Change is a constant in every setting.\u00a0 Work.\u00a0 Education. \u00a0Personal.\u00a0 Change affects every aspect.\u00a0 It each circumstance, someone is leading the change; in professional settings it is typically the leader (i.e., boss) or someone who feels passionately about the change (i.e., a team member).<\/p>\n
The theories discussed in this week\u2019s readings, specifically those mentioned by Biech (2007) can help lead the ever-changing environments.\u00a0 Even though Biech published these theories in 2007, I think they still apply to what we have today.\u00a0 Biech\u2019s (2007) Complexity Theory specifically seems appropriate for our current environment since it address the interlocked nature of many realities converging in one situation.\u00a0 I do not think that we need new theories since our environment is different than it was at the time of creation of the current theories. \u00a0It is our responsibility to find ways to implement the existing philosophies and apply them now.\u00a0 The number of theories would become uncontrollable if we created a new one for every environmental change!<\/p>\n
I do not have much leadership experience, but I have been on several teams with both good and bad outcomes for change implementation.\u00a0 The idea of change readiness (Weiner, 2009, p. 4) as always intrigued me, but I did not know how to encourage that readiness on a team.\u00a0 My current organization does not spend much time or effort on change readiness; as a result, the announcement of changes come as gospel.\u00a0 It makes it much harder to accept changes when they appear in an instant rather than having some time to ask questions and become familiar with the new idea.\u00a0 If I ever take on a leadership role, I would like to remember to implement readiness techniques when change is on the horizon, while understanding that it is not always possible, especially if I become a leader within my current organization.<\/p>\n
As this program focuses on digital environments, I often find that I take face-to-face experience and imagine a digital equivalent.\u00a0 When it comes to change management and leadership in the digital world, I think that it is that much more important than in the face-to-face world.\u00a0 Communication is key when managing any change, when that change is happening in a digital environment it is critical.\u00a0 Digital environments come with the complication of missing facial expressions and tone. \u00a0In order to manage change, leaders need to create an open environment where team members can discuss the upcoming change(s).<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the most promising organizational changes \u2026 require collective, coordinated behavior change by many organizational members\u201d (Weiner, 2009, p. 6).\u00a0 This statement is true in all environments, digital or not.<\/p>\n
References<\/p>\n
Biech, E. (2007) Models for Change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader\u2019s Practical Guide to Change Mastery. Alexandria, VA: ASTD<\/p>\n
Weiner, B. J. (2009).\u00a0A theory of organizational readiness for change.\u00a0Implementation Science<\/em>,\u00a04(67)<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Change is a constant in every setting.\u00a0 Work.\u00a0 Education. \u00a0Personal.\u00a0 Change affects every aspect.\u00a0 It each circumstance, someone is leading the change; in professional settings it is typically the leader (i.e., boss) or someone who feels passionately about the change (i.e., a team member). The theories discussed in this week\u2019s readings, specifically those mentioned by … Continue reading Leading Change<\/span>