Saturday, March 17, 2012

Transforming for the Better

No matter how established a firm or how stable the management in the company is it will come to a point that it has to face change. This transformation might be gradual or drastic but in order to justify such movement is we have to answer these 8 questions.

1. What is organizational transformation necessary?

2. What distinguishes organizational transformation from organizational change?

3. What is NOT TRANSFORMATION - and why not?

4. Why it is about EMERGENCE not control?

5. What kind of LEADERSHIP is required to facilitate transformation?

6. What basic PROCESS is required to create and hold “the Zone of Emergence” necessary for transformation to happen?

7. What TOOLS and ENVIORNMENTS are necessary?

8. What are the RISKS and how can they be attenuated?

This is very timely to the organization that I am currently working on right now since we are still on the process of improving our school. I’ve learned a lot when it comes to managing a school that it is indeed a tedious job. Unlike the industry that focuses more on the profit gain. But the academe has to maintain all the required facilities in order to get the approval of CHED.

Why is organizational transformation necessary?

The organizational transformation is the result of the feedbacks and observations of the members of the organization, the clients and the group of evaluators. The main purpose of the transformation is to improve the organization to provide good or excellent service. The feedbacks can either be negative or positive but they need to be accepted full heartedly. [1]Negative feedback tends to attenuate, positive feedback tends to amplify. Negative feedback informs an organization that circumstances exist that can prevent it from doing what is wants to accomplish. Positive feedback is the message that these ambitions can or must be or are being accomplished.

The first time that I got employed in DVC was also the time when the new administrator fills in the position of the previous administrator. I really don’t have any idea of what was the management style of the old and new administrators. After 2 months of happily working in DVC I was able to observe how the new administrator works. According to my colleagues, the new administrator is more of a business man compared to the previous one that is concerned with the ministry. In the current management the transparency of all the transactions is greatly valued because he believes that we are not just employees but we are family. He wants us to give our own views on what is good for the school and what needs to be improved. But we all have to adjust with his temper compare to the previous manager that always gives his freshest smile to the employees.

The transformation was also observed during the preparation for the CHED recognition. We organized all the documents as well as we made sure that we comply to the guidelines they gave to us. The disadvantage of that process is that we have to follow what is on that order that may lead to the elimination of the affected entities.

What distinguishes organizational transformation from organizational change?

The transformation is literally a change in the structure of an individual’s mind and the linkages and protocols of an organization. DVC will be undergoing an organizational with the structure because it is still aligned with the CHED’s guidelines and also the capacity of the school. All its personnel were able to give out their full effort in doing the job correctly.

What is NOT TRANSFORMATION - and why not?

[2]Mere change - even necessary and good change - is not transformation nor will it inevitably lead to it. This is a place where distinctions are important. “Change Management” is useful and necessary. It should be an embedded in the day-to-day process of every organization and it should be practiced throughout every part of the organization. It can be a tool of continuous improvement and it is what goes on in times of relative calm between the periods of discontinuity and deep organizational transformation. Transformation happens periodically. It should occur no more and no less than necessary. It can be driven by external or internal circumstances or some combination of both.

The DVC transformation will be the ultimate test on how mature the organization in accepting such change. The first time I heard about the loss of some members made me feel so sad because we did not just have worked smoothly but we build friendship. The advantage of not transforming is that you will keep what is in your comfort zone and depriving yourself to grow. Sometimes we are hurt or having a very hard time to let go of things that are dear to us but we should always assess the root cause of the problem for us to act properly.


Why it is about EMERGENCE not control?

Transformation, by definition, is an emergent phenomena - it, therefore, is not predictable nor can it be controlled. The conditions that will best facilitate it can be created. The development that is currently happening in DVC is just a preparation of great and big things that will happen in the coming years. More strategic plan will happen once the K12 program is implemented since there will 2 years that no high school fresh graduated will emerge due to the existence of junior and senior high school.

What kind of LEADERSHIP is required to facilitate transformation?

A transformation leader must be honest and has the courage to say the worst case scenario to make everyone ready for failure. Sometimes we forgot that the opposite of success is failure that is why we feel traumatic if we didn’t make it.

What basic PROCESS is required to create and hold “the Zone of Emergence” necessary for transformation to happen?

The very basic process is to sit down and discuss the zone of emergence then gradually getting the views of the members. Once the data is collected then it easier to proceed to discussing the strategic plan to move on to testing and implementation.

What TOOLS and ENVIORNMENTS are necessary?

Just like any transformation the company must invest on it financially because it will really require document printing, travelling and manpower. Having people that are knowledgeable enough in looking for solutions would be a big help in reducing clutter during the process. In our case, the transformation is not that tedious because of the support of the administration and the program heads as well as the faculty.

What are the RISKS and how can they be attenuated?

The only risk for the transformation is when we realized that was planned and approved by the body is not enough. We neglected things are very important. If only we did not assumed that it can be given a chance then we could have provided damage control earlier.



[1] http://www.matttaylor.com/public/papers/transformation_process.htm

[2] http://www.matttaylor.com/public/papers/transformation_process.htm

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