Assignment:
Do a thorough review of the required background materials and read up on each author's discussion about Kotter's eight-step model of change, Lewin's three-step model, and the five phases involved in action research. All of the authors discuss at least one of these models. There are also some videos on some of these models that might help.
Reviewing these models of organizational change, take a look at the scenarios described in Questions 1-3. For each of these scenarios, explain which of the three models of change would be most appropriate for this situation. You are required to cite at least three of the sources from the background readings in your paper.
Finally, Question 4 is a summary question that you should also answer using the required readings. Your paper should be 4-5 pages in length:
1. A corporation has had recent problems with increased turnover of employees and decreased profitability. However, nobody is sure exactly what the problem is or what to do about it. Senior managers have been arguing for many months about what to do, but it is clear nobody is being objective or has a clear idea about what to do to get the company back on track. Explain which organizational change model would be most suited for this scenario using at least one of the required background readings.
2. A financial services company has been using the same software system for 10 years and employees have grown very accustomed to using this system. The employees are hard-working but very resistant to change. When word leaks out that management is considering a switch to a completely new software system, the employees become very upset as a new system will require a tremendous amount of training and hard work. Management determines that a new system is necessary in order to remain competitive but is concerned about the difficulty in dealing with employees who are so resistant to any type of change. Explain which organizational change model would be most suited for this scenario using at least one of the required background readings.
3. A company has been gradually losing market share to competitors and the CEO believes radical change is needed in order to stay in business. He is concerned that his employees will be resistant to change and may be successful in blocking the necessary changes. The CEO also believes that if he can make a strong enough case that changes are urgently needed, he will obtain a the support of a large enough number of employees and senior managers that will help him overcome any resistance to the needed changes. Explain which organizational change model would be most suited for this scenario using at least one of the required background readings.
4. Conclude your paper with a discussion about which of the three change models you think is the most useful and which one you think is the least useful. Support your answer with references to the required background materials.