Systems Theory And Change Management Information Technology Essay

Systems Theory And Change Management Information Technology Essay Change Management is important for any business transformation like new technology implementation, merger or acquisition. A common framework breaks down change management into three stages: Freeze, Change, and Unfreeze. This paper explains the concept of change management and relate it to the concepts in general systems theory. The case study on an organization is based on my experiences while implementing the change management. This case study is my understanding and analysis of the respective organization as a system of people, process and technology. This analysis will help students and change management consultants to broaden their view and correlate the general systems theory for effective change management. Whenever we have a business transformation within an organization, it impacts the process, the people and technology (Larkin, 2003). Change Management emphasis on the people side of change. Mc Kinsey and Company recently surveyed 1546 business executives from around the world, asking them if they consider their change program completely/mostly successfully: Only 30 percent agreed (Isem, Joseph and Pung, 2006). The change management approach for an organization was based on three stages: Freeze, Change, Unfreeze (Nickols, 2007). The key to the success of a change initiative is to access the previous changes and implementing the change by learnings from previous experiences and by avoiding repeating errors. To analyze the organizations readiness for a change we interact with the people who are responsible and are part of this change. In this paper we will discuss how the steps followed in change management to implement a change are also explained by Bertalanffy in General Systems Theory. We will discuss my experiences to access organizations readiness for change and correlate them with General Systems Theory. Systems Theory would enhance the understanding of an organization that would help to implement an effective change management. II. Theoretical Background: Change Management in Organizations. The first and foremost definition of change management refers to the making of changes in a planned and managed or systematic fashion (Nickols, 2007). A change within an organization could be a business transformation like implementation of new technology, merger or acquisition, layoffs etc. These changes not only affect the process and technology of an organization but also the people affected by this change. A business process transformation impacts the process, people and the technology (Larkin, 2003). Change management concentrates on the people side of change. Change Management is a process through which an organization can achieve its objective. In a conventional approach the various steps through this journey may be delineated but change management facilities to align these steps in a systematic manner to achieve success. It has not been determined whether change management is an art, science, a profession or a discipline. It is more likely composed of a little of each and a totally separate entity in itself (Ledez, 2008). It is a process through which we can predict the success of a change initiative by assessing the readiness of the organization towards change and then implement strategies to achieve the transition from the present scenario to the final transformation. Another definition of change management refers to the efforts it takes to manage people through the emotional ups and downs that inevitably occur when the organization is undergoing massive change (Sieber, Nah, 1999). With the increase in competition and technology it is necessary for an organization to initiate business transformation. The most crucial stage in the change management methodology is Freeze. As a change management consultant my focus was based on assessing the organizations readiness for change. To analyze the organizations readiness for change, we assess the change history, cultural conduciveness of the organization and the overall perception of the senior management towards this change initiative. Systems Theory and Systems Thinking. Systems Integrity is one of the underlying concepts of systems theory emphasizes on understanding the intricacies of a system before making any changes to it. A system becomes more complex with the advancement of technology. As the systems become more complex it is imperative to understand the system as a whole and the interactions within the system. Systems theory focuses on the relationships between parts and the properties of a whole, rather than reducing a whole to its parts and studying their individual properties (Ackoff, 1971). A system is defined as an entity which maintains its existence through mutual interactions of its parts (Bertalanffy, 1976). The interactions within a system occur due to its hierarchical order. The different sub-systems within a system have a particular role to play within a larger system of which it is a part (Sanford, 2004). The underlying structure of which is a nested hierarchy of increasing orders of complexity (Sanford, 2004). Ackoff believes that a systems theory concept approach is fundamental to the study of organizations, so he translated von Bertalanffys original definition of a system to organizational context (Chun, Song, Arling, Granados, 2008). A system is composed of subsystems that interact with each other. At any given time, a system or its subsystems exhibits a state, defined as its current properties or characteristics (Chun, Song, Arling, Granados, 2008). A change in the state of a system is called an event (Chun, Song, Arling, Granados, 2008). In simple terms, an event is any observable occurrence. The behavior of a system can be regarded as an event. Behaviors are events that initiate other events(Chun, Song, Arling, Granados, 2008). For example, providing incentives to the employees is a behavior that will cause another event to motivate the employees. A process is a sequence of behaviors within a system that can lead to reach its final goal (Chun, Song, Arling, Granado s, 2008). This is also related to the concept of equifinality. Equifinality is an idea that suggests that in an open system a similar result may be achieved in many different ways (Cumming, Worley, 2005). Any system that interacts with the external environment is an open system. The open systems interact with the sub-systems within or external environment through feedback mechanism. The final goal or objective of a system can be achieved by the various subsystems in an open system through different ways, paths or procedures. This concept of an open system is called Equifinality. Towards a Systems Theory approach in Change Management. The backbone of change management is composed of a variety of hard and soft sciences drawn upon psychology, sociology, business administration, economics, industrial engineering, systems engineering (Nickols, 2007). It is imperative to study the long term cultural and behavioral patterns of a system to analyze the scope of change within that system. Change Management theory includes a series of models, beliefs, concepts and principles known as General Systems Theory (Nickols, 2007). The concepts of systems theory enhances the effectiveness of change management in an organization. We will now describe the research methodology and the case study of the company where I implemented change management. Lets call that company as LSD (hypothetical name). III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY: CASE STUDY The organization as a whole can be considered as a system with various departments within the organizations acting as subsystems interacting among each other and the outside world. The people within an organization are the integral part of this system. Change is also a psychological even and any organizational change may involve some real and perceived threat of personal loss for the people involved. This event may lead to the resistant behavior by the people involved in the change initiative. The success of a change program can be brought about by appropriate connections of many activities related to human behavior. Change management in all about predicting the future. To analyze and predict the success of a change initiative within an organization we need to assess the long term patters or history and behaviors of events within the organization. Current State Assessment consisting of evaluation the change history and assessing the Cultural Conduciveness for the change will provide suggestions how to manage the change within the organization. Organizational readiness assessment will help LSD to determine how prepared they are for the future. Current State Assessment and Organization Readiness Assessment were based on the following inputs- (1) Discussions/ Interviews with the top management, (2) Dialogue with the Core Team i.e. people working on the new technology, (3) Workshops and Questionnaire administration among the key stakeholders i.e. people who are either affected by the change program or can have an impact on the successful implementation of the change program, (4) Workshops and Questionnaire administered to the Core Team , (5) Questionnaires administered among the larger work force across all the offices in the country. Workshops were conducted to sensitize the stakeholders about the importance of the change initiative (ERP implementation) prior to the questionnaire administration. In all 90 responses were collected from all the departments and offices across the country. Also a variety of designations ranging from C-Level executive to lower staff , were covered to gain a comprehensive understanding of LSDs Change History , Culture and Organizational Readiness. IV. CHANGE MANAGEMENT AT LSD LSD is one of the leading government organizations in the power and energy sector. The organization has around twenty three offices across the country with four head offices in metropolitan cities. With the growth and expansion in the last twenty years the company is deciding to switch from the paper-work procedure to ERP implementation. This implantation will streamline and shorten their business processes to cope with the industry standards and competition. I was part of this change management team that facilitated this challenging transformation. Out team included four third-party change management consultants and ten change agents across the organization. These change agents were the employees who were influential within LSD. Applying Systems Theory to Change Management at LSD. We will now correlate the methodologies used by us in change management with the concepts in systems theory and systems thinking. The approach we used to implement this change included both the quantitative analysis (i.e. by administering questionnaire and analyzing the scores) and qualitative analysis (i.e. by conducting interviews and workshops with the employees). In the change readiness assessment we included the survey from all the employees across the country that would be part of this change program. All these employees are part of the whole change management system and relates to the concept that the focuses on the relationship between parts and the properties of a whole (Ackoff, 1971). Change History Assessment. We assess the history of the previous changes within the organization to understand the system better before altering it. The analysis of previous history data will provide us with the previous trends, patterns or behavior of the system. This helps a change management consultant to predict the system better in case of any future changes and manage the system accordingly. The parameters used in the change history assessment are:- Stakeholder Identification and Commitment It is imperative for us to include all the people as a subsystem to interact within the system as a whole. Resistance Analysis and Management The change from one event to another may cause some change in behavior. When we consider the people as part of a system, changes in human behavior is also predominant. Resistance analysis is to gauge the human behavior within our system. Benefits Identification and Management This is one of the parameters that play a very important role in a balancing process. The change management approach is a goal-seeking process that tends to reach the equifinality. The various departments and the people across the organization work together to reach the final change. The resistance from the employees may imbalance the system and diverge it to reach the final goal. Benefits Identification and management is a balancing act to make the resistant employees realize the benefits for them from this change initiative. This will lead the whole system to balance and reach the objective. Communication effectiveness This is also an important variable in any change management process. As the organizations become more complex and large the effectiveness of communication is a challenge. The more effective is the communication, the more aware and supportive the employees are. We can also explain this balancing process through the diagram below: Cultural Conduciveness: Culture is something that is difficult to define accurately, but everyone knows when they sense it. The pattern in the culture helps a change consultant to sense the mindset of the organization. The culture of the organization was assessed on the basis of the following parameters like trust , team work, openness , interpersonal learning , respect for the individuals , organizational support , rewards and recognition. After realizing the problem areas from previous history assessment, we had interviews with the stakeholders to understand the story of the problem. These interviews provided very useful information on the viewpoints of the employees with respect to this change initiative and their perspective on the culture of the organization. This helps the change management consultant to be a part of the system and sensitize to the structure of the organization. The key findings of my project were: The culture for rewards and recognition was less prominent and didnt motivated employees to be enthusiastic about any developments within the organization. The lower level employees felt alienated by the senior level executives. The communication and trust between the senior and lower management was missing. This lead to dissatisfaction among the lower level and they never took in the organization activities.

Bears :: Animals Wildlife Nature Essays

Bears â€Å"If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you, and you will know each other. If you do not talk to them, you will not know them, and what you do not know you will fear. What one fears, one destroys.† This was said by Chief Dan George and is common with many wild animals here in North America; one animal in particular, the bear. There are three different types of bears in North America: brown (or grizzly), polar, and black. The most common in the Northern Virginia area are black bears (Palmer & Lickley, 2001). Though the Native Americans respected and even revered bears, they became a symbol of danger, aggression, violence, and fear for the white man as he moved onto Native American lands. Today, people fear bears because of stories they’ve heard about attacks, movies they’ve watched, or various personal reasons, but here is a different story. Bear attacks are very rare. Over the past one hundred years, fewer than fifty people have died from grizzly bear attacks, and only one hundred and fifty such attacks have been reported as serious (Animal Planet, 2004). Bears do not attack just because they are bears and it’s their nature; in fact, they are not naturally aggressive. Past and current events have affected bears and the way people view them, but bears are not vicious creatures that attack at will. Encounters with bears do not have to be horrible; there are steps a person can take to ensure their own safety and the safety of the bear. First, why do bears attack? Bears are animals and act instinctively in order to survive. They are omnivores, so they eat both meat and plants, such as berry or flowered plants, rodents, and fish. Bears are social, predictable (if you understand them), curious about their environment, and they don’t have an agenda. They live in a dominance hierarchy and they are not territorial, but they will defend their personal space (Emerald Air Service, 2004). Every bear varies and has a different comfort zone. Some bears, usually younger ones, will approach objects they are curious about within two inches, while other bears don’t get within two miles of something new.

Mobile Application on Mindanao State University Essay

The proposed system entitled MSU Grade Module on Mobile using Android OS is a mobile version of the current Grade Module of Mindanao State University. This system enables the instructor to input grades and update INC grades at any location and at any time. Obtaining the Grade Module password is also done using mobile connection. Reasons: * With the convenience of an Android-powered mobile phone, the instructor does not need to physically go to the clerk to request for Grade Module password. * The Grade Module password is sent through email which is more secure than printed Grade Module stub. * The instructor does not need to be in their respective department or in the university to input and/or update grades. * The scarcity of available computers in the university is no longer a concern. * If the instructor is away for seminars, vacations, and other reasons, the instructor no longer needs to request favour from other instructors to input and/or update grades for them, thus the accountability of the grade resides only to the instructor in-charge and lessen bothering other instructors. * With this kind of application, an instructor can become invisible from students who keep following him/her because of various reasons. Possible Problem: * Not all instructors have an Android-powered mobile phone. * Not all instructors maintain an email address, especially those who are not technology-savvy. * Internet connection is not stable for instructors who want to input and/or update grades within the university. * The availability of online modules of the university is not stable.

Suicides Essays - Depression, Abnormal Psychology, Bipolar Spectrum

Suicides Essays - Depression, Abnormal Psychology, Bipolar Spectrum Suicides Ricky Medina Intro. to Biology Report # 3 Twenty-six Israeli suicidal patients, twenty-four non-suicidal patients and twenty-four control aptients completed tests on different suicidal tendencies. Suicidal adolescents showed more negative responses that did either the non-suicidal adolescents or the control patients. Furthermore compared to the other two groups, the suicidal adolescents showed less complex self-attributes and a higher tendency to have a low self-esteem. Results were discussed and it was found that suicidal adolescents were unevenly processing information or stimuli which was causing confusion which led to their suicidal tendencies. Orbach, Isreal, Mario Mikulineer, Daniel Stein, and Orit Cohen, Self-representation of Suicidal Adolescents. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1996. Vol. No.3 435-439.Ricky Medina Intro. to Biology Report # 4 Researchers used multiple measures of irrationability and compared the reactions of never-depressed controls (ND) with people who had recovered from major depression. The ND studies revealed that they didn't exceed in errationality and negative mood in specific situations. The people who were recovered from depression did show that when there were other variables their attitude did change faster than those who had never suffered from depression. They concluded that recovered depressed people weren't able to handle being under different situations when they had to control there rational way of life. Brody, Cindy, David A.F. Haaga, Ari Solomon, Lindsey Kirk, and Dara G. Friedman 1998. Priming Irational Beliefs in Recovered-Depressed People. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol. No.3 440-449Ricky Medina Intro. to Biology Report # 5 In 1989, the National Institute of mental health (NIMH) completed the most careful study comparing the success rates of psychotherapy versus antidepressant drug therapy in the treatment of cases of major depression. Patients with major depression were assigned a random for 16 weeks to one of four treatments: an antidepressant drug which was imipramine, a placebo pill, interpersonal therapy, of cognitive behavioral therapy. The interpersonal therapy focused on the depressed persons relationships with other people. The findings of the study were surprising. For the less depressed people all four treatments were equally successful. For the Severely depressed people however, the antidepressant drug therapy was highly success ful. 76% improved on the drug nad only 18% on the placebo. After this study NIMH issued a warning it concluded that only 16 weeks of psychotherapy or the drug therapy for depression was sufficient since it resulted in very high relapse rates. Mackel, Donald, William Holder, and Larry Kvols. Psychotherapy or Pharmcotherapy? Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol.5. No. 6, 489-495 Mackel, Donald, William Holder, and Larry Kvois, Psychotherapy or Pharmacotherapy? Journal of Abnormal Psychology. Vol. No.6 489-495.Ricky Medina Intro. to Biology report #2 3,450 patients who were diagnosed with either depression, anxiety, or stress syndromes completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). 3 to 8 years later the same patients took the DASS again. Each time the second test scores were the asme as the test scores from the first test. The stability of the patients suffering from at least one of the three syndromes did not vary over the interval of the two test. The results support the stability of depression, anxiety and stress, and draw attention to the distinction between the three different syndromes. These results were interpreted to mean that there is existence of vulnerabilities in the three syndromes, over and beyond the general vulnerability to emotional distress. Lovebond, Peter F. Long-Term Stability of Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Syndromes, Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1998, Vol. 107, No. 3, 520-526

500 Word Illustration Essay Essay Example

500 Word Illustration Essay Essay Example 500 Word Illustration Essay Essay 500 Word Illustration Essay Essay A sense of humor can make a hard time easier to bear. It does not matter what type, from sarcasm to the everyday â€Å"knock-knock† joke, humor has always been a way that I have expressed emotion. Bad days are always going to be around, there is no way to change that, but Humor is always a way to make the saddest of people crack a smile. Laughter is a powerful path into peoples mind, and can relieve pain by forgetting and living in the moment. Pain can be caused by basically anything, death, bad grades, work, or family, but at the end of the day I am always smiling. Laughter is the best medicine has been able to cure people with mental and physical injuries. For me when I am hurt, I do not cry but laugh , maybe from shock of a physical injury, but I always feel better when laughing. When attending an event where something tragic has occurred or at a funeral, I hear laughter. I believe laughing is a way to remember and express feelings. The most unbearable thing I have ever done was say good bye to my team mate, Andy. Having died at the age of thirteen, it was a horrible experience to go through. My defense was humor, and being my sarcastic self relieved the pain and was the only option for me. I remember sitting at the wake feeling extremely uncomfortable, but just laughing with a friend on mine because if we weren’t laughing the pain and shock would tear at us. Math class was unbearable for me. Trying to find the the length of the arc of a circle, at ten in the morning was never fun. Usually my daily nap occurred during that forty minute period, but the constant jokes and comments kept me awake. I began to actually like the class, only because the inside jokes the class had without my teachers knowledged. Obviously Pain is unavoidable, and even though I am young, I have lived through my fair share of pain. I have seen death, and sorrow, but I always moved on with life. Pain never leaves but can be covered by happiness, which laughter creates, and which is very contagious. Living or even being around happy people always makes me smile. A joke is told and laughter explodes. Laughter makes me feel better, because it can make me feel alive, living in that moment and helping me forget the troubles. Laughter can truly cure anything. It helps me forget the pain and live my life. Making a bad situation into a bearable time is always good, Laughter is the key to move on, to smile and to be happy. If there was no humor, how would people react?

UK Mobile Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

UK Mobile Industry - Essay Example In recent years however, the number of potential new customers have fallen drastically therefore customer base has become the most critical resource for mobile operators for sustained profitability. As the scope for acquiring first time users decreases, operators increasingly rely on luring customers who choose to switch networks while at the same time minimizing their own churn rates. The UK telecom market is one of the most dynamic and competitive market in the world. Mobile penetration rates hover around 76%, there are four players operating in the market vying for almost the entire UK population. The key players besides Orange are: Vodafone: The global telecom giant is the largest company in Britain, in terms of market capitalization. It poses strong competition for Orange, as its market share of 25% is marginally less than that of Orange. Recent developments at Vodafone Plc, like the tie up with Google for introducing search and mapping services on phones should be especially taken note of by Orange. One2One: One2One forayed into the UK market in '93.It has a substantial market presence, as 20% of the total mobile users are One2One users. In terms of network coverage, it has the lowest coverage among the four operators. A huge proportion of its subscribers are "pay as you go". Virgin: Although a separate service operator, Virgin uses the One2One network. It offers only "pay as you go" packages. Briefly, the characteristics of the UK telecom market are: 1. UK mobile services prices are relatively cheap compared to other OECD countries. 2. Consumer satisfaction levels with the key mobile players are high. 3. Competetion based on quality is another characteristic of the UK mobile market. 4. Penetration rate is 76% which indicates less scope for growth. Challenges faced by mobile operators in UK. 1. Formal regulation of the mobile sector is proposed to be reduced to minimum. 2. Consumer awareness of different packages and tariffs remains low. 3. Prices of "off net calls" between different networks and international roaming rates remain particularly high. 4. Full benefits of mobile number portability are yet to be realized, as the practice of locking handsets to SIM cards inhibits the consumer's ability to switch networks. 5. Massive investments in 3G services have been made but the prospect of return on investment remains uncertain. Orange The largest of UK's four mobile operators, Orange UK has been a success story. It has defended the top slot in one of the most dynamic marketplaces of Europe, despite being the fourth entrant. The main drivers have been-clear and comprehensive pricing policies, attractive service plans and excellent customer service.Also, Orange UK is one of the most recognized brands in England possessing a lot of leverage. Product Range and Service Portfolio In the voice services segment, two main types of services are available from Orange. "Pay as you go" is a scheme in which no monthly rental or obligation has to paid, customers are only billed for their call

International Trade Law Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

International Trade Law Assignment - Essay Example At the apex is the Ministerial Conference, with many types of councils, committees and specialized working groups working toward the goal of helping producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers conduct their business. The WTO manages its primary objective of helping trade between nations by: administering trade agreements, acting as a forum for trade negotiations, settling trade disputes, reviewing national trade policies, and by assisting developing countries in trade policy issues through technical assistance and training programs and cooperating with other international organizations. With over 150 members, each representing diverse economic and cultural background, the desire is not to create a trading system. The WTO manages to do this through consensus. Trade agreements are a result of negotiations between member nations must be ratified by members parliaments. These agreements clearly outline the rights and obligations and ensure a smooth and fair trading system. Through these agreements, the WTO helps decrease trade barriers. The general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT) was formed after the secound world war in 1947. It was singed by 23 countries. This purpose of GATT was to dismantle the high protectionist barriers that were then in existence and had incresed since the war (Gillingham 2002). The main objectives of GATT included the elimination of quotas, the gradual reduction of tariffs, the elimination of non-tariff trade barriers and equality between member countries. GATT was mostly numerous series of negotiations rounds. These mainly focused on the reduction of tariffs. Here the GATT was very successful, in only eight negotiation rounds it was able to reduce tariffs from 40% to below 4%. The later negotiations focused also on anti-dumping and non-tariff measures. The negotiations round in Punta del Este in Uruguay 1986 was to become the starting block for The World Trade Organisation (WTO), it later became known