Theoretical Framework: Resistance as an Organizational Change Problem
Think about a specific problem or opportunity in your organization, your community, your professional association, or your social organization. (I have included an example of how the paper should be structured along with feedback on the assignment, please let me know if more information is needed)
(Organizational Problem: The need for organizational change is necessary because the structure shows areas of communication pitfalls in leadership, lack of consistency in departments regarding work processes, lack of training on work functions, and less emphasis on certain projects while others have a higher focus.
Question 1: How effective is the current structure of the organization to include, communication, leadership, and the onboarding training process for new hires as well as ongoing professional development in the organization?
Question 2: What strategic plans can be implemented to identify the best way to overhaul the organizational structure, including leadership, current training method, and communication to improve the functionality in the organization? )
This week you will determine which theory from scholarly literature most aligns with your own study. You will create a theoretical framework section of your proposal in which you state the theory, discuss the background of the theory, and why it is an appropriate framework for your own proposed study.
Your framework should be 4-5-pages in length (excluding cover page and references) and formatted according to the CSU Global Writing Center (Links to an external site.). You must include a minimum of six credible, academic or professional references. Review the grading rubric to see how you will be graded for this assignment.
Organizational Change Problem: Resistance
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Organizational Change Problem: Resistance
The key organizational change that the paper addresses is resistance. The resistance is majorly linked with the organizational leadership issues such as communication pitfalls. Therefore, there is a need to answer various research questions linked to the problem, including structural complexities and an effective strategic plan for implementing change and limiting resistance. Consequently, a reliable theoretical framework is necessary to interpret the problem to improve organizational functionality and stability.
The first theory is Kurt Lewin's change theory, which focuses on resistance management. Lewin's change theory is widely accepted since it proposes practical measures for dealing with change problems. It assists the organizations in accommodating change and ensuring successful goal achievement. The key reason for organizing change is to ensure that the employees follow a reliable strategic direction that would allow them to increase organizational productivity.
Regarding the background of Lewin's change theory, it has three stages that must be followed to ensure smooth organizational change and reduced resistance. The three stages proposed by the theory are unfreezing, implementing change, and refreezing (Tracy, 2020). Unfreezing is the first stage of Lewin's theory. The major reason for unfreezing is to create awareness among the employees about why the change is considered. In this stage, the management must work together with the employees and make them understand the reasons for initiating change. The stage also involves examining the organizational structure, leadership issues, organizational processes, and the employees' way of thinking. The stage requires a rapid communication approach that would leave the employees comfortable and willing to adopt the stated change strategies. Besides, the employees must understand the imminent change and how they could benefit from it. Therefore, the unfreezing stage is the major backbone of Lewin's theory since it determines success or failure.
The second stage of change that Lewin's theory proposes is implementation. It is the most crucial since it comprises specific actions that enhance transition. It is a significant stage and comes after making people aware of the need for change. In this stage, the management should reinforce and solidify the change in specific sectors such as leadership and structure (Burnes, 2020). The stage is also essential since it determines change actualization. The employees have to adopt new realities and overcome any fear of change. It also allows individuals to learn new behaviors and change their way of thinking. The execution of the stage requires the management to use specific strategies that accommodate the interest of employees and understand any source of resistance. Lastly, Lewin suggests that management must continue explaining the importance of the change to the employees.
The last stage of Lewin's theory is refreezing. It is a significant process of reinforcing and stabilizing the implemented change. The management must ensure that the employees accept the new state and those undecided are mobilized to embrace change. Lewin noted that the refreezing stage is essential for preventing back to the old behaviors (Hussain et al., 2018). It also ensures there is consistency in change adoption. The idea for refreezing is to bring people together and identify specific adjustment areas. Evaluation of change is also practical at this stage to understand peoples' acceptance to change. Therefore, unfreezing, change implementation, and refreezing must be adopted to enhance effective change management.
Lewin's theory of change is vital for the proposed study since it would help manage resistance, which is the key problem. For instance, the unfreezing step would be considered to create awareness and resolve communication problems. Besides, the change implementation stage would be necessary overhauling the organizational stru...