Reviewing Who Killed Change

Reviewing Who Killed Change The book Who Killed Change is about change management. Through its interesting fable style, it teaches the managers of organizations how to cope with change successfully. The author, after analyzing all the change agents, concludes very appropriately that the same factors that lead to the death of organizations, if exercise their power rightfully, can help change thrive in the organizations. The story starts by describing a murder scene of yet another change. Agent Mike McNally, a Columbo-style detective, investigates the crime scene and makes a list of thirteen suspects that he thinks are the most commonly involved culprits in the murder of anyone with the last name Change. He interviews all the thirteen suspects in detail in order to resolve the case. The manner in which the author describes the suspects, personifies them and relates them to the cause of Changes death is quite engrossing. Their description clearly shows an irony between what they are and what they should have been as far as change implementation is concerned. Another important insight provided by the author while these suspects are being interviewed, is that most of them have to work in synchronization with each other, otherwise failure is inevitable. These murder suspects are described as follows and in all similar cases, they are always the same. Culture. Culture is the set of predominant values, beliefs and norms that define an organization. Culture plays a critical role in the entire change process. If change is to be implemented successfully, then managers should make sure that the existing culture in their organizations supports and sustains change, meanwhile detecting loopholes where existing culture is not aligned with the proposed change and taking corrective actions. Commitment.Commitment refers to the peoples motivation and willingness to change their behaviors as a result of a change initiative. This can be achieved only if people working in the organizations are informed about the change alongwith the knowledge as to how it will impact them. Any concerns regarding change should also be addressed and this is the responsibility of the leadership team. To make people see how change will affect their lives and how important it is for them to be committed, can only be achieved through a clear vision, and through proper planning that will integrate change in their daily routines. Sponsorship. Sponsorship is a senior leader who is responsible and authorized for using necessary resources like time, money and people, to ensure the timely implementation and eventual sustainability of change. The role of sponsorship is very important to the success of change in any organization and this role is not restricted to mere introduction of change, rather it involves the continuous support of the change sponsor and commitment of the leadership through reinforcement of change via accountability and incentives. Change leadership team. The change leadership team comprises of leaders who are close to the action and are responsible for managing and executing various change strategies on a day-to-day basis. After sponsorship, it is these leaders who can play a vital role in leading people through change. The author believes that it is important for this team to comprise of people who have successfully implemented some change, who are respected by their peers, who can communicate effectively, who have the right skill set to lead and who respect diverse viewpoints because they have worked at all levels both in formal and informal roles. Communication. The role of communication is to create a dialogue between those who want to bring about a change and those who will be asked to change. This dialogue should be consistent in its delivery irrespective of who is communicating, delivered through different media for effectiveness, and delivered by people who are known and well-respected. If communication regarding change is not effective, change will never survive. Urgency. Urgency is the need for people to understand the importance to change while accepting change. If they do not feel this urgency, they will accept the status quo and will make no considerable effort to change. The author believes that a sense of urgency is created only if leaders and leadership teams communicate with the people the gaps between what is what should be, provide them with credible reasons to change and more importantly motivate them to change by translating the sense of urgency into a cause. Vision. A vision is a clear and compelling picture that allows people to see how they will succeed after integrating change. A vision cannot be created successfully by the leaders alone. Just as people expect to be part of the change process, similarly everyone in the organization needs to share a vision as far as change and its positive impact is concerned. A sense of urgency should be created to break the monotony of routines and allow change to set in. Plan. Leading people effectively through change is only possible if the change is not only planned strategically and tactfully, but also steps are taken to implement the change. Looking at the bigger picture for too long reflects that change implementation is not on the priority list of the managers. Therefore effective planning for change should involve all the people who are likely to be affected; the resistors and the early adopters both; and should outline all necessary details required to implement the plan. Once outlined, the right infrastructure should be developed to support the change. Budget. Budget refers to the amount of money spent on change initiation. Unless the return on investment (ROI) is proportionate to the limited resources allocated for implementing change, financing change will always be difficult.For budgeting to be effective, it is important that the sponsors see the need and feel the urgency to bring about change and then allocate resources in the best possible way. Any necessary investments on infrastructure should not be withheld and managers should try to make the budget in the most cost-effective manner. Trainer. The role of a change trainer is very important as he is the one responsible for assessing people on whether they have the required skills to execute change and succeed. A trainer should be able to evaluate and address the concerns of the people expected to change by using a variety of change leadership strategies. He should possess the necessary expertise to mold with the situation and partner with the people of the organization in order to influence and increase their commitment to change. Incentive. Incentives are the reward and recognition people get when they bring about the desired change through their actions and behavior. Incentives do not necessarily mean monetary rewards. A lot many times, well-deserved recognition proves to be much more useful than mere money. The most important thing that the author has described as far as incentives are concerned is that different people need different incentives. Unless this is realized, employees will never embrace change willingly and effectively as their minds and hearts can only be tapped if it is known that what motivates them. Performance management.Performance management is the process through which goals and expectations are set regarding peoples behavior towards change by tracking their progress and providing feedback and guiding them on how to implement change. Accountability.Once goals and expectations are set, it is then through the process of accountability that followup is done as to whether peoples behaviors and results are in line with the goals. The act of accountability should ensure that managers walk the talk especially when behaviors and results do not match with the change initiatives. The role of accountability is very critical to the survival of change in any organization. Anyone, irrespective of their status and level in the hierarchy, should be held accountable for successful change implementation and managers should ensure two-way accountability where leaders and team members are partnered for performance. In addition to all the above-mentioned suspects, the author talks about four more characters, the stakeholders, and how they view the death of change. According to the stakeholders there are a number of barriers that are mostly ignored by the middle and senior level managers and only the front-line employees and supervisors are able to see them. For example, managers and leaders show resistance to new ideas even if employees see the need to implement them. Accountability occurs in the form of reprimanding workers for a job done bad rather than incentivizing them not to make errors. This also acts as a barrier to successful change implementation. When leaders do not walk the talk, employees are unable to feel the urgency to embrace change. Having described at length all factors that contribute towards the failure of change, the author solves the mystery in a very captivating way by making all the aforementioned characters responsible for the death of change. In the end he puts forth a series of questions that managers need to ask while undertaking change in their organization meanwhile applying the lessons of the story to real life situation. These questions will help the managers realize when a given change will be successful and when it might be at risk thereby helping them to design an action plan to address the risks to change. Critical Assessment of the Book Change can be successful only when the usual characters in an organization combine their unique talents and consistently involve others in initiating, implementing and sustaining change Ken Blanchard is a management guru who with his insightful, powerful and compassionate qualities has impacted the day-to-day management of people and companies more than anyone else. He is one of the most influential leadership experts in the world and has done some groundbreaking work in the fields of management and leadership. Ken is an expert storyteller who has an amazing knack for making seemingly complex matters easy to understand. Although there have been numerous books written on change management, yet it is the unorthodox style of presentation of Who Killed Change that makes it stand out. The authors, in a very fun and clever way, have highlighted the intricacies involved in organizational change and in the process have given some very important practical tips for managers of all types in organizations, both big and small. The study guide given at the end enables people to ask themselves some practical questions that will help them examine the change efforts that they are leading in their organizations. This study guide espouses the concepts of leading people through change, Blanchards hallmark program on Change Leadership, with the characters who conspired to kill change. The characters identified as suspects are unique in their names and descriptions, yet at the same time we can easily relate to them and spot them in any organization we work in. The most enthralling aspect of these characters, however, is that each one of their physical descriptions reflects flaws that became a cause of sabotaging change. For example, Clair Communication is suffering from Laryngitis. Change, unfortunately, cannot survive when communication in the organization is faulty and people who are advocates of change are not communicating with those who are resisting it. Another suspect, Victoria Vision, is myopic. If vision cannot see properly, how will it perform her role effectively? And this is what happens in organizations where change efforts do not succeed. The vision is so poor and weak that it is not transmitted to the concerned people and as a result, the desired outcome is not produced. Similarly, Carolina Culture is a small and unassuming character, whereas,for leading people through change, the culture of change needs to be so strong and distinguished that anybody, working at any level in the organization, is able to see and feel it. The role of Earnest Urgency is very critical in integrating change as a prioritymatter, however, it is always late and fails to instill in people the dire need to change. The plot of the story has been developed by John Britt, the senior co-author of Who Killed Change. John has been studying change for a long time and Ken Blanchard, alongwith his team of change experts, acquaints the readers with all the thirteen characters with reference to their organizational role, relationships and expectations and fits them together as pieces of a puzzle in the context of managing or murdering change.While doing so, however, the authors do tend to become a little too intense and forced. The notes shared by Agent McNally at the end of every chapter seem to stretch the description of the characters too far and one tends to lose interest in the story at this point. Although they help us see the picture of the murder from a neutral perspective, yet after having said so much in the chapters, they over-emphasize the details. Apart from this, I found the story very engrossing and the best part is the lessons it teaches about change on a subliminal level while making the reader enjoy the plot. Through the description and interrogation of each character, the author supports the fact that roughly 70% of change efforts in organizations fail as change is never easy. The practical questions given at the end of the book teaches all those people, who are even slightly authorized to initiate a change, how to identify and address the typical concerns that employees have regarding change as well as how to select an appropriate strategy to resolve these concerns. While writing the autopsy report of Changes death, the author has very pertinently highlighted three key assumptions regarding this murder. People leading the Change think that announcing it is the same as integrating it. Peoples concerns with Change are not surfaced or addressed. Those being asked to implement Change are not involved in the planning. These assumptions are true for all sorts of organizations and the lesson learnt is that anybody responsible for bringing about a change in the correct manner, should do so by consulting everyone and support and finance change with integrity and care. Only then will change thrive and sustain. Analysis and Evaluation of the Book Who Killed Change is a unique book on change management as it has lessons for leaders who are not just CEOs or regular managers but for everyone, be it supervisors, teachers, parents or even for anyone sitting at home. The common lesson for each of these people is how to take a concept or an idea and get it implemented in a way that people get committed and excited about it. This is what is ca-lled managing change and in todays world, each one of us has to be a manager of change. If we look carefully in the mirror around change efforts, we might find ourselves to be a suspect. In organizational settings, this book will help all the members of the organization to get familiar with change and eventually influence it. The lessons of the story are not restricted to any particular role in the organization. The way many organizations view change is that it is the responsibility of the leaders at the top to drive that change and while they certainly do have a role to play, the author and his team of change experts want leaders at all levels to be playing a role in bringing about change. Through this fun and clever murder mystery, the book teaches the managers to understand the dynamics operating in a company that kill change and assess whether it is a particular character like culture or vision, or is it some sort of leadership that has killed change. The managers need to realize that each of the dynamics in the organization has to work together for change to succeed. They just cant launch change through a marketing campaign and expect it to take root for people to embrace it. All the thirteen suspects are commonly found in any organization, and people can easily resonate with these characters, thereby making them even more real. Through their vivid descriptions, readers, whoever they are, can start thinking of the change they are involved in, the projects they are working on, and then develop a quick sense of how well the project is working and what are the areas for improvement. Who Killed Change is a useful book for small as well as large businesses as it introduces change in a fun way to all members of an organization while providing them with very practical tips on leading people through change. People do not resist so much to change as they resist to being controlled. Conclusion I would conclude this book review by applying the lessons of Who Killed Change to the educational institutions in our country. As mentioned above, each member of the organization is responsible for managing change. No doubt Principals and Head Teachers have a more important role to play in implementing and sustaining change, but teachers as classroom leaders are no less important. If a certain change is necessary for the very survival of the institution, then teachers should create the sense of urgency in a manner that leaders feel the need to implement it and then provide all necessary financial and moral support. This will show their commitment towards change. However, even if any one of the team members in the learning community fails to play its role, then it is eventually going to lead to the failure and death of change in the institution. Members of the staff will accept the status quo, and like Haw, a character in the well-known fable on organizational change, Who Moved My Che ese, they will never look for new opportunities and make no effort to change themselves as well as the institution as a whole. Hence the more united the vision of change is, the more successful the school will be in adopting the change.

Why I avoid social interaction

Over the last few days I have been trying to find out why I avoid social interaction. Usually, I don’t feel comfortable to meet new people. After meditating for sometime I found out that this problem was not an issue that came up in one single day but has developed over a number of years. I therefore went further to think about my past life and the experience that may have led to this kind of behavior. This essay analyzes these experience and their theoretical explanation using psychological eye. My mother is a teacher while my father is a doctor. They are both hardworking and have achieved a lot in their professionals. They always show me some of the medals they were awarded for their good performance in their respective institutions. Apart from that, I have attended and witnessed them receiving the awards. The most significant instances included a ceremony where may father was named the doctor of the year after carrying out a surgical operation which was thought to be too complicated and difficulty to perform. Just a month later, I witnessed my mother receiving a present as the teacher whose subject was best performed in that year. I was so moved by these two occasions that I promised to work hard and become a doctor like my father. One thing I didn’t like in these ceremonies was that particular moment when my parents introduced me to their friends. I was normally filled with fear and shyness. My parents also realized that I was having a very difficulty time whenever we attended such occasions. We all discussed about my problem. They told me that even when I was young I was not only afraid of strangers but also shy. They concluded by telling me that this reaction would not stop all of a sudden but would even continue in the future. They both agreed that this may be the reason why I was uncomfortable whenever I met new people. Back in my school, meetings were often held to evaluate the performance of the students. This was done to ensure that every student did well in examinations as well as to find out, if any, the problems why some students didn’t perform well. Those students who performed poorly in exams were punished and ridiculed. They were even nicknamed. On one particular day I was almost about to fall under this category of students. My parents were annoyed and cautioned me about the kind of friends I had in school. I was promised a present if I improved in school. I had to dedicate more of my time in studies. I used to spend most of my leisure time in watching movies and soaps. Though I didn’t like this at first, I had no alternative since my family and I had moved to this country in which I was quite unfamiliar with. I eventually came to love watching the T. V and currently I prefer this to going out and meeting new people. I usually spend most of the afternoon watching the TV and I have come to associate evenings with watching the TV. The presents my parents received motivated me so much that I had to set my personal goal of being like them or even doing better. A child personality is usually shaped by their personal interaction with their parents and forces which are unconscious. According to Maslow â€Å"the inner need to fulfill one’s potential† which he referred to as ‘self actualization’ is a process that continues all though one’s life. In other words, it is not only applicable to childhood but also across on individual’s lifespan (Slater A, Bremner G, 2003, pp. 57-58). I always felt I that I would only achieve ‘self actualization’ at that time when I will become a doctor and I had to give more time to my studies then going out to meet new people. Psychoanalytic theory (Maslow theory of self actualization) is the reason why I always worked hard to become a doctor. However the theory may not explain my behavior since I have already changed my mind about my future career and I no longer long to be a doctor. My parents’ explanation about my behavior can be traced to trait theories where our actions in childhood are supposed to be manifested even when we grow old. On the other hand this may not explain my behavior since not all what I did in my childhood is manifested in my current life situations (Ewen R, 1998, pp109). Watching some students being punished and humiliated in front of their schoolmates forced me to work even harder to avoid the same. My parents’ reaction to my poor performance and their promise to reward me mounted pressure on me to spend more time in studying. Social learning theory is the reason why I spend more time in books and discouraged me to meet new people. I learned how grievous it was to fail in school by â€Å"observing behaviors of others and outcomes of these behaviors† (Bandura A, 1977, pp. 21-23) However some of my classmates still go out to meet new friends and their performance in class is excellent. Others spend more time studying and perform poorly so this may not be the reason why I avoided social interactions. Watching the T. V came to be part of my life even though I didn’t like it at first. classical conditioning is the reason why I long for the evenings because I love to watch movies and songs. According to Pavlov P. , conditioning implies to that â€Å"process where neurological patterns become sufficiently established to make a response† and there must also be reinforcement (Cropps R, 1986, pp. 98). I no longer watch TV in the evening. From the theory of classical conditioning the evening can can be taken to represent the conditioned stimuli while the Tv soaps and movies represent the unconditioned stimuli. I enjoyed watching the Tv in the evening so much and an evening always reminded me of the soaps and movies. This theory may also not sufficiently explain my behavior because though I no longer watch the Tv in the evening, i still don't like going out to meet new people. All the theories discussed above do not sufficiently explain my behavior even though they may be part of the explanation. I still don't have a concrete explanation of my behavior up to date.

Audrey Hepburn built her incredible acting talent out of her troubled upbringing Essay

Audrey Hepburn was born in 4th of May 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. She is an idol of elegance for all time. She spends her first years of school in London. However, because of the Nazi’s occupancy, she moved into Holland with her mother. She continued to conservatoire in Arnhem which is the city of Holland. After the war, Audrey started taking ballet classes. Her first show was in 1947 and its name is ‘High Buton Shoes.’ She became more famous with ‘Gigi’ movie. Also, she won Oscar with her ‘Roman Holiday’ movie. After a year, she acted in ‘Ondine with Mel Ferrer’. In this period, Hepburn and Ferrer started a relationship and they married in 1954. She gained Academy nomination with the ‘Sabrina’ movie in the same year. With the movie of ‘The Nun’s Story’, again she was nominated for the Academy award. In 1960, her first child Sean was born. She gained her fifth Academy nomination with the Ã¢â‚¬Ë œWait Until Dark’. However, in the same year, she got divorced. She made her second marriage with psychiatrist Andrea Dotti. They had a son which named as Luca. She acted in ‘Always’ in 1989. That is the last movie of her. After 1980 she started to work as a goodwill ambassador of Unicef. She died on 20 January 1993 in Swetland because of appendicular cancer. PsychologÄ ±cal Analysis Of Audrey Hepburn wÄ ±th the perspectÄ ±ve of Adler Audrey Hepburn was born in 4th of May 1929 in Brussels, Belgium. Her mother name is Baroness Ella van, Heemstra. As you can guess from ‘Barones’ title, she is from a noble family. From her first marriage, she has got two children, Ian and Alex. She made her second marriage with Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston, who is the father of Audrey. Audrey is the only child of this second marriage. Also, this marriage ended traumatically too because Audrey’s father left them in the 9th year of the marriage. When we look at the parental style of this famÄ ±ly, we can Ä ±nterpret Audrey as a neglected child. She lÄ ±ved wÄ ±th her father only for sÄ ±x years. When Audrey was sÄ ±x years old, Ruston left them. Audrey told that event as ‘I adored my father. When he left us, he commÄ ±ted us to lÄ ±fe-long Ä ±nsecurÄ ±ty’(15).However Ä ±t Ä ±s not the only reason to classÄ ±fÄ ±ed Audrey as a neglected chÄ ±ld. When we look at the these sÄ ±x years we see that Audrey and Ruston communÄ ±ctÄ ±on dÄ ±d not very wellà § Audrey was love her father very much and she was trying to show her talents to her father. Unfortunately, she could not get the results of thÄ ±s trÄ ±als. (12) AccordÄ ±ng to Adler’s theory the neglected chÄ ±ld can need to others Ä ±n the future to recognÄ ±tÄ ±on and nurturance (76). As we can guess thÄ ±s predÄ ±ctÄ ±on fÄ ±ts to Audrey because she was a famous actress and her need for recognÄ ±tÄ ±on can be satÄ ±sfÄ ±e d through her fans. Also, Audrey Ä ±nterpreted that she has a mÄ ±strust about compassÄ ±on and she always felt grateful to ones who showed compassÄ ±on to her. When we look at her mother Baroness Ella van Heemstra, we can observe the other characteristic of neglected chÄ ±ld: havÄ ±ng unsupportÄ ±ve parent. Her mother gÄ ±vÄ ±ng advÄ ±ce to her Ä ±n an dÄ ±fferent way whÄ ±ch Ä ±s: ‘ You should thÄ ±nk about always thÄ ±nk about others. You are not an Ä ±nterestÄ ±ng person. Other people are more Ä ±mportant than you.’ (12). In addÄ ±tÄ ±on to that, Audrey had an performance Ä ±n New York. At the end of the show, Ella van Heemstra congratulated her: ‘ You dÄ ±d a good job, especÄ ±ally when we consÄ ±der that you do not have any talent’. So when the whole world talks about Audrey show, Ella van Heemstra could not satÄ ±sfÄ ±ed wÄ ±th her daughter talent. When we contÄ ±nue to look at Audrey’s lÄ ±fe, Audrey started a boarding school in England.In the end of summer 1939, England started a war to Nazis. Audrey and her mother moved into Arnhem again. However, after a time Nazis occupied Arnhem too. Nazis try to provoke Holland against the England. To conceal herself, Audrey learned Dutch and change her name to ‘Edda van Heemstra’. At this time, they lose communication with Audrey’s brothers. After that Ella began to take part in the Holland resistance. Because of the occupy, Arnhem conservatoire open it’s door without a payment. Audrey started to take classes about music and dance in there. In 1944, an operation held to the Nazis. This operation failed and a request which is about leaving the city is asked from the civils. Audrey and her family left the city and they moved into Velp city.They had really very awful days in there. As we see, Audrey had terrÄ ±ble, traumatÄ ±c memorÄ ±es from the war days. So, how can she can stÄ ±ll contÄ ±nue and adapt to thÄ ±s lÄ ±fe? According to Adler, Individual Psychology understand and analyze the whole events from the perspective of soul’s goal.(Adler, 2017). For that period, when we look at the goal of Audrey, she stated: ‘My passion about dance suppressed the fear which is towards to Germans.’ So, we can say that her goal shaped her life and helped to cope with the problems. When we analyze more deeply, we can find some reasons about the choosing this goal.Audrey’s memories show that, when she was ten years old, she took part in her school performance. At the end of the show, everybody –including her mom- applauded her with enthusiasm. (18) . Audrey was very happy. Adler supports that, a child’s goal includes the desire of being protected and get into the society. (Adler, 2017). Also

Strong And Rustic Exploration Lewis And Clark - 1145 Words

Robust and rustic exploration has always been seen as part of the American character. Lewis and Clark are viewed as the original American adventurers who defined westward exploration; they were daring and brave pioneers, ready to venture into the new world. Except, the West was not uncharted territory. It was not a thicket of fir trees and wandering wolves, ready for the white men to obviate their loneliness. Yet, the new Americans saw themselves as the prime candidates to take over and do as they pleased. The west was home to the Native American tribes, who lived on millions of acres of pure land. They respected the Earth and its creatures; they made sure the ecosystem was sustained. The Native Americans earned that land. Imagine if you†¦show more content†¦When one group feels superior to another, the American dream crumbles. Manifest destiny in America is the idea of westward expansion, from sea to shining sea. Of course, it is not a purely American invention, as many regions embraced manifest destiny thousands of years before the ink dried on the Constitution. Genghis Khan, for example, loved manifest destiny. The general public’s opinion of manifest destiny is clouded by their view of the time period in which westward expansion in America began. Killing specific groups of people, destroying natural habitats, and not being decent citizens are all just as terrible now as they were then. Yet, the part of that time period that is widely shared is the hope and joy of a new country with the freedom to explore. This is because of the seemingly ubiquitous American pride that seeps into every slightly negative So what is Americanism? For the purposes of this essay, there are 3 core tenets of Americanism: freedom, exceptionalism, and the middle class. It is widely thought that the middle class forms the foundation of our economy, and that is true. Society is built upon the middle class. America is so defined by our middle class; we have teachers and government workers and writers. Every politician, every interest group, in America is for or against each tenent. It could be argued that the tenets are what make political parties, since all a political party is is a group of people who set forth a representative to win