WGU C721 Task 1 Change Management Study Guide
Change Management Performance Assessment
Western Governors University
A. Discuss the need for change for the company in the scenario using either
the systems contingency model or the organizational life cycle model.
Utilizing the organizational life cycle model for the manufacturing company, it is
apparent that the manufacturing company is at the very beginning of stage three of
the life cycle model. This life cycle stage is characterized by rapid company growth,
lower-level employees not feeling empowered to make decisions, and the life-cycle
crisis marking the beginning of stage three, autonomy. Currently, the manufacturing
company has been undergoing rapid organizational growth in the last decade, going
from $1 million in yearly sales to $100 million in yearly sales, with 500 employees
worldwide.
The manufacturing company has not invested in the training and development of
its employees due to the rapid organizational expansion, thus leaving the employees
with a lack of empowerment and opportunities. The manufacturing company’s
technology, processes, systems software, and inventory management are
antiquated and lacking for their expansion. However, with growth and maturity, the
delegation of power, process improvements, and employee development will
improve through the third stage. All these are in support of the manufacturing
company being in the early third stage of the organizational life cycle model.
B. Describe the differences (at least two) between a learning organization and
a traditional organization.
, WGU C721 Task 1 Change Management Study Guide
A traditional organization generally follows a strict chain of command for
decision-making with multiple layers of leadership to make decisions. Before a
decision is made, it must be passed up the leadership chain until it reaches the
senior internal stakeholders. The senior stakeholders will then make a final
decision and pass the decision back down the chain of command to be
disseminated to lower-level employees, who will then execute the order as
directed. The chain of command decision-making process does not allow for
employee empowerment or autonomy. Obedience to directed decisions is an
order, and questioning the final decisions is not well tolerated. Because the
decision-making process is required to undergo a multilevel review, it is slow to
reach a final decision in a traditional organization. There is little room for
flexibility, and traditional organizational culture is slow to change due to the
rigidity of the centralized decision-making they rely on.
A learning organization, in comparison to a traditional organization,
generally follows a more decentralized approach to decision-making, allowing
lower-level employees to be empowered to make decisions. There is not a strict
chain of command, and there are not as many layers to the decision-making
process. Autonomy and empowerment to continuously learn to reach individual
enrichment are encouraged because a high-performing individual is an asset to
other individuals in the organization and the organization’s overall performance.
Employees are encouraged to be inquisitive, ask questions, take risks, innovate,
have open dialogue about challenges, and make discoveries that may not have
been apparent before to anyone else in the organization. A learning organization
is sensitive to the social environment in which it operates and is highly agile in
adapting to emerging opportunities that best serve the organization.
Change Management Performance Assessment
Western Governors University
A. Discuss the need for change for the company in the scenario using either
the systems contingency model or the organizational life cycle model.
Utilizing the organizational life cycle model for the manufacturing company, it is
apparent that the manufacturing company is at the very beginning of stage three of
the life cycle model. This life cycle stage is characterized by rapid company growth,
lower-level employees not feeling empowered to make decisions, and the life-cycle
crisis marking the beginning of stage three, autonomy. Currently, the manufacturing
company has been undergoing rapid organizational growth in the last decade, going
from $1 million in yearly sales to $100 million in yearly sales, with 500 employees
worldwide.
The manufacturing company has not invested in the training and development of
its employees due to the rapid organizational expansion, thus leaving the employees
with a lack of empowerment and opportunities. The manufacturing company’s
technology, processes, systems software, and inventory management are
antiquated and lacking for their expansion. However, with growth and maturity, the
delegation of power, process improvements, and employee development will
improve through the third stage. All these are in support of the manufacturing
company being in the early third stage of the organizational life cycle model.
B. Describe the differences (at least two) between a learning organization and
a traditional organization.
, WGU C721 Task 1 Change Management Study Guide
A traditional organization generally follows a strict chain of command for
decision-making with multiple layers of leadership to make decisions. Before a
decision is made, it must be passed up the leadership chain until it reaches the
senior internal stakeholders. The senior stakeholders will then make a final
decision and pass the decision back down the chain of command to be
disseminated to lower-level employees, who will then execute the order as
directed. The chain of command decision-making process does not allow for
employee empowerment or autonomy. Obedience to directed decisions is an
order, and questioning the final decisions is not well tolerated. Because the
decision-making process is required to undergo a multilevel review, it is slow to
reach a final decision in a traditional organization. There is little room for
flexibility, and traditional organizational culture is slow to change due to the
rigidity of the centralized decision-making they rely on.
A learning organization, in comparison to a traditional organization,
generally follows a more decentralized approach to decision-making, allowing
lower-level employees to be empowered to make decisions. There is not a strict
chain of command, and there are not as many layers to the decision-making
process. Autonomy and empowerment to continuously learn to reach individual
enrichment are encouraged because a high-performing individual is an asset to
other individuals in the organization and the organization’s overall performance.
Employees are encouraged to be inquisitive, ask questions, take risks, innovate,
have open dialogue about challenges, and make discoveries that may not have
been apparent before to anyone else in the organization. A learning organization
is sensitive to the social environment in which it operates and is highly agile in
adapting to emerging opportunities that best serve the organization.
