Enhancing Organisational Capacity for Change - Research Proposal Example

Organizational Capacity for Change Name Institution Date Course Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Organizational Capacity for Change 3 Introduction 3 Definition of key words 4 Background Information 4 Scope 5 Research objectives 5 Research questions 6 Discussion of Theories 7 Methodology 10 Research design 11 Literature Review 12 Conclusion 19 Reference List 21 Organizational Capacity for Change Introduction Change is increasingly becoming common phenomenon in most organizations in the world. Government departments are also affected by changes and have to put in place measures that will ensure that any positive change is successful embraced. The economic situation in most countries is forcing government departments to embrace change in order to survive. Organizational capacity for change has thus become an important issue among most of the government departments and other organizations. Most countries are also under the transitional economies which require a lot of change (Gravenhorst, 2003). The transitional economies have thus forced organizations to undergo changes for the purposes of surviving. It is also important to note that the capacity for change within an organization determines how fast the organization will respond to change. Currently more than one change may be required at a time. This means that the organization has to put in place measures that will ensure that it has the ability to respond to any changes at any time without interfering with the normal operations Narayanaswamy, (2009). The institutional changes that are taking place in most of the countries are also influencing the capacity of the organizations to adapt to changes. Most of the institutional changes have a direct impact on the government departments in terms of their operations and hence the need to develop the capacity to change. Various environmental factors are also playing an important role in terms of influencing the organizations to undertake changes for the purpose of competing effectively with other organizations (Achenhager, 2003). It is also important to note that some government departments have to compete effectively with the other private organizations. The paper is thus a proposal of organizational capacity for change in relation to the government sector and it is aimed at enabling governments to build capacity for change. Definition of key words Organizational development: Efforts that have been planned by the management for the purpose of increasing efficiency within an organization. Capacity for change: The capabilities which enable the organization to deal with changes while at the same time maintain the ordinary operations. Change readiness: The level of preparedness of an organization for the purposes of dealing with change. Background Information The organizational development plays an important role in terms of determining the ability of an organization to cope with changes and the size of a firm is also an important aspect of organizational development (Malclom, 2007). The size of the firm determines the amount of resources that a firm has and this is considering that the resources forms an important part in terms of building the dynamic capabilities within an organization. Over the last ten years, organizations development has been an issue of concern which has led to the rapid development of most organizations. The organizational development is therefore an important variable that determines the capacity that an organization may have in terms of dealing with changes. The organizational capacity for change is also a variable that can be used for the purposes of determining the capabilities of an organization to deal with changes. The ability of the firm to adopt old capabilities to the new threats and opportunities is an important aspect that determines the organizational performance of a firm (Atensaker, et al, 2006). The performance of the government departments is also useful to the report as it seeks to establish the measures that should be put in place to ensure the success of the government departments. The profitability of the organization is an important aspect that determines the performance of the organization. Patel (2011) argues that utilization of organizational capacity is important in determining the performance of an organization. The utilization is also a concept that was analyzed in the last ten years for the purposes of dealing with the performance of an organization. Scope The research will focus on the concepts of organizational change in relation to the government departments. This will mainly be among the transitional economies and also the government of Dubai which has been undergoing changes due to the internal and external forces. The research will ensure that all the concepts of organizational capacity for change within the government departments have been analyzed. The modern day challenges in relation to organizational capacity for change will also be addressed. Research objectives To deconstruct the confusions that is related to the concept of capacity for change. Determine the capabilities for organizational capacity for change in the government sector Explore the relationship between organizational capacity for change and organizational performance. To establish the concepts of organizational capacity for change and role of dynamic capabilities. To establish the impacts of organizational capacity for change on the government departments. Research questions What is the real definition of organizational capacity for change and how is it applicable to the government departments? What factors should be considered when developing the organizational capacity for change? What is the relationship between the dynamic capabilities and organizational capacity for change? Why are the issues of organizational capacity of change important to the Dubai government and other transition economies? Discussion of Theories Stage Theory of Organizational Change The stage theory of organizational change will play an important role in terms of understanding the concepts of organizational change in the government sector. This is because the theory highlights moist of the reasons as to why organizations undergo changes from time to time. Most of the government departments always make changes from time to time and the employees do not understand the reasons for the changes and hence the resistance to changes that is usually witnessed in some instances. The theory suggests that organizations have to pass through a series of steps and hence the changes that are witnessed from time to time. According to Gravenhorst et al. (2003), most government departments and other organizations are usually forced to develop new goals and objectives from time to time. This is mainly aimed at achieving customer satisfaction. According to Andrew (2000), the environmental situation in other instances also forces the organizations to develop new goals and objectives. These factors therefore lead to changes within the organizations. Most of the organizations also have to embrace the use of technology for the purpose s to meeting the new challenges. This is also considered as a stage of change according to the theory and hence a reason for changes within an organization. The theory will thus present the managers and employees with the reasons as to why changes must take place and its importance to the organization. The understanding of the change process will ensure that the organization has put in place measures to build its capacity for organizational change (Crawshaw, 2012). Organizational Development Theory The organizational development theory is also important in terms of creating an understanding of organizational change. The theory mainly focuses on the planned changes within an organization. Most of the planned changes within an organization are usually for the purposes of developing the organization. According to Soparnot (2011), all the organizations including the government departments have always put in place measure to ensure that organization develops for the purposes of achieving its goals and objectives. During the organizational development, the organizations the employees of the organization will always experience changes which may impact positively or negatively on them. The capacity for the organizational change determines how the organization is able to deal with such changes as it is being initiated by the organization. In other instances, organizations will have to put in place measures that will enhance the ability of the employees to deal with the changes. The concepts of organizational capacity for change are also useful in terms of determining the organizational performance. Ray (2011) says that organizational performance is directly linked to the organizational development which is usually common in all the organizations. The understanding of the organizational development theory is thus useful to the top managers, middle managers and the frontline employees in terms of building the capacity for organizational change. On the other hand, it is important to note that the government departments will also be required to make changes that will ensure the prosperity of the nation and the economy. This is directly related to the organizational development. Organizational development is thus influenced by the organizational capacity for change (Burnes, 2011). Inter-Organizational Relations Theory The inter-organizational relations theory is also important in terms of creating an understanding regarding the issues of collaboration with other organizations. This is because all the government departments always collaborate with the other organizations at one point for the purposes of ensuring service delivery. According to Patel (2011), collaboration process also contributes to changes within the government departments. This is because the normal methods of operations are usually affected by the collaboration. Some of the employees may lack the knowledge and experience of working with other organizations while at the same time fulfilling their duties. The inter-organizational relations theory therefore creates an understanding among the employees and the mangers regarding the issues of change. This provided the organizations with the opportunity to build their capacity in terms of organizational change. The organizational capacity for change can therefore be enhanced through the understanding of the issues regarding the collaborations which is responsible for changes within an organization. Recognition for need of coordination is also created through the understanding of the theory. This will ensure that the managers have put in place adequate measures that will lead to the capacity building in terms of organizational change. Creating shared goals and objectives is also an important concept of collaboration. This automatically leads to the changes within an organization and hence the need for capacity building. The concepts of the theory will also be useful to the managers as it will assist them in terms of dealing with the external changes. Organizational capacity for change therefore requires an understanding of the issues that leads to the changes (Fernandaz, et al, 2006). The systematic theory of change is also important in terms of creating an understanding regarding the change process within an organization. This is in relation to the organizational development which takes pace in the government sector from time to time. The assumed conditions for change are also useful in terms of dealing with changes within the government departments. According to the theory, most of the managers usually do not understand the real meaning of change within the organizations and hence affecting the entire change process in terms of the implementation (Ortiz, 2010). The lack of understanding by the managers also has a negative impact on the ability of the organization to develop the capacity for change. This theory also plays an important role in terms of determining the change process and how it should take place. This theory also highlights the challenges that the organizational are usually faced with in terms of implementing changes. The social changes within the organization have also been addressed through the use of this theory. It will therefore provide an important insight in terms of the changes that affects the government departments (Kim, 2006). Methodology The data for the research will be obtained through literature review, questionnaires, and annual reports on department performance for the last ten years. The use of literature review will involve the analysis of books, journals and websites. This will be done for the purposes of obtaining information regarding the organizational capacity for change and its applications in the transitional economies and Dubai government. When using the literature review, only the recent sources will be utilized. Each of the sources will be scrutinized for the purposes of ensuring credibility. This will improve on the accuracy of the information. The interviews will be conducted with the officials of Dubai government with regards to the issues of organizational capacity for change. The top level managers, middle level managers and front line workers will also be involved during the interviews. Questionnaires will also be used during the research. This will be done through sending the questionnaires to the participants using emails and some of the questionnaires will also be administered personally. Ethics will be observed during the interview, administration of questionnaires and when using literature. Plagiarism will be avoided and proper referencing will be done when the external sources will be used. Leading questions will be avoided during the interviews for the purposes of ethics and accuracy of the report. The analysis of the data will be conducted through the use of SPSS for the purposes of obtaining accurate results. High levels of accuracy will also be maintained during the analysis for the purposes of ensuring the accuracy of the results which will be determined by the accurate sample size and precise confidence intervals. Research design The research will mainly focus on the government departments which is the focus of organizational capacity for change. It will be carried out for a period of about two months for the purposes of obtaining enough information regarding the organizational capacity for change. Different activities such as administering questionnaires and using focus groups will be carried out at different times for the purposes of the ensuring that the research is orderly. All the information gathered will also be recorded in writing although some of the information will be captured electronically. Statistical analysis of the data will also be carried out electronically. Literature Review Various definitions have been put in place in relation to the organizational capacity for change. Efficient According to Achenhager et al. (2003), the capacity for change is the ability to change an organization successfully while at the same time maintaining the normal operations. In the transitional economies the organizations usually struggle to remain relevant. This is because the changes have the potential of grounding the operations of an organization. The changes that are brought about by the economic situation may require a lot of resources and expertise. This means that an organization has to incur extra costs when dealing with the changes. According to Andrew, (2000), organizations have to balance between change and stability in order to survive the competitive environment. On the other hand, the government institutions must also put in place measures that will ensure that it has the potential of combating change. The performance of an organization is also influenced by its ability to change. It is also important to note that the current economic situation requires the organizations to be innovative and flexible. The flexibility of the organization is important in terms of ensuring that it is able to respond to any economic situation. The economic situation also changes quickly and it is always unpredictable in most cases. This means that the current organizations should be well equipped for the purposes of combating changes at any time. This therefore introduces the concepts of organizational capacity for change. The organizational capacity for change determines how well an organization can thrive in a transitional economy (Kim, 2006). Chirage (2009) points out that organizations have different mechanisms of dealing with change whenever the changes take place. This is mainly attributed to the capacity of the organizations to deal with change. The economic forces usually results to large scale changes for the organizations. This means that the organizations have to focus on dealing with the changes as it may impact negatively on the organizations. This is also similar for the government organizations which also require mechanisms of dealing with change. According to Ostroff, (2006), some of the changes may wear out the capabilities of the organization and hence influencing on its ability to deal with the changes. Capacity building is thus an important step for the purposes of dealing with the changes. Developing the capacity for change is thus useful to an organization as it ensures that the organization is able to deal with the changes as well as continue with the normal operations. Developing a sustainable change capacity also enables the organization to deal with the changes in future without interrupting the normal operations of the organization. According to Eibel-Spanyi, (2006), creating an ambidextrous organization is seen as one of the methods that can be used to develop the capacity for change. This mainly involves the process of utilizing the architecture of the organization to manage change. The internal decision making process of an organization is also affected by the changes in an organization. It is thus important to consider the aspects of internal operations while developing the capacity for change within am organization. The response to change in an organization may also be different among the employees. This is usually common in the government departments as most of the employees may have worked in department for a long period of time (Fernandaz et al, 2006). The changes whether caused by internal process or economic factors may take place at any time. This may be a surprise to the organization and the employees. The only way therefore lies on the development of the capacity to deal with the change. When developing the capacity for change it is important to note that new changes may take place before all the changes have been solved. The long term performance of an organization is usually affected by change. In most instances, the changes may have a destructive impact on the long terms plans of an organization (Buino, 2009). This is because it interferes with the measures that have been put in place to achieve the long term plans. In some cases, funds may be required to combat the changes in the organization. This means that the budget of the organization may be affected and hence the negative impacts on the long term plans. Some changes may force the organization to retrench the works and hence affecting the long term plans which required the presence of the staff members. This is usually common in most of the government institutions and some private organizations. Developing the capacity for change is thus an important process that acts as security for the company. The capacity enables the organization to be prepared for the changes and hence dealing with any change. However, it is important to note that the capacity is dependant on the capabilities of the organization. When it comes to the internal changes, it is important to ensure that the rationale behind making the changes is well understood (Soparnot, 2011). Transitional economies are related to change in the organization and it has impacts on the competitive advantage of an organization (Jonk, 2012). The concepts of transitional economies require the organizations to develop capacity for change. This is because it opens up the organization for massive changes in terms of operations. This can be attributed to the change in policies which directly affects the organization. Dynamic capabilities enable the organizations to pursue opportunities and adapt to the threats which are responsible for the changes that organizations face. The dynamic capabilities are also considered rare within an organization in terms of dealing with change. New strategies are also important in terms of dealing with changes within an organization. The dynamic capabilities have been found to be effective within the transitional economies. Ray, (2011) argues that the organizational readiness for change is also important and it is enhanced by the development of the organizational capacity. Ensuring the organization is ready for change plays an important role in the modern organization in both the public and private sectors. The internal and external environments also have a role to play in terms of influencing change within an organization. The dynamic capabilities of an organization take into account the internal and external factors which contribute to change within an organization. The levels of uncertainty within an organization are also an important factor that influences the development of an organizational capacity for change (World Business Council for Sustainable Development, 2000). The organization change can be influenced by various factors including the size of the organization (Lawer, 2010). Most of the large organizations are more likely to be impacted negatively by change as compared to the smaller organizations. This is because of the political insulations and inertia that is associated with the large organizations. The development of the capacity for change is dependant on various factors with the leadership of the organization playing an important role in terms of determining the capabilities of the company (Ahern, 2012). In the presence of good leadership, a company can easily deal with the changes as compared to poor leadership. The level of innovativeness within an organization is also important in terms of determining its ability to develop a strong organizational capacity for change. This is because innovativeness among the employees ensures that the employees are supportive and can easily embrace change. Different organizations have different capacities to deal with the changes (Lopo, 2012). However, the capacity for change can be developed and hence benefiting organizations that embrace it. The government departments can also benefit from the concepts of capacity development. The process thus requires putting in place measures that will ensure that the organizations develop their capacities on a step by step basis. Variables and measures are required for the purposes of analysis the capacity for change for an organization (Chirage, 2009). The organizational capacity for change is an important variable that determines the ability of the organization to deal with the changes. In order to determine the organizational capacity for change, data from the management is required. This also requires the use of questionnaires from different levels of management within an organization. The top managers, middle managers and the frontline workers usually provide important information regarding organizational capacity for change. The accuracy of the data is important as it determines the effectiveness organization in terms of dealing with the changes. The analysis of organizations in the last ten years indicates that the measures can be achieved accurately using eight dimensions. The dimensions can be measured through the use of likert scale which the participants in the questionnaire are required to answer whether they agree with the dimensions and their levels of agreement. The summation of the average responses in relation to the organizational capacity for change is also used for the analysis of the companies. The reliability and validity is an important concept that is also useful in terms of measuring the organizational capacity for change (Wang, 2010). This has been used for the purposes of analysis of the trends in the last ten years. The exploration of organizational performance and organizational capacity for change is thus useful in terms of determining the regression between the two variables (Teece, 2007). Kotter (2012) argues that regression of the data regarding organization performance indicates that there is a significant relationship between organizational capacity for change and organizational performance. The relation is positive which indicate that the performance of an organization is influenced by the factors that are related to the organizational capacity for change. The results indicate that the concept of dynamic capabilities influences the performance of the firm. The external environment which is related to the organizational capacity for change is also an important factor that affects the performance of an organization. The external factors are also responsible for some of the changes that organizations usually witness (OECD, 2010). This means that the capacity for change has to be enhanced in order to allow the organizations to effectively combat changes. Although the trend is derived from the past ten years, it also indicates that the future of the organizations will depend on the abilities of the organizations to put in place measures that will deal with the changes. Developing an efficient organizational capacity for change will positively influence the overall performance of an organization. The results therefore indicate that the performance of the government departments will also be influenced by the organizational capacity for change. This is because the concept that affects the organizational development affects both the public and private organizations. Organizational capacity for change should be developed while considering the objectives of the organization in terms of performance. The findings from the regression are also applicable to the organizations that are developing under the transitional economies (Achenhager, et al. 2003). The dynamic capability for change plays an important role in terms of developing the capacity for change among the government departments. Primary attributes of organizational change are also important in terms of dealing with the dynamic capabilities. The primary attributes are learning, resources and infrastructure. The dynamic capabilities also ensure that the changes unfold much faster by ensuring that more pressure is applied on it (Kotter, 2012). The rapid changes within an organization can also be dressed through the concepts of dynamic capabilities. Using the concepts of dynamic capabilities plays an important role in terms of enhancing the competencies of an organization. The government departments can utilize their core competencies in terms of dealing with change. The modification of the resource base within an organization plays an important role in terms of increasing efficiency as well as dealing with change. Utilizing the concepts of dynamic capabilities for change improves on the capacity for change within the government departments. Eibel-Spanyi (2006) points out that dealing with new challenges is associated with change. This is usually common in all the organizations. The government departments always encounter new challenges due to pressure to meet the demands of the people. This always results to constant changes for the purposes of ensuring that services are delivered. Innovation strategies are also important in terms of dealing with change. The concepts of dynamic capabilities play an important role in terms of promoting innovations and hence combating change. Sustainable change capabilities may also be impacted positively by the concepts of dynamic capabilities of change (Patel, 2011). The dynamic capabilities are required within an organization for the purposes of meeting new challenges. Learning is one of the important concepts of dynamic capabilities. The process of learning requires a proper communication and coordination strategy. Changes within an organization usually lead to a new logic of organization. The government departments require the employees to embrace the new concepts. Collaboration and partnership is useful to the organizations in terms of enhancing the learning process in order to deal with change (Teece, 2007). Through the learning process, the government departments will be able to identify the dysfunctional routines in times of change and hence embrace the new activities. The dysfunctional routines are responsible for the problems that usually arise among the employees during change. This is because some of the employees may continue with the old routines that are no longer relevant and hence affecting the company. Judge (2011) notes that when building the dynamic capabilities, the government departments are required to prevent strategic blind spots. This is useful in terms of embracing change and hence benefiting the departments. Routines and sub-routines within an organization determine how activities are performed. Through learning, the employees in the government departments are able to adapt to new routines and hence dealing with the changes. Embracing the new routines improves on the perceptions of the employees towards the change process and hence improving on the organizational capacity for change. Learning is therefore an important dynamic capability that will improve on the weaknesses of the government departments in times of change (Judge, 2011). Conclusion In conclusion, the concepts of organizational capacity for change will play an important role in terms of dealing with changes within an organization. The external as well as the internal factors may contribute to change within an organization. The government departments will benefit by developing the organizational capacity for change. The concepts of dynamic capabilities also play an important role in terms of developing the organizational capacity for change. The three main attributes of dynamic capabilities that will impact positively on the government departments includes the infrastructure, resources and learning. The government departments will benefit from utilizing the resources effectively to manage change. The Dubai government on the other hand will benefit from developing its organizational capacity for change. This can only be achieved through embracing the prescriptions for the organizational capacity for change. The capacity of the Dubai government to deal with the changes will also involve the employees, resources and leadership. The elements and dimensions of organizational capacity for change are also important in terms of developing the capacity of the organizations to deal with the changes. The organizational capacity for change is comprised of several elements and dimensions. The elements and dimensions of capacity for change will ensure that the organizations are able to move from the decision making process to the actual implementation process with regards to dealing with change. The participation of the employees, routinizing, recruiting and sequencing are important factors that will be used to enhance the organizational capacity for change. Measures and variables will also play an important role in terms of dealing with the changes within the government departments. The organizational performance is one of the important variables that will be used to determine the capacity of the organization in terms of dealing with change. On the other hand, it is also important to note the dynamic capabilities of an organization play an important role in terms of determining the organizational capacity for change. The ability of an organization to modify its resource base will also play an important role in terms of dealing with change within an organization. The capacity for change will also ensure that an organization is able to reconfigure its resources according to the change and hence impacting positively on the ability of the organization to deal with the changes. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the organizational capacity for change will be developed by an organization in the presence of resources, learning and infrastructure. Reference List Gravenhorst, K, et al, 2003, The change capacity of organization general assesement and five configurations, Applied psychology: An international Review, 52 (1), pp 83-105. Achenhager, L, et al. 2003, Learning and continuous change in innovating organizations in Innovative firms of organizing, London: Sage. Andrew, D, 2000, Sustainable innovation: drivers and barriers, world business council for sustainable development, Innovation management journal, OECD TIP. 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