Question 1 – Vision and Organizational Change

Vision is a formal declaration of an organization’s prospective goals and objectives, both in the short and long term. It helps an organization to clarify what achievement they dim desirable for the company and how the executives of the company would want the company to look like in the future. Organizational change is the process that focuses on the adjustment of strategies, protocols and the day to day operations of a business, for a company to be able to achieve a new set of desirable outcomes. It, therefore, means that the vision and organizational change in a company interrelate directly.

An objective and, precise vision helps to steer a company in the right direction. This successful steering occurs when the firm expresses the objectives in a clear and concise manner that will appeal to the employees’ intelligence and emotions. This attractiveness and practicality of goals can be instrumental in inspiring members to work harder towards the set targets (Palmer, Dunford & Akin, 2006). The transformation of critical strategies and operational procedures is highly dependent on an outline that clearly defines areas of utmost and strategic importance to the business. When all individual become aware of the direction of change and the extent, with the addition of priorities, it becomes easy for the administration to supervise personnel and achieve the desired results.

Additionally, when a management team crafts an easily understood vision for the organization, it becomes difficult for critics to oppose changes inconsiderately since all the information regarding the proposition is available (Palmer et al., 2006). Consequently, an organization has to ensure that before proposing any transformation of any kind, whether mild or extreme, that the entire workforce is aware of all the significant points, through the use of a vision statement. It is, therefore, a safe conclusion that a vision is not just a fad, but a fundamental piece to the growth and development of an establishment.

When a company lacks a good vision, it may become challenging for it to identify the key areas competencies that may enable to increase its competitive advantage in a market (Palmer et al., 2006). This unfortunate scenario may be the beginning of the decline in a firm’s progress which may most probably climax in the collapse of the entire establishment. It should be a worry for an organization if there is a lack of a document that pumps inspiration to employees by declaring the direction and position that they should take in all matters concerning their work. It is increasingly dangerous if this is the case during a transformation in the production or operational design. If the company fails to meet its expectation, it may most probably be because most individuals are not aware of the new definitions of success for the firm.

It is a general conclusion that the organization may realize intended and unintended outcomes. The image of change management determines, to a high degree the connection between vision and the change implemented in the organization. If the vision is critical and the organization introduces it at an early stage, then a lot of desirable outcomes will be evident. However, when the change manager takes a role less direct, like the navigator, the vision remains either less understood or temporary, thereby unable to impact significant change.

Also, a critical factor in understanding the connection between vision and organizational change is the role of the latter to the former. In a bid to understand this, it is crucial to examine it as an emerging or existing factor, its impact on change and, whether it is the trait of a leader or the organization. This understanding enables a firm to know how to package the vision and, the specific methods to use in the quest to realize significant organizational change (Palmer et al., 2006).

Question 2 – Vision and the Direction of Change

Vision is an essential aspect of an organization’s structure. It is an indispensable factor that inspires individuals towards a desired, collectively agreed outcome. Although there are many debates linking vision to change, it is my opinion that vision is responsible for driving a particular group of people in a given firm to a newly stated objective. It may also impact the change and appear as an attribute of an individual or the organization itself, but it will more often than not contribute immensely to unifying a workforce towards a set target.

The vision may also come about as a result of a transformation or a disruption in the typical day to day operations. A group of executives may realize the existence of better methods to fulfill the purpose of the company or, the need for a complete revolution in the products produced or service rendered. However, after this form of epiphany, the new vision will only be achievable through the presence of a trigger that emphasizes on the need for the new strategies rather than the old ones. A good vision in this instance helps to elaborate on the new definitions of success regarding the recent changes.

Therefore, a vision statement is a reference point upon which an organization can rely on the evaluation of progress. It aids an administration to determine if to a particular point in time, or for a specified period, the changes made to the establishment have been helpful or not. Additionally, sometimes employees may feel confused about the priorities of the company, and it is upon the change manager to realign these individuals to the primary objectives and, in the process steer them to the direction of change so desired.

Consequently, directors should take enough time to craft the document since visualizing how they would want to see the firm in the near and far future will enable them to understand the weight of the decisions they have to make, and, the appropriate adjustments that are central to the achievement of that dream. A vision inspires a workforce towards various goals. It does this by connecting them to the values and priorities of the organization thereby impacting on the culture of personnel (Palmer et al., 2006). In this manner, workers remain dedicated to completing the tasks assigned to them with the belief that they will be contributing to the overall objective of the establishment.

However, a company’s vision may fail to link with the direction of the change if it is ambiguous, insufficient in detail or impractical. It, therefore, means that if an organization loses this vital connection, then it will become increasingly difficult for the administration to convince other stakeholders to accept new propositions. A vision provides an inspirational understanding of why proposed changes are critical and what purpose they intend to fulfill. It gives a satisfying explanation leaving no room for subjective oppositions from some members.

In conclusion, the connection between vision and direction of change is that vision is responsible for driving the process of transformation within a given company. It may also emerge through the abovementioned process and will be valuable in steering members of an organization towards the desired course. In the quest to become more appealing and inspire individuals towards a new culture, a company may connect members to the values and priorities of the firm by crafting the vision as stories (Palmer et al., 2006). This stories may also help to realign employees who may feel confused about the priorities of the firm. Consequently, it is imperative that all organizations preserve this significant nexus between vision and the direction of change.

Reference

Palmer, I., Dunford, R., & Akin, G. (2006). Managing organizational change. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.