Response the following in detail:
1. Locate and read the HBR article, "Cracking the Code of Change," in the Online Library. It can be found through a general search in EBSCOhost, in the Harvard Business Review collection, May-June 2000 issue.
The article identifies two primary types of change that are most prevalent in today's organizational world. Which type (E Change or O Change) do you think is most prevalent and what factors in our society influence that predominance? How can a leader best work toward a synthesis of both types to maximize the effectiveness of each for a successful change initiative?
2. I think that "E" Change is the most prevalent change type. The focus on stock price and shareholder value drives most companies, particularly through difficult changes and restructuring. Our society focuses on corporate success, which is usually shown via stock price gains.
As the HBR article describes, merging theory E (focus solely on shareholder value) with theory O (focus on developing the organization through corporate culture) can provide long-term benefits, as the organization can be streamlined through E type changes and improved through O type changes if the change process is correctly implemented. A leader must look at the "hardware" (structure) of the organization as well as the "software" (culture) and simultaneously change both. Focusing only on structure or culture can negatively impact the change process, since both shareholders and employees interests must be addressed.