As part of Leading Change in Digital Learning (LRNT 525), we were asked to showcase how leaders address change in digital learning environments (DLEs). To start, I used Al-Haddad & Kotnour’s (2015) change leadership as my frame of reference when capturing insights from leaders who experienced change in DLEs. Their responses were organized within a timeframe of before, during, and after an organizational change. I saw the connections of these leadership perspectives with Beer & Nohria’s (2000) Theory O and Weiner’s (2009) organizational readiness for change theory.

The collection of leaders’ voices was gathered from my discussions with two leaders from J.M. Smucker (J. Lee, T. Campbell) who partake in an organizational-wide change initiative named Ways of Working. They referred to this change as a monumental effort to move the organization to a hybrid work environment as their future of work.  Additionally, I captured Jones & Harrison’s (n.d.) voices and my own perspective of change management in DLEs as part of my graphic interpretation.

The first theory anchored in my visual reflection is the Theory O discussed by Beer & Nohria (2000) as a “change based on organizational capability” (p. 88) with the focus on developing workforce competencies from the bottom up through change champions. In Jones & Harrison (n.d.), Jones stated that champions of change can be at any level of the organization. From my experience, change champions were either early adopters when dealing with business acquisition or super users when implementing new technologies (i.e., Oracle HR).

Subsequently, leaders in Theory O are committed to active participation, employee development, accountability, and empowerment (Beer & Nohria, 2000). To the same degree, the J.M. Smucker’s leaders implemented, as part of their Ways of Working strategy, skill development (i.e., prioritization, agility, decision making) to equip their teams with tools to successfully navigate the new hybrid environment (T. Campbell, personal communication, February 14, 2022). Interestingly, J. Lee (personal communication, February 17, 2022) expressed cautiousness with oversimplifying the change especially when introducing several expected behavioral changes through training. Her viewpoint is supported by Biech (2007) who stated that the involvement of numerous change habits especially with cultural change may undermine the change effort.

Successively, Weiner’s (2009) organizational readiness for change stipulated that a workforce is most likely to commit to a change when they see the value in that change. From a leadership perspective, T. Campbell (personal communication, February 14, 2022) stated that unified and consistent messages from leaders on the benefits of the Ways of Working strategy contributed to its efficient implementation. The change was solving not only an important need for flexibility requested by their employees, but it was also providing clarity on how this flexibility was enabled while strengthening relationships and creating a community. In Jones & Harrison (n.d.), Jones emphasized that communication is critical to any change initiative. I also believe in overcommunication when articulating the vision, the goals, and the reason for the change.

Weiner (2009) also highlighted “change efficacy” (para. 15) that embraces a progressive implementation roadmap with required tasks and resources. For instance, the Ways of Working integration included many elements that were top of mind for employees such as in-person expectations versus virtual when attending team meetings. They also provided logistical information on how to conduct meetings with virtual and onsite attendees (J. Lee, personal communication, February 17, 2022).

And lastly, Weiner (2009) addressed the “contextual factors” (para. 16) that impact organizational readiness. In their planning, J.M. Smucker’s leaders included the geographical consideration as a contextual factor for those employees who moved away from the physical office during the pandemic for various reasons. The leadership team communicated in-person expectations of 3 to 4 days per month at a minimum to accommodate those who may experience longer commute. Comparably, the pandemic is one of the greatest contextual factors I experienced professionally, prompting employers I support to request hybrid work environment policies inclusive of the use of collaborative technologies and workforce expectations.

Finally, from this exercise, I believe leaders require sound change leadership skills but also a good understanding of change theories and models to successfully plan and implement change in DLEs.

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. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215

Beer, M., & Nohria, N. (2000). Cracking the code of change. HBR’s 10 must reads on change, 78(3), 133-141. http://ceewl.ca/12599-PDF-ENG.PDF#page=89

Biech, E. (2007). Models for Change. In Thriving Through Change: A Leader’s Practical Guide to Change Mastery. Alexandria, VA: ASTD [Retrieved from Skillsoft e-book database]. https://ezproxy.royalroads.ca/sso/skillport?context=22651

Jones, C. & Harrison, M. (n.d.). Interview with Christina Jones: Unique Challenges [Audio Podcast Transcript]. In Voices. Welcome to LRNT 525 – Leading Change in Digital Learning.  https://malat-coursesite.royalroads.ca/lrnt525/files/2022/01/Christina-Transcript_Matched-to-audio-clips-1.pdf

Weiner, B. J. (2009). A theory of organizational readiness for change. Implementation Science, 4(67).  https://implementationscience.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1748-5908-4-67