The concept of organizational change within management theory Research Paper

The concept of organizational change within management theory - Research Paper Example Organizational change is a paradigm for addressing the impact of new external and internal forces, changes in culture and structure within an organization (Mills, 2003). Basically, organizational change deals with the change management’s human aspect. A methodical organizational change is favorable when change necessitates all the people in an organization to gain new skills, practices, and knowledge (Poole & Van De Ven, 2004). By appropriately establishing expectations and goals, using instruments to enhance communication and information dissemination and dynamically pursuing means to avoid misunderstanding, stakeholders are more predisposed to accept a change at the onset and remain steadfast to the change despite of any difficulties accompanying it. Meanwhile, if one were to look deeply after monitoring and examining several organizational changes, an array of goals would appear to exist. These goals could be implied or formally stated, or they could be embedded in the deci sions and responses of the management (Kamoche, Cunha, & Cunha, 2002). To the outsider, the general goals can be grouped under such categories as reduced turnover, reinforced innovation, new strategies, enhanced teamwork and cooperation, strengthened motivation, etc (Kamoche et al., 2002). Organizational changes are usually intended for these several common goals. Fundamental to these more apparent goals are generally two underlying purposes: (1) changes in employees’ behaviors and attitudes, and (2) changes in the adaptation level of an organization (Kezar, 2001). The first objective of organizational change, to realize transformations in patterns of behavior, becomes evident if one identifies that the adaptation level of the organization is not strengthened except if a large number of its people behave or act differently with regard to their tasks and their relationship to each other. An organization does not function mechanically; it operates through its people, and every organization possesses distinctive approaches to decision making (Kezar, 2001). Hence, any organizational change, regardless if it will be established through a training course or a new structural plan, is fundamentally trying to encourage employees to accept and implement new behavioral patterns and rudiments for performing tasks and relating to each other. Likewise, organizations are constantly trying to adapt themselves strongly and effectively to their immediate internal and external environment. Due to the fact that organizational management has no power to totally control its environment, particularly the external one, they are persistently obliged to initiate internal changes in the organization which permit them to deal more successfully with new challenges and problems of the external environment, such as difficult social demands, technological advances, heightened competition, and new government regulation (Murray & Richardson, 2002). Organizational changes are normally la unched in ‘response’ to demands from the external environment. Nevertheless, in several instances, changes are initiated in ‘expectation’ of future demands and problems. What Provokes Organizational Change? A fundamental fact of the twenty-first century is that managers and organizations as a whole are confronted with insistent pressures of change. Organizations are ever more