Reply back

Description

Secondary Posts Instructions

For responses, consider your classmates initial posts and discuss alternative approaches to the change process. Utilize Kurt Lewin’s force-field model of change to support your ideas and recommendations.

Secondary Post Length: minimum of 200 words per post
• Use APA format for in-text citations and list of references.
• Must include at minimum 1 scholarly references that is not the textbook.

Tim
Over the summer I worked as a commercial driver for Autozone. I would drive car parts all around the city of Pittsburgh and drop them off at mechanic shops. We had a new system that would automatically dispatch orders to our handheld devices so that we would know which parts to drop off at certain locations. The leadership at Autozone was great with the new technology. To anticipate the change they trained the commercial managers on the new software so that they knew how to use it. They also tried to identify problems as they were happening and actively assisted the managers in making sure our orders were correct. Upper management also wanted our commercial department to make sure that the auto dispatch was at 100% usage. Meaning that there should be no physical interference with the dispatching of parts to drivers. This was tricky since sometimes parts would be dispatched to a driver and the locations would be at opposite ends of the city. This sometimes made deliveries longer and less efficient. However, to reduce this problem the managers allowed a certain percentage range to allow for human interference in the system. Change is tough and the managers realized that. They used effective communication skills between them and the rest of the commercial staff. Open communication allowed for problems to be solved quickly and eliminated issues. When issues did arise the managers were hands-on and worked hard to solve the problems with my coworkers. Communication is the most important trait a leadership position can have during times of change in a business. (Wells 2023). Another important leadership skill that the managers used was motivation. It was discouraging during an order rush when the dispatch would not work properly or take longer than expected to dispatch parts to the drivers. However, motivating our department and working hard alongside us increased morale. Overall, the new system that was implemented turned out to be effective and the commercial department got used to the software and things were back to normal. However, this wouldn’t have been possible without the manager’s leadership skills during this time of change. Sources:Wells, R. (2023, November 9). 5 Change Management Skills Every Leader Needs In 2024. Www.Forbes.com. https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwells/2023/11/09/5-change-management-skills-every-leader-needs-in-2024/

Tara

As we have seen thus far, there are various leadership styles and practices that can be carried out by businesses and managers. Although, with all the work and preparation that is needed for a specific leadership style or skills, something could abruptly change, forcing a change in set leadership styles or skills. Lussier and Achua, 2016, mention that rapid environment changes are causing fundamental dislocations which are having a direct and dramatic impact on organizations and more specifically on leadership. These environmental changes are providing two scenarios, either an opportunity for positive change throughout an organization, or threats that could harm a company and the way the run. Anderson, 2022, states that an organization change can be described as a new system or process, a corporate restructure, or a shift in a current business model. While this may take a lot of different forms, whatever it may be is going to directly affect each employee, and possibly leadership and management, of a company. When thinking about the idea of organizational change, it was quite difficult to think of a time when working that there was a drastic and dramatic change in some part of the job, making things much more difficult. Although, after some thought I was taken back to when I was a server. Things are always changing in restaurants, but nothing was ever too much to throw everyone off. Yet, the restaurant I was working for a few years ago, suddenly decided to get new computers and implement a new system for ringing in orders. The current computers we had were working just fine, they might’ve been a little outdated, but they worked, and they were familiar. Employees were notified that the computers and system was going to change, only a week or two prior to it actually happening. Leading up to the switch, there were brief templates in the back of the restaurant that roughly went over main aspects of the new computers and systems. Managers were open and willing to talk with employees through anything they were unfamiliar or uncomfortable with, which was very helpful. During the time between the switch and after it was made, management was available to walk employees through the system and always offered to help with anything that was causing stress. Soon after this, everyone was once again comfortable with the computers and systems. Although, this time might have been stressful and abrupt, the mangers were very understanding and wanted to help employees figure everything out to ensure the best service for the restaurant, which helped immensely with the organizational change we experienced, and truly made things easier. References: Anderson, E. (2022). Change is hard. Here’s how to make it less painful. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2022/04/change-is-hard-heres-how-to-make-it-less-painfulLussier, R., & Achua, C. (2016). Leadership: theory, application, & skill development. Southwestern-Cengage Learning.