Strategic Change Organizations that want to survive, succeed and ultimately undertake good and significant work have to react to the challenges and difficulties presented by the world. One major aspect of this response could necessitate the organization shifting its focus as well as its approaches and strategies. These aspects of strategic change for an organization are important and pivotal in the growth of an organization and continued success and prosperity. In addition, it enables an organization not to be obsolete in whatever industry or sector it operates (Bryson, 2011; Lega, F, Longo, & Rotolo, 2013). Morever, Malik, Al Kahtani, & Naushad (2013) opine that, a strategic planning process that is well-designed and implemented in a proper manner can provide the organization with a medium and opportunity for entity-wide discussions and deliberations about significant decisions. The practice can also be systematized to make evaluation, resource apportionment, and authorization easier, and be a foundation of information concerning advancement and accomplishment with very material implication to those related with the organization. This particular paper will undertake an analysis of strategic change for American Heart Association (AHA).

Why American Heart Association is in Need of Strategic Change

The American Heart Association (AHA) is a non-profit organization that encompasses a limited number of professional corps and is handed support by different volunteers from all over the nation. The main center of operation or head of office of the organization is situated in Dallas in Texas. This particular organization purposes to increase the level and number of healthier lives that are free of any stroke or cardiovascular diseases. American Heart Association is in great need to change given the prevalence of the related ailments and more so because it deals directly with the lives of people. According to Dineen (2015), statistics indicate that roughly one out of every three deaths that take place in the United States are ascribed to cardiovascular diseases. In addition, globally, it is estimated that about 17 million people die owing to this disease. What is more, the American Heart Association (AHA) anticipates this number to increase to about 23 million deaths worldwide. The reason why the organization desperately requires strategic change is due to the lack of training and proficiency amongst its personnel and workforce. The organization had an excess of three thousand personnel and about thirty million other in volunteers and supporters who are constantly geared towards increasing the knowledge of life saving. However, despite these huge numbers, statistics indicate that an individual who is suffering from cardiac arrest has access to CPR at a mere 32% of the time. This is largely due to the fear of performing such emergency procedures in the wrong way because of lack of proper knowledge and training (Dineen, 2015).

SWOT Analysis of American Heart Association

SWOT Analysis is a constructive and advantageous method used for understanding the organization's Strengths in terms of its strong suits, and Weaknesses in terms of its flaws and faults. The approach is also beneficial for ascertaining both the Opportunities open to the organization and the Threats it faces. The organization can make use of this technique to determine whether an issue is an internal or external factor and how it impedes or benefits the company, not only in the contemporary state but also in the forth-coming periods (Malik et al., 2013). The following is a SWOT Analysis of American Heart Association (AHA).

Strengths

1. The organization has a brand that is well recognized

2. AHA has set up established affiliations with other organizations

3. Huge fractions of the general population are aware and already know about heart issues (Gonzalez et al., 2012)

4. Effective social media promotions and campaigns

5. Professional Staff and volunteers in great numbers

6. across the nation presence

Weaknesses

1. The personnel are incessantly working on other projects

2. Minimal and insufficient resources or budgets

3. Dependence on donors for fundraising endeavors

4. Lack of sufficient training and education on personnel

5. Abstract objectives for awareness (Gonzalez et al., 2012)

Opportunities

1. Increased proficiency in personnel could save greater number of lives

2. Potential for more partnerships (Gonzalez et al., 2012)

Threats

1. Increase in deaths that can be prevented

2. High level of maintenance (Gonzalez et al., 2012)

Appreciative Inquiry 4-D Cycle analysis for American Heart Association

Appreciative inquiry (AI) can be defined as a constructive manner to get a hold of and espouse organizational change on the basis of the modest assumption...

AI starts by determining what is constructive and linking to it in manners that enhance the passion and visualization for change. It considers organizations to be social systems and not as entities, which can be taken apart and repaired. The following discussion indicates the four stages of the appreciative inquiry (AI) which encompasses discovery, dream, design and destiny and it is commonly also referred to as the 4-D cycle (Bryson, 2011).
DesignIn this case, the principles of appreciative inquiry will be applied to the domain of training and providing knowledge to American Heart Association Stakeholder's. To start with, the main positive question that will be employed in kick-starting the project will be "How can we incessantly improve on cardiovascular emergencies?" This will be done through a project task force where all of the personnel will be included. Another aspect will be the engagement of the different stakeholders. These stakeholders will include patients, employees, volunteers as well as the administrators.

Discovery

Destiny

Design

AFFIRMATIVE TOPIC CHOICE

Design

In order to discover, the organization ought to pose the question to the different stakeholders to receive the positive aspects of the emergency services and how they have been handled thus far and more so, how they can be improved and enhanced to save more lives. In the design phase of the 4-D cycle, the organization will need to come up with better techniques of teaching and training the personnel so as to improve their proficiency and ensure that they are not in fear of undertaking what is required of them. Lastly, there is destiny and in this phase all of the training and education has been disseminated and therefore the volunteers and personnel are assessed on their practical developments (Bryson, 2011).

Comparison between Outcomes of SWOT Analysis and Appreciative Inquiry 4-D Cycle analysis for American Heart Association

The organizational outcomes in making use of SWOT analysis are completely different when compared to the organizational outcomes when appreciative inquiry is used. To start with, the SWOT analysis has very minimal or low level of engagement. The appreciative inquiry has a high level of engagement as opposed to it, as it asks questions on different parties of stakeholders regarding the positives of the organization or issue at hand. For instance, in this case, personnel would be asked who enjoy doing CPR and who would enjoy becoming better at performing the procedure. This increases the positive outlook of the different involved parties on the affirmative topic. Secondly, different from SWOT analysis, the AI approach ensures that it attains stakeholder buy-in on the aspect being considered. AI encompasses a process of working out in teams to take into account each set of question. This in particular, is the best prospect to include and involve different stakeholders. Another drawback of using SWOT analysis and its consequential outcomes is that it focuses its analysis on the negative factors. Rather than focusing on the 32% of the emergency patients who receive CPR and are saved thereby, SWOT focuses on the other 68% that signify failures. Focusing on negatives impedes confidence building and vigor and hence does not result in positive or constructive outcomes largely for the reason that it is lackluster and does not create an inspirational vision to work.

On the other hand, AI encourages and stimulates positive outcomes. The approach enables AHA to consider the manner in which it perceives to be the best in meeting the needs of its stakeholders who consist of not only its consumers but also its personnel, volunteers, and the community at large. The approach does not focus on the negative aspects but rather makes an attempt to determine how the organization restructure its challenges to be perceived as existing and prevailing opportunities. In this case, AI would consider the 68% probability to be an opportunity for American Heart Association with respect to improvement and a chance for the organization to increase the level of knowledge and training that is given to the personnel. Another drawback that can be perceived in SWOT analysis is that the approach does not offer any kind of incentive to succeed. In contrast, AI starts out by focusing on what the organizing is already succeeding at and where it is most effective and building up on such basis. This offers the personnel and the stakeholders of the organization the stimulus to prosper and thrive in whatever aspect it seeks to approach (Capela and Brooks-Saunders, n.d.).

However, it is imperative to take note that SWOT analysis is imperative in analyzing the threats and weaknesses that the organization is experiencing. This enables the organization to improve on areas of weakness by fortifying its general structure and system and including all of the stakeholders. To summarize, it can be…