Organizational change, structure, and bureaucracy in economic contexts

¶ … Organisation) and Which Sector it Operates in

Description: Task 1 Background to change

Describe the significance of change within an organisation in the current economic climate

What factors do you consider to be the most important?

What are meant by the following terms in relation to organisational structure and change: bureaucracy, hierarchy?

Bureaucracy

Explain the advantages and disadvantages of each

Compare and contrast two different forms of organisational change development by producing a brief report containing examples from known organisations

Task 2 Systems for understanding and involving others in the process of change.

Within your own organisation or one with which you are familiar, identify all stakeholders likely to be involved in the change process

What measures or processes could be used to help involve stakeholders in aspects of organisational change?

For two of these comment on their relevance and effectiveness to an organisation. 6

Managing Change in Organisations. Task 3 Implement models for ensuring ongoing change. Describe two models for change. Include appropriate examples in your answer..6

Identify the necessary steps for planning the implementation process for each of these models 6

A summary of the main findings 7

Recommendations for improvements in how the organisation approaches change management 7

End Notes & #8230;..8

Brief introduction to what the organisation is (or part of organisation) and which sector it operates in.

Society is made up of different types and classes of people who relate in diverse ways and situations for various reasons to achieve a specific goal or a number of objectives. They may be social, religious, political or economic in nature. When people come together for whatever purpose, they form a particular entity. This is known as an organisation. The Business Dictionary describes an organisation as

"A social unit of people, systematically structured and managed to meet a need or to pursue collective goals on a continuing basis. All organizations have a management structure that determines relationships between functions and positions, and subdivides and delegates roles, responsibilities, and authority to carry out defined tasks. Organizations are open systems in that they affect and are affected by the environment beyond their boundaries."1

In order to be successful, any said group of people in an organisation has to be conscious about their engagements and cooperate in such a way to facilitate as to function smoothly. For the purpose of this exercise, we shall be looking at the oganisational concept from a business perspective. In the light of this, Encyclopaedia Britannica defines a "business organization, [as] an entity formed for the purpose of carrying on commercial enterprise. Such an organization is predicated on systems of law governing contract and exchange, property rights, and incorporation."2 It goes on to assert that "Business enterprises customarily take one of three forms: individual proprietorships, partnerships, or limited-liability companies (or corporations). In the first form, a single person holds the entire operation as his personal property, usually managing it on a day-to-day basis. Most businesses are of this type. The second form, the partnership, may have from 2 to 50 or more members, as in the case of large law and accounting firms, brokerage."3

Beyond this, there are many different kinds of businesses. This called the business sector. It simply refers to the particular section of the economy in which an organisation specialises. It could either be business or corporate. For our discussion, we will be referring to business, the context of a supermarket.

Description: Task 1 Background to change

In life, change is always an ongoing process which may be conscious or unconscious. In general terms, change simply means to make something different from what it was before to give it a fresh or new form. Change usually comes about in a variety of ways. Note that change within an organisation can also be known as development. Organization change occurs when a "Company or organization [is] going through a transformation. Organization change occurs when business strategies or major sections of an organization are altered. [It is [a]lso known as reorganization, restructuring and turnaround.4

Organizational Development takes the concept of change a step further because it "encompasses the actions involved with applying the study of behavioral science to organizational change. It covers a wide array of theories, processes, and activities, all of which are oriented toward the goal of improving individual organizations."5 This overhaul systems and structures makes an organisation more effective and better prepared to attain its aspirations.

Describe the significance of change within an organisation in the current economic climate.

At this present time, the economic climate is very unstable. This financial uncertainty has led to the loss of many jobs, the closure of several enterprises and many mergers as well. In such circumstances, change becomes very essential to ensure survival, sustainability and progress. At this moment, change is vital since some level of discipline. For example, the supermarket in question here has to review its pricing system and customer service to keep its sales up. Sales representatives should be able to comfortably persuade buyers in these hard times. On the whole, both internal factors and the external environment need to be taken into consideration. Change allows the organisation to adapt to the current market conditions and meet customers' needs while still breaking even in the face of competition.

What factors do you consider to be the most important?

There are numerous elements for an organisation to consider in the process of change in order to get positive effects. First of all, it is important to revisit the vision, mission and values of a unit undergoing change. Then the organization chart and personnel management including the corporate strategy of the company in question should also be revised. With this in mind, a good communication system in place would facilitate the direction which the change is taking, so that all are on board. This will guarantee that business risks, job factors, motivation and motivating factors are all given a fair appraisal.