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Each year Fortune magazine publishes a “Most Admired” list of the top companies in the United States. Firms are rated on these eight dimensions: innovativeness, quality of management, long-term investment value, social responsibility to the community and the environment, people management, quality of products and services, financial soundness, wise use of corporate assets, and, if international, a ninth dimension: effectiveness in doing business globally.
For this assignment, select a familiar organization (you are encouraged to select an organization in which you have been employed for at least 6 months). Then, choose one of the eight dimensions used to rate top U.S. companies in which the organization appears to be underperforming. Prepare a PowerPoint presentation (12-15 slides) that addresses the following:
Identify a major issue the organization is facing and in which dimension (of the eight identified above) it is underperforming. Explain the ramifications the underperformance is currently having on the organization. Identify the likely consequence of failure to improve in the selected dimension.
Analyze the relevance of the current organizational structure, design, and culture and their influence on organizational effectiveness, especially in relationship to the dimension in which the organization is struggling.
Determine whether the organization embodies the principles and values of conscious culture and management and its relevance to improving organizational function.
Present a plan to bring about necessary improvement using Kotter’s 8-step change model.
Address possible challenges to the suggested change and your plans for managing those challenges.
Explain how different subsystems need to be realigned in order to bring about the change.
Detail any lessons learned and evaluate strategies that you as a manager will either avoid or engage in when designing the structure, building culture, and managing change in your organization.
Present evidence from at least three scholarly articles to support your position and proposed change initiative.
While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected, and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
Chosen organization is MD Anderson Cancer center,rubric is attached
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Introduction:
The assigned task involves analyzing a familiar organization, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and identifying an area where the center is underperforming. The chosen dimension for this analysis is “social responsibility to the community and the environment.” This essay aims to explain the ramifications of the center’s social responsibility underperformance, analyze its organizational structure and culture’s relevance, and present a plan using Kotter’s 8-step change model to bring about necessary improvements.
Q: What is the major issue MD Anderson Cancer Center is facing, and in which dimension is it underperforming?
MD Anderson Cancer Center is underperforming in the “social responsibility to the community and the environment” dimension, which is evident by the center’s poor environmental sustainability record. The center’s energy consumption and carbon emissions have been increasing over the past few years, indicating increasing carbon footprint, while the center continues to contribute to waste and air pollution.
Q: What are the ramifications of the underperformance on the organization?
The underperformance in social responsibility is harmful to MD Anderson Cancer Center’s reputation, patient satisfaction, and financial sustainability. In the current era, companies that disregard the environment get criticized, and similar reputational hits can negatively affect the center’s brand, causing a decline in patient volume and donor confidence. The center may face legal action and penalties for violating environmental regulations. This situation can have severe financial implications on the center’s sustainability and divert resources that could have been used to advance cancer treatments, research, and other programs. Patients may develop negative perceptions of the center if it is seen as flouting environmental sustainability and accountability, leading to reduced patient satisfaction.
Q: What is the likely consequence of failing to improve in the selected dimension?
The likelihood of failing to improve the center’s social responsibility dimension may include increased legal penalties, negative impacts on the center’s financial sustainability, and decreased patient volume and donor confidence. The center may also suffer considerable damage to its reputation and reduced patient satisfaction, which can lead to diminished referral volume.
Q: Does the organization embody the principles and values of conscious culture and management, and how relevant is it to improving the organizational function?
MD Anderson Cancer Center’s values and principles align with the conscious culture and management principles by promoting employee empowerment, creating a culture of transparency and accountability, and supporting social responsibility. By adopting conscious management strategies, the center can enhance transparency to its stakeholders, gain public goodwill, and differentiate itself from competitors. However, the current organizational culture does not reflect conscious culture and management, which poses a challenge to improved organizational function. Recognizing that employees have a stake in the success of the center and empowering them to propose solutions to improve social responsibility, can be a catalyst for positive change within the organization.
Q: How would you present a plan to bring about necessary improvement using Kotter’s 8-step change model?
Using Kotter’s 8-step change model, a plan to bring about necessary improvement in MD Anderson Cancer Center’s social responsibility dimension can be implemented. The change model starts with creating a sense of urgency and establishing a leadership coalition involving the Center’s top management. This step will involve educating all employees, including management, on the importance of environmental sustainability. The next step is communicating the vision effectively to employees and stakeholders, including patients and the community, to raise awareness and gain their support. Developing a strategy and plan for change, including resource allocation and goal-setting, is the third-step. The fourth step is to create short-term wins by implementing sustainability initiatives and publicizing the results for visibility. The fifth step is to consolidate gains and produce more change by promoting employee engagement and empowering them to bring forth proposals to improve upon the environmental and sustainable programs in the center. The sixth step is to anchor the new approaches within the organizational culture and make them a part of daily operations. The seventh step is to prevent the lapse into what is familiar by affirming a culture that prioritizes social responsibility, and the eighth step is to institutionalize the changes that have been made and continue to inspire and motivate the employees.
Q: What possible challenges can be faced while implementing the suggested change and how will you manage them?
The challenges that could potentially occur during implementation include resistance to change, resource constraints, employee turnover, and lack of top management support. To manage resistance to change and lack of support, a consistent message, transparent communication, and employee engagement will be deployed. For resource constraints, a phasing approach will be adopted and low-cost change initiatives prioritized, emphasizing the attainment of short-term gains within a specific timeline. Employee turnover may be managed by fostering a culture of continual improvement within the organization. A sense of ownership can be instilled in the employees, leading to a sense of belonging and pride in their actions to bring about changes that have been implemented.
Q: How will different subsystems need to be realigned to bring about the change?
Different subsystems will need to be realigned to bring about change in the center’s social responsibility dimension, such as organizational structure, culture, and reward system. In terms of the structure, a cross-functional team involving all stakeholders will be created to implement and oversee the environmental sustainability program. The culture will need to shift towards a culture of sustainability where all employees will be tasked to take ownership of their implementation of environmental initiatives. The reward structure could be adjusted to recognize and appreciate employees’ contributions towards achieving environmental sustainability goals.
Q: What lessons have been learned through the experience of designing the structure, building the culture, and managing change?
Some of the valuable lessons learned through the experience of designing the structure, building the culture, and managing the change are the importance of effective communication, visible sponsorship, and enlisting employee support for the implementation of sustainability programs. The design of structural and cultural changes must reflect the organization’s values and principles while also aligning with any regulatory obligations the center may have. Fostering a sense of responsibility and ownership in the employees is an important part of creating a conscious organizational culture that supports sustainability and empowers the employees to bring about change.
