Reference no: EM133117576

Let's talk about change agents, individuals inside or outside the organization who try to modify the existing organizational situational. Quite an important role for anyone in an organization for sure. It is not unfair to state that the success of a change initiative is, to a large extent, dependent on having an exceptional individual at the helm, leading the change. Whether a manager or not, a change agent will need certain special skills in order to be successful in their role. Among them are the ability to determine how a change should be made, the skill to solve change-related problems, and the experience of using behavioral science tools to influence people appropriately during the change process. Perhaps the most overlooked skill of successful change agents, however, is the ability to determine how much change employees can withstand.

Act as a change agent. Specifically, choose something within a University (a student organization, that you are familiar with, for example) or alternatively your place or job that you feel is ripe for change. Note, generally speaking, managers should make only those changes that will increase organizational effectiveness. Arguably, organizational effectiveness depends primarily on activities centering around three classes of factors: people, structure, technology. That being said, be specific in your approach. Assess what you would change and how that change would occur.

Provide the specific changes you would make in the [student] organization if you were to assume the change agent role. How would you go about effecting these changes?

What challenges do you envision for each of your changes?

Do you think that the [student] organization will welcome these changes with open arms? Why or why not?

For your particular [student] organization, would change occur more readily if the change agent were also the president of the organization? Discuss.

Some people jump at the chance to be a change agent while others run from the role. In your opinion, why is this the case?

What are some characteristics of successful change agentry? These factors should refer to the way in which change agents manage change rather than to any personal characteristics they may possess.

Will trust, respect, and credibility play a role in whether you are successful or not? Explain.

Sometimes organizations don't give a change initiative enough time to take root before they kill the effort. Learning new processes and changing them to organizational norms takes time. How long do you envision your change initiative(s) taking and at what point will you see fit to discontinue your efforts?