Review several of your peers’ posts. Respond to two peers who did not choose the same tool as you. 

JOHNNY’S POST:

Select one of the following tools: 

Cummings and Worley’s five dimensions of leading and managing change.  

Explain how a leader could use this tool in guiding an organizational change. 

I believe all leaders could help their organization by learning the five dimensions of leading and managing effective change. As stated in the text, 2016, “Those dimensions include motivating change, creating a vision, developing political support, managing the transition, and sustaining momentum.” (Ch 3.2, Para 20). All five of these dimensions are essential for a business that is going through an organizational change.  

As a company evolves and expands over time there will be a time where the leaders of the company will have to implement change to stay effective and up to date. The first step of motivating change is very important because people generally reject change. Leaders must motivate the change otherwise the employee’s will not buy into the concept. Creating a vision helps the company understand what their goals are. Without establishing a vision, it would be impossible for people to know what the goals for the company are. This would lead to confusion and most likely low morale. Political support helps the new change become accepted. If there is a lack of support the new change could fail to gain momentum. The transition of change will not happen overnight. I believe the final two dimensions are often overlooked and not implemented in many companies. If the momentum is not sustained most people will fall back into old habits. It’s important that leaders periodically check up on progress and reassure its employee’s that the change is working.  

Reference

:  

Weiss, J. W. (2016). Organizational change (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

 (Links to an external site.)  

SARA’S POST:

Hey Class,

     Per Weiss (2016), Cummings and Worley’s five dimensions of leading and managing change provide companies reliable guidance and direction for taking steps toward organizational change. These dimensions, motivating change, creating a vision, developing political support, managing the transition, and sustaining momentum, are easy to understand and, if followed correctly, will assist in a smooth transition in what could serve as an otherwise chaotic period (Weiss, 2016).  

Motivating Change

     I appreciate that Weiss (2016) acknowledges that many people are resistant to change. Often, when employees or stakeholders initially learn about upcoming changes, their first reaction is one of hesitation and insecurity. Employers should offer buy-in to a new direction. Offer a compelling reason for the change, proving the move is positive and beneficial. A one-on-one conversation with employees will provide a sense of security and personalize how the change will impact their position. 

Creating a Vision

     Many are so involved in the aspect of their specific responsibilities that they forget that their job is one part of a whole working corporation. Creating a vision for their position will benefit, as well as ensuring the stakeholders understand the goal for all involved. Short and long-term goals assist in creating a vision, as do real visual props. As a visual learner, I can better grasp and idea when I see the big picture lying before me.

Developing Political Support

     Buy-in to the idea must remain throughout the process of change. While every company has its share of politics, those who voice negativity can quickly destroy employee morale. Higher-ups within an organization must ensure leaders are on board with the new programs; a trusted leader can greatly influence others. 

Managing the Transition

     This process requires leaders to stay knowledgeable about the change throughout the entire transition. A leader should anticipate specific issues and regularly seek feedback. Communication is wonderful for the sake of the employee or stakeholder, but the particular change should also serve as one of positivity. If the change is not going as planned, the leader should adjust accordingly.

Sustaining Momentum

     Weiss (2016) refers back to the engagement of employees. Buy-in cannot falter during the transition. This step, like the others, includes continuous communication and positivity. Momentum is essential to any organization. A leader who truly wants the change to prove successful will present excitement and encouragement to all involved. 

Sara

References

Weiss, J. W. (2016). 

Organizational change (2nd ed.)

. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/

JEREMY’S POST:

After reading the Forbes articles Six Reasons Tim Cook Is Doing A Great Job As Apple’s CEO, and All Excuses Aside, Apple’s Major Problem Is Tim Cook,explain the impact you think the transition from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook has had on Apple’s primary stakeholder groups: customers, employees, and investors.

In my opinion, Apple’s transition from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook has had a negative impact on the customers. Since Tim Cook took over, Apple has not released anything revolutionary but rather seems content to simply refine their existing products.  The tech industry is fast paced and standing still for too long will cause companies to lose their customer base to more innovative ones.   

The transition’s impact on the employees at Apple appears to be generally positive.  Chuck Jones (2015) says the culture at Apple has become more collaborative than combative and that the production of nearly one million products per day can evidence positive change.  This is an amazing logistical feat that would not be possible in an organization with poor employee satisfaction. 

The transition’s impact on investors would appear to be marginal based on the narrow timeframe numbers that Jay Somenay (2015) reports and the relative performance of the company compared to the market that Chuck Jones (2015) reports. However, the transition does have potential to negatively impact investors if Tim Cook cannot find a way to either develop new products the market will trip over itself to invest in or find a way to woo Wall Street investors.

In what ways do you think Tim Cook’s leadership has changed Apple? 

I think Tim Cook’s leadership has changed Apple into a run of the mill tech company that maintains solid earnings based on sales of popular products.  They now play to the mass majority instead of the early adopters and innovators.  To me, that is a huge loss for the company, as they are known for being innovative, pioneering, and revolutionary.  Steve Jobs was a master at creating the so-called purple cow, a product you didn’t know you wanted but somehow can’t live without now that it is here. 

Reference

Jones, C. (2015, November 22). Six reasons Tim Cook is doing a great job as Apple’s CEO.Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones /2015/11/22/six-reasons-tim-cook-is-doing-a-great-job-as-apples-ceo/#112a3f5242fd

Somaney, J. (2015, November 15). All excuses aside, Apple’s major problem Is Tim Cook.Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysomaney/ 2015/11/15/all-excuses-aside-apples-major-problem-is-tim-cook/#1499d2f1af68

ELIZABETH’S POST:

These two articles, just written days apart from each, are a night and day comparison of Apple’s Tim Cook.  One author pine for the Steve Job’s approach to running Apple (Somaney, 2015), while the other noted strengths (and a few weaknesses) of Tim Cook’s approach to Apple (Jones, 2015).  Both articles highlight the transition between Steve Jobs to Tim Cook had on its primary stakeholder group of customers, employees, and investors. 

In his article, Chuck Jones focused primarily on the positive effects Tim Cook leadership has provided to Apple (and he also admitted he owns stock in Apple).  He cited Tim Cook appeared to foster a collaborative culture approach instead of a confrontational one, to include the ability to take accountability when products don’t meet the intended mark (Jones, 2015).  Jones also noted a positive change for investors with a buy back stock option, which previously had not been a typical Apple response under Steve Jobs.  Jay Somaney’s article was primarily focuses on the stakeholder of the investors, and notes that while Tim Cook is tech savvy he is not savvy to Wall Street (2015).    

The compare and contrast of each article’s view on Apple’s transition from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook is a reminder how important it is for leaders of organizations to connect with their stakeholders.  It appears that Tim Cook is meeting the needs of Apple employee and customers however its investors may not have totally bought into the transition.  He may need to conduct a gap analysis, like Avon’s Andrea Jung conducted (Weiss, 2015), and identify if he is falling short on understanding Wall Street (as indicated in Somaney’s article).  It may provide him with a better site picture of all the moving parts and pieces that affect Apple, and certainly capture all three of the primary stakeholder group.  

References: 

Jones, C. (2015, November 22). Six reasons Tim Cook is doing a great job as Apple’s CEO (Links to an external site.) .Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/chuckjones/2015/11/22/six-reasons-tim-cook-is-doing-a-great-job-as-apples-ceo/#112a3f5242fd (Links to an external site.)

Somaney, J. (2015, November 15). All excuses aside, Apple’s major problem Is Tim Cook (Links to an external site.). Retrieved from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysomaney/2015/11/15/all-excuses-aside-apples-major-problem-is-tim-cook/#1499d2f1af68 (Links to an external site.)

Weiss, J. W. (2016). Organizational change (2nd ed.). Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/
12 hours