Evaluation and Reflection on a Personal Change Experience in Workplace - Iloka Benneth Chiemelie
https://ilokabenneth.blogspot.com/2013/11/evaluation-and-reflection-on-personal.html
0.1 INTRODUCTION
Theorists have offered some generic definition of organizational change. For instance, Burnes (1996) stated that change if the process of understanding differences within an organizational at the widest level amongst individuals, groups and at the collective level across the whole organization. Another definition states that change is the observation of difference over specific period of time in one or more dimensions of an entity (Van de Ven and Poole, 1995).
However, these definitions are not successful enough in capturing the assumptions that are conceived within difference models or theories of change. For instance, social and cultural reasoning theories would dispose the word observation for the word perception in the second definition given above. Theorists who look at change from a cultural or social-cognition viewpoint would not examine dimensions (for instance, organizational structures and characteristics such as size), instead would examine values or organizational participants' mind maps.
Due to the difference in change languages, a common base of understanding is difficult to find. But, certain concepts are common with numerous models, such as the sources or agents of change and first-order or second-order change. This can be noted from change literatures (see for example Burnes, 1996; Goodman, 1982; Levy and Merry, 1986; and Rajagopalan and Spreitzer, 1996). Forces and sources of change examine why there is change, while the first and second order of change refers to the extent of what has to be changed. Adaptive/generative, proactive/reactive, active/static, and planned/unplanned refer to the how the change took place and the last concept
While they are complications in understanding the full meaning of change within an organization, all theories discussed above point to the same view that came is always imminent within organizations and it is an integral part of the system. Change can take places in different forms, from different people and under different circumstances. Thus, the main objective is to illustrate the influence of change within an organizational and how the changes occur in the system. Therefore, this paperwork will focus on reflecting and evaluating change within my workplace as the bases of illustrating the set objectives.
1.0 REFLECTION ON THE CHANGE WITHIN MY WORKPLACE
I have been working for ilokabenneth.com since 2010 as a researcher and editor, and the job is perfect with my current life as I can't take full time job due to my studies. Ilokabenneth.com is an online publishing website that focuses in writing, editing and publishing of business and related journals and articles as a free resource for everybody.
But, the death of one of the staffs changed my working process at ilokabenneth.com. According to my job description, I must write at least 2 articles or journals per month and I will need to send these article or journal to the review manager. Unfortunately, the review manager died from flu infection and his death drew me closer to the owner of ilokabenneth.com as I would be reporting directly to him and no longer to the review manager.
This change redefined the work process at ilokabenneth.com, as the owner demanded more in lesser time than the previous review manager. The review manager was lenient, understandable and willing to share information (such as online sources and previous academic researches), while the owner demanded that I source all the required information and undertake the task all by myself.
This change was hard for me to cope, because I need a lot of help in writing the journals as it is time consuming and require high commitment. This was difficult for me because I am still studying and also require time for my own classroom projects. The review manager was helpful as he understood me from my own point of view and supplied me with all required academic resource for undertaking my job descriptions.
The change process that occurred can be illustrated by using some of the theoretical backgrounds that are built on change wheel such as:
MY WHEEL OF CHANGE - KETZ DE VRIES (2007)
Under the framework, Ketz de Vries (2011) highlighted five stages which start from when you realize you have lost, then get stocked in the shock of losing and suffers disorder after many years of yearning before finally adapting to the situation. Firstly, I had a superego based on the fact that I would be able to find another job, but after failed attempt on 2 interviews in consecutive days, my ego dropped and I regained back my humility which is the main reason I accepted change as the way forward.
Figure (1) lose and change process
Source as adapted from: Ketz de Vries (2011)
The figure (1) above can then further be related to my case as follows:
Loss – the death of the review manager was a great loss to everyone within the company, but when I initial started to realize the effect was when it was announced that a new manager will be given to me. At this stage, I was troubled with the thoughts of what the new manager might look like and how his review process will be.
Shock – the shock occurred when I was told that the owner will be the new review manager for all my posts. I was shocked because I didn't expect him to be the manager as he was the one who appointed the former review manger.
Yearning – this started when I was offered the first review by the owner. He criticized all aspects of my work and it was heart breaking as well as demotivating as the previous manager always found ways to appreciate my works.
Disorder and despair – this occurred when I was told that my work will no longer be two posts, but three posts with the same wage package and I won't be given any material to get the work done easier or any other sort of help. I couldn't believe it as I know it will be personally hard for me considering the fact that I am also doing my undergraduate studies.
Adaptation – the disorder was followed suit by a means of creating an order within the system and I did so my finding new ways to adapt to the change. This includes doing as much research as possible. Adaptation is something I can't afford to argue on whether or not to, because I need the money and it is hard to get a new job.
However, the whole adaptation and change process was never an overnight act, as it took me numerous days and time as well as mental effort to consider the move. This can further be illustrated by adopting the framework below.
STAGES OF CHANGE MODEL - PROCHASKA & DICLEMENTE (1982)
Figure (2): Stages of change model
Source as adapted from: Prochaska & Diclemente (1982)
Immediately I got letter about an increased job requirement with the same pay, I pre-contemplated not to change as I thought it was not worth he value. However, an overnight contemplation ushered in the desire to change as I needed the money and has no other alternative due to the difficulty associated with finding a new job. Then, I started to prepare for the change process by finding relevant online journal websites and registering as a paid member in all these sites. Once I was set for the change, I decided to sign the paper and agree to the terms and condition of 3 posts instead of the formal 2 posts. In order to maintain this change process, I frequently researched on related topics and went to seminars on how to write articles in order to improve my writing skills.
2.0 EVALUATION OF THE CHANGE PROCESS WITHIN MY WORKPLACE
The change process can be evaluated by adopting the 5C's of change as described below.
- Concern – after the death of the review manager, there was a great concern for whom to replace him and take full responsibility for his job in order to ensure smooth operation of the business, this created concern for a new personnel.
- Confrontation – it became clear that there is a need for a new person to take the empty position, and the owner quickly identified this issue and confronted it with possible solutions by listing himself as the possible replacement.
- Clarification – once he listed himself as the replacement, he clarified the whole situation by consulting me and other editors to verify if we are ok with the replacement, as well as listing all the processes involved with the previous review manager.
- Crystallization – once we issued all the processes involved with the previous review manager, he then highlighted areas of change such as – increase of publication up to 3 journals per month, and there is no be help of source or resource for the publications.
- Change – I accepted the conditions and the change took place since December 2011.
The whole change process was not easy for me, and I had to adopt a balance sheet of change as illustrated below in order to identify reasons why and why not to change, before I making my final decision to change.
Table (1): Balance Sheet of Change
Reasons to change
|
Reasons not to change
|
|
|
3.0 AN EVALUATION OF MY EMPLOYER'S LEADERSHIP STYLE
Understanding the roles played by psychodynamic processes in an organizational life is also important because gives a greater insight about leadership. People are complex in nature and this portrays a more realistic understanding about why leaders act the way they do. Therefore, anyone working under an organization needs to understand the dynamics of leadership and the intricacies of superior-subordinate relationships as they serves as the base for visualizing the does and don'ts (Kets de Vries and Elizabeth, 2007).
Leadership is about understanding the way people and organizations interacts, about building and maintaining relationships, about creating commitment, about establishing a means of identification, and about adoption of behavior to create enhance effectiveness. True leaders are brokers of hope, speaking to the collective imagination of their followers, and persuading them to join them in great adventures (Ketsde Vries and Elizabeth, 2007). Great leaders have been known to inspire individuals beyond personal and egoistic motive, to transcend themselves and yield great results within short period of time. As a matter of fact, leadership by example makes positive difference, no matter the extent (Burns, 1978; Bass, 1985; Bennis and Nanus, 1986; Kets de Vries, 1994, 2006; Pfeffer, 1998; Stogdill, 1974).
Based on the above highlights, I can define my boss as being a dramatic leader. Dramatic leaders are spherically warm, and charming but lacking in sincerity and consideration for other people, and their work relationships are unstable. Their goal is unbridled growth as a means of meeting their own narcissistic need (Kets de Vries and Elizabeth, 2007).
I can also argue that is not a complete leader as based on Kets de Vrie's qualities of a leader, as he exercises more of the qualities of a manager than a leader. Such qualities include:
- Focus on present
- Preference for stability
- Short term oriented
- Focus on procedures
- Questions "what" and "how"
- Prefer to control
- Rational thinking
- Happy with complexity
And Kets de Vries (2007) highlighted this as the qualities of a manager which implies that he is either an incompetent leader or not a leader at all. He is emotionally attached to instant success, without realizing that business built through relationship has the potential of creating a longer return with high motivation from both parties. His whole behavior and characteristics got me caught in the middle and this can further be elaborated below by using organizational transition framework.
Source as adapted from: Kets de Vries (2007)
As the framework illustrated, I was facing chaotic reorganization, as his style of leadership was totally different and opposite from that which I experienced under my former review manager. Thus, I was afraid of losing my job or losing out on studies due to lack of time, but I eventually found a way to let go of my anxiety and become more recommitted with my works.
Action-Centred Leadership Model - Adair (1973)
John Adair has been known for long as one of the world's leader in leadership literatures. His model "The Adair's Action-Centered Model" which emphasis on the fact that leaders get job done by working with the team through a strong relationship with co-managers and staffs. He described this process in three ways as:
- Leaders direct the job to be done
- Leaders support and review the individual doing the job
- Leaders co-ordinate and foster the work team as a whole.
From the above leadership theory, it can once again be seen that my boss is not a good leader as he is not action-centered. He is more of a command centered person who just gives out task and doesn't care so much as to the way I undertake the task and doesn't support me with materials for the task as my ex review manager used.
The above statement is true about my boss because despite my letter of appeal to him informing him that as a part-time worker, I need time for my studies and publishing two journals per month is already hectic, he still did not consider my request and instead increases my responsibility up to 3 journals per month. On the other hand, he also did not offer me needed help with providing me with the resource for undertaking the project as done by the review manager in the past. Additionally, he did not increase my salary considering the fact that he has also increased my work load. Thus, it is justifiable to describe him as a dramatic leader as she doesn't care about people, and his main goal is unbridled growth as a means of meeting his own narcissistic need.
4.0 LESSONS LEARNED
The change in my workplace though is a situation I have adapted to, has taught me numerous organizational related lessons that is currently influence my work style, and will continue to shape my work life in the future. Some of these lessons are discussed below.
4.0.1 Change is unavoidable in organization – since the business of every business is to make profit, employee must understand that change as a process is accruable at the business environment at any time and any cost. Thus, employees cannot run away from change, rather they will need to prepare themselves for any change within the organization.
4.0.2 Difference people have difference leadership style – while some leaders are lenient, understanding and helpful, assuming that all leaders are the same will be a big mistake as my experience has taught me. Difference people are difference in their personalities, lifestyle and leadership style.
4.1INFLUENCE OF MY EXPERIENCE ON MY FUTURE WORKPLACE
It will influence my future work role by understanding my work as "given" and my work as "taken". This is important because it will help me to know how and when to negotiate for and against my role in relation to my job description upon employment.
The framework for understanding the complexity that is inside and experienced in work role is modeled across two critical distinctions. The first is the mode at which the work is authorized, and the second is the way in which the work is undertaken. Krantz and Maltz (1997) categorized these distinctions as follows.
- An aspect of role is either given by the organization or taken by the individual, and
- The aspect under consideration is a result of the task and/or sentient system of the organization.
Understanding this important for my future work role, as it will give me a bargaining power in terms of negotiating what I am supposed to do and also give me the power to negotiate for payment if I am given more task than contained in my job description as experienced in my current workplace. However, the final decision will always be based on whether I can fell comfortable with the change, and if I am not, then I will quite from the role.
5.0 CONCLUSION
The reflective and evaluative paperwork has been able to meet numerous contexts within the workplace. The context covered includes work role and management system, and they were highlighted as bases of understanding the over paper work objectives which is to reflect and evaluate my personal experience about change in my work place.
Change as defined in the paper is a rigorous process that involves dropping the current system and adopting a new system as a way of helping the company achieving its inherent goals. Although change can sometimes be characterized with success within the organization such as expansion, it has been known to feature new roles that add extra pressure on the staffs within the system.
My case was a clear elaboration of how change can be stressed and how organizational leadership style differs from one particular leader to the other. It was all fun and wonderful during the early periods of my work role, by the death of my review manager which resulted in the owner taking over his position yielded a whole new management system where I was expected to do my work with less guidance as opposed to the less work with more guidance under the previous management of the review manager.
However, I discovered from the balance sheet of change that while this might be stressful, it will be beneficial in numerous ways and thus decided to accept the condition and go on with the change. So far, I have been doing great with the new work roles, but I has taught me lessons for my future work role as it made me understand that while change is imminent, it is important to differentiate my work as given and as taken in order to give me a negotiating power whenever I am required to do more work than stipulated within my job description in the near future.
Thus, it can be concluded that organizational change is an occurrence that cannot be stopped, as change is a product of numerous force. Therefore, both the organization and its employees must always be prepared for change and find new ways to adopt in the system whenever changed occurs as the ability to adopt to change will yield numerous benefits to both the system and its employees.
6.0 BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adair, J. (1973) Action-Centred Leadership. New York,:McGraw-Hill.
Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and Performance Beyond Expectations. New York: Free Press.
Bennis, W. and Nanus, B. (1986). Leadership: The Strategies for Taking Charge. New York: Harper & Row.
Burnes, B. (1996). Managing change: A strategic approach to organizational dynamics. London: Pitman.
Burns, J. M. (1978). Leadership. New York: Harper and Row.
Goodman, P. S. (1982). Change in organizations: New perspectives on theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Kets de Vries, M. F. R. (1994). "The Leadership Mystique," Academy of Management Executive 8 (3): 73-92.
Kets de Vries, M. F. R. (2006). The Leader on the Couch. New York: Wiley
Kets de Vries, M. F. R. (2006), "Clinical Approach To The Dynamics Of Leadership And Executive Transformation." Available at: http://www.insead.edu/facultyresearch/centres/iglc/news/documents/HBSLeadershippaperedited_june_08.pdf [Accessed on 21-04-2012].
Krantz, J. and Maltz, M. (1997) "A Framework for Consulting to Organizational Role," Consulting Psychology Journal, Vol. 49, No. 2, 137-151. Available at: http://www.worklab.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Role-Consultation-Article2.pdf[Accessed on: 13-04-2012].
Levy, A., and Merry, U. (1986). Organizational transformation: Approaches, strategies, theories. New York: Praeger.
Pfeffer, J. (1998). The Human Equation: Building Profits by Putting People First. Boston, MA.: Harvard Business School Press.
Rajagopalan, N., and Spreitzer, G. M. (1996). Toward a theory of strategic change: A multi-lens perspective and integrated framework. Academy of Management Review, 22(1), 48–79.
Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of Leadership. New York: The Free Press.
Van de Ven, A. H., and Poole, M. S. (1995). Explaining development and change in organizations. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 510–540.
Posts
