Organizational Change for Case Study of Motors-myassignmenthelp

Question: Discuss about theOrganizational Change for Case Study of General Motors. Answer: Introduction: This report deals with organizational change in terms of a real life case study along with analyzing the various aspects of organizational behavior in the given journal article. The main objective of the article was to highlight the impact of organizational change on the organizational behavior of an organization. These changes involve changes in the attitudes of the organizational employees in terms of resistance to changes and change management approaches. The article explains how changes took place in General Motors and the strategies involved to keep the organizational employees motivated. Organizational behavior and change: According to Khan Hashim (2014), the rapid changes in the business environment have made it mandatory for the organizations to keep themselves updated and bring the necessary changes within the organization in order to remain ahead of the competitors. The changes in the technologies especially in the automobile industry have compelled the automobile companies to bring necessary changes within the organizations. Change management is necessary for attaining sustainability in the long- run. Organizational change might include changes in the organizational culture, employees, technology, rules and regulations, human resource management, etc. It is necessary to manage these changes in an effective manner such that the changes turn out to be beneficial for the organization. On the contrary, Cameron (2015) stated that organizational changes are very difficult to implement as they face several types of resistances. It is necessary to study the organizational behavior before initiating any change. Organizational behavior is the study of the interaction between the human behavior and the organization. The major type of resistance is in the form of employee resistance. The employees of an organization are usually never in favor of changes. The changes brought within an organization directly affect the employees of an organization. For instance, change in the form of a new technology might make the employees fear that the technology might replace them and the organization might no longer want them. Therefore, implementing change within an organization might create disturbances within an organization. On the other hand, according to Anderson (2016), the management of an organization must motivate the employees to favor the changes in order to implement the changes within the organization without creating any disturbances. It is necessary to change the attitudes of the employees and make them understand the benefits they would derive from the implementation of the changes. Resistance to changes and overcoming them: According to Pinder (2014), employees resist changes as a result of several factors such as habit, security, fear and economical factors. Resistance is the reaction obtained from the organizational members when a change is proposed. Therefore, he suggested that an organization must implement a change fairly. It is necessary to choose the organizational employees, who would welcome the change and those who would resist the change. It is the responsibility of the management of an organization to properly communicate with the employees and explain them the benefits of the change. It is necessary to ensure participation of all the organizational members in order to implement a change within an organization. It is also necessary to involve the organizational members in the decision-making process in order to keep them motivated. On the contrary, Miner (2015) mentioned that following the Lewins three step change model is necessary to ensure the success of a change implementation. It is necessary to prepare the employees before the implementation of a change in order to ensure that they feel comfortable both before and after the implementation of the change. This process involves unfreezing, implementing the change and refreezing. On the other hand, Greenberg (2013) stated that it is necessary to study the perceptions and attitudes of the organizational members to know their attitude towards the change. There are always possibilities that individuals might have perception errors. Perception is a series of psychological steps that enable a person to interpret a information or situation. Change management at General Motors: General Motors is an American automobile manufacturing company which was found in the year 1908. The company runs its business in six continents covering more than 396 locations. The company was once the largest automobile manufacturing company in the world but after the emergence of Toyota, the company fell into back foot. According to DuBrin (2013), there were several internal factors that required a drastic change in order to remain ahead of the competitors. On such issue was the high wages paid to the employees at General Motors as compared to Toyota, which ultimately increased the expenses of the organization. The company was compelled to carry out its activities with more than 80% capacity even when it was not required. All these internal factors led to the downfall of the organization. On the contrary, Wagner III Hollenbeck (2014) mentioned that the major change required within the organization was cost- cutting. However, this change is never accepted by the employees of an organization as it would involve lowering their wages or salaries. Despite the resistances, the organization cut the pay of the organizational employees, which led to dissatisfaction and demotivation among the employees. Another massive change required was the cultural change. The organization brought several changes in the structure of the organization and in the management team. This change was initiated to improve the speed of decision- making process. On the other hand, according to Luthans, Luthans Luthans (2015), several issues aroused due to the changes in the wages and the organizational culture. The top- down approach followed by the organization did not consider the involvement of the employees in the decision- making processes. This made the employees feel dissatisfaction and ultimately led to job dissatisfaction. The cost- cutting strategy and the top- down view approach of the management had several negative impacts on the organization. The lowered wages and the cut in the number of employees created dissatisfaction among the employees. The employees became conscious of their job security and lower wages. The emergence of other automobile companies such as Toyota became a huge threat for the organization as Toyota had maintained a strong organizational culture and had been successful in keeping the employees satisfied. This became a tough challenge for General Motors and the company started suffering huge losses. Maslow needs hierarchy theory: This theory of motivation states that there are five basic needs of a man. The first need is the physiological needs. This involves necessities such as food, water and shelter. The next level comprises of safety need, which involves financial security and health security. The next level involves feeling of belongingness, wherein a person develops a feeling of being loved. After the satisfaction of all the lower needs, arises the need of esteem. In this stage, a person develops needs of being respected by others. The last stage comprises of self- actualization needs wherein the need of achieving everything a person can possibly achieve rises (Benn, Dunphy Griffiths, 2014). Conclusion: General Motors faced severe competition from Toyota and suffered huge losses in the past. However, the company was able to improve its position by studying and implementing organizational behavior theories. The company has been able to improve its working conditions and has also been able to keep its employees satisfied. Change management is necessary for attaining sustainability in the long- run. It is necessary to manage these changes in an effective manner such that the changes turn out to be beneficial for the organization. However, the company is required to study the perceptions and attitudes of the organizational members while initiating any change within the organization. Motivated employees are an asset to an organization and help in enhancing the productivity of an organization. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the organizational members well- informed about the organizational changes and keep them motivated so that the changes are implemented successfully. References: Anderson, D. L. (2016).Organization development: The process of leading organizational change. Sage Publications. Benn, S., Dunphy, D., Griffiths, A. (2014).Organizational change for corporate sustainability. Routledge. Cameron, E., Green, M. (2015).Making sense of change management: A complete guide to the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers. DuBrin, A. J. (2013).Fundamentals of organizational behavior: An applied perspective. Elsevier. Greenberg, J. (Ed.). (2013).Organizational behavior: The state of the science. Routledge. Khan, M. A., Hashim, M. (2014). Organizational Change: Case Study of General Motors. Luthans, F., Luthans, B. C., Luthans, K. W. (2015).Organizational behavior: An evidence-based approach. IAP. Miner, J. B. (2015).Organizational behavior 1: Essential theories of motivation and leadership. Routledge. Pinder, C. C. (2014).Work motivation in organizational behavior. Psychology Press. Wagner III, J. A., Hollenbeck, J. R. (2014).Organizational behavior: Securing competitive advantage. Routledge.