Two principle impediments to effective and lasting organizational change are structures and systems within the organization. In other words, for change to become a part of an organization, managers often have to change the formal and informal structures of an organization to better support the change initiative.

In this Discussion Question, find an organization in KSA that completed a change in their organization within the last three years. Discuss how they changed, or modified, their formal and informal structures and systems to ensure the intended change became a part of the organization’s culture. Then discuss how changing these formal and informal structures fostered, impaired, or facilitated change within the organization.

• Embed course material concepts, principles, and theories, which require supporting citations along withtwo scholarly peer-reviewed references in supporting your answer. Keep in mind that these scholarly references can be found in the Saudi Digital Library by conducting an advanced search specific to scholarly references.
• You need to reply to at least two peer Discussion Question post answers to this weekly Discussion Question. These post replies need to be substantial and constructive in nature. They should add to the content of the post and evaluate/analyze that post answer. Normal course dialogue doesn’t fulfill these two peer replies but is expected throughout the course. Answering all course questions is also required.
• Use Saudi Electronic University academic writing standards and APA style guidelines.

Module Introduction

Readings

Note: The following readings will require you to be logged in to the Unified Login System and the Saudi Digital Library. To log in, please click here.

Required

• Chapter 5 in Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit
• Belias, D., & Koustelios, A. (2014, March). The impact of leadership and change management strategy on organizational structure.
• Momani, N. M., & Fadil, A. S. (2013). Risk management practices in the Saudi business organizations: A case study of the city of Jeddah. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 07(2), 1-10.
• Opazo, M. (2016). Appetite for innovation: Creativity and change at elBulli (Chapter 2). In Chaos to Order: elBulli’s System of Continuous Innovation, 47-113.

Recommended

• Chapter 5 PowerPoint — Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit

For Your Success

Structures and systems are utilized so that an organization operates in a specific and routine manner. Leaders and managers create these structures and systems to control the actions of their subordinates, and also to ensure that the work to be done is accomplished efficiently and effectively. Since structure and systems were created to establish routine and continuity, changing these can be challenging. As we examine how to modify these systems to reflect the changing ambitions of an organization, reflect upon the difficulty leaders and managers confront in changing the status quo, along with how ingrained systems can significantly impede even the best of intentions. This week you have a Discussion Question and a Live Classroom session with the instructor. Participating in both will enhance your understanding of this week’s material.

Learning Outcomes

1. Examine how formal organizational structures and systems can foster, impair, and facilitate the change process.
2. Develop adaptive organizational structures and systems to increase the likelihood of change and continuous improvement.