Employee Benefit and Google Essay Example for Free

Employee Benefit and Google Essay Google, Inc. was ranked by Fortune magazine as the best place in the U.S. to work in 2009, and it has reached another zenith by becoming the most popular Web site. Google, Inc.’s goal of providing benefits and rewards is to â€Å"strip away everything that gets in our employees’ way† (Google, 2009). Google, Inc. provides a standard package of fringe benefits, but on top of that are first-class dining facilities, gyms, laundry rooms, massage rooms, haircuts, carwashes, dry cleaning, commuting buses – just about anything a hardworking employee might want. Schmitt states, â€Å"Let’s face it: programmers want to program, they don’t want to do their laundry. So we make it easy for them to do both† (Google, 2009). Google believes in providing both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. They understand that many humans are not motivated by pay incentives alone. Google Inc. believes in administering rewards and that good company culture is vital to company success, therefore, Google hired a Culture Czar. Google, Inc.’s CCO, Chief Culture Czar, Stacy Sullivan, is devoted to one thing—make Googlers happy. One way of maintaining Google, Inc.’s culture and keeping employees happy is administering the best perks and rewards (Culture, 2009). Along with its compensation and traditional extrinsic benefits such as free health and dental benefits, flex spending accounts, 401K plans, insurance, tuition reimbursement, and vacation packages, they also have very unique benefits. These unique benefits include maternity benefits up to 18 weeks off at approximately 100% pay. In addition, new mothers and fathers get Take-Out Benefits to help make things easier. They are provided with expenses up to $500 for take-out meals during the first three months that they are home with their new baby. Additionally, Google, Inc. provides back-up child care and in the Gift Matching Program, Google, Inc. matches contributions of up to $3000 per year from eligible employees to non-profit organizations. With Adoption Assistance, Google, Inc. assists their employees by offering financial assistance in the adoption of a child. Google, Inc. will reimburse employees up to $5000 to use towards legal expenses. Free lunch and dinner from gourmet chefs create a wide variety of healthy and delicious meals every day. Got the munchies? Google, Inc. also offers snacks to help satisfy you in between meals. At Google headquarters in Mountain View, California employees have the convenience of seeing a doctor on-site. Google, Inc. is pleased to provide its Mountain View employees with free shuttles to several San Francisco, East Bay and South Bay locations. At Google headquarters in Mountain View, there is on-site oil change, car wash, dry cleaning, massage therapy, gym, hair stylist, fitness classes and bike repair. Google, Inc. will reimburse an employee for buying a hybrid car, up to $5000. Google, Inc. provides other benefits, too many to list, but one can assume that their full-time culture czar is not finished inventing new ways to reward employees (Google, 2009). More than the extrinsic rewards, people who choose to come to Google, Inc. come for other reasons besides just the outward perks and rewards. They come for freedom.

Effect of Knowledge Sharing on Personal and Cultural Factors

Effect of Knowledge Sharing on Personal and Cultural Factors Theory of Knowledge With reference to two areas of knowledge discuss the way in which shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge. In this essay, we are faced with the question as to how shared knowledge can shape personal knowledge. Can the world be improved every time each individual contributes his own knowledge for the benefit of someone else? Is knowledge sharing the key to success? Initially, I will provide definitions of key-notions for better understanding of the difference between shared knowledge and personal knowledge, which is summarized by what â€Å"I know† and what â€Å"we know†. According to the Oxford Dictionaries, knowledge is defined as â€Å"facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject†[1]. Personal knowledge is not certainly the same as community knowledge. What an individual knows or how an individual makes knowledge and what community knows are different matters. Personal knowledge is the knowledge acquired through observation or personal experiences by an individual[2]. Shared knowledge is the knowledge shared between people who exchange through information, skills, or expertise[3]. These definitions are neither the correct, nor only definitions of these terms. The classic general example would be with a patient that has a problem with his leg, where the surgeon would want to operate, the pharmacist would want to medicate, the physiotherapist would want to exercise the musco-skeletal system, the priest would pray and so on. Each of them would take its own approach based on his background and shared knowledge held by profession. However, knowledge sharing encompasses not only the sharing of â€Å"great things†, but equally the sharing of â€Å"little things† with the intention of improving the way things get done.[4] Natural Sciences and History provide plenty of examples which show unique study of the past and influence the present. To begin with, can we use a scientific method to develop personal knowledge from shared knowledge? Darwin’s famed evolutionary theories in On the Origin of Species, where the notion that all life is related and descended from a common ancestor: the birds and the bananas, the fishes and the flowers, all are related. The organism’s genetic code is altered as the genes mutate, of which the beneficial mutations remain because they ensure survival, a process called â€Å"natural selection†. Survival and adaption is determined by natural selection. Darwin’s theory became a theory in crisis in light of the tremendous advances made in molecular biology, biochemistry and genetics over the years. Thus shared knowledge led Darwin to concede that â€Å"if it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed, which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive, slight modifications, my theory would absolutely break down†[5]. DNA testing reveals our genetic make-up and, along with genetics, is a means of helping scientists to establish reasoni ng behind how species have originated from a common ancestor. The Human Genome Project, through its sequencing of the DNA, can help us understand diseases including viruses and appropriate treatment, identification of different forms of cancer, the design of medication and their effects, advances in forensic and applied sciences, biofuels and other energy applications, agriculture, livestock breeding, bioprocessing; risk assessment, bioarcheology, anthropology, evolution. It becomes clear that knowledge is perishable, increasingly short lived and to get most things done you need to share with people to achieve your objectives[6]. On the other hand, for centuries people believed that life was created from elements and not from eggs, seeds or other ways of reproduction. The first to believe in this theory was Aristotle who based his thinking on the studies that Anaximander and Hippolytus had previously made and said that life came spontaneously like mud and earth when exposed to sunlight. The theory of the spontaneity of life continued to be believed for thousands of years after Aristotle until 1877, when Louis Pasteur proved that this theory was wrong. He showed that it was not possible for maggots to appear on meat in a sealed container[7]. Pasteur demonstrated that fermentation occurs through the growth of micro-organisms and the emergent growth of bacteria is due to biogenesis (all life from life). Thus the â€Å"personal knowledge† of difference is changing which then affects the whole group/the shared knowledge. Although truth is an objective requirement for knowledge, belief is a subjective requirement for it. Reason gives us greater certainty than perception or belief. What we often hear is said that science has proved something. â€Å"Every scientist knows that science advances only if knowledge is shared†, said Dr. Walt Warnick[8] . If scientific knowledge is not shared, then research may not be done accurately. It is better if scientists share their opinions and thoughts in order to progress and succeed in finding new aspects in several different fields. Every single scientist has to have the incentive to share, use and improve his judgment, disclose ideas or being open to everything is more correct. Scientific progress needs a background of careful observation and imagination plays an important role in the development of new scientific ideas. Thus, part of Copernicus’ genius was that while he saw what everyone else saw when he looked at the night sky, he came up with a di fferent way of looking at it, although this idea did not catch on when the Greek astronomer Aristarchus had suggested that the earth goes round the sun as early as the third century BC . Hence, the vast majority of our knowledge is neither personal nor individual but it is knowledge shared with the rest of the knowledge of the community. Despite the success of the natural sciences we need to keep in mind that they do not have a monopoly for knowledge. â€Å"History is but the register of human crimes and misfortunes† said Voltaire. History seeks to reconstruct past on the basis of evidence that can be found in the present. History is knowledge and â€Å"those who don’t study the past are condemned to repeat it† (George Santayana). The emerging concept of knowledge democracy addresses the relationships between knowledge production and distribution of knowledge. Although the Athenian democracy was based on open deliberation and voting and recognized this as a distinctive way of gaining knowledge about the world and acting upon that knowledge, it was depended also on the willingness of the citizen participants to accept the implicit assumptions they lived by, and the information on the basis of which they cast their votes. Athenian political culture was based on collective opinion rather than on cer tain knowledge and on the assumption that opinion could be translated on practical reality through democratic political process[9]. Thucydides developed what the world described as historical knowledge and he was supported by the majority of Athenians. Thus the personal knowledge of each Athenian became shared knowledge of all the Athenians and vice versa the shared knowledge of the majority of Athenians became personal knowledge of each one of them. History is not simply concerned with describing the past and explaining it. The study of history is something that can give us good judgment about human affairs. On the other hand, history, as a shared knowledge, is a defence against propaganda. One of the best known examples of the abuse of history is from the Stalinist era in the former Soviet Union and the propaganda within Nazi Germany. Communist propaganda in the Soviet Union was based on the Marxist-Leninist ideology to promote the Communist party. Propaganda was part of education, broadcast by any means possible from schools to cinema, with a goal to build a society on the basis of common ownership of the means of production, where the society would be completely under the control of the state. Propaganda is the art of persuasion and Joseph Goebbels was in charge in Nazi Germany of Hitler. His role was to control and censor information available to the German population that could subject the Nazi party to any hostile or damaging opinions. This meant that the pro-Nazi information broadcast to the public was ever more persuasive in nature. Hitler managed to convince 70 million rational people to engage in horrible atrocities and wage war against the world using his speeches and propaganda[10]. Thus history, which is shared knowledge, is concerned with the past and one obvious problem with trying to know the past is that it no longer exists. History is based on primary sources, but since they are selective interpretation of events they cannot always be taken at face value[11] since memory, emotion, sense perception, reason, faith, belief,language play an important role. In conclusion, what are the implications of this shared knowledge for one’s own individual knowledge? Personal experience, vision and inspiration can contribute to shared knowledge when that personal knowledge is communicated to and accepted by the community as it happened with Copernicus’ or Louis Pasteur’s theories. It could also be argued that the relationship between shared and personal knowledge is bi-directional and inseparable. But, shared knowledge of democracy shaped the personal knowledge of each Athenian. History of one’s own nation might give deeper understanding of one’s own past. Day- to- day work of scientists working within the â€Å"paradigm† has made scientists more aware and more receptive to the evolution of the scientific views, as Thomas Kuhn claimed. However, propaganda during Stalinist or Nazi era show that â€Å"paradigm† shifts are more likely in loose shared knowledge and may cause the total controversy of the world.[12] 1 [1] http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/knowledge [2] http://thelawdictionary.org/personal-knowledge/ [3] Frost, Alan.Knowledge Sharing. KMT. Retrieved 17 April 2013.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge_sharing) [4]  http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/id/ksculture [5] Political Dissent in Democratic Athens: Intellectual Critics p.35 [6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_Genome_Project [7] http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-most-famous-scientific-theories-that-turned-out-to-be-wrong.php [8] http://www.osti.gv/home/ostiblog/knowledge-investment-curve-0 [9] http://web.stanford.edu/group/dispersed_author/docs/ThucydidesCriticism.pdf [10] http://brainblogger.com/2008/11/04/hitlers-guide-to-propaganda-the-psychology-of-coercion/ [11] Theory of Knowledge. Richard van de Lagemaat,p.320 [12] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Kuhn

Addiction and Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD) Essay -- Psychology

Shopping is stereotypically a pastime many women love. In the Lockhorn comic strip husband Leroy often laments about his wife Loretta’s cooking, looks, and excessive shopping. In one strip Loretta is shown carrying several bags of items with the caption by creator Hoest, (n.d.) â€Å"you knew I had no sales resistance when I married you.† Many can joke about their love of shopping but for some it is a serious problem. People will argue that compulsive shopping is a weakness. Others feel that the idea of shopping as a disorder or addiction is a ruse of the medical establishment or pharmaceutical companies to boost sales and create a diagnosable problem. It is the intent of this writer to put current knowledge into a perspective that shows CBD to be an addiction that stands on its own merit. The concepts known to be true about addiction will be covered; along with what we understand about compulsive shopping. This writer believes that based on the evidence it will be clea r that CBD is an addiction that manifests itself independently and as a part of a complex addictive process. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2012) â€Å"addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.† Compulsive Buying Disorder according to Black (2007) â€Å"is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviors regarding shopping and spending, which lead to adverse consequences.† Many will argue that these definitions are not enough to claim CBD to be a true addiction. However those in the middle of CBD can tell you that the behavior and feelings they experience stray far from a normal compulsion to shop. Compulsive ... ...the addiction category. Works Cited Black, D. W. (2007) A Review of Compulsive Buying Disorder. World Psychiatry Journal. February 2007. 6(1): 14-18 Bryner, J. (2008) The Truth about Shopaholics. Live Science. Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/2338-truth-shopaholics.html Canadian Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Addictions. (2012). The brain from top to bottom. Retrieved from: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/a/a_03/a_03_m/a_03_m_que/a_03_m_que.html Carnes, P. (2011) Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction (3rd ed.).Center City, MN: Hazeldon Publishers Hartley, E. (2020) Is Compulsive Shopping Really an Addiction. Retrieved from: http://addictions.about.com/od/shoppingaddictio1/i/is_shopping_addiction_real_2.htm National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012). Drug Abuse.gov. Retrieved from: http://www.drugabuse.gov/ Addiction and Compulsive Buying Disorder (CBD) Essay -- Psychology Shopping is stereotypically a pastime many women love. In the Lockhorn comic strip husband Leroy often laments about his wife Loretta’s cooking, looks, and excessive shopping. In one strip Loretta is shown carrying several bags of items with the caption by creator Hoest, (n.d.) â€Å"you knew I had no sales resistance when I married you.† Many can joke about their love of shopping but for some it is a serious problem. People will argue that compulsive shopping is a weakness. Others feel that the idea of shopping as a disorder or addiction is a ruse of the medical establishment or pharmaceutical companies to boost sales and create a diagnosable problem. It is the intent of this writer to put current knowledge into a perspective that shows CBD to be an addiction that stands on its own merit. The concepts known to be true about addiction will be covered; along with what we understand about compulsive shopping. This writer believes that based on the evidence it will be clea r that CBD is an addiction that manifests itself independently and as a part of a complex addictive process. According to The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) (2012) â€Å"addiction is defined as a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.† Compulsive Buying Disorder according to Black (2007) â€Å"is characterized by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges or behaviors regarding shopping and spending, which lead to adverse consequences.† Many will argue that these definitions are not enough to claim CBD to be a true addiction. However those in the middle of CBD can tell you that the behavior and feelings they experience stray far from a normal compulsion to shop. Compulsive ... ...the addiction category. Works Cited Black, D. W. (2007) A Review of Compulsive Buying Disorder. World Psychiatry Journal. February 2007. 6(1): 14-18 Bryner, J. (2008) The Truth about Shopaholics. Live Science. Retrieved from: http://www.livescience.com/2338-truth-shopaholics.html Canadian Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health, and Addictions. (2012). The brain from top to bottom. Retrieved from: http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/flash/a/a_03/a_03_m/a_03_m_que/a_03_m_que.html Carnes, P. (2011) Out of the Shadows: Understanding Sexual Addiction (3rd ed.).Center City, MN: Hazeldon Publishers Hartley, E. (2020) Is Compulsive Shopping Really an Addiction. Retrieved from: http://addictions.about.com/od/shoppingaddictio1/i/is_shopping_addiction_real_2.htm National Institute on Drug Abuse (2012). Drug Abuse.gov. Retrieved from: http://www.drugabuse.gov/

Fear in One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest and The Scarlet Letter :: comparison compare contrast essays

Fear in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Scarlet Letter To live with fear and not be overcome by it is the final test of maturity. This test has been "taken" by various literary characters. Chief Bromden in Ken Kesey's One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest and Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale in Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter both appear to have taken and passed this test. It first seemed as though the Chief was going to fail this test of maturity in the mental ward that he was committed to. He had locked himself up by acting deaf and dumb. He had immense fear of the "Combine," or society, that ruined things and people and treated them like machines, giving orders and controlling them. Soon enough to "save" the Chief, McMurphy arrived. He was lively, and not scared; the complete opposite of the Chief. This courage eventually passed on to the Chief. At a meeting, when McMurphy was holding a vote to prove that the patients wanted to see the World Series, the Chief voted for it. At first he said that McMurphy controlled his hand. Later on he admitted that it was he who raised it. He even talked to McMurphy one night, and began laughing at the situation at hand. One day when McMurphy and the Chief tried to help another patient who was being taken advantage of by orderlies, they were caught and sentenced to electro-shock therapy (EST). The Chi usually blacked out in a fog when confronted with problems; however, this time (he had endured over 200 EST sessions previously) he did not. However, McMurphy was deteriorating, and the two seemed to be reversing positions. McMurphy eventually was sentenced to a lobotomy, which left him as a helpless, pathetic person, as the Chief had once been. The Chief now had the courage to put McMurphy out of his misery, despite what the head nurse, Nurse Ratched, the symbol of the combine to the Chief, would do to him. He smothered McMurphy, and afterwards, escaped by lifting the control panel, which McMurphy told him that he could lift but the Chief saw himself as "small," a symbol of his strength against the combine, and breaking a window with it. The mere fact that the Chief could lift the panel was

Cover Girl Cosmetics Essay examples -- marketing business

Cover Girl Cosmetics Why Cover Girl is one of the most successful cosmetic organizations since the 1960’s? Cover Girl cosmetics have been the top-seller since 1961 and are still going strong. It is hard, with all the advanced lines of make-up for one product to go as far as Cover girl has, so how does Cover Girl cosmetics do it? A lot of Cover Girl’s strong, on going successes are due to changing the look of the product, exceptional promotions which the public can’t look over, giving a cosmetic appeal to both older and younger aged women and most importantly by using near perfect women and teens to model their products. Although it’s wonderful that Cover Girl has been and still is so successful, it has put a dentation in today’s society in what women’s appearance should and shouldn’t be. Women and young adolescence are confused of what their appearance should be. Cover Girl has many famous models; one inparticular is the famous country singer Faith Hill. Faith is tall, skinny, and flawless. When women see models like her doing the advertising for Cover Girl, they automatically feel that they should look the same. Later in this paper I will go into semiotics which derives from the Greek word semeion meaning sign, it basically describes how people interpret different signs, such as models, and how these signs might effect one’s life and self-esteem. Proctor & Gamble are the owners and starters of Cover Girl cosmetics. To keep up the success of Cover Girl they must keep on top of the advertising game to stay above the competitors. To do this they do many promotions, some include using famous singers, changing displays, giving away samples and one of the most important advertisement of all is the models Cover Girls incorporates in their ads. Cover Girls did one promotion with Target stores to promote their product. They used the famous group 98 Degrees to make a sweepstakes called, â€Å"Fall in Love with 98 Degrees Sweepstakes.† The grand prizewinner of this sweepstakes is an appearance in the new 98 Degrees music video. This advertising doesn’t just take place in the Target stores; it also takes place in Teen magazine, stickers on the new 98 Degrees CDs, a national radio campaign, and the national Teen People magazine. Because it’s teens that mainly listen to the music that 98 Degrees produces, it’s the teens that this particular promotion is focused on. I s... ...so very successful because of their unique forms of advertising and promotions. Contacting certain audiences which is their main target during different promotions is a wonderful way to go. Understanding advertising will better help you understand yourself and make you realize whom you really are and whom you will always be no matter how many cosmetics you buy. Works Cited Adweek, L.P. â€Å"Cover Girl to sponsor a special June issue of YM on topic relationships.† Mediaweek 26 April 1993 v3 n17 p4 (1) Adweek, L.P. â€Å"Cover Girl Sweepstakes Ties to Target Stores.† Brandweek 26 July 1999 v40 i30 p1. Adweek, L.P. â€Å"Makeover for Makeup.† Brandweek 6 Sept. 1999 v40 i33 p1. Cosmetics International Cosmetic Products Report, â€Å"Cover Girl Bolsters it’s Foundation.† July 1999 v15 i174 p11. http://www.covergirl.com/models/sara/sara1.html, â€Å"Sarah Thomas.† http://members.xoom.com/ XMCM/faith/news.htm, â€Å"Faith Hill.† http://www.aber.ac.uk/~ednwww/Undgrad/ed30610/nnr501.html â€Å"Semiotic Analysis.† Progressive Grocer, â€Å"Wicked for Halloween.† Oct. 1999 v78 i10 p122 Sloan, Pat. â€Å"Cover Girl Pays Attention to Both Brand and Product.† Advertising Age 3 March 1997. v68 n9 P12 (1).

How typical is England to Her Sons Essay

How typical is â€Å"England to Her Sons† of the poems in this section of the anthology. Happy is England in the brave that die. This is a line from â€Å"Happy is England now†. In my opinion it sums up the section as a whole because it is stating that the people of England wanted the soldiers to fight and they respect the sacrifices the men have made. The whole section revolves about the acknowledgment of the deaths of the soldiers and also the acceptance of it. Personification is used in England to her Sons and Happy is England Now about England itself. It conjures u a motherly and maternal image of the Motherland towards the soldiers going out to fight. Moreover, it unites England and makes it seem everyone had a positive attitude towards the war when it is mentioned that â€Å"happy is England now as never yet†, which implies that the whole of England is proud and glad that the soldiers are going to war. Happy is England Now projects a very strong and patriotic message of making sacrifices and protecting this picturesque England with â€Å"her hills, rivers and her chafing sea†. It uses natural imagery to stir up a desire to protect the land where these soldiers were born and raised. Moreover, a sense of experiencing this â€Å"Happy England† caused by the sacrifice of war, is created by the intensified senses created in the last stanza where birds â€Å"sing the sweeter in our English ears† and nobleness that â€Å"shines the purer† in their English hearts. It would have created a longing for people to be part of this wonderful land, and therefore they would have wanted to have protected it. Symbolism also has a large presence in these poems and it gives the poems depth and more complexity. England to her Sons uses symbolism to create a sense of ownership of the soldiers, â€Å"Sons of mine I hear you thrilling† and it is also implied that she â€Å"bore† the children† which the Motherland then sends to war. In Fourth of August, the symbolism is used to make the soldiers seem very young and naive, â€Å"Spirit of England, ardent eyed† which makes the soldiers seem very keen and apprehensive, but also innocent and defenceless. Finally, symbolism is used to create a religious link between the War and the â€Å"destroying dragon† which Saint George, who represents England and her Soldiers, slays to protect his people. The soldiers in this section are made heroes for being martyrs. This is shown especially in Fourth of August on the last two lines, â€Å"We step from the days of sour division into the grandeur of our fate†, which shows that the soldiers and people believed that it was a good thing to die for ones country. This is also emphasised again in England to her Sons, where it creates a great sense for the soldiers and England, as they accept the death of their â€Å"sons†, â€Å"save a little space to weep†. â€Å"And the worst friend and enemy is but Death†, is a reference to Peace, and it just emphasises that even though â€Å"Death† reaps them of their lives, it also enables them to come closer with their Maker, God. Overall, England to her Sons represent this section of the anthology very well, because it includes everything that this section is trying to convey to the reader. It shows the sacrifice of England and the soldiers who give their life, and it projects the religious message of God, who will send them to heaven for their good deeds. Moreover it glorifies death by using euphemism, â€Å"And if He in wisdom giveth Unto His beloved sleep†, to acquire an acceptance of the soldiers. Lastly, it also shows the undoubting faith that the people of England had at that time, as they all believed that God would protect them and guide them to winning the War.

Change Management – A review

The determinants and Impediments of change In each branch of change management have been considered and addressed. Some elements fall outside the scope of the literature review and research. The literature review is structured in such a way that echoes this integration as illustrated in the following diagram (Figure M). Figure XX: Areas within and outside the research boundaries leading to organizational responsiveness to change. Figure XX: Areas within and outside the research boundaries leading to organizational responsiveness to change. People Management Leadership Organizational Context.Culture. Organizational Learning. Knowledge Management. Change Management. Change Management Change Management is neither an art nor a science; it is an individual process relying solely on the organization, individuals within the organization (employees), leadership style and management of the organization (middle and top managers), organizational culture, and a variety of external Influences Inc luding environmental, technological and social. The scope for change management within an organization to fail is huge; however the scope for effectiveness is as wide if approached logistically.It is important to keep in mind that change management is not an art or a science but each area and issue of change management is completely individualistic. Many authors have written and researched within the academic area of change application, and how it can be applied strategically to assist the organization. The work that these authors within the field of change management bring to the academic discussion have been studied, analyses, criticized and presented here in an attempt to both inform the reader and support the research and subsequent analysis.Organizational Dynamics Systems Theory The concept of the ‘organization' is not abstract from the idea of systems theory. The organization exists within an environment, has Inputs (l), Processes (P) and Outputs (O) taking into account both formal and informal subsystems and processes. Combined together this presents a system that is both effective and theoretically sound. â€Å"A system is an organized collection of parts interacting in certain ways to achieve certain goals. Any change in any part of the system will produce different effects† (Hellhole, 2006).As Hellhole (2006) identifies change can occur at an individual (l, P or O) level and see effective results, however the argument can also be constructed to assume that when change management is handled holistically, changing all the individual parts of the working cog model, a better result is often seen. Theory in this area is rather limited, however Senior and Swales (2010) present the following illustration (Figure 10) which builds upon the work of Child (1973) focused on the intangible elements of organizational operations. â€Å"Systems thinking† is relevant to highlight here.Whilst it is possible for change to be approached from n indivi dual (l, P or O) level, as well as a holistic stance, systems thinking looks at the concept of ‘does it need changing to enhance the overall level of organizational effectiveness'. An example that may be given here to help explain and contextual this point is that of a maintenance company repaving a road. One element of the system may be to fill the hole with a temporary road surface which is followed up by the removal of this and re-surfacing to correct standards a week later.It could be argued that both elements of the process could be enhanced but the systems hinging viewpoint would maintain that removing stage one would enhance effectiveness, reduce cost and wastage, as well as the crucial element of satisfying customer demand. The author finds this theory and viewpoint interesting and will return to this concept at a later point. Figure 10: The Organization as a System – adapted from the work of Senior and Swales (2010) A key area that the author feels is missing f rom Senior and Swales (2010) model is feedback.Organizations are subject to change and influence from the external environment; this therefore requires a agree of planning and control, which is most effective if informed with feedback. Removing the feedback loop from the ‘organization' almost takes the model back to the classical theorists that considered organizations as rational but closed systems (Hellhole, 2006). Through the addition of the feedback loop the system becomes open as well as debatable more ‘open' to change.Hayes (2002) expands on this concept of open systems commenting that, â€Å"Open-systems theory provides such a framework and views organizations as a system of interrelated components that transact with a larger environment. From the perspective of open systems, some of the main characteristics of organizations are that they are: embedded within a larger system, able to avoid entropy, regulated by feedback, subject to equability, cyclical McKinney a nd the AS model can be used here to look at the infrastructure of the organization, in addition to the informal and formal processes that is presented above.An analysis of the internal environment from this perspective adds to the depth of analysis that can be undertaken. The AS model encompasses the areas of Structure, Systems, Style, Staff, Skills, Strategy and Shared Values providing a useful LOL to merge both tangible and intangible organizational elements. At the analysis stages of this research it will be interesting to return to the idea of change at both an individual (l, P and O) and organizational level and contrast this to what is observed within the case studies, and the influence that this holds over organizational readiness and responsiveness to change.The concept of organizational systems theory is Just one very small part of the evolution of organization theory. This links with the changes in development of change management theory addressed revisions due to culture and influencing factors throughout the eras. The question can always be asked that is everything that the business doing contributing to fulfilling the customer's demands? The author would suggest that this is not necessarily always a requirement, however this could be debated further.Contingency Theory – Mechanistic and Organic Organizations Before the theories and application of change management are examined and analyses, the author believes it to be of importance to examine organizational dynamics as briefly highlighted above within Section 3. 4. 1 . There are three main viewpoints; open yester theory, contingency theory, and congruence model for organizational assessment. Open systems theory as previously discussed looks as the organization as having Inputs, Processes and Outputs and is made ‘open' through the inclusion of a feedback loop.This basic approach was enhanced through the work of Burns and Stalker (1961) and Lawrence and Lora's (1967) who identify that o rganizations do not exist and operate within a vacuum, and investigated the relationship between the internal structure and the environments in which they operate (external environment). Their results, characterized due to the degree of internal formality, internal structure and external stability results in what they term ‘mechanistic' and ‘organic' organizations. They described firms that operated in stable environments as ‘mechanistic' because they were characterized by many rules and procedures and were dominated by a hierarchy of authority. The firms that operated in less stable environments were described as ‘organic' because they tended to have a free-flowing, De-centralized and adaptive internal organization† (Hayes, 2002). Mechanistic Organizational Characteristics Organic Organizational Characteristics 1 . Specialized tasks, narrow in scope 1 . Common tasks and interdependencies 2. Tasks rigidly defined 2. Tasks adjusted and redefined as requi red 3.Strict hierarchy of authority 3. Less adherence to formal authority and rules 4. Centralized knowledge and control 4. Decentralized knowledge and control 5. Hierarchical communication 5. Network communication, diffused channels Table 18: Characteristics of Burns and Stalker's (1961) Contingency Theory – Mechanistic and Organic Organizations There are a range of critics around congruence theory; some agree and identify with the ‘alignment' that this model (2000) for example, disagree arguing that the explanation for organizational operation is not clear enough.The author does not have a specific view on this matter. It has not been unknown for alignment to be criticized within the field due to the fact that it is very difficult to apply in practice. It is clear within both the work of Burns and Stalker (1961) and Child (1973) that changes to one or more of either the internal or external elements will have an impact upon other elements that therefore may also requi re change subsequently.This was highlighted and expanded upon by the work of Cotter (1980) who in essence merges open systems theory and interagency theory creating an integrative model of organizational dynamics. He uses his model comprised of six structural elements and key organizational processes to address impacts upon the organization in both the short, medium and long term time Figure 1 1: Cotter's integrative model of organizational dynamics. Source: Cotter (1980) Table 19: Cotter's integrative model of organizational dynamics.Source: Cotter (1980) Cotter's (1980) work can be used to look at readiness and responsiveness from an organizational dynamics perspective. In the short term Cotter comments that organizational effectiveness is enhanced and determined by he speed with which the organization can control and respond to any of the six structural elements before they start to have an impact on one of the other areas. However using the integrative model for a long term appr oach the idea of readiness is very much at the core.Adaptability to the six structural elements will be the determinant of effectiveness; this requires organizations to put into place tools and techniques that will help evaluate elements that determine which structural element will 'emerge as the driving force that shapes the development of the company (Hayes, 2002). Adaptability is important because it determines whether or not the organization will be able to maintain the required degree of alignment over the long term.Over the longer term, therefore, the focus of change management needs to ensure that the structural elements of the organization are as adaptable as possible† (Hayes, 2002). The organizational dynamics need to support the organizations ability to be both ready and responsive to change; readiness helps support the long term strategy whilst responsiveness will assist in the rectification of the cause-effect relationships that interlink the organizational system together.Congruence Model – the focus towards strategy As the thinking behind organizational management developed the importance of strategy increased amongst firms; a few years after the development of the above organizational dynamic models Needle and Dustman (1982) entered into the academic arena with their take on systems theory, the difference being a strategic focus adopted. Some of the elements of the congruence model are derived from work by Alleviate (1965) and Katz and Kahn (1966) (both cited in Hayes, 2002).The congruence model is in effect a different take on open systems theory. Its main preference is its focus towards strategy and strategic management through assessing the congruency of the organizational components on organizational effectiveness. A distinct difference between the work of Needle and Dustman (1982) and open systems theory is that the integrative model focuses in some depth around the relationship between all of the components within the transfor mational process.This and allows the authors to propose a model that's key concept, of congruence or alignment between the organization, the environment and the internal components of the organization, aids organizational diagnoses and the development of change management strategies. Needle and Dustman play specific emphasis towards the four components that they believe create the transformation process (informal organization, formal organization, task, individual); they look specifically at the relationship between each of these components (six fits' as discussed in Table 20) and that influence on the organization as a whole.This is illustrated by the directional arrows in Figure 12 below. Relationship between†¦ Example areas for consideration Individual Formal Organization What extent are individual needs met by the formal organizational arrangement? For example – Personal Learning Styles (Briggs Myers and Briggs Myers, 1980; Honey and Uniform, 2000), Team Roles (Beeli ne, AAA), and specific HER elements such as Individual appraisal processes (CHIP, AAA; Armstrong, 2009; Armstrong and Baron, 2004). Individual Task To what extent do individuals have the skills necessary to meet task demands and to what extend do the tasks satisfy individual needs?Individual Informal Organization To what extent does the informal organization satisfy the needs of the individuals or make best use of their talents? For example is the individual's Learning Style or personality type understood and utilized within the team, and organizational context (Briggs Myers and Briggs Myers, 1980; Butterflies, 2008). Task Formal Organization To what extent are the formal organizational arrangements adequate to meet the demands of the task? Task Informal Organization To what extent does the informal organization facilitate task performance?For example the work of John Adair looking at Task, Team, and Individual (1996). Formal Organization Informal Organization To what extent are the goals, rewards and structures of the informal organization consistent with those of the formal organization. Table 20 : Areas for consideration between the ‘six fits' of the transformation process in the Congruence Model. Adapted from: Hayes (2002) One element that strikes as being predominant, and harmonies with the opinion of the author, is that of the individual.This model takes into consideration an area that most other models merely merge with other organizational elements. Here the individual is given specific credit and attention, and is focused on in terms of interaction with the formal organization, the informal organization, and the organizational tasks. The individual is seen as a personalized resource to the cuisines that brings individual skills and knowledge that help to equip and shape the organization. The author has a specific interest in the role of the individual (Butterflies, 2008; Section 3. 3. ), but it is also an important element for authors such as He llhole (2006), and is therefore a significant ingredient within the congruence model to draw the reader's attention towards. Hellhole (2006) comments, â€Å"Increasingly, there is recognition that organizational success depends largely on the skills and commitment of a knowledge-based workforce and that organizational ultras conducive to high performance are central to sustaining success beyond the short term†. Figure 12: Needle and Dustman's (1980) Congruence Model. Source: Needle and strategy before the transformation process.This inevitability requires that management have looked at and decided on the appropriate strategy in advance; it almost contradicts the process as one would assume that the strategic direction would follow the process and possibly the output. With the inclusion of the feedback loop it could be considered that this is the case and its position here is deliberate fitting with the experiential learning cycle of Kola (1984). At the application stages of t his research when the case studies are looked at it will be interesting to see where this features in the reality of the organizations.All of the models looked at and discussed above can only ever be a simplification of reality. In terms of change management it is the ability to take these models and look at their use in turning ability to become an appropriate conceptual framework for taking an existing situation and managing the desired change within the applicable circumstances. Out of all of the models looked at the author feels that the congruence model is the cost applicable within the research to be carried out.This is mainly due to its strategic focus, and consideration of the individual. As previously mentioned the models only become applicable and useful if application as a conceptual framework can be adopted. This will be applied and analyses within the findings chapter (Section 5). Drivers for change There are many drivers for change and these are dependent upon on the a rea of change that you address. This is such a huge topic and an in-depth analysis far exceeds the scope that the topic can occupy within this thesis.It is hoped that the main drivers for change for each organization will become apparent within the case study analysis as these are very personal and dependent on both the organization and the industry that the organization is operating within. The following drivers for change are included to provide context and provide some food for thought; these have been taken from the text ‘Understanding Change', by Hellhole (2006). Competition Globalization Demands for greater transparency and accountability Global Sustainability Technology The e-economy The consumer revolution The social context Knowledge Management Future organizational trendsChanging industrial relations climate and employment legislation Stereotypical social attitudes The rise of the stakeholder Degree at which innovation progresses Demographics and Social fragmentation they believe to be the 10 top drivers for organizational change in 2010; whilst these make interesting reading for the author, the author is of particular support with the tenth; â€Å"a new war for talent commences†. This picks up on what the author has been trying to convey throughout the sections on Personnel Management (Section 3. ) and Knowledge Management (Section 3. 3). Not only are there external drivers for change UT internal ones too. As people recover from the economic crisis they will begin to drive forward organizational change in a bid to better themselves and get credit and assurance of their work to the organization. Organizations need to bear this is mind and respond appropriately. The ten top drivers for organizational change as identified by Bloomberg Businesslike (2010) are: † 1 . Consumer preferences will remain â€Å"reset† based on values, not pricier.Energy costs will continue to increase in the medium termed. U. S. Tax policy could erode the competitive positioning of U. S. Companies. Innovation happens for emerging market consumers, not in emerging markets 05. A new return to vertical integration gains traction 06. Industry shifts create competitive shifts 07. Increases in information requires more Judgment from decision makers 08. Markets reward long-term strategic focuses. Economic recovery wont mean recovery for everyone 010. A new war for talent commences† Bloomberg Businesslike (2010).Kurt Lenin; group focused change theory Kurt Lenin can be quoted as saying â€Å"Group life is never without change† (1947). Predominantly Kurt Lenin presents us with a change management theory revolving round the concept of unfreezing – change – and refreezing which presents a high- level approach to change. This has specific relationships back to the school of personnel management due to its importance for change in group settings as highlighted by Lenin in his work ‘Frontiers in Group dynamics ' addressing the art of social science of social equilibrium and social change (1947).Linen's work is not only applicable in a group setting it also holds great importance for the individual context too as well as large communities of practice and teams (Lenin, 1947). Through use of he model there is scope for management to make a radical change, minimize disruption of operations and ensure that the change becomes a permanent and rooted element of the organization through the re-freezing stage.The model, very focused around getting people to change as opposed to changing an organization, consists of three stages: Unfreezing – This is based upon the assumption that there is a need to change as present practices may have become outdated, slow, ineffective, expensive etc†¦. The need to instigate the unfreezing stage is typically based upon an assumption that the status quo is no longer desirable or positive; exulting from this there is often a motivation for change, the tea m unites, recognizes the need for change and begins the process of change management.It is essential there is some degree of confidence amongst the team that the change will be implemented and fulfilled successfully in order to achieve group ‘buy-in' and a positive Psychological Contract. The Change – Normal change management theories and principles generally come into play here. Whilst the team may all be on common stress will develop, individuals will have different ideas of the perceived outcomes, expectations will not be managed, the Psychological Contract diminish etc†¦ This is a time of exploration of opportunities where goals and objectives are set and implementation for change is developed.Lenin stresses the fact that it is essential as with any other change management theory that goals, objectives and plans for implementation are continually assessed and reassessed in order to generate the best possible outcomes. It is important to note here that whilst th e objectives are important for Lenin this does not necessarily form the most essential stage. His focus upon change within groups provides a perspective that is more in line with the needs of individuals and maintain positive relationships and focus, in order to bring about a successful re- freezing stage as described below.Re-freezing – At the completion of the change discussions when implementation has been rolled out across all involved, Lenin identifies the need for re-freezing. â€Å"Change will only reach its full effect if it's made permanent† (Lenin, 1947). As in the re-freezing of a liquid it is important to cement or solidify the change making it an official procedure of the organization; in drawing specific attention to the completion of the project and the new processes re-freezing would therefore inhibit individuals returning to the old ways as existed pre-change process.Refreezing is the heart of this model. Lenin (1947) comments, â€Å"A change towards a higher level of group performance is frequently short-lived, after a â€Å"shot in the arm†, group life soon returns to the previous level. This indicates that it does not suffice to define the objective of planned change in group performance as the reaching of a different level. Permanency of the new level, or permanency for a desired period, should be included in the objective. † Figure 13: Kurt Linen's model of unfreezing and re-freezing.Source: Adapted from Lenin (1947) Right Sizing There are various authors who have looked into the correlation between the size of the firm in terms of personnel and effectiveness in organizational performance. There is however still a heightened awareness that there are additional variables that impose upon organizational effectiveness namely technology; it is said that this could possibly account for up to fifty per cent of the variability in result findings which lead to an inconclusive theory being proposed (Senior and Swales, 2 010).Culture, leadership style, and politics all have an influence on the correlation teens size and organizational performance. Child (1988) who investigated into the correlation between size and performance concluded that the leadership style operated within the organization was relevant to the size of the organization (number of employees employed). It was the leadership style and subsequent influence into the structure that Child's (1988) sees as having an impact upon organizational effectiveness including role specialization and formalization.Senior and Swales (2010) summaries the work of Child (1988); large organizations with a higher degree of bureaucracy structure were in general better performed. Bureaucracy did not work for the smaller organization who had a better degree of performance with a more informal leadership style. â€Å"In organizations with below 2,000 people performance was assumed to be better in those that have little formal structure more bureaucracy and s uperior performance was greater† (Senior and Swales, 2010). Several external driving forces for change (Section 3. 4. ) such as the current economic climate and recent recession which have occurred at both local, regional, national and even international levels have created a heightened degree of urgency or organizations to increase efficiency; many are doing this through operations management and seeing the organizations as a clearly defined set of inputs, processes and outputs. The author is of the belief that for successful change management to occur the process of managing change must occur holistically, which can also occur when viewed through the strategic lens.Both the immediate survival and long term sustenance of any organization heavily depends on organizational responsiveness to its external environment and its ability to face the external challenge. A huge problem facing strategic re-focusing of operations creates opposition due to an emotional connection to common practice challenged by the need to change for survival (Balloon and Hope-Halley, 2008, Sense, 1993). With the distinct lack of literature on right sizing the author has conceptualized a model that illustrates where the concept of right-sizing fits into the organization.Taking the multi-lens perspective approach (Regional and Sprinter, 1996) and essential elements of organizational management the author proposes that the concept of right sizing is situated predominately within the cognitive lens. Figure 14: Position of right sizing within the organization Right sizing would normally e linked to the structural view of the organization. The Rational Lens considers the structure of the organization as an ought-to-be scenario.The Cognitive Lens considers right sizing as what is practicably possible scenario. The Rational Lens considers culture and corporate politics as an impediment to change which is what many change managers attempt to override or ignore. With the cognitive lens appro ach culture and corporate politics are seen as an intrinsic component of change. Therefore culture and corporate politics should be understood and made to become â€Å"enablers† within the change management process.This is currently the issue that several organizations are facing. By positioning right sizing as a resulting factor of a combination of Organizational Culture, Politics and Organizational Type the author feels that it will help in the analysis stages where the variety of case studies will be analyses. As mentioned within Section 2 the case study profiles were deliberately selected by the author for their variations in size.The author feels that it is important to note here that there is not necessarily a formula for what is the ‘right size' of an organization or a specific team dealing with change management, UT that this may be discussed throughout the finding and analysis chapter (Section 5) where the case studies may lead towards generating an inclination as to what works best. The Readiness of Change Several articles regarding both individual and institutional readiness to change (readiness') within an organizational context have been written over the centuries.Many well respected, and up-and-coming academics have posed models and theories in relation to how readiness can be increased, encouraged and developed within both individual and institutional spheres of influence; a large gap that is still existent in the knowledge base centers around the definition of ‘readiness to change'. Several pieces of relevant academic literature and building together a picture towards a ‘comprehensive definition' of readiness for change.Holt et all's work which has been consulted extensively opens with an important issue that the author must recognize; the lack of measurement of readiness for change does not arise from a lack of instruments designed for this purpose. There are several in existence but without a common and universal unde rstanding of what constitutes readiness a liable and robust framework, to operate quantitatively cannot (and has not currently) been developed.Evidently, with readiness being an area of research that is being encouraged (Holt et al, 2007) this is therefore an area that requires the knowledge gap being fulfilled in order for research in this area to pursue. It is the aim of the forthcoming section to be devoted to this cause, reviewing the use of the literature, working towards a definition of readiness, and identifying means of its analysis within a strategic institutionally based context. There is also the need for the adopted method to be suitable to institutions of different natures, sizes and specialties; as always generalization is imperative.Readiness and Resistance; are they related concepts? The concept of readiness is a result of the concept and result of resistance – a sweeping statement or Just a different approach? It is perhaps no surprise, that change management due to its inclusion with the human resource management approach is highly subjective to the reactions of people (employees). This would explain the development of the need to research readiness, resulting from manager's efforts to reduce resistance to change.Again the body of literature exists in this area, yet Ramekins et al (1993, cited in Holt et al, 2007) put forward their argument that any of these, â€Å"strategies designed to help managers avoid resistance, are effective only to the extent which they facilitate employee readiness†. The circular nature of this issue is again illustrated here. The transition of the Traditional HARM philosophy into the personnel management phase transfers its focus from objectives and output into placing value, focus and ultimately having an investment and involvement with he people.To some extent it can be argued that traditionally to date the people management processes within educational setting operate under this philosophy; a large degree of responsibility and autonomous working is put upon the employee's and in response it is hoped that the organization values staffs contributions. General motivational principles (Amazon, etc†¦ ) encourage the involvement of employees in a drive to encourage general commitment to organizational objectives and partnering of aims, especially plans for development, drive forward and ultimately change.Readiness has been looked at with a specific workforce focus; whilst this is important, organizational culture, as explored above, external pressures and the lack of a strategic dimension can also reduce organizational readiness. What impact does this have on the organization's desire to change and move into a market leader position, driving forward its position within the market and gaining an advantage in what is a highly competitive market arena. Oakland and Tanner's Organizational Change Framework Research supporting the model Oakland and Tanner have been instrumental in t he field of research into change