BUS661-WEEK 3-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS-ASSIGNMENT –Instructor Guidance- Leading Organizational Change MFV1314A
WEEK 3
Week 3 Objectives-instructor guidance-
· Outline key reasons for resistance to change and propose actions that can be taken to reduce resistance.
· Discuss key driving forces and steps of the change process.
· Evaluate the importance of communication in the change process and the overall effectiveness of the change initiative.
· Demonstrate knowledge of the change process.
In week two, we considered the internal and external pressures associated with change within the law enforcement profession. Continuing with this example we will consider/propose actions that can be taken to reduce resistance to change with the law enforcement profession.
Across the country, crime analysts are compiling statistics that record and identify trends in crime. In theory, law enforcement managers can use these statistics to determine the best way to disperse the personnel within the agency to address specific crimes. There is an inherent flaw with this method for managing the delivery of police services to the community. The implementation of accountability programs are often thought of by management as a means of increasing officer productivity and motivating otherwise disinterested officers. The associated problem with the use of accountability programs are that law enforcement officers learn how to manipulate the statistics without truly accomplishing the goals of the agency. Subsequently the officers who learn how to manipulate these accountability systems are looked upon as the example. As a result, law enforcement managers must identify or develop proven methods to motivate officers to buy in to the vision and goals of the organization.
Contrary to the traditional methods of policing, accountability programs “adopt the managerial techniques and administrative structures of private for-profit corporations, emphasizing cost control, efficiency, decentralization of management and the cutting back of the public sector, while creating a market or quasi-market mechanisms, contracting out, performance indicators, risk assessment, and audit procedures.” (Chan, 1999) As managers continue to implement these types of programs within the law enforcement profession, officers who typically enjoy a considerable amount of freedom are now confronted with a micromanagement style of leadership. This often results in feelings of resentment, hostility, and distrust as management is pitted against front-line employees. To offset this hostility, officer’s gradually fall into several distinct categories. Those who produce at lower-levels, those who learn to manipulate the statistics utilized by supervisors to measure performance, and those who continue to work at previously established levels. Each of these situations creates a challenge for managers to deal with in terms of motivation. It would not be plausible to motivate each group of officers ...
1. BUS661-WEEK 3-DISCUSSION QUESTIONS-ASSIGNMENT
–Instructor Guidance- Leading Organizational Change
MFV1314A
WEEK 3
Week 3 Objectives-instructor guidance-
· Outline key reasons for resistance to change and propose
actions that can be taken to reduce resistance.
· Discuss key driving forces and steps of the change process.
· Evaluate the importance of communication in the change
process and the overall effectiveness of the change initiative.
· Demonstrate knowledge of the change process.
In week two, we considered the internal and external pressures
associated with change within the law enforcement profession.
Continuing with this example we will consider/propose actions
that can be taken to reduce resistance to change with the law
enforcement profession.
Across the country, crime analysts are compiling statistics that
record and identify trends in crime. In theory, law enforcement
managers can use these statistics to determine the best way to
disperse the personnel within the agency to address specific
crimes. There is an inherent flaw with this method for
managing the delivery of police services to the community. The
implementation of accountability programs are often thought of
by management as a means of increasing officer productivity
and motivating otherwise disinterested officers. The associated
problem with the use of accountability programs are that law
enforcement officers learn how to manipulate the statistics
without truly accomplishing the goals of the agency.
Subsequently the officers who learn how to manipulate these
accountability systems are looked upon as the example. As a
result, law enforcement managers must identify or develop
proven methods to motivate officers to buy in to the vision and
goals of the organization.
2. Contrary to the traditional methods of policing, accountability
programs “adopt the managerial techniques and administrative
structures of private for-profit corporations, emphasizing cost
control, efficiency, decentralization of management and the
cutting back of the public sector, while creating a market or
quasi-market mechanisms, contracting out, performance
indicators, risk assessment, and audit procedures.” (Chan,
1999) As managers continue to implement these types of
programs within the law enforcement profession, officers who
typically enjoy a considerable amount of freedom are now
confronted with a micromanagement style of leadership. This
often results in feelings of resentment, hostility, and distrust as
management is pitted against front-line employees. To offset
this hostility, officer’s gradually fall into several distinct
categories. Those who produce at lower-levels, those who learn
to manipulate the statistics utilized by supervisors to measure
performance, and those who continue to work at previously
established levels. Each of these situations creates a challenge
for managers to deal with in terms of motivation. It would not
be plausible to motivate each group of officers using similar
methods due to the demands placed upon management to ensure
that there is no disparate treatment among the officers.
Additionally, unions and contracts can add to the complexity of
the problem of appropriately motivating officers.
Therefore, law enforcement agencies should allocate a
significant amount of its resources toward developing good
motivational tools to enhance officer productivity. This begs
the question, how can motivation be accomplished while
maintaining organizational integrity, efficiency, and
productivity? It has become apparent that traditional
disciplinary and reward systems do not go far enough to
motivate officers on a continual basis. Further, accountability
programs implemented by agencies such as the Broward
Sheriff’s Office (BSO) are subject to corruption and statistical
manipulation by both command staff as well as road
deputies/officers.
3. Developing motivational strategies for officers will ultimately
assist the law enforcement agency in attaining its goals, as well
as to increase officer morale and performance. The positive
changes within the law enforcement agency will be reflected in
the community response to the local policing agency.
With the advent of community policing throughout the United
States, law enforcement has redefined its roll within the
community. Quite simply, police departments are now aligning
to crime prevention initiatives rather than the traditional
reactive mode which was dependent on the counting of citations
written and the total number of arrests. With this philosophy
and initiative in mind, ironically, it may be far more productive
for the police manager and community, as a crime prevention
tactic, to simply park an unoccupied marked patrol car in a high
crime area compared to the alternative of having a non-
productive employee utilize that same car and intentionally
avoid those areas where the high profile visibility is needed.
Those employees failing to productively contribute to the needs
of the community negatively impact the overall cost to the
agency and its perception within the community.
How then can law enforcement managers take on dead wood in a
positive and aggressive manner to benefit the employee, the
agency, and most important of all, the community? The initial
approach by management in confronting non-productive
employees must be positive. In the past, a line supervisor
would be tasked to document low performance. This inevitably
created a long term paper trail, which unfortunately,
accomplished little if anything in the end. Action of this sort
also lends itself to direct challenge by the employee in question
as being a form of selected discipline and/or harassment.
Management then is forced to assume a defensive role, which
often becomes labor intensive and costly to the agency, once
again, accomplishing little if anything in the end.
The first step to be taken by management should be on of direct
confrontation with the employee. Performance is not measured
by the number of arrests or citations, but rather on prevention
4. initiatives within the community. Statistical data needs to be
provided to the employee showing that during that employee’s
tour of duty and zone assignment, calls for service are constant
and/or increasing. This could include all types of activity
including traffic accidents, juvenile disturbances, and criminal
reports taken on other shifts identifying times of occurrence as
that of the subject employee’s assigned tour of duty. The
employee’s past and current record now speaks for itself.
At the time of the confrontation, which is now referred to as
counseling by management, the employee should be permitted
to have representation of their choosing present at the scheduled
meeting. The employee quite simply is informed that their
current level of performance is failing to meet the needs of both
the community and the agency in relation to effective crime
prevention initiatives. The employee is then presented with the
statistical data previously discussed and then asked one
question: Why are you failing to meet the need of the
community and the agency? A direct response by the employee
suggesting that they feel they are doing their job now provides
the foundation for management to clearly show the employee
where they are deficient in terms of the overall objectives of the
agency in relation to community policing. The statistical data
and documented performance of this employee now play a
critical role in management’s attempt to turn this employee into
a productive member of the department. If the employee
accepts the counseling, retraining is initiated and formally
monitored. If the employee is insistent that they are doing the
job in spite of statistical data and overview of the agency’s
current objectives, either way, the employee has now indicated
that they do not know how to do their job.
Having posed the aforementioned question to the non-
productive employee, they may answer the question with one of
three possible responses.
1. I refuse to do my job in order to meet the needs of the
community and/or the agency.
2. I do not know how to do my job in relation to the current
5. community needs and department expectations.
3. Personal problems are affecting my ability to do the job.
Rarely will the employee answer with a direct refusal to do their
job. This response lends itself to a direct act of insubordination,
which allows for a clear case to justify termination. In the
event the employee responds with the last option indicating
personal problems, a command decision referral for the
appropriate counseling is immediately initiated. The employee
should be placed on immediate administrative suspension
pending completion of counseling. If this is not immediately
done, the agency is now at risk for any action lending itself to
controversy, which was initiated by the employee in question.
Reference
Chan, J. B. L. (1999), Governing police practice: limits of the
new accountability. The British Journal of Sociology, 50: 251–
270. doi: 10.1111/j.1468-4446.1999.00251.x
Week 3 Preview of Readings, Discussions, and Assignments
Readings
1. Read the following chapters in your text, Managing
Organizational Change:
a. Chapter 6: Resistance to Change
b. Chapter 7: Implementing Change: Organizational
Development, Appreciative Inquiry, Positive Organizational
Scholarship, and Sense-Making Approach
2. Recommended Reading:
a. Lamm, E., Gordon, J., & Purser, R. (2010). The role of
value congruence in organizational change. Organization
Development Journal, 28(2), 49-64.
(Document ID: 2042541661).
Discussions
To participate in the following Discussion Forums, go to this
week's Discussion link in the left navigation:
1. Preventing Resistance
Listed below are a number of reasons why people may be
resistant to a change. For each of the reasons, identify at least
one action that could be taken by management to reduce the
6. prospect that it will be a significant source of resistance
(Exercise 6.2 from your text). Respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
Reason for ResistanceProposed Action
Dislike of change
Discomfort with uncertainty
Perceived negative effects on interests
Attachment to established culture/ways of doing things
Perceived breach of psychological contract
Lack of conviction that change is needed
Lack of clarity as to what is expected
Belief that the specific change being proposed is
inappropriate
Belief that the timing is wrong
“Excessive change”
Cumulative effect of other changes in one’s life
Perceived clash with ethics
Reaction to the experience of previous changes
Disagreement with the way the change is being managed
2. Change Intervention
Complete the following exercise (Exercise 7.2 in your text):
Choose a current issue in your local neighborhood. You will
figure out how you would design a large-scale change
intervention program in relation to this issue. Answer the
following questions and respond to at least two of your
classmates’ postings.
a. How many people would it make sense to involve?
b. Where and when would you hold it?
c. How would you ensure that you have a representative
cross sample of relevant people in the room at the same time?
What data sources would you need to achieve this?
d. Who are the key decision makers in relation to this issue?
What arguments will you use to get them to attend the meeting?
e. How will you structure the agenda of the meeting? What
would be the best way of doing this so that people who attend
7. on that day have appropriate buy-in to it?
f. How would you run the actual meeting?
g. What technology would you need to make it work well?
h. What would you like people to take away from the
meeting?
i. What follow-up actions would you plan to ensure that
actions and decisions flowed from it?
j. What possible funding sources might you draw on to
finance the meeting?
k. As a result of considering such questions, what new issues
emerge for you, as a large-scale change intervention agent, to
consider? What specific skills would you need to make such an
event work well? Which of these skills would you need to
develop more?
Assignments
To complete this assignment, go to this week's Assignment link
in the left navigation:
1. Change at DuPont
Read the case study Change at DuPont from the end of chapter 7
in your text. Answer the following questions in a three- to four-
page APA style paper; include outside sources to support your
answers.
a. To what extent are the following approaches to change
embedded in the DuPont story (justify your answer, providing
specific examples):
• OD
• Appreciative inquiry
• Sense-making
b. In your opinion, how compatible are these three
approaches? Why? What evidence is there in the DuPont story
to support your answer? As a change manager, to what extent
could you utilize insights from each approach?
c. Imagine you are an OD practitioner brought into DuPont
at the time of the Orlon anufacturing operation closure.
Describe the steps you would take to help manage this change
8. based upon action research.
d. Describe a fictional large-scale change that could affect
DuPont. You will address this change from both a problem-
solving approach and an appreciative inquiry approach. You
will explain the change to a group of DuPont employees from
each approach (two different change explanations). Compare
and contrast the steps taken in each approach. Which approach
do you think would work better from the point of view of the
staff? Why? How easy/difficult will it be to adopt this
approach? What broad conclusions can be drawn?
2. Organizational Change Report Outline
A one-page outline is to be submitted to the instructor outlining
the topic you have chosen for your final paper and a minimum
of three references that you have identified to begin your
research on this topic.