EHRM 607 special topics

Activity 1: Case Study Analysis:
Background
XYZ Manufacturing Co., a mid-sized company specializing in automotive parts, had been a leader in
its niche market for over two decades. The company prided itself on its quality products and loyal
customer base. However, by 2018, XYZ was facing significant challenges. The automotive industry
was rapidly evolving with the advent of electric vehicles (EVs) and increasing automation.
Competitors were adopting new technologies and lean manufacturing processes, which allowed them
to offer better products at lower costs. In contrast, XYZ’s production methods were outdated, and its
workforce was resistant to change.
Activity: Present a real-world case study where an organization underwent significant development
or change.
Have students work in groups to analyze the case, identify key challenges, and propose strategies for
successful organizational development.
The purpose of this case analysis allows students to apply theoretical concepts to real-world
situations, enhancing their problem-solving skills.
Response:
Challenges
1. Outdated Technology: XYZ’s production lines were inefficient, leading to higher costs and
longer lead times.
2. Employee Resistance: Many employees, some of whom had been with the company for
over 15 years, were resistant to adopting new technologies and processes.
3. Leadership Gaps: The company’s leadership team lacked experience in change management
and was divided on how to move forward.
4. Market Pressure: Competitors were increasingly capturing market share, putting XYZ’s longterm survival at risk.
Strategic Response
In 2019, the company’s CEO, Jane Doe, recognized the need for a comprehensive
organizational development (OD) strategy to transform XYZ and secure its future. She
initiated a three-phase approach:
1. Phase 1: Diagnostic Assessment
o
o
Action: The first step was to conduct a thorough organizational diagnosis. Jane
brought in an external consulting firm specializing in OD to assess the company’s
strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities. The assessment involved surveys,
interviews, and focus groups with employees across all levels of the organization.
Outcome: The assessment revealed that while the company had strong technical
expertise, there was a significant gap in its readiness for change. The workforce was
deeply entrenched in old ways of working, and there was a lack of alignment among
the leadership team.
2. Phase 2: Leadership Development and Alignment
o
Action: Jane realized that before any significant changes could be implemented, the
leadership team needed to be unified and equipped to lead the transformation. She
o
initiated a leadership development program that included workshops on change
management, communication, and strategic thinking. The program also included
team-building exercises to foster collaboration and trust among the leadership.
Outcome: Over six months, the leadership team became more cohesive and aligned
around a shared vision for the company’s future. They developed a clear roadmap
for the transformation, which included updating technology, streamlining
operations, and upskilling the workforce.
3. Phase 3: Workforce Engagement and Technological Upgrades
o
o
o
Action: The most challenging phase involved engaging the workforce in the
transformation process. Jane and her team launched a series of town hall meetings
to communicate the vision and explain the necessity of the changes. They also
introduced a comprehensive training program to help employees acquire new skills
needed for the updated production processes.
Technology Upgrade: XYZ invested in state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and
adopted lean manufacturing principles. The training program was designed to not
only teach employees how to use the new technology but also to shift their mindset
towards continuous improvement.
Outcome: While there was initial resistance, the combination of transparent
communication, leadership support, and hands-on training helped to gradually win
over the workforce. Over time, the employees began to take pride in their new
capabilities and the company’s improved performance.
Activity 2: What are the ethical issues that can happen during
Organizational Development?
During Organizational Development (OD), various ethical issues can arise, particularly when
implementing changes that affect employees, organizational culture, and stakeholder
relationships. Here are some common ethical concerns:
1. Transparency and Honesty
•
•
Issue: OD processes often involve significant changes that can create uncertainty and
anxiety among employees. If management is not transparent about the nature, scope, and
potential impacts of these changes, it can lead to mistrust and a sense of betrayal.
Example: If layoffs or restructuring are being planned, withholding this information from
employees until the last minute is unethical, as it prevents them from making informed
decisions about their futures.
2. Informed Consent
•
•
Issue: Employees and other stakeholders should be fully informed about the OD
interventions being planned, and their consent should be sought when those interventions
directly affect them.
Example: Implementing a new performance monitoring system without informing
employees about how the data will be used could be seen as a violation of their privacy and
autonomy.
3. Privacy and Confidentiality
•
•
Issue: During OD, sensitive information about employees or the organization may be
collected and analyzed. It’s crucial to handle this data with care to protect privacy.
Example: Sharing individual employee performance data or personal information with
unauthorized parties, or using it in a way that was not disclosed, breaches confidentiality.
4. Fairness and Equity
•
•
Issue: OD initiatives should be implemented in a way that is fair and equitable to all
employees. This includes ensuring that changes do not disproportionately benefit or
disadvantage any particular group.
Example: If training and development opportunities are only offered to certain employees or
departments, it can create a perception of favoritism and inequality.
5. Coercion and Manipulation
•
•
Issue: OD interventions should not involve coercion or manipulation to achieve desired
outcomes. Employees should not be forced into accepting changes that they do not agree
with or that they believe are detrimental.
Example: Pressuring employees to accept new roles or responsibilities without adequate
support or choice can be seen as coercive and unethical.
6. Respect for Human Dignity
•
•
Issue: OD processes should respect the dignity and rights of all individuals involved. This
includes avoiding actions that could harm employees’ self-esteem, job security, or
professional reputation.
Example: Publicly shaming or blaming employees for resisting change rather than addressing
their concerns respectfully violates their dignity.
7. Responsibility to Stakeholders
•
•
Issue: OD practitioners and management have a responsibility to consider the impact of
changes on all stakeholders, including employees, customers, and the community. Ethical
OD practice involves balancing the needs and interests of different groups.
Example: A decision to relocate operations to another country for cost savings may benefit
shareholders but harm local employees and communities, raising ethical questions about
social responsibility.
8. Misuse of Power
•
•
Issue: Leaders and OD practitioners have significant power in shaping the future of the
organization. This power should not be used to further personal interests or agendas at the
expense of the organization or its employees.
Example: If a leader uses the OD process to eliminate rivals or consolidate power rather
than genuinely improving the organization, this constitutes an abuse of power.
9. Cultural Sensitivity
•
•
Issue: OD initiatives often involve changes to organizational culture. It’s important to be
sensitive to the existing culture and values of the organization and its employees,
particularly in diverse or global organizations.
Example: Implementing a new corporate culture that disregards or disrespects the existing
cultural norms and values of the workforce can lead to ethical issues and alienation.
10. Long-Term vs. Short-Term Benefits
•
•
Issue: Ethical dilemmas can arise when there’s a conflict between short-term gains and longterm sustainability. OD interventions should be designed with a view to the long-term health
of the organization and its stakeholders.
Example: Downsizing to improve short-term profitability might harm the organization’s longterm viability by damaging morale, reducing talent, and harming the brand’s reputation.
Conclusion
Ethical issues in OD can have significant consequences for the organization and its
stakeholders. It’s crucial for leaders and OD practitioners to approach development initiatives
with a strong ethical framework, prioritizing transparency, fairness, and respect for all
individuals involved.
‫ثييتت‬
EHRM 607 Special Topics in HR
Executive Master in Human resource Management
Case study assignment
Applying Kotter’s Model of Change:
Case Study “ABC” Seniors Care Home
“ABC Senior Care Home” has 50 employees and according to WorkSafeBC, 25% of the
organization’s workplace injuries in 2014 and 2015 were due to acts of violence or aggression
from residents. In the long-term care sector, acts of violence or aggression account for 11% of
all injuries reported to WorkSafeBC. ABC Senior Care Home is above the provincial average for
injuries related to these types of incidents.
A coloured dot system to identify residents who are potentially aggressive or violent exists at
ABC, however an audit revealed that staff were updating the dots only after a staff member
had been injured as a result of aggression or violence, not when they had observed change in
behaviour. 65% of the nursing staff had undergone point-of-care risk assessments training in
2012, however this left some shifts without any staff trained to assess residents at point-ofcare. This created a larger volume of point-of-care assessments to be done on shifts with
trained staff.
The last violence prevention training for all staff was in 2012 and since then a large number of
trained staff retired and replaced with staff who have not had recent violence prevention
training. Hires since 2012 were provided ABC’s policies and procedures on workplace violence
in written form at point of hire.
Policies and procedures for point-of-care risk assessments and updating the coloured dot
system exist but are often not used and mostly followed only when an incident is reported.
1
‫ثييتت‬
Applying Kotter’s Model of Change
Using Kotter’s model of change, apply the 8 steps to this case study using one of the
identified dimensions of the safety culture framework.
1. Create a sense of urgency
• What threats exist if changes are not made? What are the benefits to making
changes?
• Identify the top 3 reasons to make a change.
2. Form a powerful coalition
• Who would you choose to be part of the coalition to champion the change?
3. Create a Vision for Change
• What are the values central to the vision?
• What is the vision of success? Be specific!
4. Communicate the Vision
• How would you communicate or demonstrate the vision?
• Where would you embed the vision in the organization?
5. Remove Obstacles
• What barriers exist to implementing the change?
• What would you do to remove these barriers?
6. Create short-term wins
• What are the simple and inexpensive things this organization can do to make change?
7. Build on the change
• If progress was being made as a result of the changes, how might you build on this
momentum?
• Who might be new agents of change to add to the coalition?
8. Anchor the change in culture
• What success stories might you share and how would you share these stories
• How would you celebrate the success and recognize agents of change
2
HRMA 607: Special Topics in HRM
Lecture 1: Organizational Development
Lecture Outline
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Background
Organizational change
External factors for change
Internal Forces for Change
Scope of Change
Definition of organizational development
Process of organizational development
Organizational Development Initiatives
Examples Organizational Development
OD Intervention Methods
Ethical Considerations in Organizational Development
Activity1
What is Organizational Development ?
Organizational Change
Planned Change change resulting from
a deliberate decision to
alter the organization
Unplanned Change change that is imposed
on the organization and
is often unforeseen
Managers must be
prepared to handle both
External Forces for Change
Globalization
Workforce
Diversity
Changing
Technology
Ethical
Behavior
Globalization
Organizations must rethink
the most efficient ways to
Use resources
Disseminate/gather information
Develop people
Majority of
new workers
will be female
Workforce will
grow in diversity –
Structural
Change
&
Mental
Change
Workforce is aging less young workers, more
middle-aged
Workforce
Diversity
Ethical
Behavior
Other Organizations
Customers
Ethical
Treatment
Environment
Society
Changes
in work
relationships
Technological
Change
Changing
Technology
Changes in
organizational
structure
Internal Forces for Change
Declining
Effectiveness
Changing
Work Climate
Company
Crisis
Changing
Employee
Expectations
Scope of Change
Incremental Change – change of a relatively small
scope, such as making small improvements
Strategic Change – change of a larger scale, such as
organizational restructuring
Transformational Change – change in which the
organization moves to a radically different, and
sometimes unknown, future state
Organizational Development (OD)
Organizational Development (OD) – a
systematic approach to organizational
improvement that applies in order to
increase individual and organizational wellbeing and effectiveness
Organizational Development Interventions
❖Organizational Development interventions are the set
of structured activities where selected organizational
units gets engaged with task or set of tasks the are
either directly or indirectly related to the development
of the organization.
❖These tasks will lead to organizational improvement
and the interventions are the actions taken to produce
desired changes.
Factors That Impact The Success of OD Interventions
Factors relating to
Change Situation:
Factors relating to
the Target of Change
1) Readiness for Change
1) Strategic Issues
2) Capability to Change
2) Technology and Structure
Issues
3) Cultural Context
4) Capabilities of the
Change Agent (OD
Consultant)
3) Human Resource Issues
4) Human Process Issues
Organizational Development Process
Step 1: Entry
•
Entry represents the initial contact between
consultant and client in which they present,
explore, and identify the problem, opportunities, or
situation.
•
The output of this phase is an engagement contract
or project plan that establishes mutual expectations
and preliminary agreements about project scope
(such as time, money, and resources).
Step 2: Diagnosis
• Diagnosis (assessment) represents the fact-finding
phase.
• It is a collaborative data gathering process between
organizational stakeholders and the consultant in
which relevant information about the presenting
problem is gathered, analyzed, and reviewed.
Step 3: Feedback
• Feedback represents the return of analyzed
information to the client or client system;
exploration of the information for understanding,
clarity, and accuracy; review of preliminary
agreements about scope and resource
requirements; and the beginning of ownership of
data by the client.
• The output of this phase is typically an action plan
that outlines the change solutions to be
developed, along with defined success indicators
based on the information and data analysis.
Step 4: Solution
• Solution represents the design, development, and
implementation of the solution or set of solutions
meant to correct the problems, close gaps, improve
or enhance organizational performance and
effectiveness, or seize opportunities.
• Outputs may include a communication plan, a roleand-responsibility matrix, a training plan, a training
curriculum, an implementation plan, a risk
management plan, an evaluation plan, or a change
management plan.
Step 5: Evaluation
• Evaluation represents the continuous process of
collecting formative and summative evaluation data
to determine whether the initiative is meeting the
intended goals and achieving defined success
indicators.
• Outputs generally include an evaluation report with
recommendations for continuous improvement.
Organizational Development Initiatives
Examples of Organizational Development
Activity2
What are the ethical issues that can
happen during Organizational
Development ?
Ethical Considerations in
Organizational Development
• Selection of the OD method
• Voluntary participation
• Confidentiality
• Potential for manipulation by the change
agent
List of References and Readings
for this Lecture
▪ ATD. (2023). What Is Organization Development?. [online] Available
https://www.td.org/talent-development-glossary-terms/what-is-organizationdevelopment
HRMA 607: Special Topics in HRM
Lecture 2: Leading Change
Lecture Outline
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Why we change?
Defining Leading change
The nature of change
Resistance of change
Dealing with Resistance to Change
Reactions to Change & Managerial Interventions
Kotter Model of Leading Change
Activity 1 discover the steps of leading change
The 8 steps of kotter model
Why we Change?
We live in a world where “business as usual” is change?
•
New initiatives,
• project-based working,
•
technology improvements,
•
staying ahead of the competition
these things come together to drive ongoing changes to
the way we work.
The Nature of Change
Resistance to Change
• Fear of the unknown
• Fear of loss
• Fear of failure
• Disruption of interpersonal relationships
• Personality conflicts
• Politics
• Cultural assumptions and values
Dealing with
Resistance to Change
• Communication
– details
– rationale
• Participation in the process
– ownership
– commitment
• Empathy and support
Reactions to Change & Managerial Interventions
Reaction
Disengagement
psychological withdrawal from
change
Disidentification
feeling that one’s
identity is being
threatened by change
Disenchantment
feeling negativity or
anger toward a change
Expression
Managerial
Intervention
Withdrawal
Confront, identify
Sadness, worry
Explore, transfer
Anger
Neutralize,
acknowledge
Disorientation
Confusion
feelings of loss and confusion due
to change
Explain, plan
Leading Change Models
• Jhon Kotter model
• Lewin’s Change Management Model
• ADKAR Model
• McKinsey 7-S Model
ADKAR Model
Kotter Model of Leading Change
John Kotter. A professor at
Harvard Business School
and world renowned
change expert, Kotter
introduced his eightstep change process in
his 1995 book, “Leading
Change.” We look at his
eight steps for leading
change below.
Kotter Model of Leading Change
Activity1
Step 1: Create Urgency
Develop a sense of urgency around the need for change.
This may help you spark the initial motivation to get
things moving.
✓ Identify potential threats, and develop scenarios showing what
could happen in the future.
✓ Examine opportunities that should be, or could be, exploited.
✓ Start honest discussions, and give dynamic and convincing
reasons to get people talking and thinking.
✓ Request support from customers, outside stakeholders and
industry people to strengthen your argument.
Step 2:Form a Powerful Coalition
Convince people that change is necessary. This often takes strong
leadership and visible support from key people within your
organization. Managing change isn’t enough – you have to lead it.
✓ Identify the true leaders in your organization.
✓ Ask for an emotional commitment from these key people.
✓ Work on team building within your change coalition.
✓ heck your team for weak areas, and ensure that you have a
good mix of people from
✓ different departments and different levels within your
company.
Step 3: Create a Vision for Change
A clear vision can help everyone understand why you’re asking them
to do something. When people see for themselves what you’re
trying to achieve, then the directives they’re given tend to make
more sense.
✓ Determine the values that are central to the change.
✓ Develop a short summary (one or two sentences) that captures
what you “see” as the
✓ future of your organization.
✓ Create a strategy to execute that vision.
✓ Practice your “vision speech” often.
Step 4: Communicate the Vision
What you do with your vision after you create it will determine your
success. Your message will probably have strong competition from other
day-to-day communications within the company, so you need to
communicate it frequently and powerfully.
✓ Talk often about your change vision.
✓ Openly and honestly address peoples’ concerns and anxieties.
✓ Apply your vision to all aspects of operations – from training to
performance reviews.
✓ Tie everything back to the vision.
✓ Lead by example.
Step 5: Remove Obstacles
Put in place the structure for change, and continually check for barriers
to it. Removing obstacles can empower the people you need to
execute your vision, and it can help the change move forward.
✓ Identify, or hire, change leaders whose main roles are to deliver the change.
✓ Look at your organizational structure, job descriptions, and performance
compensation systems to ensure they’re in line with your vision.
✓ Recognize and reward people for making change happen.
✓ Identify people who are resisting the change, and help them see what’s needed.
✓ Take action to quickly remove barriers (human or otherwise).
Step 6: Create Short-term Wins
Create short-term targets – not just one long-term goal. You want each
smaller target to be achievable, with little room for failure. Your change
team may have to work very hard to come up with these targets, but each
“win” that you produce can further motivate the entire staff
✓ Look for sure-fire projects that you can implement without help from any strong
✓ critics of the change.
✓ Don’t choose early targets that are expensive. You want to be able to justify the
✓ investment in each project.
✓ Thoroughly analyze the potential pros and cons of your targets. If you don’t succeed
✓ with an early goal, it can hurt your entire change initiative.
✓ Reward the people who help you meet the targets.
Step 7: Build on the Change
Launching one new product using a new system is great. But if you can
launch 10 products, that means the new system is working. To reach
that 10th success, you need to keep looking for improvements.
✓ After every win, analyze what went right and what needs improving.
✓ Set goals to continue building on the momentum you’ve achieved.
✓ Learn about kaizen, the idea of continuous improvement.
✓ Keep ideas fresh by bringing in new change agents and leaders for your change
coalition.
Step 8: Anchor the Changes in Corporate
Culture
Make continuous efforts to ensure that the change is seen in every
aspect of your organization. This will help give that change a solid place
in your organization’s culture
✓ Talk about progress every chance you get. Tell success stories about the change
✓ process, and repeat other stories that you hear.
✓ Include the change ideals and values when hiring and training new staff.
✓ Publicly recognize key members of your original change coalition, and make sure
the
✓ rest of the staff – new and old – remembers their contributions.
✓ Create plans to replace key leaders of change as they move on.
List of References and Readings
for this Lecture
▪ Kotter, J. (2012). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press.