Research Paper Sample: Change Management and Supporting Theories

In the contemporary setting, the implementation of the learning of change relies heavily on the creation of learning organization and not the traditional hierarchical systems. The current organization the employees have the capacity to the desired results through the employment expansive, new, and collective thinking. To this end, the companies apply five disciplines of learning that encompass systems thinking, personal mastery, shared vision, team learning, mental models, and team learning. The model describes the learning organization and the management philosophy that creates value and quality in the running of modern companies. The disciplines form the description of how to effectively manage the development and the success of an organization. Additionally, it guides the employees on the principles to follow in order to surpass expectations.

The first step of organization development is to build a shared vision. To this end, the teams should interact or work together toward the creation a common vision. The management and the management should work in collusion in order to come up with tenable vision. It is worth noting that various leaders have visions that area hard to translate to group dynamics or shared platforms. The best way to achieve this milestone is to compromise or harmonize both individual and group visions. The effect of sharing ideas it ensures the performance tasks by the employees through free will and not through coercion. The self-drive turns the employee performance into different desirable learning mechanisms and has the propensity of changing the relationship with the company or the management.

Secondly, there is need to not only change the individual literature, but also rather initiate the employees into collective or system thinking. It is imperative the system should reflect the observational dynamics of the entire organization and not just individual wishes or desires. The managers should understand that there is an inseparable correlation between action and consequence. Most of the time the management misses the point because the emphasis is on individual action and in the process ignores the systems objectives. Understanding the mentioned relationship enables the determination of the patterns and the interrelationships in different situations. The organization will certainly be on the right path when the cause and effect principle is applied. Thirdly, the respect for mental models is essential part of change management (Kuipers et al., 2013). It requires the employees to identify the values and the virtues of the company. Fathoming such enables the visualization of the path to take and then devise the appropriate plan to take. Flexibility in accepting the necessary changes is essential part in the shaping of the mental models there leading to the creation of a new reputation and image for the company. Learning and adaptability makes the difference in business success, continuity, and the profitability of any organization.

The other important tenet of learning and change management is personal mastery. It is the result of clarity of vision and accurate view of reality and pre-set goals. The actualization of the vision relies on the employees perception of the gap that exists between reality and the conceived vision. In order to drive the companys agenda therefore requires sharing the truth with between the management and the employees goes a long way redefining the prevailing mentalities within the organization. However, certain undefined situations the employees may have a negative perception regarding their abilities. It is essential to train or to condition their minds that they have the ability to handle intricate problems. Self-belief is one of the greatest pillars for the realization of the companys vision and individual dreams. The final parameter is team learning, which mainly entails the accomplishment of functional team learning opportunities and the team interaction capabilities. Such is the discipline that brings together shared vision and personal mastery and shared vision. Towards this end, the employees should consider each other as colleagues and not competitors. Setting up dialogues enables the team members to open up to each other and reveal their personalities, thereby making the working environment quite safe through forgiving honest mistakes and encouraging individuals to improve.

A diagrammatic representation of the five theories of change management

It is worth noting that the application of discussed five disciplines of organization learning and change management is at times quite problematic. Selecting and focusing o a few disciplines at time is therefore advisable. The application of all the disciplines is of utmost significance since there is a proven interlinking of all of them. For example, when an organization chooses to focus on shared vision the process of conversation also emphasizes Team Learning. Notably, there is no definite place to start since there is linkage of the principles. Anywhere an organization starts will in get it to the finish line as long as the application is appropriate. The latter statement does not mean that a company should focus on all five simultaneously, but rather choosing at least two and implementing them perfectly is of great value than mere balkanization that mostly lack focus. Narrowing the scope improves the efficiency and the effectiveness of implementation.

A critical look at the five disciplines reveals that they mainly focus on the long-term development of the organization. They affect the operations both internally and externally. It is detrimental to give much emphasis on the trivial to short-term events at the expense of expansive and more rewarding ones. Appropriate utilization of the model helps the business to be reputable and competitive thereby ensuring sustainability of its processes. Good performance stems from all the employees working together and pulling in one direction. An organization that needs to move forward should not tolerate any form of mutiny form its members. In order to achieve such, the organization needs to harmonize its vision with that of individual employees. Understanding that the disciplines hare interrelated makes it easy for the management to initiate and maintain implementation plan.

Summary of the finding so the Team Development Sessions

The main aim of team building is to provide focus, the necessary resources, motivation, and training that the people need to ensure that members work in harmony. It is not an event, but rather a process that that forms part of the organizations culture. The team building exercise need to have a defined purpose, for example the development of particular sets of skills. The development of such requires methods that are void of conflict. The first step is always to identify the needs of the team. It is the most important step that serves to define the teams strengths and weaknesses. The step may try to investigate conflict between members, the right team members, the level of communication, the need to work together, the degree of morale, collective or individual success, and the need for familiarity. The identification of the needs of the team lays the foundation for the rest of the activities that are equally just as important.

While set-piece team building excise enable the members to bond and get to know each other, it is imperative to instill teamwork or mentality into the mindset of all the individuals involved. It is the responsibility of the team leader or the facilitator of the building process to know the team beyond the face value. The most important indicators in this regard include but not limited to the various needs, personalities, aspirations, and ambitions of the members. Knowing them and then helping them know each other portend happiness for the unit. Organizing for coffee or barbeques are some of the social events that provide the best way to build relationships since it provides the interaction and the mingling platform. The relaxed setting is a healthy ground for people to reveal their personalities and to open up.

The second step is to get the team to define the goal and work towards a common objective. It is important to unite the members to work towards a shared vision or a common goal. Developing or defining the destination normally prevents cases of mutiny and conflict within the group. The next step is to develop strong, relevant, and professional skills. The achievement of organizational goals depends on the level of skills and competencies depicted by the employees. The skill matrix helps in the sharpening of the skills. The matrix provides the opportunity to audit the members in terms of their abilities, the devising of the training needs, and then match the identified skills with the available roles. Matching the employees with their roles that best suits them has the motivational effects and increases productivity.

Connection with a digital or virtual team is exceedingly significant because most people do not work near each other. Most organizations are multinationals or have branches all over. It is easier to build a virtual team in such a case to ensure inclusivity of all the members. However, such a methodology makes it difficult to create rapport with the members since it lacks the personal touch. Additional challenges usually stem from the variation in culture and time zones due to the geographical locations and the difference in strategies in parts of the world. The feeling of isolation will make the use a virtual networking platform quite viable and make the people welcome the idea. Staying in effective and regular communication with each team member is possible due to the many online tools that also offer entertainment. The use of good technology is important, but mode of communication determines the success of the team-building excise. Proper execution of a team-building excise portends greater levels of effectiveness and efficiency. However, certain members perceive them as a break of the monotonous office work and not something worth following trough. The latter case means more danger for the company.

Structured Facilitation of Team Development

In team development, the facilitator normally play a neutral role mainly confined to encouragement and guidance strategies aimed at helping the team members attain objectives that prompts the convening of a particular meeting. A proper use of the powers of the facilitator eliminates the neutrality aspect. Structured facilitation is the best in this regard. Successful facilitation process follows the STAR model that ensures that the team performance is at optimum levels. The model is classified into three parts namely the content, skills and process. The content stresses the mandate of the team and approach to team building. On the other hand, the process defines the structure of the workshops and the necessary steps to for meeting facilitation. Finally, the process refers to the experience or the professionalism required in accomplishing the activity.

The three strands work in tandem in the facilitation of the skills in a meeting set up. The content is significant since is what defines the entire meeting. There is need for the facilitator to understand what the discussion is about, the reason for the activities, and the people who will perform the duties (Langley et al., 2013). The process requires different approaches and topics. The selection of the right process is integral to the entire undertaking. The content should be clear and designed in manner that is beneficial to the employees. The right skills enable the organizers to provide leadership during the meeting and getting appropriate feedback from attendance. The right tools go beyond mere words into actions...