Building Community within Organizations

It is already given that the one constant thing in life that nobody can stop is change. This proven fact is applicable much more in the world of running a business organization. In order for the company to strive and compete in the industry it is involved in, there is the necessity for it to instill, from time to time, alteration in company policies, in the framework of its organization and almost in all of the aspect of its whole structure.

When situation like this happens, the changes in the policies of the company -- be it retrenchment or simple adaptation of new operational procedures or even technology – the most affected by this change is the frontline of the operation. These people are those who belong to the rank-and-file officers and staff members of the firm. Moreover, if the change in policy is a major one that affects the whole member of the organization, intelligent skills and knowledge is a necessary tool so that everyone can cope up with it.

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The question that underlies this statement is: “What are the effective actions that the employees and leaders alike should do so to counteract the negative side effects of the change and also to parry the blows to their personal and organization’s well-being. ” Members of the organization would surely experience the change while it takes place and this call for an intelligent and effective style of leadership and communication on the part of the management.

From the vantage point of the employee who is affected through loss or change in the policy of the company, he should have coping mechanism to avert the negative impact of the change. And from the vantage point of the management, good leadership is needed so as not to alienate the workforce and make the changes have a slight impact in them. Ways of Coping from the Vantage Point of Employee Since it is inevitable that a company or an organization will apply changes in its company policies mainly to keep abreast with the stiff competition in the market, every employee of any firm should have a coping mechanism in the light of this.

It is them best to follow the advice of the team of Sparks, Baret and Lehndorff (2000) who said in order to bring out the best in anything or everybody, one must know more than the work required of him. Using this advice to avert any catastrophic effect of any change happening in an organization, the employee will have something to fall back on to if ever the alternation in the company policy will deem his position and role in the organization is no longer needed.

To go more deeply in this very effective mechanism of averting and coping with the changes happening in a company, the employee, if he knows more than the work he is performing for the company, will have a place to go to if ever his position will be deemed no longer needed by the firm. A good example of this is when an order delivery boy knows how to cook or function in the kitchen of the restaurant he is working for. Besides knowing how to drive a delivery van this employee may also participate in the kitchen in preparing food for example during the lull moments when there is no delivery.

If ever the times comes when the company will phase out its delivery service and this means the driver will no longer be in need by the company, that employee, because of his experience in working in the kitchen, can be absorbed by the kitchen department so as to lessen the impact of the change in the policy of the firm. Thus saying, this means that an employee should make it to himself to know more about the company that he works in. By knowing different kinds of work in a particular organization, the problem of being absorbed by different department will be not a hassle or a problem.

This also avert the point where in the employee can lose his job and part with the organization. Furthermore, if the employee knows many things or have various experiences in various kinds of work, the event of losing an organization or his job will, in a way, not a problem for him. As they say a man of jack of all trades is better than being just a master of one. In an event that an employee is retrenched because of organizational policy, he will not have any trouble finding another work even if the new job is not related to the previous job that he used to perform.

Using the set example above, a driver of a delivery van for example may be retrenched for any possible organizational or policy change happening in his company. But since he knows also how to be a mechanic or a helper in the company he used to work with, he may find another job in another firm as a mechanic or even just a helper in the kitchen. Giving this example, it is thus cannot be over emphasized the need for an employee to know more than what he does in his particular organization.

Even though this knowledge regarding another line of work is not related to his present job, the use of this may come in the future considering that his tenure in the company is not permanent or changing according to the policies of the management. Transition from Job Loss Wilson (2004) said that when someone is faced by a major loss like being fired or terminated, that person will experience an expected series of sequence of emotions known as Kubler-Ross stages.

These grieving emotions will start at denial, bargaining, anger, despair and finally, acceptance. A person who suffered a job loss does not usually experience these emotions in this sequence. They may come in different variation, yet understanding the sequence of this emotional stage can help the person bounce back from the traumatic experience of losing his job. Nevertheless, this is not just the whole picture of the situation that the person must know to pull himself back from a major loss.

It is also important to know the four truths as Wilson (2004) enumerated them: • Most people who experience career losses feel like you do • There will be predicable stages in your career transition • As an adult, you will continue to grow and change • There really is a best way to approach finding a new job Wilson (2004) added that by exploring these four truth about a job loss will help create for a person a more realistic expectation.

And by doing so, there is likely that the person will slide in the “paralyzing isolation, frustration, or depression” which usually comes after a major set back like a job loss. Doing and understanding these four truths then will be a capital for that person to create a tremendous opportunity in finding a new job or a career. Leadership During the time of change in company policy and transition from the old process of working to the new one, leaders act as catalysts of change. They are necessary member of the organization since they shoulder the strength of the company in general.

Leaders have the ability to set and influence the point of view and opinions of their subordinates. As Philips & Schmidt (2004) said it is therefore not at all surprising that for a long time every organization and corporation are spending big amount of money just to enhance their worker’s skills on leadership. In this light, in an event when a company has set it organizational system it is therefore important that there is a leader, characterized as having transformational skills, to support these changes.

This quality of leadership is necessary if not crucial for the company itself since the skills of these people have the capacity to help motivate the working spirit of the employees affected by the change. Moreover, transformational leaders help the organization shift from the old system to the new system when a major change takes place. One of the advantages of having a transformational leader when a change takes place in an organization is the given sensitivity he already has for those who either will be affected by the change or to those who will lose their jobs.

Considering that this kind of leader no longer has control over the retrenched workers or employees, his quality of being aware to the effects of the changes will greatly help those who are left behind to continue their work. Awareness about the effects what happened to the organization will be the ground on which this leader will lead his subordinates to continue being motivated doing their jobs. The good thing about this kind of leader is that he is aware that many, if not most, of the employees will surely lose their enthusiasm to work for the company.

Knowing this, the leader then can initiate open communication with his subordinates about what is the real goal of the change and therefore erase the doubts in the mind of the employees that the organization is not really there for them. What is even more effective about this kind of leader is that he knows that he is there to stand before his employees and workers as somebody to be emulated upon. Whatever his actions and attitude towards change will surely be the general sentiments of those who fall under him.

In this light, changes may take place inside the organization yet the transformational leader will always lessen their impact on the working ethics and habits and also motivation of the workers. References Philips, J. and Schmidt, L. , (2004). The Leadership Scorecard. Elsevier Butterworth-Heinemann, UK. Sparks, L. , Baret, C. & Lehmdorff, S. (2000) Flexible Working in Food Retailing: A Comparison Between France, Germany, Great Britain and Japan. London: Routledge. Wilson, D. G. (2004). Back in Control: How to Stay Sane, Productive, and Inspired in Your. Sentient Publications, US

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