Embracing change is standard in today’s environment if an organization wants to succeed and thrive, yet Al-Haddad and Kotnour (2015) found that success rates for change initiatives fall at less than 30 percent. If organizations need to change and adapt to their environment, what is the missing link to success?
I agree with Feldstein (2017), when they suggest that there is not one LMS (Learning Management System) that can meet the diverse needs of all environments. Taking a one-size fits all approaches cannot work, as each organization faces different challenges and because the environment itself is continuously evolving (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). Perhaps, then, the missing link is developing organizational readiness for change. Jaskyte (2004) shares that for organizations to develop a readiness for change, organizational leaders must motivate their teams to commit to change by supporting the development of shared values and practices that support innovation. Doing so can help a leader to shape the organization’s change culture, and shift it towards one that fosters innovation, where stakeholders are committed to change and believe in their ability to execute that change through their actions (Weiner, 2009).
Change leaders have the ability to see where their organization must grow, and can motivate their employees to take an active part in the change process (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). Along with setting the vision, leaders who join their teams as part of the “value chain” (Udas, 2008, para. 3) work in partnership to co-design a deep understanding of “task demands, resource availability and situational factors” (Weiner, 2009, p. 70). By collaborating during these environmental scans, leaders help teams “to take responsibility and be an active part of the change” (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015, p. 239) and work to tease out past and current challenges. I believe that implementing change is a team process, and that team members who value a proposed change and believe in its importance for the organization are more likely to validate their commitment by demonstrating the behaviours required in changing environments (Weiner, 2009).
Based on the change theories outlined in Al-Haddad and Kotnour (2015), I believe the Leucke method best fits my approach, because change is proposed by leaders as an opportunity, as opposed to a threat. Core to my leadership approach is to engage disparate viewpoints and to support suggested risks, as long as they align with the set vision. To shift the culture in our organization our leadership team engaged the team to explore current and past problems and solutions, working to create of a shared vision of success. We focused on how the new technology will support our end users to success in their practice and committed to a continuous improvement mindset that allows us to flex as the environment shifts.
When considering Weller’s (2013) four factors of resilience: latitude, resistance, precariousness and panarchy, I was left with some questions for our organizational context. How resistant is our team to changing the procedures they’ve come to master? Are the changes we plan to make are too fulsome to be sustainable? Are we already operating at our organization’s limit and will external forces shift the environment to a completely new or renewed state? Leaders who lead change in digital environments work to leverage technology where it would support change, while retaining the core function and identity of the existing practice (Weller, 2013). This idea reminds me to lead the team in prioritizing the fulfillment of our shared vision, as this lens will help us make decisions that align with our end users’ needs. I believe that our careful commitment to collaboration and to a continuous improvement mindset will provide a resilient framework that readies us for organizational change. By working together and promoting the value of leadership at all levels, we can absorb change and continue to evolve to meet the needs of our end users.
References
Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), 234-262.
Feldstein, M. (2017, May 28). A flexible, interoperable digital learning platform: Are we there yet? [blog post]. Retrieved from https://mfeldstein.com/flexible-interoperable-digital-learning-platform-yet/
Jaskyte, K. (2004). Transformational leadership, organizational culture, and innovativeness in nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit Management and Leadership, 15(2), 153-168.
Udas, K. (2008, June 30). Distributed learning environments and OER: the change management challenge. [blog post]. Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20160309200155/http://mfeldstein.com/distributed-learning-environments-and-oer-the-change-management-challenge/
Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation science, 4(1), 67.
Weller, M., & Anderson, T. (2013). Digital resilience in higher education. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-learning, 16(1).