In recent years, nonprofit organizations have been trying to form alliances with the intention of improving their service delivery. Collaborations have been enhanced within and across the sector so that they can be able to achieve the public good (Lutz Allen et al., 2013). Such a step is an example of organizational change. Organizational change is a significant thing in nonprofit organizations since it enables them to embrace new ways of doing things. Organizational change refers to how the organization alters some aspects of its operations. That is usually done so that the organization can improve operations. Organizational change is achieved in organizational culture, structure, internal processes, and some of the technologies it uses in its operations (Kerr, 1975). It is important to ensure that the organization is taking the right step in development. In nonprofit organizations, the best form of organizational leadership to help facilitate change has always been seen as transformational leadership (Lutz Allen et al., 2013). There are many authors that have published articles on how transformational leadership is key. There is a need to ensure that various forms of change are achieved to ensure organizational change is taking shape correctly. These forms of change can be categorized as macro, meso, and macro. The macro aspect that needs to be embraced is adjusting the organizational structure to suit the environment. The moderate aspect that needs to be facilitated is utilizing connections to other organizations. Integrating the organization’s paid and unpaid personnel to create both public benefit and benefit for these individuals is also a significant factor.
Adjusting the Organization Structure to Suit Environment
Adjusting the organization structure to suit the environment is directly related to organizational change. That is so because different organizations work well in different environments. That implies that there is no need to make an organization operate in an area to which it does not conform. The change in organizational environment is a macro thing in organizational change (Guo & Acar, 2005). That is because the internal operations in the organization will be largely influenced by what is going on in its environment. That implies that the operations and hard work that the employees depict will all depend on the type of environment in which the organization exists. That communicates the significance of ensuring that the organization’s structure suits the environment where the organization is located (Rowold & Rohmann, 2009). It is always important to consider the situation of the organization. That means that organizational structure provides working conditions for the employees. Good working conditions will be of great significance n the sense that they will bring harmony to the not-for-profit organizations. That shows that both the internal and external environmental conditions need to be aligned to the organizational structure.
Aligning the organization structure to the environment is relevant to organizational change since it brings out different stable frameworks in which the organization can operate. It allows the organization to pick a structure that will align with its operations (Guo & Acar, 2005). That will allow the nonprofit organizations to pick the structures that will bring stability. That enables the nonprofit organization the opportunity to group its jobs. The organization will assess its structure and its environment and check on how it can use that to fit its job grouping mechanism (Rowold & Rohmann, 2009). If it does not fit, the organization will have to change its structure to fit the environment. It will be easy for the organization to change its structure as opposed to the environment. Changing its structure will be less costly as compared to the change in the environment.
The environment is a critical part of organizational change. The environment will determine the type of structure that the organization will employ. The environment is the one that provides the basic resources that are needed for not-for-profit organizations. The environment supplies the basic commodities that the organization needs (Lutz Allen et al., 2013). There is no organization that is self-sufficient. That means that every organization will have to change its structure so that it can meet the needs of the organization. That is an important thing in ensuring that the organization enhances its operations positively. The environment is also a source of organizational threats and opportunities (Van der Voet, 2014). The organization must always be watchful of its environment so that it can gain more benefits from it and minimize the losses. The organization needs to be able to change its structure to conform with the environment so that it can get a lot of the benefits that are being supplied by the environment. That shows a significant portion of organizational change. The organization will also tend to align its structure in a way that it will dodge some of the threats that are presented by the environment (Stukas et al., 2016). That means that organizational change is a continuous process. the organization will always change its structure to conform with what the environment requires.
Guidance for managing organization Change
The most important thing is to have a good understanding of the big picture that drives the change. That includes having a good understanding of some of the factors in the environment that have caused the need for change. There also needs to be some of the market conditions that have caused the need to merge with the other not-for-profit organizations (Levitt & Neckermann, 2014). Understanding the big picture can seem irrelevant, but it still has a lot of weight. Understanding the real reason behind the need to change the organization structure to fit the environmental conditions is important. Knowing the cause is of great significance since it enables the nonprofit organization to structure appropriately. The organization will structure in a way that it will conform to all the changes that have been experienced in the environment (Gilstrap et al., 2016). Understanding the reasons behind the change is also of great significance in the sense that it will enable the organization to communicate the change to the employees. Before making any change, it is very important for the organization to ensure that it includes all its employees. That will effectively lower the chances of the employees showing resistance to the change process.
It is also important to sell the benefits to the employees. That means that the employees need to know why the organization has decided to align its structure to the changes that have been realized in the environment. That is also a strategy that will help in doing away with change resistance. Changing the structure of the nonprofit organization has a lot to do with the employees and the nature of work they do in the organization (Van der Voet, 2014). Selling the benefits will help them understand what is in store after the change process. The employees must know what is in store since every change project requires much time to execute. Employees also have to start from scratch when it comes to relationships after the organization structure has been changed (Lecy et al., 2014). The best way to put the employees in the right state of mind will be to communicate to them all that is expected from them during the change process. That will enable the change process to be successful.
Aligning the organization structure to meet the environmental condition also calls for a multichannel communication campaign. A multichannel communication campaign will be a significant tool in the sense that the change process can be volatile. A multichannel communication campaign will be of great significance in giving room for the employees to be reached (Lecy et al., 2014). It will make it easy for the organizational change agents to reach all the employees concerning the change that is expected in the organization and some of the benefits that the employees will get from it. The causes of the change program in the organization structure need to be communicated in a greater depth. That includes what will happen and the negative impacts that will be arrived at if the change fails to take place. There is also the need to invite total participation so that feedback mechanisms can be created (Kearns et al., 2015). It is from inviting participation that feedback can be identified and diffused. Creating a multichannel campaign will be an additional tool to ensure that organizational change has been well managed.
Engaging in extensive team building is also needed in managing change in the organization structure. Engaging in extensive team building will involve creating social events where the team can meet to discuss the organizational change that is supposed to be affected. Organizational change in a not-for-profit organization is complex in the sense that the organizations are not designed to make any revenue (Gazley, 2017). That means that no fixed production schedule needs to be followed. Making use of meetings and workshops provides the framework where change will be effectively communicated to the rest of the organization. Team-building exercises can also be used to enable the employees to understand the need for change. That will work out well for the organization.
Utilizing Connections to Other Organizations
Utilizing the connections to other organizations is also a suitable means that nonprofit organizations can use to bring value to their operations. Utilizing connections to other organizations is important in the process of organizational change (Gazley, 2017). Such connections are of great value since it enables them to learn what such organizations have done that has helped them to perform better. Having that type of understanding will allow the organization to better its operations. Connections with other organizations will enable nonprofit organizations to initiate change programs (Gazley, 2017). It will enable them to come up with those change programs that will improve the status of their operations. A good connection with the other organizations also gives the advantage of understanding who the brokers are in the change process. That is information that will be of great value to the organization. Utilizing the connections with the other companies will provide an opportunity for consultations to help nonprofit organizations effect change positively.
Utilizing the connection with the other companies is also relevant in the organizational change process since it will break down silos. It will create a scenario where communication will be boosted across the channel (Gazley, 2017). That will be an added advantage to the change process. Breaking down the silos will enhance connectivity between the brokers and the employees on the periphery. It will also reduce the number of steps required by any individuals in the network to get in touch with one another. That will enhance the change process. Utilizing connections with the other organization will enable the nonprofit organization not to spend most of the time communicating the change (Gazley, 2017). The employees will most likely learn from their experience with the partner organization. That is helpful in making the change process to be faster. Mentoring relationships in the organizational change process will play the role of breaking down the barriers that are imposed by the organization (Mintzberg, 1987). It will give the employees the opportunity of understanding their values. It will help in doing away with any rigidity that might be experienced in the collaboration process. That will also add significant value to the change process.
Utilizing connections to other organizations is also essential in the sense that it makes information sharing between various geographical locations to be easy. That will enable the organization to learn how other nonprofit organizations are operating (Campbell, 2011). Getting such information will help come up with ways that will make the change process effective. It helps minimize the time taken to initiate the change process. It will make communication highly effective in the process of change (Mintzberg, 1987). It will also give room for a good understanding of what is needed of the employees in the process of change. A good connection with partner organizations will make the change process highly effective.
Guidance for managing organization Change
Collaboration with the other organizations will lead to shared governance being implemented. Shared governance will involve a higher density of trust and few numbers of participants. A higher density of trust is of great significance in enabling the employees to embrace change (Gazley, 2017). If the employees can trust the change process, then they will be encouraged that what the organization is trying to do is that which can favor them. Shared governance will also result in high goal consensus. That means that it will create an environment where the collaborating parties will be open to picking on goals. Those are the goals that are meant to bring positive values to the organization (Campbell, 2011). It will also result in a lower need for network-level competencies. That will mean well for the organization. It is from such steps that the process of organizational change will be positively implemented.
Utilizing connections to other organizations requires an organization to learn new trends that will be more effective in managing organizational change. Nonprofit organizations tend to operate without showing interest in the operations of the other organizations (Gazley, 2017). It is very important to ensure that an organization makes use of its connections to other organizations to learn of the new trends that can be used in effecting change. The organization will be able to stay on the cutting edge to a position where it will improve on its service delivery. New business trends require a change to be realized in the organization (Campbell, 2011). It will require networks to be created so the organization can learn how the other organizations use the new trend. That prevents the organization from staying behind. It is the process of networking that will connect the organization to those organizations that will enable it to prosper in its operations (Mintzberg, 1987). The new trends will help the organization to facilitate change in a faster manner. It will also see the company facilitate change to bring all the employees on board. That is an important factor for the nonprofit organization.
From having a good connection with other organizations, a nonprofit organization will be able to understand more about the high and low points in the momentum. These would have been difficult to understand if better collaboration did not exist (Gazley, 2017). A good connection with the other organizations will give the organization to understand some of the things that did not work for the other organizations during the change process. It is good to ensure that one is using the collaboration with other organizations to understand some of the drawbacks they are likely to experience during the change process. There are always low and high points that are experienced in the change process. These usually come after the need for change has been identified. That implies that interaction with other organizations will enable the nonprofit organization to proactively manage and leverage such points in time (Gazley, 2017). It will allow them to understand how other companies could walk past those barriers. That is of great significance in managing the change process. At low points, the leader will have to slow down the change process and listen to the employees. That allows them to understand what the employees want. The leaders can also decide to listen to the other organizations and find out how they were able to manage the barriers. That also makes the change process more effective. Having good connections with the other organizations enables the employees to easily interact with the employees of the other organizations who will introduce them to the change process (Campbell, 2011). That will make any organizational change that has been directed towards them take place without experiencing plenty of barriers.
Collaborating with other organizations also gives the nonprofit organization the opportunity of benchmarking. The organization needs to effect change in the process of benchmarking (Gortner et al., 2007). The organization can learn more about the salary structure to understand how it can improve its structure. That will present the organization with a framework it can follow to ensure it achieves a good structure. Benchmarking from other organizations is important in managing organizational change. One will get the opportunity to understand other people’s steps in managing change (Gazley, 2017). Since salary structure is something that is very sensitive, the organization will come up with a framework that will see it ensure that all the employees are complying. Networking demands the organization to pick on the positive aspects and leave the negative ones. That means that the organization will get the opportunity to understand all it needs to do to ensure that it cuts costs so that its operations can run smoothly (Mintzberg, 1987). It’s from collaborations that it will get the opportunity to learn the most effective ways of bringing the employees together so that the process of change can be made possible in the most effective manner.
Networking is also an effective strategy that will give the organization the opportunity to get leads. The organization will get the leads that will ensure that it runs most of its operations in a successful manner. The process of collaboration with other nonprofit organizations is always aimed at improving service delivery in the organization (Kotter, 2007). Service delivery will improve by using the contacts made to meet people that will present the organization with the opportunity of realizing better opportunities. These opportunities are vital for the prosperity of the nonprofit organization (Gazley, 2017). The organization will know the business structure that will work well for it. Collaborations will present the organization with the opportunity to interact with other related organizations who will give it the information concerning what it can do to be successful in its environment. That will be a significant factor in managing positive organizational change.
Integrating the Organization Paid and Unpaid Personnel to create both Public benefits and benefits for these Individuals
Motivation and volunteers are very important in the process of organizational change. The organization’s role is to ensure that it is narrowing the gap between the external drivers that facilitate change and the intrinsic motivators. Narrowing the gap is what will make the employees feel motivated (Guo & Acar, 2005). The gap also needs to be narrowed so that the employees can easily embrace the change process. Without motivation, it will be very hard for the employees to embrace the change process. That is because most of them will take the change process to be a difficult task. Volunteers are also of great significance in the process of effecting change. The volunteers in the nonprofit organization will take the role of bringing plenty of value to the organization. They will bring new ideas that will help influence how the organization runs (Gazley, 2017). They will also bring ideas that will help the nonprofit organization positively influence the lives of the people it offers its services. Integrating the volunteers and the organization’s employees are needed so that sharing of ideas can be implemented. There is a need for ideas to be shared so that the employees can be introduced to the process of change (Renz, 2016). The volunteers will introduce the employees to the process of change while the organization motivates the employees to accept the process of change. That will be an important step in ensuring effective change management.
Integrating the organization’s paid and unpaid personnel is also relevant in the organization’s change management process due to the role that it plays in influencing psychological conditions. Influencing psychological conditions is important in ensuring that change is easily implemented (Guo & Acar, 2005). The organization will decide to be committed to positively impacting the intrinsic motivations of the staff members who are committed to improvement. Impacting such staff members will make the change process to be easily achieved. The organization can also decide to ensure that it motivates the volunteers. The volunteers can be motivated by providing them with a good working environment to run their operations (Gazley, 2017). The conditions that are given to them need to be favorable. That will help in bringing positive change to the organization. Presenting them with a good working environment will encourage them to be industrious in everything they do. The process of motivating change can be achieved by the employees and the volunteers. It will see the organization suppress any infectious negativity that might be realized in the process of organizational change (Provan & Kenis, 2008). Motivation and volunteering will play a role in influencing effective change. That will be positive for the members of staff. Motivation will involve communicating with the employees some advantages they are expected to garner from the change process. That will help make the change process effective.
Guidance for managing organization Change
Motivation and volunteers are of great significance in the sense that they enable the nonprofit organization to engage in a diverse range of skills that will bring value. That will lead to better service delivery being offered to the public. Volunteers also play the role of boosting the experience and knowledge of the organization (Guo & Acar, 2005). It is from the improved knowledge and experience that the organization will get the opportunity to get more knowledge on the steps that it needs to take to ensure that it achieves reliable change. The organization must ensure that it acquires enough knowledge and experience from the volunteers (Gortner et al., 2007). The organization will have the basic steps it needs to follow from acquiring enough knowledge from the volunteers to effect change.
Volunteers are significant since they enable nonprofit organizations to reach more beneficiaries. The volunteers create an environment where the nonprofit organization will network to the extent that it will get new people that it can exchange with. Some of the beneficiaries also play the role of financing the operations of the nonprofit organizations (McCambridge, 2004). Having more beneficiaries on board is of great value since it will help create finances that will facilitate change. Change in the organization can be very expensive due to the need to train the employees on what is expected of them. For a nonprofit organization, it can become more expensive since the organization does not generate any revenue that can help it in the process of facilitating change (Provan & Kenis, 2008). It is important to ensure that the organization gets enough beneficiaries to help finance the change process. That will help the change process to be more effective. Motivation also needs to involve the volunteers. It is necessary for the organization to ensure that it motivates the volunteers to be more beneficial to the operations (Kotter, 2007). Motivation among the beneficiaries involves coming up with measures that will encourage them to continue working for the nonprofit organization. Motivating them will pave the way for them to come with many beneficiaries who will be significant to the origination. That will also play a key role in value addition.
Connections across the Levels
The structure of the organization is the critical element in the change process. That is why it is the first element to be introduced. Aligning the structure to the environment will help the employees to easily adapt to what is required of them. It is after coming up with a reliable structure that networks can be created. Networks will arise from the employees who are up to the task. The employees will understand what is required of them and go ahead and make a friendship that will add value to the organization (Gazley, 2017). Properly aligning the organization to the environment will see the organization develop relationships that will work for it. It will be able to come up with collaborations that will be geared towards making a difference. That will benefit the organization. Utilizing the connections that the organization has needs to be treated as the intermediary objective.
It is after getting creating good networks that the nonprofit organization will have the opportunity to get volunteers. The volunteers will majorly come from a good example that the organization has set in society (McCambridge, 2004). These volunteers will mostly come to fulfill the good work that the nonprofit organization started. For that to happen, the nonprofit organization must have a solid organizational structure. A solid organizational structure will show the organization’s employees will appeal positively to the volunteers (Provan & Kenis, 2008). That will motivate the volunteers to bring beneficiaries that will add value to the nonprofit organization’s operations. There is a close link between utilizing connections and getting volunteers in the company. The connections will also see the external companies recommend volunteers who will help the organization in managing its operations. That is needed to ensure that value is added to the operations. That is also needed to ensure that positive organizational change is realized.
Motivation and volunteering will keep both the employees and the society to be positive about the change process. It will enable them to take the change process positively. Employees who are not motivated will find it hard to embrace change in the organization. Organizational motivation and organization structure are also directly related (McCambridge, 2004). That is because the organizational structure cannot be changed when the employees are less motivated. The employees need to be encouraged about everything happening in the change process to embrace it (Renz, 2016). Not involving them will, in most cases, result in the change process being resisted. That will not work well for the organization. Utilizing connections will bring more value to both the employees and the entire society.
Conclusion
The organization change process is of great significance in nonprofit organizations. Organizational change in nonprofit organizations will help ensure that positivity is realized in the organization. There is a need for leadership to be good in the organization so that the process of change can be implemented. The best form of leadership to effect change in the organization is transformational leadership. Transformational leadership will help in impacting the employees positively. Changing the organization’s structure will involve motivating the employees to be positive in the change process. Utilizing connections will also lead to the organization having plenty of ideas to use in the process of organizational change. More volunteers will expose the nonprofit organization to beneficiaries that will finance its change process.
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