Ashford University Change Management Discussion

Discussion 1

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Part 1: Changing the Status Quo from the course textbook The Greenhouse Approach: Cultivating Intrapreneurship in Companies and Organizations. Additionally, read the following articles The Irrational Side of Change Management (Links to an external site.) and 1 Reason Why Most Change Management Efforts Fail (Links to an external site.). Note the reference to the estimated 70% failure rate for change.

Next, reflect on the following observation by Niccolo Machiavelli:

It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institution and merely lukewarm defenders in those who gain by the new ones. – The Prince

Intrapreneurs are change agents and initiate outward change (products and services) and inward change (policies, procedures, technology). Assess the information in the above articles and Part 1 of the course textbook and then do the following:

• Determine the environment needed for beneficial intrapreneurial activities. Do this by devising a minimum of three principles you feel are the foundation for a beneficial intrapreneurial environment.
• The two articles offered above suggest there is an estimated 70% failure rate for organization change implementation efforts. Based on what you know about intrapreneurial activities, defend the use of nimble change management techniques to reduce the estimated 70% failure rate previously mentioned.

Offer a link to a video or an article that provides additional information about intrapreneurs as change agents, as well as effective change management procedures.

Professor Note

As we exchange ideas about change activities, we will appreciate the complexity of intrapreneurial activities. In my experience, Niccolo Machiavelli’s observation about introducing new systems is spot-on. As we progress, I will share some business experiences with you about the successful and unsuccessful change efforts I led or participated in.

Reading relevant articles about the concepts we discuss is essential to developing informed opinions and observations. Among my go-to publications is Harvard Business Review (HBR).

The May-June 2021 issues of HBR contain an article that I encourage you to read – Why Startups Fail. The author identified two common mistakes and offered a practical solution. The author also made a credible case that the common errors occur in intrapreneurial and entrepreneurial environments. The proposed remedy also works in both environments. This HBR article is worth your time.

OK

Discussion 2

Prior to beginning work on this discussion forum, read Part 1: Changing the Status Quo from the course textbook The Greenhouse Approach: Cultivating Intrapreneurship in Companies and Organizations. Additionally, read about John Kotter’s eight-step method for implementing change on the webpage 8 Step Process (Links to an external site.). Pay attention to the material offered about principles versus rules.

As a matter of course, we all encounter rules that govern our actions in our business environment. We are accustomed to rules and more or less follow them and seldom seriously question them. Following rules provides stability and predictability; however, rules can potentially stifle innovation. When, for example, core competencies become core rigidities, innovation halts and stagnation flourishes.

After retrieving and reading the information about the eight-step method and reading the information in the assigned textbook (emphasis on the material about principles versus rules), do the following:

• Assess Kotter’s proposed method as principles used to guide actions. Is Kotter’s method flexible enough to develop effective change management procedures across several cultures or is it specific to the point that there seems to be only one way to manage change? For example, is there only one way to create a sense of urgency?
• Estimate the level of effort it might take to transition from a rules-based environment to a principle-informing-rules environment. What are two major obstacles that might be encountered?
• Offer a link to a video or an article that provides additional information about principles informing rules, as well as effective change management procedures.

Professor Note

All,

Change efforts must be managed – keep Machiavelli’s observation from our first discussion in mind as you reflect on Kotter’s change management model.

Also, think about change efforts you were part of as a leader, participant, or observer. What went wrong? Would a formal change management system such as Kotter’s system have made a difference? Is there a relationship between organizational culture and the models and tools used to identify and manage change initiatives?

Who is going to open our discussion about a foundation concept – change management?

Thanks,