Taking a Look in the Mirror
Share an example of a significant change initiative that you were involved in at your current or former workplace.
- What roles and responsibilities did you have in the change initiative?
- Were you an eager supporter, neutral/passive, or an active resister of the change?
- What influenced your support or resistance to the change? Think about factors like:
- The people leading the change
- The communication and messaging about the change
- The personal impact on your career
- Your beliefs about whether the change was needed and/or appropriate
- Was the change initiative successful or not?
- What were some key factors that led to the outcomes?
Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates’ initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.
1st response
Isis Evans RE: Week 2 Discussion
The example of a significant change initiative that I will be using in this discussion occurred during my time at COMHAR. The significant change initiative involved all employees and the new Human Resources Software that the company had just purchased.
My primary role and responsibility in the change initiative involved learning all I needed to learn about the new HR Software and then teaching what I learned to the COMHAR supervisors.
I was an eager supporter of the change! As Lead Recruiter, I was extremely excited that the new HRS included an Applicant Tracking System that would help make my recruiting job a lot easier.
The following factors positively influenced my support for the change:
- The CEO, Board of Directors, and HR Directors trust in the HR Department to lead the change.
- The personal impact that this change had on my career was positive because I learned about a new Human Resource System, and it made the Recruiting aspect of my job easier.
- Yes, I firmly believe that this change was needed and appropriate for the company.
The change initiative was successful, and we were able to measure our success through the Applicant Tracking System. Thanks to the change initiative, the HR Department cut down the screening process time while still maintaining a suitable candidate pool.
Lack of candor basically blocks smart ideas, fast action, and good people contributing all the stuff theyve got (Welch, 1). The key factors in this change initiative that led to this positive outcome were trust and candor. Because we had already established a trustworthy relationship with our employees, they were more open to the change. They trusted our feedback, just like we trusted theirs.
Sources:
- Welch, Jack. (2005). Winning. Harper Business. Pg. 25.
2nd response
Alesia Wallace RE: Week 2 Discussion
Hi Class and Professor,
Personally, as an individual, I can relate to some, but not all questions, but I can say in my recent job as a group was part of a change in how we serve our customers. The change was part of our PQFR or Premier Quality Food Service. This was implemented about 3 years ago and it basically shows our customers how important food safety, cleanliness, and handling of their groceries is to us. I think we all different feelings about it. I thought that we already doing that and this is just another thing we have to focus more attention on and it wasn’t necessary. I just feel that because there is so much expectation as a company that we try to outdo ourselves to stay on top of the competition. I was one of those employees that were passive about the change, like some others, because we wouldn’t just outright say how we felt about this change. We would just murmur among ourselves and leave it be. I think some were not sure what the initiative would do to help the company, as the main idea, this when there needs to be “transparency” (Welch,1) on the vision of this change initiative. Overall, this initiative did work and still in effect today and it adds to our “Customer First” vision. The most important outcome is customers coming into a clean store and the quality of our products.
1. Welch. Winning. 2007.
