According to John Kotter’s model on organizational change, there are some key steps in the change process in an organization that should be considered to facilitate effective and efficient organizational transformation. In this case study, these four steps include creating a sense of urgency, developing a strategy and vision, communicating the vision, removing obstacles, and empowering the employees for action. Typically, urgency can be created in various ways, including highlighting and identifying the probable repercussions and threats that may occur in the future, assessing the opportunities, and beginning conversations with all the stakeholders to gain support. Secondly, creating a strategy and a vision is attained by establishing the organization’s core values, the ultimate vision, and the strategies to help realize the transformation in the organization.
Thirdly, communicating the organization’s vision is crucial to achieving the change. This involves addressing and identifying various concerns outlined by different people in the organizations and being involved with everyone. Lastly, the obstacle removal step involves ensuring that the organizational structure and processes are all aligned and in place with the organization’s overall vision. From the “Temperamental Talent” case, it is clear that Ken fears organizational change due to the reorganization of the Tidewaters Corporation (Rothstein, 1992). As outlined in the case, Ken is one of the most talented, best and brightest, and valued individuals in the organization. Although Ken exhibits outstanding traits, his present behaviors could hinder the organization’s change (Rothstein, 1992). Bob can use and take various actions outlined in the four steps for organizational change to transform Ken’s behavior with this understanding.
First, Bob can create the urgency for the organizational transformation by initiating very honest discussions and dialogues with Ken and all other organizational members to help make them reflect on the prevalent issues within the organization and provide convincing reasons for them to equally see the need for the change (Rothstein, 1992). Secondly, Bob should draft the vision, core values, and strategies for achieving the organizational change and share these with Ken and other employees so that they better appreciate the need for the change. Additionally, Bob can communicate the organizational change step by communicating the organizational change in the stated vision, which will also help convince Ken further to appreciate the vision for change with actions such as facilitating training and performance reviews. Moreover, Bob can also try as much as possible to handle the issues or concerns that Ken might be facing either personally or professionally especially given that they are also friends (Rothstein, 1992). He can recommend therapy, among other things, to help Ken manage his anger and mental health issues.
In addition, Bob can try eliminating obstacles that prevent Ken from appreciating the envisioned organizational change. This can only be attained by having open communication with Ken to help identify the areas he feels prevent him from not wanting the change in the organization and help minimize or completely eradicate these obstacles (Rothstein, 1992). Further, Bob can try rewarding Ken for his outstanding skillset and ability to endorse organizational change. This will motivate him more to accept and support organizational change. These actions primarily conform with the four steps in Kotter’s model of organizational change outlined above for this case study. They will help address Ken’s concerns and facilitate the transformation of the organization.
Reference
Rothstein, L. R. (1992). The case of the temperamental talent. Harvard Business Review, 70(6), 16-21.
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