...Concord Paper Deejah Klein HCS 587 December 24, 2012 Introduction Change is inevitable. According to Borkowski (2005), “change is a very complex phenomenon involving the multiplicity of man’s motivations in both micro and macro systems and that man gets satisfied with his equilibrium and is resistant to changing his status quo.” Most organizational efforts will be met by resistance. The Concord Bookshop is initiating a change due to the store’s financial situation. The President of the bookshop announced that a new general manager will be hired. This will not lead to any salary cuts or employee lay off. Employees were not happy with this change and met with board members to express their concerns but the board members had already made up their minds and told employees to decide on how they want to proceed. This approach backfired, which led some of the employees to quit or give their notice (Spector, 2010). This paper discusses the phases in the organizational change process and also discusses the phases that was not completed or implemented at the concord bookshop that led to the change failure. Phases in the Organizational Change Process In 1947, Kurt Lewin developed a three stage process of implementing change which is necessary for effective change within an organization. The three stages are: Unfreezing: Recognizing the need for change is very vital. This is the first phase that involves preparing the organization to accept that change is necessary. The existing...
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...Concord Bookshop Paper According to the famous phrase “the only constant in this world is change”. Life changes constantly and changes happen either it is with a positive or with a negative outcome. “It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change,” according to Charles Darwin. With organizations, change is constant. Organizational change is inevitable in order to cope with competitors. The private owned business Concord Bookshop is located in Boston, Massachusetts and has been the pride of the town for years. According to the reading, Concord Bookshop is considered as one the best in New England. The Concord Bookshop develops a change due to the bookstore’s financial state. This essay will discuss the phases in the organizational change process and discusses the phases that were not implemented at the concord bookshop that resulted to company’s business failure. The three phases of organizational change are turnaround, tools and techniques, and transformational behavioral change. In turnaround phase, implementing cost effective measures are, usually, the first step in most recovery approach as they can be accomplished quickly and generally needs little or no capital or investment of any resources. Another phase of organizational change is the tools and techniques that aims on improving internal organization processes. Changes on the organizations processes are being made without affecting behaviors of employees...
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...Concord Bookshop HCS/587 December 10, 2012 David Harrell Concord Bookshop Concord bookshop was an organization that had challenges. This paper entails the description of the Concord bookshop and its organization. Organizational change process is explained along with Lewin’s Change Model phase; unfreezing, change, and refreezing. The phases of Lewin’s Change Model that Concord did not implement at the time of the change will be described also. The Concord bookshop was an independent bookstore company that implemented a change during a time when the competition booksellers were chain bookstores and Internet books sales (Spector, 2010). The hire of a general manager caused conflict between the Concord owners and the employees the way the change was presented. Concord owners were set with their decision (Spector, 2010). The company did not listen to the employee’s concerns and told the employee’s the company will do it the way of the company and if he or she did not like it, it was his or her choice to continue or not with the company (Spector, 2010). The employee’s believed they were unimportant and dispensable; this led to the employee’s quitting. Lack of proper change implementation by the owners led to conflict and resistance from the employee’s. The Concord owner’s did not use the organizational change process or the strategic renewal approach. Strategic renewal helps to redefine the relationship with the employee’s. The organizational change process...
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...the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change,” stated Charles Darwin. The Concord Bookshop went through changes as many other companies are faced in today’s recession, fierce competition, innovative technology, and restructuring needs. According to Kurt Lewin there are three phases of change implementation: freezing, moving, and refreezing. In this paper, I will describe phases that Concord Bookshop failed to complete that lead to change failure. Phases of Organizational Change Before the change occurs, there are techniques a company can use to minimize resistance. These include good strategic planning, commitment to leadership and team-building skills, and good communication skills (Gambrel & Stevens, 1992). Concord Bookshop failed to use any of the said techniques. According to Spector (2010), a new organizational model is necessary for a business to gain profit and survive in the market. When Concord management hired new general manager there is no strategic planning done. Although the management attempts to hire new manager is needed to keep updated with technology and the ability to competition, management’s approach to change implementation led to resistance and resentment. Concord management failed to involve employees in the proposed change. There is no team building, when Concord management decides to adapt change; it was done as management prerogative. Concord Bookshop did not give the employees any input into the change process at all, nor did they...
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...Concord Bookshop Paper HCS/587 Organizational change is a process by which a business makes changes to improve themselves. The world is constantly changing and evolving and businesses like healthcare industry need to find a way to keep up. How businesses manage change varies depending on what type of business it is. The model of change developed by Kurt Lewin in the 1950s consists of three stages of change: unfreeze, changing, and refreeze (Medley & Akan, 2008, p. 485). An example of organizational change is the Concord Bookshop. The Concord Bookshop is a 64-year-old bookstore in New England (Spector, 2010). The owners found it necessary to makes changes because of the current market for book sales. The change was not well received by the staff and conflict developed between the owners and the staff. “For strategic renewal to be effective, organizations need to do more than announce a new strategy. Leaders should align internal processes, structures, and systems with the demands of the new strategy” (Spector, 2010. p.3). Phases of Organizational Change Kurt Lewin’s model of change consisted of three stages of change. The first stage is the called the Unfreeze, the organization accepts change is required. “To prepare the organization successfully, you need to start at its core – you need to challenge the beliefs, values, attitudes, and behaviors that currently define it” (Mind Tools, 2010, p. 2). The second phase people accept change will happen, “In order to accept...
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...Concord Bookshop Paper HCS/587 August 24, 2915 Margaret Walker Concord Bookshop Paper If an organization wants to stay competitive it must go through changes. There are several changes the organization can choose from when going through an organizational change. If the organization is not willing to make these changes then they will go out of business. If the organization implements the change and does not follow the proper steps then it can lead to more problems for the organization. The organizational change process has three phases and the phases are unfreeze, change, refreeze. In order to make any changes the organization has to first identify the problem that needs to be changed. The second step the organization needs to identify the desired objective as a result of the change. The third step is to present the methodology of how the organization is going to achieve reaching the goal for the change to happen. The next phase is analysis and this is where unfreeze, change, and refreeze stage happens. Unfreeze is the stage right before the organizational change is going to take place. Change is the period of time where the change is being implemented. Refreeze is the period of time after the change has been implemented and is the new way things will be done. In the story we read about there were two steps of the process that was skipped resulting in problems for the organization. One of the steps missed is the behavioral change. In a health care organization if...
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...Concord Bookshop Paper Tabitha Quick HCS/587 October 12, 2012 Professor: Virginia Weatherston Concord Bookshop Paper Organizational change is an organization brings knowledge to an expedient design system, up-to-date program in order to arrange and specify administrative methods within the organization. It is to be able comprehend and evaluate the reason for these changes, and the prerequisites of a successful implantation of this change. There are several changes an organization may face; among those changes organizations recommend supervisors/managers to modify the ideas in which they might be to modify their decisions. The organization will face transformations which will deliver the basic quality of stability, enhancement, and the technology which has gained points of concentration on the set of changes that needs improvement. However, not all of the changes implemented will bring the greatest intentions of the tactical renovations of the changes. That will occur with the organization. Modifications are successful to the organization need the cooperation of the staff members which will require performing standards and complying with no little than efficient with money management and to produce useful things for practical purposes that can improve the organization. It is essential for all employees to be in compliance of the changes and embrace them. There may be some individuals who may show intransigence to these changes form an assortment...
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...Phases of Organizational Change: Concord Bookshop Conflict University of Phoenix Phases of Organizational Change: Concord Bookshop Conflict Organizational change is a never-ending process. Knowing how to approach, present, and effectively implement change depends on several factors. The three phases of Lewin’s Force Field Model: unfreezing, change, and refreezing allow the change process to take place (Borkowski, 2005). Using these phases change can be presented, discussed, and ultimately implemented with success. For organizations to continue to grow and become ever more prosperous, change has to be continuously refined. In this paper, a brief discussion of the phases of organizational change as well as an examination of the organizational change processes not implemented in the Concord Bookshop conflict will be conducted. Lewin’s Phases of Organizational Change Unfreezing Borkowski (2005) states, “The forces and workers involved in perpetuating resistance acquire an understanding of variances that exist between current practices and behavior and desired activities and behavior” (pp. 384-385). The organization must perform an investigation to see what type of resisting forces they may face in regard to the proposed change. An organization will not be effective in creating change unless motivation within the organization is manifested. Understanding that change requires some new knowledge to be learned and some old knowledge to be unlearned. This fact is...
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... The Constitution is the founding document for American democracy, and it features many ideas from the time it was written. One set of ideas that are not prominently feature in the constitution are those of Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism is a philosophy that is based around a focus on ideas and feelings, and the belief that individuals can find truth within themselves. The best know Transcendentalist writers include the likes of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, who became well known for their strong political opinions (Brodrick). Issues that are extremely important to the Transcendentalists such as slavery and the forcible removal of Native Americans from their land are not addressed, and barely mentioned in the body of the Constitution (Goodman). However, many of the amendments do address Transcendentalist ideas. Although the body of the Constitution does not feature specifically Transcendentalist ideas, several of the amendments do reflect some Transcendentalist values. When reading through the body of the Constitution, it does not specifically reject Transcendentalist views, yet it seems to feature ideas that may be contrary to Transcendentalism. The first example of this is that while Transcendentalists focus on individualism, the Constitution focus on the majority and not giving too much power to one person. This idea of limiting the power given to one individual can be seen in the different checks and balances that were created to prevent someone from...
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...“Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.” As Ralph Waldo Emerson outlined in this quote, those who wish to be present in society, therefore classified as “a man”, must live by a transcendental way of life. Transcendentalism, a political and social movement, takes root in nonconformity. It alo relies heavily on the reflection of the Divine Soul that can be found in all objects, and on the importance of nature. The journey into nature, taken by Chris McCandless, is a direct representation of the views of Emerson, as reflected in “Nature”, and “Self-Reliance”, put into action. Emerson wrote both of these essays in order to show the positive impact transcendentalism can have on one’s live, and why more people should live by it, like McCandless. In his essay entitled “Nature”, Emerson wrote, “The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and vulgar things.” By separating oneself from the material world, all the detrimental aspects of life will be eliminated. In this essay, he also references childhood and the importance of childhood curiosity even as an adult. People should think of their childhood, and about how they looked at the world in such an optimistic way, in order to change their view of the world today. By doing this, the beauty of nature truly returns, as well as the curiosity to know more about it. Emerson mentioned that “Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of everyone of its members”, in his essay, “Self-Reliance”....
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...Writing Your Own Rules: Living deliberately in Thoreau Walden Henry David Thoreau once stated, “Why should we knock under and go with the stream? Let us not be upset and overwhelmed in that terrible rapid and whirlpool called a dinner, situated in the meridian shallows” (Thoreau 909). Thoreau has a very strong perspective on transcendentalism. Becoming a transcendentalist offers the right to trust one own intellect. Therefore, this quote demonstrates that Thoreau express to his audience the importance of being one’s self and not following society’s standards. Transcendentalism is referred to as society versus oneself. Henry David Thoreau believes learning to trust one’s individual intuitions and becoming a non-conformist allows individuals to live a more deliberately life. Henry David Thoreau used his selection, “Where I Lived, and What I lived For” to demonstrate how the changes of society serve as a distraction to an individual. Although, Thoreau was a non-conformist, he never stated it he allowed his actions to speak for him through his work. Thoreau notes, “Let us spend one day as deliberately as Nature, and not be thrown off the track by every nutshell and mosquito’s wing that falls on the rails” (909). Due to the many changes of society, people always try to fit in with its new adjustments. Thoreau strongly suggests that we use nature as a symbol to withstand even though it can be laborious sometimes. Most people would consider this to be a challenge. Thoreau believes that...
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...Emerson and Thoreau share many of the same beliefs and are key components of the transcendentalism movement. These beliefs are easier to compare than to contrast. The way Emerson thinks of society relates to Thoreau's views on government, and both men have similar views on nature. The fundamentals of transcendentalism are rooted in the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. In "Nature", Emerson says "Standing on the bare ground - my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball" (Nature 367). Here, He is saying nature's simplicity allows him to think clearly and have deeper thoughts. As for society, Emerson states "Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members," Society plans to take what makes us individuals by making us into conformists "Self-reliance is its aversion"(Self-Reliance 369). With this quote, individuals are shown how Emerson believes that to combat this conformity people need self-reliance. The ideas of transcendentalism are expressed in Thoreau's In Walden. Thoreau explains his thoughts on nature similarly:"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what It had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" (Walden 383).Thoreau went seeking life without material goods. Moreover, in "Civil Disobedience", Thoreau wrote to stop people from supporting...
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...What is one’s duty to? Is it to himself or to the society he lives in? In 1841, Henry David Thoreau accepted an offer to stay with neighboring Ralph Waldo Emerson's family and earn his keep as a handyman while he concentrated on his writing. Thoreau began to adapt to and follow Emerson’s belief in transcendentalism, writing many essays about his belief in transcendentalism. In “Civil Disobedience”, he strongly addresses its readers that they should follow their conscious and not be influenced by a government. In his work “Walden”, Thoreau discusses the insignificance of material goods. He also debates the importance of living close to nature, similar to Emerson’s “Nature”. Some may argue that Thoreau's beliefs and ideas are extreme, but in many ways, they are both idealistic and realistic. While not all of his truths can be classified as realistic, they are ideal. (Witherell and Dubrulle) Thoreau’s belief that a person should live close to nature, is a realistic idea. After Henry David Thoreau’s brother, John, died, Thoreau began working for his neighbor Emerson. Not too long later, Thoreau began living near Emerson’s pond, as close to nature as possible. In today’s society, nature can be easily forgotten, but its people can still include it in their lives. People should remember the significance of nature, and encourage one another to respect it and germinate it. They should view nature with the same respect and significance that they view God with. Although living...
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...Concord Bookshop Paper It is safe to say that change is inevitable and an important part of most organizations. Changes usually occur to improve the productivity in an organization because of a crisis or to prevent any issues that may arise. Problems usually arise when the changes made are not manages appropriately. This is why it is so important to familiarize oneself with the phases of the organizational change process. This paper discusses the different phases and determines which phases were not completed or executed by the concord bookshop and eventually caused the change failure. Phases of the Organizational Process To start the organizational change process there are several steps are taken. The first step is goal recognition. According to Ingram (n.d.) to make a change one must realize a change is inevitable. The need for change can be brought to light in several ways. Audits and employees can help in identifying issues as well as the use of assessment tools such as SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) or Gap analyses are useful in identifying problems. The second step of the organizational process is planning phase. This is the time when the decision makers can sit down to discuss the steps he or she will need to perform to achieve the desired goal. Research will assess what effects this change will have on the organizations...
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...Ralph Waldo Emerson was conceived on May 25, 1803, in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1821, he assumed control as executive of his sibling's school for young ladies. In 1823, he composed the sonnet "Good-Bye." In 1832, he turned into a Transcendentalist, prompting the later expositions "Self-Reliance" and "The American Scholar." Emerson kept on composing and address into the late 1870s. Emerson married Ellen Tucker in 1829. When she passed away from tuberculosis in 1831, he was filled with sorrow. Her death, added to his own faith crisis which made him leave from the ministry. Emerson traveled to Europe were het met with literary figures and on his return back to home in 1833,is when he began to lecture on topics of spiritual experience and ethical...
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