Organizational Change: Article Critique
Question
The topics covered in this unit align nicely with what we have studied throughout this course. Human resources
management and organizational change management are integral to success in today’s organizations. For this final
assignment, choose an article from the Waldorf Online Library that covers organizational change, and write an article
critique.
The article of choice should be at least five pages in length and must have been published within the last five years.
After reading the article, briefly summarize the purpose for the study, and answer the following questions:
What is the authors’ main point?
Do the authors’ arguments support their main point?
What is your opinion of the article? Do you agree with the authors’ findings?
How can leaders help establish a culture of change in an organization?
What do you think is the best method for overcoming resistance to change in today’s business climate?
Your paper should be a minimum five pages, not counting the title page and references. Use APA-style format for your
paper, including all references and in-text citation
IF YOU NEED ACCESS TO THE WALDORF ONLINE LIBRARY PLEASE LET ME KNOW.


Solution
Organizational Change: Article Critique
The article chosen is by Ann-Louise
Holten, Gregory Robert Hancock, and Anne Bøllingtoft (2019) about change
leadership and change management, focusing on the layoffs, mergers, and
closures which constitute relocations and outsourcing. Many businesses worldwide
are undergoing a period of intense globalization and technological revolutions
that impact business operations. As a result, some companies have to close and
merge with others. Some companies are relocating production and outsourcing
from other developing countries where labour costs are low, government
regulations are lenient, and proximity to raw materials. However, the intensive
changes that come with layoffs, these closures and mergers impact the
employees, which is the main focus of the authors in this article. They explore
through a study how well organizations can manage the change process and
compare how the leadership in the change process impacts the change recipients.
The authors focused on collecting the information from Danish workers to represent
the working population in the country through a panel data approach. The researchers
received 2120 responses which constituted 1000 from public organizations and
the rest from private companies. In the findings, the authors noted that it was
easy to predict the positive change consequences and experiences when both
change leadership and change management were present across public and private
sectors (Holten et al., 2019).
However, when the two groups, private and public, were compared, it was revealed
that the employees from the public institutions reported less positive
consequences or experiences. This results from the bureaucracy in public
institutions compared to the private sector, which focuses more on performance
management and profitability.
The authors’ main point is that both
change leadership and change management are essential and should be used
concurrently during the change implementation process to attain positive
outcomes among the receivers (Holten et al., 2019). Although there can be adverse
outcomes, the main focus here by the authors is specifically on the positive consequences
and change experiences as perceived by the receivers of the change in both
public and private organizations. Drawing responses from the public and private
entities also aimed to distinguish which sector benefits more from the change
process. In this case, the findings revealed that leaders who are knowledgeable
in the change management process in both industries show the characteristic of
change leadership, such as providing support to the employees for the positive
change experiences and consequences to be achieved (Holten et al., 2019). The findings supported this
hypothesis, but the authors discuss the importance of collaboration and
motivating the public sector, in this case, which was the most disruptive due
to the many mergers and permanency of most employees to endure the change
process. On the other hand, the private sector is mainly affected by layoffs
and closures.
The authors’ arguments support the
main point based on both the findings and the literature review. Firstly, the
authors explore how change management and leadership have increasingly been
used in organizational change topics. In this case, the authors discuss how
various implementation programs have contributed to multinational corporations’
large-scale. In this case, work-related activities have been impacted,
including changes to job designs and the nature of tasks. On the other hand, individual
outcomes could also be affected positively and negatively, such as job
satisfaction and commitment, turnover rates and intention to leave, and
performance (Holten
et al., 2019). Therefore, without proper implementation of the change
through appropriate management practices to manage such risks and leadership to
provide good inspiration and motivation to participate in the change process
and realize the benefits. Therefore, the findings from the secondary literature
views, drawn from past research, help support the hypothesis of the researchers
in the article. Using logical reasoning and analysis of the secondary resources
and discussion of the evidence from previous researchers is one way to
strengthen their findings and develop a basis for conducting the research.
In the findings, the authors also have reached a conclusion
supported by the responses of the sample population. One of the arguments that
the authors make is that the Danish workers mainly reported being affected by
mergers (Holten et al., 2019).
Based on the 2008 economic crisis and the structural reforms in the country’s
financial sector, most workers reported positive improvements in the change
process and are generally open to accepting organizational change (Holten et al., 2019). Another
finding that supported the main arguments also includes the impact of
leadership in inspiring change behaviours (Holten et al., 2019). For instance, the findings
indicated that the way leaders inform and communicate the change process,
including involvement and regular feedback, increased the support for
organizational changes. This resulted in positive change experiences and consequences
in work-related activities and the individual outcomes among the workers. The
support given to the workers by change leaders is critical to making them more knowledgeable
and committed during the organizational process. When it came to change
management findings, the authors also found similar results and arguments to
support their main point. In this case, the authors indicate that most
employees tend to develop trust and support for the change leaders if they have
the change competencies and reasons appealing to the other employees.
Therefore, the managers’ knowledge, skills, and capability to initiate change
and have good ground for such change can enhance a collaborative environment
with the employees who are critical in the effective transition process and
institutionalization of the change process for the future (Holten et al., 2019). In this
case, managing potential risks is critical to ensure that organizational change
leads to positive outcomes.
Although the Authors focus on the Danish workers and the
processes of mergers, layoffs, and closures, they present promising findings on
the aspects of change leadership and management that contributes to the
positive change experiences and outcomes intended in most the organizational
changes. The authors raise two main essential issues affecting most
organizations when implementing change. First, managers must show leadership
skills to cooperate with other employees (Hechanova et
al., 2018). Without convincing the other employees of the need and importance
of the change and including them, such as selling feedback and their thoughts
on how best to achieve it, it would be not easy to achieve such a positive
outcome (Mehta et al., 2014). Besides, the authors identify essential
leadership traits associated with the change process, including how well to
communicate, provide support, and inform the employees of the progress of
organizational change every step of the way, which can help in continuous
involvement and monitoring of the change process. This is quite important in
the change process. The second issue is the significance of the competencies of
the change leader. In the same way, patients trust doctors to give the correct
medication because of their expertise power. Employees also develop trust with
the change leaders and mergers who have expertise in what they are doing.
Considering change is a new process, looking up to such management for
direction is critical. Therefore, there is a need to have the competencies and
capability to handle a change process to be effective (Mehta et al., 2014).
Overall the authors make promising findings on how best to utilize change
leadership and change management to enhance positive experiences and outcomes (Holten et al., 2019).
In conclusion, leaders must establish a culture of change in
organizations and overcome resistance in today’s business climate. The nature
of communication has transformed in the business world with video conferencing,
zoom meetings, and other forms of instant messages to many people at once is a
possibility. Besides, there is a growth in digital marketing through various
online platforms and media. One of the most remarkable is social media
platforms such as Facebook, which has attracted many businesses to use multiple
analytics in predicting consumer behaviour and promoting relevant products to
various segments, which has increased sales of both large and small businesses.
Therefore, a lot of change is happening in the business industry, and the
employees should be trained to be flexible and agile to respond to those
changes on time. Developing a culture of accepting change is therefore
essential. To overcome the resistance to change, leaders must communicate the
need for the change and reasons for such changes to ensure that at least most of
the employees agree and see the market. Afterwards, continuous communication
with employees, listening to their feedback and concerns and addressing them is
crucial to make them part of the processes. Lastly, implementation in phases is
critical so as not to make sudden changes at once, which can lead to workflow
disruption.
References
Holten, A., Hancock,
G., & Bøllingtoft, A. (2019). Studying the importance of change leadership
and change management in layoffs, mergers, and closures. Management Decision,
58(3), 393-409. https://doi.org/10.1108/md-03-2017-0278
Mehta, S., Maheshwari,
G. C., & Sharma, S. K. (2014). Role of Leadership in Leading Successful
Change: An Empirical Study. Journal of Contemporary Management Research, 8(2),
1-22. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/role-leadership-leading-successful-change/docview/1728618598/se-2?accountid=40836
Hechanova, M., Caringal-Go, J., & Magsaysay,
J. (2018). Implicit change leadership, change management, and affective
commitment to change. Leadership &Amp; Organization Development Journal,
39(7), 914-925. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-01-2018-0013



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