openly and happily adjusts to support this knowledge and innovation that 's shared across the organi zation. Compared to a le arning organization, ther e is much more structure and predictability present within a traditional organization. In a traditional orga nization, welldefined roles and responsibilities are established and designed to ensure the status quo is maintained and innovative ideas are shot down. Nonflexible processes and a rigid culture are present in a traditional or ganization. Employees lack encouragement from the or ganization to take risks and make decisions. In a traditional or ganization, for a decision to be approved, it must be moved up to the very top of the hierarchical command chain. This, in turn, results in a slowdown of suggested resolutions. In today's competitive labor market, the se slowdowns are detrimental as quickly deciding and implementing resolutions is of immense vi tality in ensuring a company's continued growth and survival.C721 Task 1 – Change Management to view an organi zation not only in its individualized processes but as a whole unit comprised of interconnected processes is what it means to employ systems thinking. Because the company in the scenario has now expanded and grown to an international scale, employing systems thinking will allow the compa ny's leadership to visualize how all the moving parts of the or ganization will interact with one another on a global level. Ultimately , this will result in more comprehensive decision-making, and these more comprehensive decisions will grant the company's leadership the ability to better identify process i ssues that require immediate attention. Personal mastery is the next discipline, and while this discipline is more prone to ambiguity than systems thinking, personal mastery is equally as important. According to Feldman (2013), personal mastery is when a per son strengthens and deepens their personal vision via the means of individual learning. While personal mastery may seem like a simple concept, there's more to it than that. Personal mastery results in a person feeling a sense of inte rnal motivation to focus all their ener gy toward making their vision become a reality . Personal mastery is an ever -lasting process rather than a set goal or destination. The company would benefit from employing personal mastery as employees would feel empowered to partake in constant learning and growth, and ultimately , this will result in a refocusing of goals that will guide the company toward achieving its vision, and in the end, these actions would result in the company developing into a learning or ganization. As the saying goes, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, so the company must ensure that each chain of theC721 Task 1 – Change Management organization is as strong as it can be to ensure the company continues to grow and succeed. Mental models are the next discipline to consider . According to Feldman (2013), from preconceived notions and generalizations to biases and perceptions, these are the elements that make up mental models. Every person has a mental model, and if a person identifies and reflects on their mental model, said person will unlock the superpower to recognize the thoughts and ideas that are potentially constraining them from growing as a person and becoming open to perspectives different than their own. Regarding the company in the scenario, the company can utilize mental models to change and grow as an or ganization by recognizing and challenging the old ways of doing things within the or ganization, as well as suppressing and avoiding internal politics that will result i n conflict among the company's members. In the end, these actions will result in the company developing into a learning or ganization due to the promotion and encouragement of employing a culture that values innovation and treats every member of the company as an equal unit. An immense effort will be put forth to listen to and consider others' perspectives. Regarding the next discipline, shar ed vision, this discipline ties directly with both personal mastery and mental models. A shared vision guides employees toward achieving the same goals and ensures that each employee is on the same page as the other. According to Feldman (2013), shared vision uti lizes a set of principles to guide behaviors, actions, and decisions among a group of people. By utilizing a shared vision, the company in the scenario would develop into aC721 Task 1 – Change Management company from the scenario and make it evolve from a traditional or ganization to a learning organization. In terms of the End Result , focusing on transformation will allow the company in the scenario to transition from a traditional or ganization to a learning or ganization. C1. Using Balogun and Hope-Hailey’ s Model, Explain Why the E nd Result and Chosen Method of Change Would Be Appropriate for the Company in the Scenario. The benefit of the Evolution quadrant is that change take s place in increments, and this quadrant is the most appropriate for the company in the scenario as the incremental changes of the Evolution quadrant would be the least un settling to the company's stability . Because of how long the company in the scenario has been in business, its systems and processes are deeply rooted in the normal operation of the company, which means that if an abrupt and dramatic change was introduced, employee turmoil and pushback would occur , and this abrupt and dramatic change would likely lead to obstacles down the line that would be even lar ger to overcome. However , by introducing gradual change, the company's employees will be given time to react and get acquainted with the company's new culture. This means that the company will develop into a learning orga nization in a manner that is well-structured and easy for the company's employees to digest. Regarding the End Result , focusing on transformation is the most appropriate for the company because the company has goals rooted in transforming from a traditional to a learning organi zation. To achieve this transformative goal, a complete overhaul of the company's operations and culture will have to take place, which wouldn't be possible with a company realignment alone. A transformative approach would allow the companyC721 Task 1 – Change Management to implement Senge's 5 Disciplines. Ultimately , incorporating Senge's 5 Disciplines will guide the company toward evolving into the learning or ganization it so intently desires to become. D. Discuss How Four Steps of the Action Research Model Could Be Applied to the Change Process (Traditional Organization to Learning Organization) For the Company in the Scenario. Firstly, regarding planning , an initial consultation must be conducted by both the change consultant and the leadership of the company in the scenario. During the consultation, the assumptions, differ ent cultural views, and values of both parties wil l be clarified to ensure that there's a clear establishment of ethical principles that will guide the or ganization in taking the correct cultural actions. Because the company in the scenario now has internationa l offices, the traditions, cultures, and behaviors will be very dif ferent at each location. Knowing how to respond to these dif ferences is critical. In the initial consultation meeting bet ween the change consultant and the company's leadership, a discussion will take place to determ ine the differences between each region and how to go about responding to each region in the best possible manner. Secondly, regarding acting, for the success of the action research model in transitioning the company from a traditional or ganization to a learning or ganization, data collection is a vital component. Consultants must trust that they're receiving honest responses while conducti ng interviews (2022, Acrobatiq). For this to happen, employees need to have fait h that their privacy and confidentiality will be honored. Unfortunately , for the company in the scenario, the company has a history of not encouraging its employees to speak up when brainstorming potentialC721 Task 1 – Change Management company. Employees might be hesitant to adopt this new and dif ferent mindset due to the longstanding organiz ational culture that discouraged innovation and creative decision-making, so employee training and coaching is a critical step of the action model in ensuring the s uccess of the change management process for the company in the scenario. To build the confidence needed for the employees of the company in the scenario to communicate their honest ideas and opinions, continuous reinforcement is essential. E. Recommend Two Innovation Strategies That Manageme nt Could Use to Transition the Company in the Scenario Fr om a Traditional Organization to a Learning Organization. The company in the scenario could be transitioned from a traditional or ganization to a learning orga nization by employing the innovation strategies of innovation and exploration roles. E1. Explain How One Recommended Innovation Strategy Would Be Used by Management in the Company’ s Change Process. Regarding the innovation r oles strategy, the strategy would be used by the company's management team to make sure that the approval and implementa tion process effectively carries out the new ideas and creative solutions brought forth by the company's members. Unfortunately , the company in the scenario has no history of promoting creativity and thinking outside the box, so utilizing the innovation and exploration roles strategy will greatly benefit the company in demonstrating that the company is committed to changing, growing, and becoming a better or ganization. An individual who believes that an idea can influence other people greatly increases the odds