Reference no: EM131645401

Assignment

Change is an integral part of an organization. Various forces drive changes. All changes, however, are not successful, and there are many reasons for failure in organizational change. Read the assigned readings for the week to get an in-depth understanding of these concepts.

In this assignment, you will be assigned a current article by the Instructor (see article in link below). Please review the article, summarize the critical learning points from the article using no less than 300 words, (relate the summary using some of these topics)

o Chapter 1, "What It Takes: Confronting the Realities of Change"

Chapter 1 provides an overview of the changes that are inevitable but difficult to implement in modern organizations. In addition, the chapter describes the pivotal role of senior leadership as it pertains to organizational changes.

Focus on the three areas that organizations can focus on for a truly sustainable competitive advantage: Intellectual capital, organizational capabilities, and organizational architecture.

o Chapter 2, "Where to Start: Understanding Organizations"

Chapter 2 focuses on the approach Delta Consulting Group Inc. has been successfully using to understand how an organization works, how it needs to change, and how change in one part of an organization affects the rest of the organization.

Focus on "Dynacorp," a case study based on a real set of circumstances. This case study will help you understand how collecting data is important for any individual in an organization.

o Chapter 3, "From Tuning to Overhaul: The Dimensions of Change"

Chapter 3 describes four basic types of organizational change: Incremental, continuous, radical, and discontinuous. In addition, the chapter emphasizes on discontinuous change (or overhaul), which is the most difficult of all changes.

Focus on the S-curve, which was developed by Tushman after years of research. The S-curve helps you understand how the pace of growth of an organization unfolds over time.

o Chapter 4, "Reshaping the Entire Enterprise: The Special Challenges of Discontinuous Change"

Chapter 4 focuses on the elements and stages of discontinuous change. The chapter also explains the three challenges of discontinuous change. The three challenges can be roughly broken down into five stages and the chapter explains each of these five stages.

Article: A Look Back At Why Blockbuster Really Failed And Why It Didn't Have To by Greg Satell.