Team Communication Skills - 1014 Words

Team Communication Skills In addition to good individual communication skills, the team itself needs to form communication skills. Cohen (2008) looks in detail of the communication skills the team should establish for good overall communication. In addition, the article also goes to explain how commutation plays a role in conflict resolution, and what group rules the team should create when conflict occurs. As a team, creating a protocol for conflict management is important. This includes how the team should communicate and behave during a conflict as well (Cohen, 2008). There are several important elements to include in this structured process. The first element is allowing members to speak up and to express feelings with respect. Secondly, is to intervene early to decrease the severity of the problem. Moreover, when the conflict occurs it is critical to establish a goal as to what all team members want and for it to be understood. Finally, the team should always remember to empathi ze with the other members, demonstrate appreciation, and try to understand another’s perception (Cohen, 2008). It is important, however, to remember that reducing conflict can be simple if the team follows an appreciative process. Bushe (1998) goes on in explaining this concept, and explains by using this process it helps the team amplify what they can do, and focus on the positives within a situation. Skills parts of the appreciative process are positivity and being positive to the team,Show MoreRelatedLeadership Skills, High Communications Skills And Good Team Working Ability1282 Words   |  6 Pages In my opinion, managers should have Leadership skills, high communications skills and good team working ability. These certain qualities are most crucial for the managers to run their profit making organization successfully. As the world is becoming more and more technologically advance, managers should make a good relationship with others. So alongside these above qualities, inter personal skill is also very important. In my opinion, these skills are related with one another. In order to successfullyRead MoreThe Relationship between Playing Multiplayer Online Games and Developing Communication Like Skills886 Words   |  4 Pagesbetween playing multiplayer online games and developing communication like skills. Online multiplayer video games involve thousands of players all over the world who may play solo, in teams, or with one other player. To begin the study, a survey will be created in order to gather information on the communication skills of collaborative gaming individuals. The survey will have subjects answer different questions regarding their communication behavior during videogame playing. In addition the numberRead MoreThe Problems Faced By The Video Game Industry1688 Words   |  7 Pagesand communication are the major problems faced by the video game industry. Mutual trust, which is an essential component of teamwork in the teams is resp onsible for the coordinated attitude in teams. Teamwork is now seen as being essential to achieve goals and complete projects. As more organizations and companies are coming to this understanding, considerable investment is being made in understanding better, how teamwork can be fostered within organizational departments, project-based teams, studyRead MoreIntroduction Project Team is the group of people who work towards the common goal and share the1700 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction Project Team is the group of people who work towards the common goal and share the responsibility to get the positive outcome. Robinson Robinson (1994) define a team as a group of people, but all groups do not qualify as teams. Team members usually work under the project manager and it requires involvement from the different department. Katzenbach and Smith (1994) defines team as a small number of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, performanceRead MoreSample Resume : Soft Skills1175 Words   |  5 PagesSoft Skills in Workplace Volunteering and Internships Carrie Priest MGT300 –Principles of Management Colorado State University – Global Campus Melinda Curley October 16, 2016 Soft Skills in Workplace Volunteering and Internships In this paper I will explore the four soft skills I have selected that are important to my mentorship opportunity and how these soft skills would positively impact my mentorship experience. I am currently involved in the Leadership Mentor Program at work where seniorRead MoreThe Importance Of A Successful Leadership For An Organization1748 Words   |  7 Pagesthat is communication and teamwork. These activities seem so menial but even the most educated or experienced could lack the ability to use these correctly. In any field of work, lack of communication could be detrimental to the success you are striving for. For healthcare, you have to think about the patient as well. Lack of communicating from provider to patient or between the multidisciplinary team could bring harm the patients well being. As was stated in our literature â€Å" [communication] is aRead MoreRelevance of Communication and Teamwork in Midwifery903 Words   |  4 Pagesideally possess a number of skills so as to effectively execute their mandate. Amongst such skills, the relevance of communication and teamwork cannot be overstated. This is more so the case given the critical role midwives play as far as the provision of care to women, babies as well as families is concerned. This text concerns itself with communication and teamwork as two graduate attributes necessary for success in the midwifery profession. The Relevance of Communication and Teamwork in Midwifery Read MoreHealthcare Teams Essay1260 Words   |  6 PagesHealthcare Teams Paper â€Å"All health care disciplines share a common and primary commitment to serving the patient and working toward the ideal of health for all.† (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2014, p. 1) There are many different professional members in the healthcare system. Each of them, have a specific specialty and responsibility to the patient and play an important role in the patient’s overall plan of care. â€Å"The scope of health care mandates that health professionals work collaborativelyRead More Essential Workplace Skills Essay example1596 Words   |  7 PagesWorkplace Essential Skills While working or while looking for work there are certain skills sets that are universally important. No matter what job or career path you have chosen these skills make it easier to obtain your goals, whatever they may be. Workplace essential skills enable people at work to do the tasks required by their occupation, give them the basics to learn all other skills (job and life) and assist them to manage and adapt to the changing workplace environment. TheyRead MoreSelf-Development as a Part of Professional and Academic Skills Support Module1146 Words   |  5 Pagesexperiences as a part of professional and Academic skills support (PASS) module. It helped to apply theoretical knowledge for the outdoor activities in the Buxton Residential Trip starting from the team formations and end up with the poster presentation and other group activities which are essential for building up of self-confidence and behavioral intelligence. My essay aims on Leadership, Teamwork and self-management and effective communication skills and concludes focussing on key areas with appropriate

Changes on Film and photography over the Decades - 729 Words

Film and Photography Film and Photography has changed dramatically over the decades, from the camera obscura, pinhole, lomography and now we are at an age where almost everybody in the world has the means to make films and photographs in their pockets. Since the means of making filmic and photographic art are still so readily available, the rarity and uniqueness of the media has been greatly diluted. This makes it harder for artists to establish themselves, on the other hand this also means ; because there is more competition that art pieces are becoming more and more exceptional. I will be looking at how this affects modern art and whether or not I believe this art form has attributed to it. Although it is argued the use of photographs are not as diligent as traditional art forms such as painting or sculpting, it has opened up a whole new breed of art; which documents and â€Å"captures, instantaneous fleeting moments†. Photography gives a take on perspective that cannot be captured by hand and because of digitalised nature of the media, allows the photographer or film-maker an almost unlimited amount of versatility through editing. Francis Firth called the use of photography â€Å"an attribute† I very much agree with him. The use of photography has been a prominently useful tool throughout history, many artists used photographs to capture a scene or portrait to be draw or painted later thus extending their time-scale. I have used photography and film in my own work. I findShow MoreRelated How Digital Processes Change Photography Essay1665 Words   |  7 PagesHow Digital Processes Change Photography New technology is an ever present, always advancing force in today’s world. For this reason it is no surprise that in the last decade we have begin to see the rise of digital imaging in our lives. Put simply, digital imaging is the process of changing a visual imaging into a format that a computer can understand and interpret. Whether or not the image is captured by a digital device, such as a digital camera or camcorder, or it is transformed intoRead MoreHow The Invention of the Camera Changed the World Essay1555 Words   |  7 PagesCameras; we take them on trips, to sports events, to concerts, to birthday parties, and we even take them to outings with our friends. The invention of the camera didn’t just develop in a few years but through decades of research and evolution of optics and photographic processes. Al-Haytham, or Alhazen in Latin, was born in A.D. 965 in Basra, which is located in present-day Iraq. Later, he moved to Egypt and began to develop scientific writings on the camera obscura, how the human sightRead MoreChallenges Faced By Kodak And The Potential Alternative Outcomes1640 Words   |  7 PagesChanges in today’s business environment requires organizational leaders to problem-solve through the decision-making process at an accelerated pace. As a result, leaders should be inclined to develop systematic approaches that would lead to consistent and successful outcomes. It is important to make good decisions often. A series of bad decisions ultimately leads to failure. According to Akdere (2011), â€Å"†¦the best way to avoid making bad decisions in business is to take a much disciplined approachRead MoreEssay about History of Photography1254 Words   |  6 PagesSince its inception, photography has been used to capture moments in time all around the w orld. This wonderful technology has existed since ancient times, and has only improved in recent history, changing society in the process. While we think of photography as a fairly modern invention, that is simply not true. In fact, there are documents on the underlying principle behind photography dating back to as early as the Fifth Century, B.C. The first recorded instance of a photographic image was foundRead MoreCrisis Analysis of Kodak1047 Words   |  5 Pagesheadquartered in Rochester New York, USA, was founded in 1892 by George Eastman. The company holds a vital role in the innovation and development of the motion picture industries as well as the film photographic industry. Kodak organized itself in 3 key segments: the Graphic Communication Group (GCG); the Film, Photofinishing, Entertainment Group (FPEG) and the Consumer Digital Imaging Group (CGD). ) This report relays to Kodak’s managers the importance of one’s company strength and weakness as wellRead MoreDigital Photography : Digital Technology2457 Words   |  10 PagesDIGITAL TECH DISRUPT -The change occurred from the introduction digital photography and over the reign of the film based photography, in other words the switch from chemical based image capturing towards data storage represent perfectly the disruption effect an innovation can have within an industry and its players. The introduction of cameras using digital imaging started to be sold in the last decade of 19th century. With this new technology, the products and their composition changed; the mainRead MoreEastman Kodak Case Study1495 Words   |  6 Pagesdeclaration of bankruptcy on January 19, 2012. George Eastman set out to transform photography from a professional activity into a hobby, and in 1901 he established the Eastman Kodak Company. Eastman Kodak became one of the world’s leading multinational corporations with production, distribution, and processing facilities around the world (Grant,2012). After the second world war, Eastman Kodak expanded from amateur photography production to joinin g the chemical and health industry. Eastman Kodak CompanyRead MoreThe Most Valued Photograph740 Words   |  3 Pagesyou look at every day? Or is it sitting in a box tucked away from your eyes? Do you have it hiding in a photo book that can stir up memories whenever you open it up? It may even be on a computer or as your wallpaper on your phone. Photography has been used for many decades capturing memories from a breath-taking experience to a memorable event. With the camera evolving, it has allowed a single person to capture a shot as a favorite hobby or job, and can be used to communicate to the society about anRead MoreThe Rise and Fall of Eastman Kodak1895 Words   |  8 PagesEastman Kodak For over 130 years, the name Kodak was synonymous with film, just like Coke is synonymous with soda. That is no longer the case in fact, Eastman Kodak only recently emerged from the Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings which began in 2012. How did such a stalwart company fall so far so fast in the digital age, despite actually inventing the digital camera, in contrast to Fujifilm, its Japanese competitor? The answer is a failure of management: its unwillingness to change. Ironically, duringRead MoreTed Nachazel. 360 Degree Photography Affordances And Constraints.1117 Words   |  5 PagesTed Nachazel 360 Degree Photography Affordances and Constraints Media has changed vastly over the decades. We have different styles of media, different ways to view media, and so many different options when it comes to creating media. A recent technology that has started to gain traction is 360-degree photography. This new technology allows people to view more than traditional 2-D perspective. With this new way of being able to capture a scene comes many affordances and constraints. Being able to

Should College Athletes Be Paid - 886 Words

student athletes, should be designed in a way that promotes academic progress as well as graduation. Whether you are on a college campus or listening to a sports talk radio show, the question of should college athletes be paid seems to have been discussed forever. One of the major arguments for paying student athletes is that the colleges use the athletes to generate revenue for the college. â€Å"There are also those that argue that athletes should be paid for the hours that they often put in their respective sports and classrooms† (Jung, 2013). There have been a lot that has been said in regards to the fact that athletes are making colleges better because they attract other potential students and the athletes should be rewarded for that impact to the college (Smith, 2011). Some may argue that all a student athlete has to do is be patient and their huge professional salary will be there for them in a few years. These same individuals feel it is wrong that the student athletes are not paid for all the work they do. (McCormick, 2006). If the athletes deem themselves as being good enough and do not want to play in the collegiate schools, they should instead jump to a professional league. â€Å"Professional leagues such as the National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, National Football League and Major League Baseball often have some type of an age restriction for the athletes that want to work for the league† (Smith, 2011). These restrictions in most instances do notShow MoreRelatedShould College Athletes Be Paid?1289 Words   |  6 PagesThroughout the years college sports have been about the love of the game, filled with adrenaline moments. However, the following question still remains: Should college athletes get paid to play sports in college? Seemingly, this debate has been endless, yet the questions have gone unanswered. The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) plays a vital role in this debate. The NCAA is a billion dollar industry, but yet sees that the athlete should get paid for their hard work and dedicationRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1334 Words   |  6 Pagesrising to the surface is â€Å"Should college athletes be paid?†. This has become a burning question. The NCAA is a multibillion-dollar industry, that makes millions, if not billions, in revenue. Yet it’s still maintains the non-profit status meaning that the industry is not set on making a profit and none of the revenue that is made is distributed to its members, managers, or officers. While most players who play in college sports are under a scholarship, that pays for the college tuition, books, and housingRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1578 Words   |  7 PagesAshay Mehta Nou Per 8 Should College Athletes Be Paid? One of the hottest debates in the sports industry is if college athletes should be paid. If you want to pay these athletes, how would the college determine the dollar amount that should be paid? Should the basketball team make more than the football team? Should the the soccer team be paid as well? Cheerleading? Chess team? Should everyone on the team get a salary? What if your college is good at football and your basketball team is awfulRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1398 Words   |  6 Pagesbelieve that college athletes at the highest performing schools are better treated than others. Although they do not get paid, they do receive some benefits for being athletes that other students would not get. One advantage for playing a sport is access to scholarships that some schools reserve for their athletes. Depending on the school and the athlete’s performance, money towards tuition is often given. Only some schools are willing to grant â€Å"full-ride† scholar ships for certain athletes. AccordingRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1364 Words   |  6 PagesHave you paid attention to all of the news that has been surfacing about collegiate sports lately? It is a big topic now days in the world of sports on weather college athletes should be getting paid to play sports. College athletics have gained great popularity of the past few decades, and have brought schools lots of revenue. A lot of college athletes think they should be getting paid for their services they do for their school. College sports like basketball and football generate over six billionRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?1130 Words   |  5 PagesWhat college athlete would not want to be paid to play the sport that he or she loves? The real question is, though, should college athletes be paid for their roles in a college’s athletics? They are many points to each side of this recent controversial topic, which is why this has been made into such a hot deba te in the past couple of years. As of right now, these athletes are not getting paid, but many of them truly believe that they should. Others believe that they already are being paid throughRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid?986 Words   |  4 PagesPaying the College Athlete The college athlete has steadily grown in popularity in the United States over the span of the past decades. Monetarily speaking, this increased publicity has been extremely beneficial for National Athletic Association (NCAA) and all the colleges involved in athletics which has sparked the dispute of whether or not the athlete should be paid for their hard work and dedication on the field and to their school or if the athletic scholarship is more than enough. College athletesRead MoreCollege Athletes Should Not Be Paid1558 Words   |  7 Pagesstudent-athletes participate in a variety of different sports, and currently they do not receive paychecks for their performances. College athletics have attained an extensive popularity increase among Americans over the past few decades. This has resulted into increased revenues for the National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA] and the participating colleges, which has fuelled the debate of whether or not college athletes should colle ct an income. College athletes should not be paid to playRead MoreShould College Athletes Be Paid? Essay1739 Words   |  7 PagesShould College Athletes Be Paid to Play? The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) governs all laws regarding college sports under the Division I, Division II, and Division III conferences. Its sole purpose is to protect student-athletes on and off the field, and regulate all games and scholarships affiliated with the students. Right now there are 1,121 colleges and universities under the NCAA (NCAA, n.d.), leaving a chunk of schools out—those who do not participate in Division I, II,Read MoreCollege Athletes Should Be Paid1254 Words   |  6 PagesSome college athletic departments are as wealthy as professional sports teams. The NCAA has an average annual revenue of $10.6 billion dollars. College athletes should be paid because of the amount of revenue that they bring to their college. Each individual college should pay its athletes based on how much revenue they bring to the college in which they attend. The colleges that win their Division title, their Conference title, or the National championship, give bonuses to the Head coach of that

The Effective Leader Andrew Carnegie free essay sample

Leadership effectiveness report – Andrew Carnegie In this report, I will introduce an effective leader Andrew Carnegie, a famous entrepreneur who led the steel industry to expanse and develop in whole America in the late 19th century. This Scottish-American man achieved in being the richest industrialist in early 20th century by starting his first job as a bobbin factory worker, after years of effort, he built his Carnegie Steel Company, which later on merged with Federal Steel Company and several small companies to form the U. service writing in military S. Steel. In U. S. , together with the â€Å"Petroleum Emperor† Rockefeller, â€Å"Auto Emperor† Ford and other famous tycoons, the â€Å"Steel Magnate† Andrew Carnegie maintained the place of world’s largest steel company and almost monopolized the whole industry in America for decades. After making huge success in his business, he chose to donate almost his all fortune to philanthropy and turned interest to education. Undoubtedly Andrew Carnegie became the hero of American and led them to achieve enterprise goals According to John Gardner’s book On Leadership, nine roles and tasks of leadership was listed, which include envisioning goals, affirming values, motivating, managing, achieving workable unity, explaining, serving as a symbol representing the group and renewing. In this section, the reasons for why Andrew Carnegie is an effective leader will be provided. Envisioning goals As an effective leader, he or she must have the ability to create a vision, identify goals and provide solutions to problems. In 1863 the civil war fueled the iron industry and after the war was over, Andrew Carnegie resigned from the Pennsylvania Railway because he saw the potential in this field during the war. The reason why Carnegie turned to devote his life in to steel industry and then earned his fortune was that he not only focused on the present but also looked into the future and envisioned goals. Serving as a symbol Perhaps the most obvious and significant role to be an effective leader is serving as a symbol. On one hand, it is certain that Carnegie was the greatest leader and symbol of the steel industry. For what he had been contributed to the development and expansion, Carnegie was the Steel Emperor in American history undoubtedly. On the other hand, no one can deny he was also a symbol for serving as generous philanthropist among the rich. After Carnegie sold all his steel holdings to J. P. Morgan, he turned to hammer at building libraries, funding to schools. Everything he did was the reflection of his leadership and his steel industry. Renewing There is no doubt that Andrew owned the ability of renewing. Before civil war, Andrew Carnegie quitted his job and invested all his assets to build his first company Keystone Bridge Works in 1862. However, since from July 4, 1863, the both sides of the civil war began using the warships, Carnegie realized how important the steel is. Once he travelled to Europe, Andrew was inspired by Henry Bessemer’s breakthrough technology of making steel. Since then he devoted his entire mind to the iron business after coming back to America. Through this transform, it believes that Andrew Carnegie was challenging the status quos and encouraging the responsiveness to change. Motivating In 1898, Andrew Carnegie wrote his book â€Å"The Gospel of Wealth†, in which he advanced the notion that the rich should use their resources and wealth to help and enrich society. Two year later, he accepted J. P. Morgan’s offer which he would buy all his steel holdings for the price of $480 million dollars. Since then he began to devote his energies to philanthropy especially on education. The major philanthropic contribution includes funding for the establishment of more than 2,800 libraries, Carnegie Hero Fund Commission (1904), Carnegie Endowment for the Advancement of Teaching (1905) and so on. According to John Gardner’s leadership roles of motivating, Carnegie motives the people from two ways: the young are motivated to achieve their life goals and the rich are motivated to contribute the wealth to society. In order to know more about the leadership style and behavior of Andrew Carnegie, using behavior approach to analysis is a good choice since behavioral basis for researching leadership shows that some certain leadership behaviors are more effective than others in various situations. The next I will use two different leadership models to discuss. At first, according to the Likert’s systems model, there are four systems developed from factors of concern for people and concern for production, which respectively are autocratic, benevolent, participative and democratic. And Carnegie belonged to the participative leader. It must be pointed out that Carnegie owned most his success to that he had employed a group of talents that were skillful and also knew how to manage. He concerned on people and trusted them, but also kept control of decisions. Besides, the Leadership Grid developed by Blake and Mouton is also a useful model to analysis Carnegie’s leadership behavior and style. During the way Carnegie led steel industry to expanse and develop, his style on the grid is nearly (9, 9), a kind of â€Å"team management† style. Nowadays, people often quoted one of his famous saying: if I ruin all my plant equipment, materials, as long as keep my whole class people, I will still be a steel emperor a few years later. As it is known to us all, Andrew Carnegie is the Steel Magnate of 20th century and also a great and respected philanthropist. It is undeniably that his fortune, achievement and philanthropy contributing vastly to the American society . Through his recipe to successful leadership roles that include fostering the process of renewal, the eloquent explaining ability, serving as symbol and motivating spirit, which fit the theories of John Gardner’s leadership roles and tasks, Andrew Carnegie was fully worthy of an effective leader.

Criminalistics Week 11 Ind Homework free essay sample

This method is helpful because the searcher is moving from an area light with evidence to an area where more evidence is most likely to be found. Because the searcher may not be able to complete a perfect spiral evidence could be missed. Wheel/ray search-employs several people moving from the boundary straight toward the center of the scene or from the center straight to the boundary. This is not preferred because areas between the rays are not searched. Quadrant/zone search-involves dividing the scene into zones or quadrants and team members are assigned to each section.This method is best suited for scenes that cover a large area. 2. What is the difference between a primary and a secondary scene? A primary scene is one at which the original incident occurred. The secondary scene is a location that became part of the crime scene by activities after the initial incident, such as using a car to transport a body. We will write a custom essay sample on Criminalistics Week 11 Ind Homework or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page 3. List three methods for crime scene recording. Notes, photography, and sketches. Notes-the notes should start by identifying the person who contacted the investigator, the time of the contact, and all preliminary information enclosed, including the case number.Photography-crime scene photographs can show the layout of the scene, the position of evidence to be collected, and the relation of objects at the scene to one another. Photography is also important for documenting biological evidence in its original condition because this kind of evidence is altered during testing. Sketching-a sketch shows the layout of an indoor or outdoor crime scene and the relationship in space of all the items and features significant to the investigation. It is important to illustrate the location of collected evidence.Sketching clarifies objects and features already described in notes or shown in photographs. 4. What are aperture and f-number? How does the aperture relate to the f-number and how does this affect the amount of light to which the film exposed? The aperture is the size of the diaphragm opening through which light enters the camera. The f-number is the diameter of the lens opening for light to pass through the camera. One adjusts the aperture by setting the f-number, which is equal to the focal length divided by the aperture.Thus, the aperture and the f-number are inversely related. The lower the f-number setting, the wider the aperture and the more light it allows in. 5. What is the depth of field? How does a camera’s the f-number relate to a depth of field of the photographs it produces? The depth of field is the range of in the foreground and background of a photographic subject that are also relatively in focus. Landscape mode on a digital camera automatically selects higher f-stops to improve the depth of field when the background and foreground are important.The portrait mode selects lower f-stops to decrease the depth of field and make the subject stand out clearly against a blurred background. 6. What should medium-range photographs taken at the crime scene show? What should appear in every medium-range photographs and why? Medium-range photographs should show the layout of smaller significant areas of the crime scene. The items that should appear in every medium-range photograph are evidence markers and they are to show the spatial relationship between and among pieces of evidence in greater detail than the overview photographs.

Leading Innovation and Change

Abstract This paper provides a critical review of the theories of change and innovation, as well as, leadership of change and innovation. It also presents an assessment of my leadership skills, as well as, examples of change processes that I have participated in.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leading Innovation and Change specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The change that I successfully led involved improving the website of a bank. This change was successful because of effective planning and my ability to create a sense of urgency. In addition, a team of experts from the bank who had a clear understanding of the company’s needs modified the website. A less successful change that I have led involved renovating 32 bank branches and increasing the efficiency of serving customers. This change failed because of inability to eliminate obstacle (financial constraints) and early declaration of victory. An analysis of my leadership skills reveals that am capable of creating urgency for change and the vision to guide its achievement. My main weakness is inability to eliminate obstacles to change. Introduction Innovation refers to the creation of new customer value by developing solutions that satisfy emerging needs, unarticulated needs, as well as, existing market needs in a different manner. Change, on the other hand, involves initiating and managing the consequences of new business processes, organizational structure, and culture. In most organizations, change and innovation often occur simultaneously. Thus, the two can be conceptualized as two sides of the same coin. Figure 2, in the appendix highlights the increase in innovation in the UK, in terms of expenditure on RD. Change and innovation can be realized if effective leadership guides the process.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This paper presents a critical review of various innovation and change theories. An assessment of my leadership skills will also be discussed. Critical Review Creativity, Innovation and Change Creativity, innovation, and change are related concepts that managers often use to create competitive advantages for their organizations. In the business world, creativity is associated with the production of novel and valuable products (Imtiaz 2012, 326-332). Thus, creativity refers to â€Å"the mental ability to conceptualize new, unusual, or unique ideas and to identify the new connection between random and unrelated things† (Barcana 2010, pp. 6-7). In this regard, creativity involves the production of an original and worthwhile product. According to Amabile (1997, pp. 39-58), creativity is determined by the following factors. First, organizational encouragements facilitate creativity. Creativity develops in an environment that supports risk-taking. Additionally, motivation facilita tes creativity by influencing the extent of explorations, as well as, the possibility that alternative responses will be evaluated. Intrinsic motivation develops within an employee because of the interest, satisfaction, and challenges that are associated with the execution of a task. A performance-based reward system often leads to the development of intrinsic motivation. Second, resource availability determines the level of creativity in an organization. According to Amabile (1997, pp. 39-58) the resources that facilitate creativity include sufficient funds, training programs, and work materials. Finally, creativity develops in organizations whose management practices encourage autonomy among the employees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leading Innovation and Change specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Innovation is the process in which the ideas generated through creativity are transformed into actual products o r processes. Thus, creativity leads to innovation. According to Von and Stamm (2009, pp. 49-66), innovation does not only require the use of structured processes, but also changing the behaviors of people. Moreover, significant innovation can only occur if several processes are used to achieve it. In this regard, innovation brings about change in the organization. Organizational change involves executing business activities through new and better processes that facilitate value addition and efficiency. Organizational change also involves transforming norms, values, and business cultures. This helps managers to align their organizational culture to the desired change (Bent, Paauwe Williams 1999, pp. 377-404). The foregoing discussion indicates that creativity, innovation, and change are interrelated concpets. Thus, an organization that intends to achieve meaningful change must encourage both creativity and innovation. Innovation According to Tidd Bessant (2009, pp. 3-50), innovatio n refers to successful utilization of novel ideas. This involves the use of new or improved ideas to perform technical, manufacturing, and management activities that are associated with the production of a new or an improved product. Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) assert that innovation is characterized with technological improvements and the use of better techniques to perform business activities. They further, state that innovation is manifested in processes such as product development, and strategy formulation among others. In this regard, innovation refers to â€Å"scientific, technical, commercial, and financial steps that are necessary for the successful development and marketing of new or improved products† (Goffin Mitchell 2010, pp. 1-40). Furthermore, innovation includes the development of new or improved business processes. Based on these definitions, the fundamental elements of innovation include change, the degree of change, as well as, the source of the chang e and its influence. These elements define the different types of innovations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Types of Innovation Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) categorize the various forms of innovation according to what is being changed and the degree of the change. With reference to the thing that is to be changed, Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) identify three types of innovations namely, process innovation, services innovation and product innovation. Service innovation involves creating new services or improving existing ones in order to satisfy market needs. Similarly, product innovation entails the development of new products or improving existing ones in order to meet the customers’ expectations. In process innovation, organizations develop new business processes or improve existing ones in order to boost their efficiencies and competitive advantages. Tidd Bessant (2009, pp. 3-50), extend this category by identifying two more types of innovations namely, paradigm innovation, and position innovation. The later involves changing the mental models that shape organizational behavior and activities, whereas the former refers to the modification of the context in which new or improved products are launched. By considering the degree of change, Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) identify two types of innovations namely, radical and incremental innovation. Radical innovation is associated with the use of breakthrough ideas or techniques to create new products or processes. Radical innovation often creates new markets or modifies existing ones through introduction of superior products. Incremental innovation, on the other hand, involves making small but important improvements to existing products or process in a consistent manner. Managing Innovation Tidd Bessant (2009, pp. 3-50) characterize innovation as a continuum in which minor changes occur at one extreme end, whereas radical changes take place on the other extreme end. Thus, incremental changes occur at the center of these two extremes. Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) agree with this perspective b y asserting that innovation occurs through a series of phases. This progression occurs irrespective of the type of innovation. According to Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40), innovation is an organization wide exercise rather than the preserve of the research and development (RD) department. Consequently, important departments such as human resources management, finance, marketing, and operations among others should actively participate in innovation. This facilitates creation of synergies through sharing of ideas and resources (Reiss 2012, p. 67). Innovation requires an effective leadership since it is a change process. Furthermore, the leadership must develop an effective innovation strategy. According to Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) the implementation of the innovation strategy include tasks such as assessing the influence of market trends on the need for innovation, as well as, the role of technology in the process of innovation. Moreover, the management must create awarene ss about the role of innovation among the employees and align the available resources to the innovation strategy. In this regard, innovation requires a framework that enables organizations to match technical expertise with their employees’ soft skills. Apart from formulating a strategy, the following elements of innovation must be managed. First, a pool of ideas must be generated through strategies that encourage creativity. Concisely, creativity should enable the organization to utilize both internal and external knowledge to innovate. Good ideas should enable the organization to take into account the technical, customer, and market needs in its decisions (Goffin Mitchell 2010, pp. 1-40). Second, a prioritization mechanism that involves analysis of risks and returns must be available to enable the organization to choose the right ideas. Third, the implementation of the innovation should take the shortest time possible. The implementation stage includes processes such as pro totyping, testing, and commercialization. Finally, innovation requires effective management of human resources (Goffin Mitchell 2010, pp. 1-40). This involves adopting effective staffing and training policies, as well as, creating functional organizational structures and a culture of innovation. Change Change is the process through which business strategies or departments of a company are modified in response to the prevailing market or industry trends (Kuntz Gomes 2012, pp. 250-256). Change occurs in nearly all organizations, and its effects can be negative or positive. Some of the aspects of an industry that are likely to change include regulations, technology, and resource availability. Thus, change management is the process of handling these alterations in a systematic manner. The aspects of change management include the following. First, it involves identifying and introducing new values, norms, and behaviors that will facilitate execution of business activities using improve d techniques (Kuntz Gomes 2012, pp. 250-256). Second, it involves building consensus among stakeholders concerning the changes designed to satisfy their needs in a better manner. Finally, change management involves planning, testing, and implementing the processes that are associated with the transition from one business model to another. Lewin’s Force Filed Model According to Lewin’ model, organizational behavior is determined by â€Å"the dynamic balance of two forces namely, driving and restraining forces† (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45). Change occurs when the balance between these forces shifts in either direction. Driving forces are those that facilitate achievement of the required change. Restraining forces, on the other hand, are the factors that hinder achievement of the desired change. The two forces create a state of equilibrium in the organization. Concisely, no change will occur if the magnitudes of the two forces are equal. Thus, a change in the magnitu de of one of the forces will create a new balance or quasi-equilibrium, which represents organizational change. According to Lewin’s model, successful change occurs in three phases namely, unfreezing, moving, and refreezing (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45). Unfreezing occurs when the equilibrium between the forces is destabilized. Movement involves altering the driving and restraining forces in order to achieve the desired change. At the refreezing stage, behaviors that promote positive change are reinforced in order to sustain the achieved change. The strengths of Lewin’s model are twofold. First, it provides a useful framework that enables organizations to scan their environments in order to identify impending changes. These changes are essentially the threats and opportunities in an organization’s environment (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45). In this regard, the model helps organizations to plan and implement the type of change that will enable them to take advantage of op portunities and minimize threats. S econd, the model enables organizations to plan for the utilization of the available resources in preparation for the impending change. Concisely, resource planning is often easy if their intended use is known in advance. Despite its importance in planning, Lewin’s model has the following weaknesses. First, change is not always achieved by influencing the behaviors of the members of an organization. This is because change can occur due to external factors such as the emergence of new technologies or enactment of new regulations. For example, a law that prohibits the use of coal will force a manufacturing firm to change its production technique without necessarily convincing the firm’s members to embrace the change. Second, creating change by diminishing the restraining forces can cause harmful tensions due to the competing perspectives of the individuals who are supporting change and those who are opposing it (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45) . The party that loses in this competition can develop low morale, thereby limiting the possibility of achieving the change. Third, the movement phase ignores the roles of non-human resources such as financial capital in the process of implementing change. Concisely, it is unrealistic to implement change by simply influencing stakeholders’ behaviors. Non-human resources and technical processes are also important at the implementation stage. Finally, the freezing stage focuses on maintaining the already achieved change rather than promoting advancement of the change process. In this regard, the culture of change can be lost as the organization focuses on maintain the new status quo. Haye’s Theory Haye (2010, pp 41-55) extended Lewin’s force-field theory by developing a change model that consists of eight stages. The first stage involves identifying the need for change. This stage involves influencing people’s attitudes towards change, interpreting the busi ness environment and making decisions to change the status quo. The second stage involves commencing the change process by creating a desire for change among stakeholders. The third stage entails a diagnosis process in which the current state is examined in order to identify the weaknesses of the organization. This leads to the fourth stage in which the change vision is developed. The fifth and the sixth stage involve preparing and planning for implementation (Haye 2010, pp 41-55). The tasks that must be completed, as well as, the time and the recourses that are needed to implement the change are identified at this stage. At the seventh stage, the change is implemented. Furthermore, monitoring and control measures are put in place to guarantee achievement of the desired outcome. The last stage involves maintaining gains in order to sustain the change. Additionally, attempts are made to improve the change. Heye’s model has the following strengths. To begin with, it addresses t he weakness of Lewin’s refreezing stage which focuses on maintain the already achieved gains. In this regard, Heye’s model enables organizations to improve their competitiveness by approaching change as a continuous process (Reiss 2012, p. 134). The model highlights the importance of monitoring and control mechanisms in the implementation stage. These mechanisms help organizations to identify mistakes and to take corrective actions in time, thereby preventing failure. Finally, the model improves Lewin’s theory by identifying additional resources that are necessary for successful implementation of change (Haye 2010, pp 41-55). Concisely, it recognizes the importance of taking into account time and non-human resource constraints at the implementation stage. The main flaw in Heye’s model is that it focuses only on planned change. In reality, the application of planned change is difficult due to the complications associated with predicting future changes. Bes ides, using a rigid blueprint to introduce change limits the organization’s ability to take into account emerging changes or concerns during the implementation stage. Heye’s model cannot be used to address unexpected changes or situations that require urgent response. This is because there will be not adequate time to prepare a blueprint for the change (Reiss 2012, p. 141). Moreover, it is not possible to plan for a change that is not expected to occur. The other weakness of the model is that it lacks a clear framework for change management. Much of the tasks in stage two and three occur at the first stage. Concisely, reviewing the current state (stage 3) and commencing the change process (stage 2) are essentially part of the first stage. Moreover, monitoring is done only during the implementation stage. Ideally, monitoring and evaluation should continue even after implementation in order to identify opportunities for improvements. Kotter and Cohen’s Model Kotte r Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) also developed a change management model that consists of eight stages. In this model, change begins with the creation of â€Å"a sense of urgency among relevant people† (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). A guiding team is established in the second stage to lead the change process. This team consists of individuals with advanced technical and leadership skills, as well as, adequate authority and connections. In the third stage, the guiding team develops a clear vision for the desired change. They also formulate strategies to facilitate achievement of the vision. At the fourth stage, the guiding team communicates the vision to all stakeholders in order to improve their understanding of the impending change. The obstacles that are likely to hinder the achievement of the vision are eliminated at the fifth stage. The sixth stage focuses on creating short-term wins to encourage members of the organization to continue with the change. In the seventh stage, th e pursuit of the vision is intensified through achievement of a series of changes. In the last stage, the guiding team creates a new culture that sustains the change. The main strength of this model is that it emphasizes the importance of creating and communicating a clear vision for the change. A clear vision is important because it enables organizations to focus on the stated change objectives. The model also highlights the importance of effective teamwork in the process of implementing change. A team of highly skilled individuals is likely to generate enough ideas in order to translate the vision into reality (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). Finally, by creating a new culture at the last stage is likely to sustain the change, especially, if the members of the organization identify with culture. Despite its strengths, the model has some flaws. To begin with, entrusting the change process with a few ‘relevant’ members of the organization can cause isolation of employees and resistance to change. Moreover, creating a sense of urgency is all about influencing the perspective of the entire organization about the change rather than convincing a few ‘relevant people’ to accept the change (Bent, Paauwe Williams 1999, pp. 377-404). Even though the relevant people might develop the sense of urgency, change might not occur if other members of the organization reject it. Finally, creating short-term wins can lead to premature celebrations, thereby jeopardizing achievement of the vision. Concisely, members of the organization might relax after the first achievements, thereby losing their focus on the vision. The main similarity of the three models is that each of them focuses on change management through a series of stages. Hence, they conceptualize change as a continuous process. However, the activities associated with each stage vary from model to model. The other similarity is that they focus on sustaining change by reinforcing achieved gain s. Theory E The aim of this theory is to facilitate creation of economic value in line with the expectations of the shareholders. According to this theory, creation of economic value is the most important objective of the firm (Beer Nohria 2000, pp. 1-31). Thus, economic value is the only objective that firms should pursue. Additionally, financial incentives are used to motivate members of the organization to achieve the sole objective of creating economic value. Leaders using this theory focus on changing the organization’s strategies, structures, as well as, systems. Since these aspects of the organization can readily be changed, quick financial results can be achieved. Since market expectations drive change, the change process must be pragmatic and well planned. In order to develop these plans, the organization has to engage large consulting firms for professional advice. This is expected to enable the organization to realize rapid and outstanding improvements of its econ omic value. The main strength of theory E is its ability to facilitate high returns on investments. In this regard, it promotes sustainability since the high returns can be used for further investments and programs that benefit all stakeholders (Kuntz Gomes 2012, pp. 250-256). However, the theory has several drawbacks. To begin with, focusing on strategies and systems is less likely to be effective if employees are not involved in the process of changing the organization’s structures (Aitken Higgs 2010, pp. 41-55). This is because the employees are not likely to identify with structures that are imposed on them. Besides, ignoring the ideas of employees prevents innovation. As illustrated by figure 1 in the appendix, sources of change have diverse characteristics, which can best be articulated through a bottom-up leadership style. It is apparent that not all organizations can afford the services of large consulting firms. Besides, the solutions developed by the consultants c an be ineffective if the needs of the organization are not clearly understood. While financial incentives can motivate achievement of change, skill-based incentives have to be implemented to facilitate innovation. Skill-based incentives will promote acquisition of advanced skills that must exist if meaningful innovation is to be achieved (Beer Nohria 2000, pp. 1-31). Finally, the theory provides a narrow view of the firm. In modern economies, objectives such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) and good corporate governance are just as important as the financial objective. Thus, the financial objective cannot be considered in isolation of other objectives that often facilitate its achievement. Theory O According to theory O, the purpose of change is to enable an organization to develop capabilities such as employees’ ability to identify and solve problems. In this regard, the main objective is to develop a work system that promotes emotional commitment among employees in order to improve the firm’s efficiency and effectiveness (Beer Nohria 2000, pp. 1-31). Thus, the management has to articulate and promote the values and behaviors that inform the organizational culture and emotional commitment. Theory O advocates for non-pragmatic and emergent planning for change. Planning is led by the employees and is done through experiments, which facilitate innovation. Engaging employees enhances motivation; thus, financial incentives only play a supplementary role in improving morale. Proponents of theory O prefer a consulting model that focuses on process. The rationale of this preference is based on the premise that small projects and engagement of a handful of consultants will facilitate a lasting cultural transformation that promotes innovation. The main strengths of theory O is that its focus on organizational culture helps in implementing a lasting change, which all stakeholders identify with (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). By promoting commitme nt among employees, innovation can be achieved even in the absence of financial incentives (Filippetti 2011, pp.32-45). Additionally, it is easier to innovate if emerging issues are taken into account during the planning process. Similarly, a consultancy model that focuses on process promotes innovation by enhancing employees understanding of new processes. Theory O is often criticized due to the following flaws. To begin with, the fact that non-financial objectives are important does not mean that organizations should not focus on creating economic value. It is apparent that a firm that performs poorly in terms of returns on investments will be less attractive to investors. Besides, poor financial performance will hamper the implementation of programs that promote commitment among employees. In this context, theory O cannot promote sustainability in the long-run. Cultural transformation and development of emotional commitment often take a long time. Thus, theory O cannot be used to implement revolutionary change. Finally, ignoring expert advice from consultants can hurt the organization. In most cases, product and process innovation requires expert advice, which can only be obtained outside the organization (Von Stamm 2009, pp. 49-66). Leadership of Change and Innovation According to Balogoun Hope (2008, pp. 20-59), change can only be successful if there is a person who is responsible for leading it. In this regard, Balogoun Hope (2008, pp. 20-59) identified the following change roles. First, there must be a change champion. This can be the CEO, or the MD of the company. Second, there must be external facilitation. Concisely, organizations should hire external consultants to provide expert advice during the change process. Third, a change action team has to be created to lead the change process. Finally, there must be functional delegation. In this case, the change responsibility is delegated to a given department such as human resource management. Externa l consultants can provide useful advice that leads to the achievement of the desired change because most of them have vast experiences and knowledge. However, they can be very expensive, thereby limiting the ability of organizations to access their advice. In some cases, external consultants may lack accountability or may fail to understand the organization’s needs. In this situation, consultants are likely to give misleading advice. The benefit of establishing a change team is that it facilitates generation of ideas and ownership of the change process (Von Stamm 2009, pp. 49-66). However, making decisions in a large team can be time consuming due to the need to build consensus among the members. Moreover, entrusting the change process with only one department is likely to cause failure. This is because change is a multidimensional process that requires the input of all departments. Aitken Higgs (2010, 41-55) also identified four change roles namely, change advocates, chang e sponsors, change agents and change targets. The role of the change advocate is to initiate the change process. The skills needed in this role include ability to scan the environment in order to identify the need for change. Change sponsors are expected to support the change process. Thus, they should have networking skills. Change agents are responsible for the implementation of the change. This role requires ability to manage change plans and process. The strength of Aitken and Higgs’ theory is that it highlights the skills that are necessary in each role. One of the weaknesses of the model is that it does not illustrate the interdependencies between the change roles. For example, the change advocate must consistently work with the change agents to ensure that the implementation process is aligned to the vision. According to theory E, change and innovation should be led a through a top-down leadership approach. The leader does not involve his or her management team and oth er employees in making key decisions (Beer Nohria 2002, 1-31). The rationale of this approach is that the delays associated with consultations during decision-making can be avoided. In addition, the organization can avoid the risk of entrusting lower-level staff with the responsibility of making strategic decisions during turbulent times. The weakness of the top-down approach is that leading change requires a powerful coalition that consists of change advocates, targets, sponsors, and agents (Aiteken Higgs 2010, pp. 41-55). The leader cannot achieve a meaningful change by excluding the coalition members. A top-down approach also jeopardizes innovation by discouraging ideation among employees. Finally, a top-down approach exposes the organization to the risk of failure, especially, if the leader is not a visionary and an effective change advocate. His failure to consult other members of the organization will certainly lead to failure. Proponents of theory O believe that effective l eadership of change and innovation should involve collaboration with employees. Thus, employees should be actively involved in identification of problems and finding solutions to such problems (Beer Nohria 2002, 1-31). As illustrated in figure 3 in the appendix, change affects various organs of the organization. Thus, involvement is needed to facilitate creation of trust, and commitment (Okurume 2012, 78-82). It also promotes ideation, which informs innovation. Besides, long-term change can be achieved if the employees are committed to the change process. However, participative leadership can be a slow way of achieving change. Issues of Politics and Stakeholder Engagement Power concerns the â€Å"capacity of individuals to exert their will over others, while political behavior is the practical domain of power in action, worked out through the use of techniques of influence† (Senior Swailes 2010, pp.177-221). Thus, power is the ability to influence a person or a group of peo ple to adopt a given perspective. In this regard, power refers to the capacity to get things done and to avert resistance to change. Senior Swailes (2010, pp. 177-221) identified five sources of power namely, positional, expert, referent, reward and coercive power. Reward power can lead to change through push and pull strategies. Push strategies involve influencing people to accept change by withholding rewards from those who are resistant to change. This strategy is likely to fail in organizations with high levels of democracy. Democracy allows people to make choices, thereby limiting the managements’ ability to impose change on people. Pull strategies use material and social rewards to facilitate change. Even though rewards can encourage members of the organization to support change, the underlying cost implication can limit its use. Stakeholder engagement advocates for active involvement of all concerned parties in the change process. However, negative use of power can re sult into conflicts among the stakeholders, thereby grounding the change process to a halt. Conflicts usually occur due to poor communication and unwillingness to accept divergent opinions (Senior Swailes 2010, pp.177-221). The source of power determines the level of stakeholder involvement. Change agents with expert power are likely to encourage stakeholder engagement. This is because using expert power necessitates sharing of knowledge and ideas, and this facilitates stakeholder engagement. In authoritarian organizations, using positional power can result into alienation of stakeholders in the change process. This is because authoritarian leaders do not believe in consultations. Poor stakeholder management often results into covert political action such as sabotage, and theft (Senior Swailes 2010, pp.177-221). These actions are often defined as deviant behaviors rather than organizational politics. This perspective can lead to failure because it ignores the underlying conflicts that lead to covert political action. Concisely, proscribing covert political action can limit the organization’s ability to understand stakeholders’ concerns. Thus, addressing resistance to change will be difficult. Examples of Change Successful Change The customers and the employees of the bank that I work for had difficulties in finding information from the company’s website. Customers could not easily access product information and manage their accounts through the internet. The employees, on the other hand, were not able to access information about company activities. As a manager, I saw the need to change the bank’s website in order to improve its usability. The change that was needed was to improve the availability of information on the bank’s website and the ability to access it, especially, from remote locations. The change was achieved through incremental innovation because we simply improved the performance of the website rather than con structing a new one. This involved using advanced internet technology. Thus, the introduced change was a technological one. The success of this change can be attributed to the following factors. To begin with, I was able to identify the need for change and to create a sense of urgency. According to Lewin’s model, successful change begins with the unfreezing stage in which the need for change is identified. Kotter Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) assert that a sense of urgency must be created in order to motivate others to accept change. Even though Kotter Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) argue that a powerful coalition must be built to ensure change, I did not establish any alliance. This refutes the claim by Kotter and Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) that change must be supported by a specific number of people for it to succeed. The change team consisted of eight experts from the bank. This is contrary to the perspective of Balogun and Hope (2008, pp. 20-60) who believe that external facilitation is a necessary condition for change. One factor that enhanced the success of the change was effective planning. A blueprint that highlighted the details of the change was used in the implementation stage. This strategy confirms the perspective of Heye (2010, pp. 41-55) who opines that a master plan is necessary for successful implementation of change. Through periodic improvements of the website, we have been able to sustain the change. This observation confirms the premise that continuous improvements lead to sustainable change (Heye 2010, pp. 41-55). Less Successful Change As the bank manager, I decided to renovate all the 32 branches of the company in response to market demands. The aim of this change was to make the branches trendy and to reduce the time spent to serve customers. The change that was needed involved improving the ambiance of the branches and modifying the procedures for serving customers. Thus, the change was introduced through incremental process innovation. However , the change was not successful due to the following reasons. To begin with, the risks associated with the implementation of the change were not taken into account. Concisely, financial constraints prevented us from implementing the change in all branches. This confirms the findings of Kotter (1995, pp. 1-18), which states that failure to remove obstacles in the change process can lead to failure. According to lewin’s force filed model, change is likely to fail if the restraining forces exceed the driving forces. In our case, the change was not fully funded because the finance department believed that it was very expensive and had little return on investment. This observation illustrates the importance of winning the support of relevant people in the change process (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). Concisely, we could have accessed enough funds by convincing the finance department to support the change. Finally, the change failed because I declared victory too early. Initially, the employees increased their productivity, thereby reducing the time spent to serve customers. However, the first wave of change created a feeling that success had been achieved. Thus, the employees reduced their effort before the achievement of the vision. This observation confirms Kotter’s view that declaring victory too early leads to failure. Assessment of My Leadership Skills My strengths as a change leader include the following. First, I have the ability to create a sense of urgency for change. A sense of urgency is always needed to motivate colleagues to assist in implementing the change (Heye 2010, pp. 41-55). For example, I successfully led the process of improving the bank’s website by creating a sense of urgency. Second, I always develop a clear vision for the intended change. Besides, I often communicate the change vision clearly to the concerned stakeholders. Third, I have been able to systematically plan for change. This strategy is one of the main fact ors that led to the successful change of the bank’s website. Finally, I always focus on evolutionary change that aligns the change to the organization’s values and norms. This helps in creating a lasting change that is well integrated into the organizational culture (Aitken Higgs 2010, pp. 41-55). My weaknesses include the following. I often fail to build a powerful coalition to guide the change process. In particular, I sometimes fail to get the minimum number of people that would effectively support me in the change process. Kotter Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) assert that failure is likely to occur if a powerful coalition is not built to lead it. Another challenge has been the inability to remove obstacles in the change process. This often happen since some obstacles cannot be foreseen and addressed in time. For example, renovating the bank’s branches failed due to financial constraints. Finally, I sometimes declare victory too early; thus, I often quite the chang e process before it deeply sink in the organization’s culture. This explains our failure to sustain the culture of high productivity in order to reduce the time we spend to serve customers at the bank. Action Plan One of my leadership weaknesses is inability to build a powerful coalition. This weakness will be addressed by focusing on stakeholder engagement and improving my communication skills. Stakeholder engagement will enable me to identify and include the relevant people in the change process. Advanced communication skills will improve my ability to convince the relevant people to support the change (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). My second weakness is inability to remove obstacles in the change process. I will address this weakness by acquiring risk management skills. These skills will enable me to identify potential obstacles in the change process. Additionally, I will focus on working with external consultants in order to access expert advice on how to eliminate obsta cles. The last weakness is declaring victory too early. In this regard, I will focus on creating short-term wins in order to motivate members of the organization to continue with the change. Furthermore, I will focus on convincing the employees to improve their efforts until the desired vision is achieved. In this case, short-term wins will be a means of creating high morale rather than a sign of early victory. Conclusion Change and innovation are essential and inevitable in every organization. In order to realign themselves to market dynamics, organizations must consistently innovate and implement change. Successful change and innovation depends on how well the process is led by the change advocate (Heye 2010, pp. 41-55). Additionally, the theory that informs the innovation and change process determines success. Generally, there are several change and innovation models or theories. Each of these theories has its weaknesses and strengths as discussed earlier. Thus, the change advoca te must always make deliberate efforts to address the weaknesses of the adopted theory. Appendix Figure 1 Features/ characteristics of sources of change Internally generated change Externally generated change Positive feelings Negative feelings Greater driving forces Greater restraining forces Viewed from as opportunistic position Viewed from a problem solving position Greater certainty Greater uncertainty Greater control Reduced control Less disruption Greater disruption Closed boundaries and fixed time scales Vague and variable boundaries Figure 2 Gross expenditure on RD in the UK ( £ million) In cash terms In real terms1 Cash terms percentage of GDP 2004 20,242 23,510 1.67 2005 22,106 25,162 1.74 2006 22,993 25,332 1.71 2007r 25,085 27,015 1.76 2008r 25,585 26,750 1.80 2009r 25,880 26,581 1.84 2010 26,362 26,362 1.78 Table source: Office for Natio nal Statistics Figure 3 Impact of organizational change References Aitken, P, Higgs, M 2010, Developing Change Leaders, BH Press, London. Amabile, M 1997, ‘Motivating Creativity in Organizations: Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do’, California Management Review, vol. 40 no. 1, pp. 39-58. Balagun, J Hope, H 2008, Exploring Strategic Change, Financial Times Prentice Hall, New York. Barcan, L 2010, ‘Change Management of Organization in the Knowledge Economy’, Economic Science Series, vol. 3 no. 38, pp. 6-7. Beer, M, Nohria, N 2000, Breaking the Code of Change, HBS Press, Boston. Bent, J Paauwe, J Williams, R 1999, ‘Organizational Learning: Exploration of Organizational Memory and its Role in Organizational Change Processes’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 12 no. 5, pp. 377-404. Bernard, B 2004, ‘Kurt Lewin and the Planned Approach to Change’, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 41 no. 6, pp. 23-45. Fil ippetti, A, 2011, ‘Innovation Modes and Design as a Source of Innovation: Firm-Level Analysis’, European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 14 no. 1, pp. 32-45. Goffin, K, Mitchell, R 2010, Innovation Management, Palgrave Macmillan, London. Hayes, J, 2010, The Theory and Practice of Change Management. Palgrave Macmillan London. Imtiaz, S 2012, ‘Change Management’, Journal of Applied Management and Investments, vol. 1 no. 3, pp. 326-332. Kotter, J, 1995, Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail, Harvard Business School Press London. Kotter, J, Cohen, D 2002, The Heart of Change, HBS Press, London. Kuntz, J, Gomes, J 2012 ‘Transformation Change in Organizations: A Self-Regulation Approach’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 25 no. 1, pp. 13-24. Norgrasek, J 2011, ‘Change Management as a Critical Success Factor in E-Government Implementation’, Business Systems Research, vol. 2 no. 2, pp. 13-24. Okurume, D 2012, ‘Impact of Career Growth Prospects and Formal Mentoring on Organizational Citizenship Behavior’, Leadership Organization Development Journal, vol. 33 no. 1, pp. 78-82. Reiss, M 2012, Change Management, McGraw-Hill, New York. Senior, B Swailes, S 2009, Organizational Change, Prentice Hall Financial Times, New York. Tidd, J Bessant, J 2009, Managing Innovation, Wiley, London. Von, S 2009, Managing Innovation, Design and Creativity, John Wiley and Sons, New York. This essay on Leading Innovation and Change was written and submitted by user Madison Sargent to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sample Student Essay on Global Warming: What Do I Need to Know?

Sample Student Essay on Global Warming: What Do I Need to Know?The student who is asked to write a sample essay on global warming or climate change should use some simple methods of research to find the most accurate facts, while simultaneously outlining his or her own views. While it can be a very daunting task to conduct proper research in a paper assignment, if you are not careful, the research can make the difference between success and failure.One of the best ways to do good research on this topic is to choose a topic that you know well. This is one area where the opinion of others is extremely important. One example of this is to get recommendations from friends and family.In order to ensure your opinions are correctly represented, you need to make sure your judgment is unbiased. Another way to ensure the information is correct is to consult with the professionals. They are often people who specialize in the field of climate change. If they recommend information that is complet ely incorrect, then you will quickly discover your credibility is in question.Research the facts from the professional sources when determining the facts of global warming. The idea is to understand the science behind this issue. The other aspect of researching this topic is to compare the opinions that you receive with the facts that are readily available in a scientific journal.You should also take a look at what is going on in the news at the present time, as this is something that is most important. For example, if there are serious discussions on this topic with global warming, how can we separate the facts from the opinion and speculation? The goal is to not only get your research right, but to get your opinion right as well.You also need to have a number of thoughts to start writing your opinion. It is important to write a few thoughts on the topic, so that you have not only an opinion but a factual basis for your opinion. As you develop more thoughts on the topic, you should come up with logical arguments for both sides. With this research, you should also use examples of data and information and review them carefully to ensure you are writing your information accurately.This great research is a vital part of the process, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. The other critical part of the process is the final draft of the paper. The next time you have to write a paper assignment, whether it is about another subject or a new topic, make sure you have done the research properly. Then, all you have to do is polish your skills and add your knowledge to the topic.Your students are the ones who are going to rely on you in their future. Make sure they are receiving a quality education when you allow them to write their essay on global warming.