How Intervention Strategies Contribute to Change Essay Example for Free

How Intervention Strategies Contribute to Change Essay Anne-Marie van Oost, Master of commercial sciences and Innovation Management, InduTec asbl/vzw, avenue Nellie Melbalaan 73, 1070 Brussels, [emailprotected] Jacques Tichon, Dr. Ing., Haute Ecole Paul-Henri Spaak, rue Royale 150, 1000 Brussels, [emailprotected] Summary Change involves moving from one condition to another. Change is not necessarily innovation. But an organisation that finds a fundamentally new way to reach and serve its customers has achieved an innovation. Organisations are changing at a record pace to keep up with an environment that demands more performance. Some organisations are doing a good job of changing to meet new performance requirements. These organisations know that change is the rule and that they will need to master change to continue to thrive. Every manager who has tried to guide an organisational change has experienced the reality of having to run the business while changing the business.Running an organisation and changing an organisation are two different kind of jobs each requiring different mindsets and skill sets. That wouldn’t be a problem if changes didn’t come along often and an organisation could just keep doing what it had been doing and still satisfy customers and stakeholders. But today’s environment is very different than it was a few years ago, and change is now the rule and not the exception. Employees must be able to perform as well during the change as they perform when the organisation is not changing. Unfortunately most managers and employees have been overtrained to perform in a no change, and undertrained to perform during change. This article will give you some theoretical concepts you will need to better understand the need of mastering change. 1. How to make organisational change happen? What is the importance ‘to  intervene’ 2. Are all organisations having trouble changing? Lots of organisations are not changing well enough to avoid negative consequences. Change implies inevitably resistance. 3. It is leadership that focuses the organisation on its new direction, whether that direction comes first from the leader hi/herself or from the mind of others. It is leadership that must coordinate the processes of change so that the organisation does not lose its way. It is leadership that supplies the courage for continued change in the face of the inevitable resistance and disappointment along the way. 1. INTRODUCTION Change has to do with ‘learning oganisations’. The concept has found favour in organisational development and management studies through the work of Senge, Nonaka Takeuchi, and others. , who have highlighted the importance of building ‘learning organisations’. The thinking is that only organisations that can learn fast will be equipped for the period of rapid change. Heifetz and Lauria state firmly that: â€Å"Solutions to adaptive challenges reside not in the executive suite but in the collective intelligence of employees at all levels†1. In order to improve organisational performance, there must be recognition that change and the turbulence it generates will undoubtedely affects all parts of the system.That is why it is one of the fundamental tasks of leadership to balance attention to the management of performance with attention to the management of change and uncertainty Academic Education focuses on technical and mental competences and stresses the need to train skills required for executive functions and leadership. Public and private enterprise would very much welcome purposeful and efficient training for leadership skills, but very often cannot find properly trained applicants for managerial positions.2 Leading people means asking people to change. One has to learn how to change,  one has to really want change and go for it. If people don’t really want to learn and change, it will not happen. That is why changing is so difficult. With this paper some concepts and models are introduced from literature that offer some insight into the management of change. But keep in mind that models may offer some insight, but at the same time they show and conceal reality, because they are one-sided by definition. â€Å"If change really is of the essence, if you really wish to see change occur at the behaviour level, for example to see managers manage changes differently or to see a greater amount of teamwork, then you have to think of something that compels such behaviour† (Eric Van de Reed, P., Extraordinary leadership, creating strategies for change, Kogan Page, UK, 2001. Pfeiffer, J.W., voorwoord in , Situationeel leiding geven, Uitgeverij Business Contact, Amsterdam, 2006 2 1 Loo).3 This article deals with behaviour interventions, topics like resistance and power as important derivatives, as well as leadership in relation to change. 1.1 Intervening as a technique and phenomenon To intervene means that someone forces their way into an existing system of relationships, people, groups or objects with the aim of improving it. In processes of change intervening as a technique and phenomenon is an important topic. But keep in mind that models may offer some insight, but at the same time they show and conceal reality, because they are one-sided by definition. Aryris defines ‘to intervene’ as follows.4 â€Å"Organisations do not perform the actions that produce the learning. It is individuals acting as agents of organisations who produce the behaviour that leads to learning. Organisations can create conditions that may significantly influence what  individuals frame as the problem, design as a solution, and produce as action to solve a problem. Whenever an error is detected and corrected without questioning or altering the underlying values of the system (be it individual, group, intergroup, organisational or interorganisational), the learning is single-loop. The term is borrowed from electrical engineering: a thermostat is defined as a single-loop learner. The thermostat is ‘programmes’ to detect states of â€Å"too cold† or â€Å"too hot†, and to correct the situation by turning the heat on or off. If the thermostat asked itself such questions as why it was set at 68 degrees, ot why it was programmed as it was, then it would be a double-loop learner.† Single-loop learning occurs when matches are created, or when mismatches are corrected by changing actions. Double-loop learning occurs when mismatches are corrected by first examining and altering the governing variables and then the actions. Governing ariables are the preferred states that individuans strive to â€Å"satisfice† when they are acting. These governing variabes are not the underlying beliefs or values people espouse. They are the ten have, Steven en Wouter, Verandering,over het doordacht werken aan de organisatie, Uitgeverij Nieuwezijds, 2004 4 Argyris, C. ,On organisational learning, Blackwell Publishing, 2004 3 variables that can be inferred, by observing the actions of individuals acting as agents for the organisation, to drive and guide their actions. This is where intervention shows up. In case you don’t handle the double –loop thinking, you become a servant of the status quo!! In his â€Å"Intervention theory and method: a behavioral science view, Argyris presents 3 methods of intervention: 1. To rely on knowledge and know-how already present in an intervener. Success is pretty much guaranteed as the proven methods put a client at ease. 2. To use in a creative manner a combination of different sources of existing knowledge of an intervener from previous situations. This requires more time than the first approach. 3. A third approach builds on the first two methods: to combine sources of knowledge of an intervener with those of a client. In this way, an  intervention helps a client to understand a problem and the intervention contributes to the theoretical knowledge base of an intervener. This approach is less common, but should be preferred over the first 2 methods. The joint development of conceptual models not only helps the client, but is also useful for future cases an intervener has to deal with. In this way, an intervener tries to translate specific issues of a client to generally applicable rules and views the various interventions and strategies of change as complementary. Harrison, R.5 sees the different methods and strategies for change as complementary . He does not consider the methods as different ways of doing the same thing, but rather as different ways of doing different things. Harrison contends there is a need for a conceptual model that indicates which strategy is suitable for which problem. A distinction in this regard might be the depth of the intervention at an individual, emotional level. Harrison explains depth according to 5 strategies: 1. Operations analysis: this approach (very little depth) addresses the use of roles and functions within an organisation. The strategy is aimed at bringing about change in the relationship between the different roles. The assumption is that people are exchangeable to a significant degree. Thus, relevant skills, needs and values of people within an organisation should be discernable. Harrison, R. Choosing the depth of Organisational Intervention , Journal of applied Behavioral Science, 181-200 5 2. Management by objectives: (an approach with a little more depth) This approach addresses the individual results. The individual and the manager agree on the services to be provided. The process (how to achieve those results) remains latent. 3. Instrumental process analysis: This strategy does address the process: what is someone’s work style and what is its influence on others within an organisation? A particular person is the focus of attention: what stimulates and curbs someone’s performance and how can negotiations be conducted between groups and individuals in order to achieve better results through work behaviour and work relationships? 4. Interpersonal relationships: . (this approach exhibits a great deal of depth). The intervention focuses on feelings co-workers have vis-à  -vis each  other and is aimed at improving teamwork. 5. Intra-personal analysis: (deepest level of intervention). A person is hit in their core with the aim of gaining more insight into the inner self as well as into relationships with ‘significant others’. The level of depth has different effects on an organisation: The more depth a method has, the more difficult the intervention is. The more depth there is, the more personal the result is, the less transferable it is. As an intervention becomes more personal, the amount of available information shrinks. The predictability of the outcome of an intervention decreases as the depth of an intervention increases. Conclusion: there should not be more depth than necessary to obtain a long-lasting solution to the current problems. 1.2 Resistance Whenever there is talk of change or change is in the air, resistance is just around the corner. It is important to ascertain where exactly processes of change are bogged down and what the underlying dynamics are. Boonstra frequently attributes resistance to blocked relationship patterns. Van de Loo makes a slight differentiation and describes resistance as non-rational reactions and specifically relationships suffering from a non-open, safe and insular environment. Kotter Schlesinger6, Readings in Managerial Psychology, 1989, 664-678, lay out a strategic approach to organisation change. Major changes and a low tolerance level in coworkers cause resistance. Managers are aware of the role played by resistance but few take that into account in defining the approach. The 4 most common reasons for resistance are: 1. Parochial self-interest: employees believe they are losing something valuable. Self-interest is placed above the company’s interest. This type of resistance often is reflected in subtle, political behaviour that is  exhibited before and during a change if the interests of a co-worker or of a group of co-workers do not match the organisation’s interest. 2. Misunderstanding and lack of trust: If co-workers do not understand the consequences and believe there will be more downsides than upsides to a change, they may also fee resistance. It is therefore key to clarify ambiguities as quickly as possible and to inspire as much trust as possible. 3; Different assessments: This situation often is created when different groups have different information available. Employees may get the impression that a change will have more drawbacks than benefits, both for themselves and for the entire organisation. 4. Low tolerance for change: This type of resistance stems from uncertainty and fear over not meeting the demands in terms of new skills and behaviour, even as co-workers realise change will be beneficial. There is also the fear over loss of face if change is perceived as doubt over previous activities. Major changes and low tolerance for change on the part of co-workers breed resistance. Kotter Schlesinger identify roughly 6 ways of dealing with resistance (strategy): 1. education and communication: especially in cases where resistance is caused by wrong or insufficient information, education and communication in advance can help reduce the level of resistance as well as the amount of time and effort put in. 2. participation and involvement: involving potential opponents in change can help prevent resistance. Participation leads to commitment. 3. support (training, time off after a heavy period, listening and providing emotional support,..: if it is fear and concern that cause resistance, support is the best medicine. 4. negotiation and agreement: offering incentives to active or political opponents can also reduce resistance. This method is effective if co-workers are losing position. The drawbacks are the high costs and the fact that a manager weakens his position once it becomes apparent that he is open to negotiation. Kotter,J.P. Schlesinger L.A. , Choosing strategies for change, Readings in Managerial Psychology, 1989, 664-678 6 5. manipulation and co-optation: manipulation boils down to selective use of information; cooptation is to appoint a co-worker to an important post at the time of design or implementation. However, if co-workers feel like they  have been misled, this will give rise to even more resistance than had no action been taken. 6. explicit and implicit coercion: to coerce co-workers into accepting change, for instance by threatening dismissal or transfer. The selection of the method for implementing change depends on the desired speed, the level of planning in advance, the involvement of co-workers as well as the alternatives. To increase the level of success, a manager may do the following: 1. perform an organisation analysis representing the current situation, the problems and their causes. Also, such an analysis provides insight into the speed at which problems should be solved as well as the type of change needed. 2. draw up a list of factors that are important for the change needed. This will increase the insight into who may put up resistance, why and how much, who has the necessary information, whose cooperation is crucial for the implementation and what the relationship between initiators and co-workers is like. 3. select a strategy of change, based on the analyses set out above. This strategy determines the speed of change and the level of planning and participation. 4. monitor the process of change in order to anticipate unexpected events during the process of change in a timely and adequate manner. 1.3 Leadership It is becoming more and more evident that the way the human potential is made use of, is the standard to judge the success of an organisation. The outcome of our striving for excellency depends upon the way we manage to offer leadership. Our own staff and employees will decide if our organisation will prosper. It was Paul Hersey’s challenge to develop a model of leadership that is both practical and based on clear, universal and logical concepts. The model he has developed is called ‘Situational Leadership’7. 7 Hersey, P., The situational leader, Uitgeverij Business Contact Amsterdam, 2006 In this model first the dimensions ‘Guiding’ and ‘Supporting’ as instruments to influence people have been entered on the two-dimensional chart. By ‘Guiding’ Hersey means actions that instruct people what to do, how and when to do it, and who specifically has to do it. ‘Supporting’ contains listening, encouraging, creating conditions, showing appreciation and empathy. Then the 4 quadrants are entered into the model to show the 4 different styles or manners of leadership.

Inventions :: Technological Scientific Advancement

Stepping into the 21st century, almost everybody is living on the edge of technological and scientific advancements. Many inventions and discoveries have been made by so many great minds whose purposes were to make our life always better than before. Ever since the beginning of all mankind, humans have always had the ambition to improve their life. From that ancient time to the present, we can’t list all of our discoveries and inventions. Each of them is very important and helped making our life better. Among these, three most important inventions that define our life in the 21st century are automobile, computer, and music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dated back even to the ancient time, transportation has always been a very important thing. Back then, ships were the only mean of transportation for human to travel from one place to another. It was a great method of transportation and even used until today. In the 1800s, human saw the emergence of train as the primary method of transportation on land. But the greatest thing was yet to come. Automobiles came to life in late 1800s and begin to shape people’s life so differently that it defined the new era from the past. In the 1900s, Ford made automobiles a lot cheaper and this mean transportation for everybody to everywhere. No longer human had to be restricted to single route for the masses. Each family can now own an automobile and can go anywhere the roads permit anytime they want. This is a new sort of freedom for each individual. They don’t have to gather to one place at a specific time, going to the same destination as in the past. This kind o f freedom is the stuff that defines the modern world. Take away the automobile and imagine how our life will be. Will 21st century be 21st century if we don’t have the freedom to traverse from point A to point B?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Automobiles have given people the mean of transportation, but in 1940s a new inventions was made. Computers came to the world and have completely taken the whole world to a new different level. Modern age wouldn’t be modern age if it wasn’t for the computers. Invented in 1945, but came into our life in less then 20 years, computers have changed the way people live. Nobody would refuse the fact that computers have blended themselves into our life. Inventions :: Technological Scientific Advancement Stepping into the 21st century, almost everybody is living on the edge of technological and scientific advancements. Many inventions and discoveries have been made by so many great minds whose purposes were to make our life always better than before. Ever since the beginning of all mankind, humans have always had the ambition to improve their life. From that ancient time to the present, we can’t list all of our discoveries and inventions. Each of them is very important and helped making our life better. Among these, three most important inventions that define our life in the 21st century are automobile, computer, and music.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dated back even to the ancient time, transportation has always been a very important thing. Back then, ships were the only mean of transportation for human to travel from one place to another. It was a great method of transportation and even used until today. In the 1800s, human saw the emergence of train as the primary method of transportation on land. But the greatest thing was yet to come. Automobiles came to life in late 1800s and begin to shape people’s life so differently that it defined the new era from the past. In the 1900s, Ford made automobiles a lot cheaper and this mean transportation for everybody to everywhere. No longer human had to be restricted to single route for the masses. Each family can now own an automobile and can go anywhere the roads permit anytime they want. This is a new sort of freedom for each individual. They don’t have to gather to one place at a specific time, going to the same destination as in the past. This kind o f freedom is the stuff that defines the modern world. Take away the automobile and imagine how our life will be. Will 21st century be 21st century if we don’t have the freedom to traverse from point A to point B?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Automobiles have given people the mean of transportation, but in 1940s a new inventions was made. Computers came to the world and have completely taken the whole world to a new different level. Modern age wouldn’t be modern age if it wasn’t for the computers. Invented in 1945, but came into our life in less then 20 years, computers have changed the way people live. Nobody would refuse the fact that computers have blended themselves into our life.

Are Test Scores a Good Indication of a Student’s Competency?

Are test scores a good indication of a student's competency? Nowadays, many students spend all their time in learning the courses and preparing the tests, and they don't have any time to take part in other activities. Is this phenomenon good or not? However, are test scores a good indication of a student's competency? Opinions vary from person to person. As far as I am concerned, test scores are not the only standard of evaluation, but it is still very important. First of all, not only those who get very high test scores can achieve success.Test scores only stands for a small part of one's competency. Test score is a reflection of your daily study. A good examination results indicates that you study hard, know how to go ahead and be different with those who lives without any aims. Scores themselves aren't what count, it's the fact that you are a person of ability or not. For example, the college entrance examination score of Jiang Fangzhou, who is a talent young writer, was not so hi gh. But Because of his outstanding writing ability she was unconventional admitted by Tsinghua University.Besides, the 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Mo Yan, but he had only primary education. On the other hand, high test score does not always represent a very strong personal capacity. â€Å"High scores and low abilities† is a new phrase in china. Xiao Li, a graduate who was freshly out of school, hasn’t found a job yet. He said, â€Å"I can’t do anything except studying, especially interpersonal skills and the ability of living independence. Maybe because my ‘High scores and low abilities’, I can’t get an offer from any company. When you are a person who has no other ability, test score can be a standard to evaluate your ability. But when you enter the society, maybe it is meaningless. It just represents your history, and you need to have various other abilities, such as practice ability, innovation ability, target power and interpersonal communication ability. Thirdly, test score is not a capital, but some time it is the knocking brick of success. Test score is still an important standard of selecting candidates in today's china.For example, in most cases, the college entrance examination and the civil servants examination are completely according to the examination scores for students' admission. In addition, many employers choose better employees in according to their test scores. So to most ordinary people, if we have high scores, we can have more opportunities All in all, test scores are not the only standard of evaluation. But under the exam-oriented education, we must have a high score, only then we can be recognized by the society. Of course, we should not only manage to get high test scores, but also improve our other abilities as far as possible.

Contemporary Commercial Advertising Aimed At Youth Essay

Literature review â€Å"Contemporary commercial advertising aimed at youth has often been counteractive to youth health and has contributed greatly to poor health outcomes.† Discuss Introduction The world as we know it in the 21st century is consumed by advertising. Everywhere we look, everywhere we go our eyes are continually be exposed to some form of advertising; televisions, media, magazines, bill boards and shops are some examples of places where we gather information from certain types of commercial advertising. Our lives are ruled by screens; it is inevitable that during our daily lives we are going to experience a sponsored ad, a TV commercial or a sexy, skinny model on the front of a mag. All these advertising elements may seem positive, may it be the pretty colours, gorgeous people, catchy phrases. These potential positive things are having a negative effect on youth health, as the unhealthy, unrealistic images portrayed are brain washing our younger society into unhealthy habits and ways of living. Goodman (1999), research found that the average young person views more than 3000 ads per day on television, on the Internet, on billboards, and in magazines, that was in 1999, as media and technology evolves so does advertising; imagine the figure it would be today. Advertising is a $250-billion-year industry within 900,000 brands to sell (Children, Adolescents, and Advertising, 2006). Teenagers spend $155 billion a year, making them the most attractive costumers,Show MoreRelated‚Äà ºMass Media (Television, the Internet, Advertising) Influence Youth Too Much Nowadays.‚Äà ¹ to What Extent Is This True?794 Words   |  4 Pagesthe internet, advertising) influence youth too much nowadays.† To what extent is this true? In the recent years, the prevalence of mass media has been undeniable. 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