Reflective Portfolio Essay Sample

Introduction

This paper entails a personal reflection of the major themes that I learned under the module “organizational change.” This module entailed a detailed study of several courses encompassing these principles and consequently, this reflective portfolio forms a summary of three of the concepts that I found to be most fascinating and interesting to me as an individual. Consequently, I will reflect on these concepts bearing in mind the ideas that I found to be most intriguing in the course as the primary basis of the reflection. The relationship between these distinct ideas and an explanation of why those ideas were selected in this paper will also be highlighted in this reflection. The reflection will also entail an analysis of whether these ideas can be applied within a real world setting, and if so, how I plan to use these ideas in my future endeavors and working career.

Change Management

According to Reis (2012, pg. 320), change management refers to the process through which forces within an organization intimate that the existing systems, procedures or overall culture may have cease to be relevant and may require an overhaul. Cameron and Green (2011, pg. 411) add that the processes that are involved in managing such forces are collectively referred to as change management. According to Anderson (2010, pg. 167), there are two main types of forces that trigger the change management process. These forces are the internal triggers and the external triggers. According to Pugh (2012, pg. 133), internal triggers include new designs of products and services; decreased performance and morale levels among the employees and the emergence of new service delivery ideas among other similar triggers.
According to HBR (2010, pg. 200), external triggers may include factors that are beyond the scope and control of a business entity. These factors may include changing or adverse economic conditions (Kneer, 2013, pg. 20) and changes in the tastes, preferences and requirements of customers (Lewis, 2011, pg. 88) among other similar factors.
Consequently I leant that the change management principle can play a critical role within these organizations in ensuring a smooth transition from the existing status quo to the new realities. From a personal perspective, I realized that I was equally averse to changes that required me to get out of my comfort zone. In this regard, the change management process can be a favorable tool in my personal life in instances such as those faced by organizations during times of significant changes.
My reflection of the change management process also revealed that although organizations and individuals such as myself are generally adverse to major changes to the status quo, such perceptions tend to change whenever major positive changes occur in the normal day-to-day existence. In this regard, major positive changes such as big job promotion or the wining of a windfall by individuals would cause them to adapt much faster to the said changes than would have been the case if the changes were negative. Upon reflecting on my personal perceptions in this regard, I realized that my reaction and behavior to these changes is likely to be in line with this general observations relating to change management.
Finally, the change management process also enabled me to understand how I can assist other individuals to handle major changes in their lives. This can be achieved primarily by understanding the nature, form, scope and impact of the change on the current status quo going forward.

Process and Context of Change

The second theme which I found to be exceptionally intriguing to me as an individual in my study of the module was the principle of the process and context of change. According to Biron (2012, pg. 240), this principle entails the perspective which argues that for a change process to be successful, it is important to understand the underlying context, substance and overall process of the change within an organizational framework so as to determine how the change will ultimately impact the outcome. Consequently, there are several considerations that must be made in implementing the process and context of change principle in an organization.
According to Kindermann (2013, pg. 222), the first consideration that must be made is the specific prescription of how to manage the underlying change. In this regard, I learnt that there was no simple formula for such a prescription in existence, but rather the change process was intricate in nature and it required a more complex prescription approach.
According to North (2010, pg. 99), the second consideration which must be made within this principle is the sensitivity of the change strategies to the people involved. Here, I learnt that successful change initiatives must carefully consider how the targeted individuals will respond to these changes so as to ensure the change`s success within the specific context chosen.
According to Broke (2011, pg. 511), the third consideration which must be made under the principle of process and context of change is the duration of time it takes for people and organizations to adjust to these changes. In this regard, I learnt that successful change initiatives take time before the concerned persons can fully embrace the changes and the desired envisioned effects fully takes course.
According to Andrews (2010, pg. 43), the fourth consideration which must made in implementing change initiatives is the manner and fashion with which people experience the changes. Here, I learnt that different people have different experiences to the said changes, with some readily embracing them while others vehemently rejecting the changes.
Pollitt (2013, pg. 366) notes that effective communication plays a significant role in the context within which the changes are implemented. In this regard, I learnt that effective communication must go hand in hand with the process of change so as to sensitize the targeted individuals accordingly. In this regard, the communication must be clear and concise, and it must be delivered a manner that ensures that it reaches its targeted audience. In this regard, I learnt that a successful change process cannot be separated from a corresponding and consistent communication framework that accompanies the proposed changes.
Lastly, Harrison (2013, pg.255), adds that a successful change initiatives must be designed in manner that fits the specific substance and overall context of the targeted organization or individuals. This ability of the change process to fit within the targeted context is the only guarantee that the change process will achieve its stipulated objectives. In this regard, I also learnt that it is important for individuals and organizations to learn from all the experiences that they encounter from a change perspective so as to build on these lessons and to create more effective change initiatives in subsequent future periods.

Four Models of Change

According to Mathew (2011, pg. 43), there are four models of change that can be used by organizations and individuals to initiate change programs. Accordingly, the first model of change is the emergent model. According to Kezar (2011, pg. 98), the emergent model of change states that a project might be affected by unforeseen factors in the event that it is executed within a framework that contains several uncertainties. Finch (2011, pg. 11) adds that under these circumstances, strategic planning process or the projects are unlikely to mitigate the risk of such occurrences due to the intensity of the uncertainties. In this regard, I learnt that under this model, the overall success of the underlying project is heavily influenced by numerous individuals who have different interests and objectives in such projects.
According to Hayes (2014, pg. 55), the second model of change in contemporary business environments is the participative model. This model essentially advocates for the participation of different stakeholders in the formulation of the change processes that they are subsequently subjected to. In this regard, Gong (2014, pg.99) notes that if the people for whom a specific strategy is being formulated are actively involved in the formulation and creation of the change initiative, they are unlikely to resist the proposed changes or to embrace them with skepticism. In this regard, I learnt that the easiest way to rally people to accept a proposed change within an organization or social setting is to involve them in the change making process.
According to Liu (2011, pg. 1750, the third model which is used in the implementation of changes within organizational settings is the political model. Sims (201, pg. 2170 notes that the overriding view under this model is the perception that organizations and social setting are made up of people with different interests, agendas, values and objectives. In this regard, I learnt that these characteristics largely influence the manner and fashion in which these individuals perceive and adapt to changes within these organizations. Overriding objectives and goals in particular are a major factor that determines whether or not these individuals will adopt the said changes, or whether they will cause the individuals to vehemently oppose and reject the changes if they do not fit in with their primary interests.
Lastly, I also learnt that the environment within which the proposed changes are implemented in an organization largely determines whether or not the concerned individuals will embrace and accept those changes. In this regard, I realized that though changes may sometimes force individuals to get out of their comfort zones due to a change in the status quo, this discomfort can largely be avoided if an enabling environment is created to foster the process of the acceptance of the changes. Accordingly, the managers in an organization are also tasked with the role of ensuring that the create an accommodating environment at the work place for the employees, so as to enable them accept the proposed changes as being legitimate.

Conclusion

This paper has undertaken an in-depth personal review and reflection of the main themes that I learned in the module known as “organizational change.” The refection entailed a selection of three themes that had an over bearing effect from a personal perspective on me as individual within the context of the underlying study. In this regard, this reflection has focused on the principles of change management; processes and contexts of change; and finally, the four models of change. Within these three main themes, the reflection has analyzed the main ideas that I found to be easy or difficult to learn as an individual as well as any general emerging principles that arose within these themes. In closing, this paper has enabled me to adequately reflect on what I learned in the course, and how can be able to apply those concepts within a practical setting going forward.

Reference List

Anderson, D., 2010. Beyond Change Management: How to Achieve Breakthrough Results
Through Conscious Change Leadership. New York: John Willey and Sons
Andrews, M., 2010. Development as Leadership-led Change: A Report for the Global
Leadership Initiative. Washington: World Bank Publications
Biron, C., 2012. Improving Organizational Interventions for Stress and Well-being. New York:
Routledge
Brocke, J. V., 2010. Handbook on Business Process Management. NJ: Springer Science and
Business Media
Cameron, E., and Green, M., 2012. Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to
the Models Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change. London: Kogan Page
Publishers
Finch, E., 2011. Facilities Change Management. New York: John Willey and Sons
Gong, J., 2014. Change Management and the Human Factor: Advances, Challenges and
Contradictions in Organizational Development. NJ: Springer
Harrison, A., 2013. Business Environment in a Global Context. London: Oxford University Press
Harvard Business Review., 2013. HBR's 10 Must Reads on Change Management (including
featured article Leading Change, by John P. Kotter). Boston: Harvard University Press
Hayes, J., 2014. The Theory and Practice of Change Management. London: Palgrave Macmillan
Kezar, J., 2011. Understanding and Facilitating Organizational Change in the 21st Century.
New York: John Willey and Sons
Kinderman, T. A., 2013. Development of Person-context Relations. NJ: Psychology Press
Kneer, C., 2013. Change Management. NJ: GRIN Verlag
Lewis, S., 2011. Appreciative Inquiry for Change Management: Using AI to Facilitate
Organizational Development. London: Kogan Page Publishers
Liu, X., 2011. Change Management for Semantic Web Services. New York: Springer
Mathew, S., 2011. The Act of Change Management: A Principled Approach for Leaders. NJ:
I-universe
North, D. C., 2010. Understanding the Process of Economic Change. Princeton: Princeton
Pollitt, C., 2013. Context in Public Policy and Management: The Missing Link? New York:
Edward Elgar Publishing
Pugh, L., 2012. Change Management in Information Services. London: Ashgate Publishers
Reiss, M., 2012. Change Management: A Balanced and Blended Approach. NJ: Books On
Demand
Sims, R., 2010. Change (transformation) in Government Organizations. NJ: IAP