Running Head: SELECTING A COMPANY
1
Assignment 1: Selecting a Company
Raekisha Masslieno
Professor Allen Beck
HRM 560
January 14, 2018
HUMAN RESOURCE
2
Selecting a Company
Google is data-driven company with its headquarters in California. According to Collings
(2012), Google’s success story is partially attributed to HR programs and policies that determine
the employee welfare while in the working place. As a technology company, Google has a
policy on recruitment age which is mainly comprised of young people with an average age of 29
years. Although the average age for US workforce is 42.2 years, Google believes that millennials
have tremendous potential to innovate and provide solutions, especially in the technology sector.
Moreover, Google uses the scientific approach to managing people which was an initiative
adopted in early 2010. In this regard, Google uses analytics and data to lead and manage
employees. Through this approach, people decisions and practice are highly appreciated and
contribute to managerial policy formulation. This approach has been effective in improving
employee job satisfaction, retention, provide diversity as well as create collaborative workplace.
Additionally, Google’s HR policy provides for employee benefits such as insurance and
retirement benefits. The company also provides medical cover and both maternity and paternity
leaves. The policy has been effective in enhancement of employee happiness, contentedness,
which ultimately propel the company to greater heights. Equally important, introduction of perks
program including massage rooms, onsite doctors, and free haircuts among others are effective in
attracting talents and motivating employees (Macedonia, 2011). Also, Google’s HR policy on
salaries and wages is a source of motivation to employees. An average employee at Google earns
an average of $1.2 million annually. Summarily, HR policy of Google focusses on employee
happiness which consequently increases productivity.
The HR policy on average recruitment age needs to be changed from 29 years to 40
years. Level of innovation depends on the amount of experience possessed by an employee.
HUMAN RESOURCE
Therefore, setting an average recruitment age of 29 years could be blocking new talents.
3
HUMAN RESOURCE
4
References
Collings, D. G. (2012). International Human Resource Management: Policies and Practices for
Multinational Enterprises. The International Journal of Human Resource Management,
23(7), 1509-1511.
Macedonia, M. (2011). Google Becomes an Entertainment Company. Computer, 39(2), 101-103.
Running Head: DIAGNOSING CHANGE
1
Assignment 2: Diagnosing Change
Raekisha Masslieno
Professor Allan Beck
HRM 560
January 28, 2018
DIAGNOSING CHANGE
2
Diagnosing Change
Google is a multinational technology company specializing in providing internet services
including cloud computing, search engine, hardware, and software. Headquartered in California,
United States and founded in the year 1998 by two gentlemen, Sergey Brin and Larry Page,
Google is ranked world’s second largest technology organization in the United States. The
company operates in the technology sector and specifically on internet service industry. Due to
the need to digitize operations experienced in the last couple of decades, the company provides
internet services to its customers. Among the products of Google is a search engine which is a
renowned internet platform that necessitates consumers to search for information and data from
the internet (Garon, 2009). Ideally, due to globalization there is always a need to interact and
share information and other resources through the internet. Google has been at the forefront in
making data and information accessible with ease through the search engine. Internet service
industry has grown tremendously from the last two decades due to the need to globalize and
digitize operations both at the organizational and personal level. Today, due to advancement in
technology, several world citizens have access to the internet. In fact, research indicates that 50%
of world citizens have access to the internet through smart phones, iPhone, iPad, tablets, laptops
and desktops among other devices. Hence, Google has a large customer base in search engine
industry.
Google is among the largest technology companies in the United States in the list of
Amazon, Apple, IBM, Microsoft, and Intel among others. The company has locations and
operations in the international countries where the company has set locations for service delivery
to consumers. The company has made progress in product diversification including providing
wide range of products. The company growth is attributed to the formulation of internal business
DIAGNOSING CHANGE
3
strategies including in the human resource department where policies, practices, processes, and
procedures are incorporated to suit the employees’ needs. As at August 2017, Google had a total
of 73,992 employees across the globe. Employees are in company’s locations both locally and
internationally.
Changes to the Current HR Practice, Policy, Process or Procedure
Human resource is a fundamental department of every organization. According to
Poutsma, Ligthart & Dietz (2017), the HR in an organization serves a central point of which
overall growth is attributed. Google Company has several HR policies and practices including
satisfactory salary and wages, benefits such as insurance and medical covers, annual $8,000 for
any employee advancing education among other perk benefits. Moreover, the company has
recruitment policy where over 90% of Google’s workforce is comprised of millennials with an
average of 29 years. In this regard, Google believes that young people have great potential to
innovate and steer the company to greater heights. This policy on recruitment sieves the old
employees from the company’s workforce. The company mission is to organize the world data
and information to make it accessible to world internet users as fast as possible. This is possible
through innovation and using resources to solve business problems using information technology
concepts (Tassabehji & Isherwood, 2014). However, although innovation is paramount in an
organization, it is not restricted to age limit because different individuals have unique capabilities
regardless of their age levels. Therefore, I strongly believe this policy on average age limit in
recruitment should be changed from 29 to 40 years. This is based on the insight that innovation is
dependent on experience and an individual in 40s has substantial experience to understand the
company and the overall industry. In fact, a first job entry employee at 29 years has little to offer
to the company compared to a 40 year individual due to the difference in experience in the
DIAGNOSING CHANGE
4
working environment.
Reasons for the Proposed Change
Based on management theories at Google, changing the recruitment policy on average
age from the current 29 years to 40 years is based on the following three valid reasons. First,
level of innovation does not entirely depend on the age of an individual. Thus, a recruitment
policy of average 29 years could be denying new skills and talents for a person at the age of 40s.
As mentioned earlier, an employee with experience in the working environment has a lot to offer
in the organization. Thus, innovation at Google will not be steered by limiting recruitment
average age to 29 years, rather looking at the talents and capability of an individual if they can
deliver.
Secondly, based on the chaos theory, a management theory used at Google, change is
inevitable. Typically, chaos theory asserts that while the organization aspires to attain growth and
prosperity, complexity and possibility of the emergence of unavoidable events occur. This means
that according to chaos theory of management, the organization strives to spend more energy in a
bid to keep the system going. Hence, using chaos management theory, changing the recruitment
age limit policy from the current 29 years to 40 years would give the company an opportunity to
attract talents and skilled workforce. This would compel the company to adopt the change in
human resource management.
Finally, changing the recruitment age from the average of 29 years to 40 years would
make the management of Google’s workforce to be effective. This is mainly attributed to theory
X and theory Y management theories. Fundamentally, HR managers use theory X management
style to push or add incentives to workers in order to increase productivity. Theory X applies to
workers with an average of 29 years who lack ambitions. On the other hand, theory Y applies to
DIAGNOSING CHANGE
5
workers aged 40 years and above, and they generally have self-motive and responsibility. As
such, changing the age limit from 29 to 40 years as a recruitment policy would ensure effective
management of workforce at Google.
Diagnostic Tools
To determine the organization’s readiness for change, use of diagnostic tools is
imperative. Ideally, change is inevitable in the context of the organization. This means that an
organization should always be ready to change according to prevailing situation. Hence, to
determine change readiness at Google, two diagnostic tools are necessary. The first diagnostic
tool that can be utilized in determining Google’s readiness for change is culture, operations,
people and system (COPS). It evaluates the characteristics of the organization about its culture,
its people, its operations, and systems. COPS tool assesses the ability of the company to change.
For instance, the organization culture of Google is defined by its structures. This defines polices,
practices and the way of doing things. Typically, Google has a hierarchical organization structure
that defines its culture. The element of people in COPS define what type of workforce fund in
the organization. Google uses average policy limit of 29 years as a recruitment policy. The
operations of the organization are geared towards attaining growth and development. Hence, if
an operation has a significant positive effect on the company’s progress, the operation is
advocated and adopted.
The second diagnostic tool that can be utilized to assess Google’s readiness for change is
Burke- Litwin model. This tool deals with internal and external environmental factors that affect
the organization (Yoon, 2017). Ideally, the tool depicts how the external performance influences
the overall company performance in the market. The model also shows various drivers of
change. These drivers are ranked from the most important at the top to the least. The deduction
DIAGNOSING CHANGE
6
here is that the tool is diagrammatical. Hence, Burke- Litwin model can be used to establish
Google’s readiness to change especially in adopting innovation through recruiting employees
across average age of 40 years.
Diagnostic Analysis
Using Burke- Litwin model to assess Google’s readiness to change, below diagram can be used
to depict the results of the diagnostic analysis.
External environment
Leadership at Google
Organization culture
Google’s management practices
Needs and values
Employee motivation
Individual skills
Organization performance
The results indicate that Google is ready to change. Based on the diagram above, drivers
of change include organization culture, employee motivation, employees’ skills and experience,
management practices and leadership. These drivers are important for Google to facilitate
readiness for change. Changing the Google’s HR policy on the minimum average age of 29 to 40
years would improve both individual and organizational performance.
DIAGNOSING CHANGE
7
References
Garon, J. M. (2009). Searching Inside Google: Cases, Controversies and the Future of the
World’s Most Provocative Company. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Poutsma, E., Ligthart, P. E., & Dietz, B. (2017). HRM Policies and Firm Performance. Global
Trends in Human Resource Management.
Tassabehji, R., & Isherwood, A. (2014). Management Use of Strategic Tools for Innovating
During Turbulent Times. Strategic Change, 23(1-2), 63-80.
Yoon, H. J. (2017). Diagnostic Models Addressing Environmental Forces and Organizational
Readiness. Assessment and Diagnosis for Organization Development, 55-78.
Running head: RESISTANCE AND COMMUNICATION
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
Raekisha Masslieno
Professor Allan Beck
HRM 560
February 26, 2018
1
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
2
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
Resistance to change is a common occurrence in an organization. Employees resist change
due to various reasons such as not having a clear reason for the introduction of the change, fear of
the unknown, incompetency, failure to be consulted, conservativeness, low level of trust and poor
communication. When a particular department process or rule is introduced within an organization,
it may take time for the employees to adapt to the new changes because of some of the above
factors. The time it takes for the employees to tolerate the new institutions determines the degree
of the change in the organization (Durant, 2009). This diagnosis seeks to determine the level of
resistance in Google Company and the possible ways that can be used to enhance communication
and reduce the resistance within the organization.
Potential Cause of Resistance to Change in Google
Technology: Google is a technology and software company. The rate of technological
advancement across the globe is seemingly high and this means that the rate at which changes are
being introduced in the company is high. Due to this element, the rate of resistance for Google is
very high because most employees find it difficult to change from the old ways of doing things to
the new technology (Palmer et al., 2009). The conservative nature of employees makes them view
a certain change as a difficult step to take.
Fear: There are various approached that companies can introduce which may render some
employees jobless. Some works done by a human being can be done by a machine and this imposes
fear in case a similar change is looming within Google. This fear can be contributed to poor
communication which is, by itself a factor that causes resistance to change. If a change is not
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
3
communicated well by the responsible people, the employees may perceive wrong information
and stand against the change.
Incompetency: Incompetency is a possible cause of resistance to change in Google.
Because of the rising competition in the technology companies, many changes. The degree at
which the changes are introduced calls for the employees to increase move with time and learn the
new ways of work implementation. Since managers are burdened with the struggle to beat
competitors, they may not have time to consult the entire working fraternity contributing to the
resistance to change due to incompetence and lack of consultation (Palmer et al., 2009). Google
suffers this problem the most owing to the fact that security measures have to be kept in place to
ensure that competitors or hackers do not intrude into the company's database and compromise its
image.
Change Management Plan
Empower Innovation and Creativity: This element shall be the first step in the plan to
diagnose resistance to change in Google. By empowering the employees about the need to have
changed, they get to realize the benefits of having the change for the efficiency of their working
Communicate the Need for the Change: Change management plan for Google shall involve
communication in advance to ensure that the change does appear as a shock. With rising
technology, the need for change is inevitable and this should be made clear to the employees in
such a way that they realize its importance not only to the company but also to themselves as
works.
Listening passionately for Employee’s Responses: Sometimes, resistance to change is
caused by the failure to listen to employees’ needs and concerns about the expected changes. This
step forms part of good consultative mechanism between the leaders and the employees. During
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
4
this process, employees get to realize that the purpose of introducing a certain change is to foster
development and growth for both the employer and the employee.
The Relationship between Resistance to Change and Communication
Resistance to change and communication are related in such a way that failure to
communicate or poor communication will result in resistance to change. This is because of poor
or lack of communication causes, lack of trust, fear of the unknown and a sense of dictatorship.
These feelings generate into lack of security for the employees who tend to think that the
introduced change might render them jobless. This is true because, in many incidences of industrial
actions, employees always claim they did not have a clear information as to why certain things
were happening or not happening.
Communication Strategies
In any organization, there should be a designed way of passing information to avoid
incidences of miscommunication. Information can be from junior employees to senior employees
or from the senior employee to the junior employees. Information can also be face to face or written
depending on its formal nature. Since information about the change is vital and affects the entire
organization such as Google, such information should come from the topmost individual or his/her
representatives to verify the credibility and accuracy of the information (Nadler, 2011). In that
sense, managers and other employees of the organization ought to ensure that they have the right
people around them to pass information in the right manner. The best communication strategy to
employ in this organization should involve both face to face and written communication. This is
because written communication is very formal in nature whereas when the same information is
communicated verbally, it enhances the message and makes it more meaningful to the recipients.
Communication Plan
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
5
Since both written and verbal communication can be employed in a particular change plan,
the two communication plans will ensure that the level of resistance is reduced. This is because
although formal communication has a sense of seriousness and is legally binding, it may be poorly
interpreted because of the written language or the type of words used. In this sense, the manager
or the leader in charge is bestowed with the responsibility to arrange a verbal communication about
the said change. Communicating verbally would ensure that the recipient has question or seek
clarification about that change instantly. By doing so, the tension that might spread is there is a
possibility of a resistance can be diagnosed immediately. By announcing a change in both verbal
and written communication tells the employees clearly the source of the change. Failure to know
the source of the change is one cause of a resistance to change (Thomas, Sargent & Hardy, 2011).
Employees want to understand clearly the source of the change so that they can predict the possible
consequence of the change if any. This diagnosis reveals that the relationship between employees
and their seniors is through communication. Out of the major causes of a resistance to change, lack
of communication is the major cause while its proper use and handling diagnose the resistance to
change in an organization.
Assignment 4: Resistance and Communication
6
References
Durant, M. W. (2009). Managing organizational change. Credit Research Foundation Press,
Columbia.
Palmer, I., Dunford, R., Akin, G., & Buchanan, D. A. (2009). Managing organizational change:
A multiple perspectives approach. New York: McGraw-Hill Irwin.
Nadler, D. A. (2011). Managing organizational change: An integrative perspective. The Journal
of Applied Behavioral Science, 17(2), 191-211.
Thomas, R., Sargent, L. D., & Hardy, C. (2011). Managing organizational change: Negotiating
meaning and power-resistance relations. Organization Science, 22(1), 22-41
Running Head: KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Assignment 3: Kotter Change Management Model
Raekisha Masslieno
Professor Allan Beck
HRM 560
February 12, 2018
1
KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
2
Kotter Change Management Model
The Kotter's 8-step process was developed by John Kotter, who is known for being an
author of change. It is mostly aimed at achieving change in an organization. In other words, it
promotes a different way of thinking, definition of how to handle change and also having things
done. Change initiation may at times be painful. Although most consider it uncomfortable during
the first trial, it continuously encourages and vouchers for change hence creating a different
mindset in an organization. Its application can also be put into action in a Human Resource (HR)
situation when not only experience and old habits are relied on.
KOTTER’S 8-Step Model Application in Human Resource
1. Establishing a Sense of Urgency
This brings the right people together. To focus on change, the first step in the Kotter's
model is the creation of a sense of urgency. Without change being considered as urgent, there
will be no convincing power on the employees and the staff. According to Kotter (2007), this
form of management triggers the determination for pursuing and accomplishing in the
management organization. For instance, it is known that close to 50% of these initiatives of
change often fail. The drive in most of the rest could outweigh failure and success at very low
levels than what was meant to be achieved. In this case, the HR department could study the
market and the competitions to be faced, identify the organization's crisis and some of its major
opportunities. It could also grant approval and presentation of new ideas to its employees and
staff hence securing for agreement.
2. Formation and Creating a Guiding Coalition
Once the required people have been brought together, there exists the creation of a team
with similar commitments and trust required to finish a job. The HR should bring up the issues
KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
3
that are mainly avoided in an organization. The encouragement of its employees and staff to be
entirely honest and open allows them to speak the truth without fear of consequence. With the
possession of the right skills, credibility and good leadership, the organization can then face its
issues that it encounters hence the successful change.
3. Development Vision and Strategy
The development of a vision focusing on the future is a crucial step in this process. What
is the organization's vision for the future? What are forms of change required? With this in mind,
the future success can be probable. According to Kotter (1996), the sense of direction is core in
the HR department as it enables the creation of captivating and compelling situations that are
easier to problem-solve. By creating a vision that can be enacted as soon as possible and within a
short period encourages the employees to get down to work. Although this change may be
difficult as the results may not be known, over-analysis and spending of the organization's
finances should be considered. Serving as a decision making factor, the motivation of the people
helps in the coordination of actions more efficiently.
4. Communication of the Vision for Buy-In
To get a buy-in with the employees and staff on the vision, constant communication
throughout the organization is needed. According to Kotter (1996), lack of proper
communication and consistency are the main factors that hinder organizational change. In an HR
department, the daily broadcasting of the vision will ensure people see the need for change, and
the message does not get lost. The information given should be very simple and straight to the
point. The HR should also study and understand the employees' moods before deciding to
address them.
5. Empowering Broad-Based Action
KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
4
Empowering of the employees to act upon a vision once they have accepted and
embraced it is one of the most significant barriers. According to Kotter (1996), a guiding
coalition un-bounds those who are determined to turn a vision into reality. This removes the
factors that restrict people from having the needed resources and systems that bring about
change. Instead of firing the employees who do not support the change in an organization, the
HR could encourage them to do so much more. They could also give jobs to disempowered
employees that demonstrate the need for change to them. This act then builds not only selfconfidence but also optimism on the employees.
6. Generation of Short Term Wins
The change of momentum is at times lost very quickly in prominent organizations. The
need to keep the sense of urgency requires for essential short-term wins. As told by Kotter
(2011), the HR in a company may initiate for short-term gains which could serve some purposes.
For instance, giving feedbacks about the vision, taking away power from cynics, rewarding the
hard workers and building faith and confidence in the change project. The start of numerous
projects is a hindrance to early wins. Cheap and readily achievable gains are advised.
7. Consolidating Gains and Producing More Change
It is known that one should not count his/her chicks before they hatch. In this case, the
organizations are usually warned against the declaration of victory before they have come up
with a form of maintaining the necessary momentum which early changes are dependent on.
8. Anchoring New Approaches Into the Culture
The incorporation of new practices in an organization aids in the culture corporation.
According to Paul (1969), culture may come last sometimes, but it is controversial in the vouch
for change. In an HR department, this step is used as it embeds change on the employees and
KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
5
staff and makes the advance changes stick. They ensure that work is carried out successfully
before they come up with another vision that requires accomplishment. The HR may also allow
coaching and training for the employees in the specific organization.
Strategies Illustrating the Address of the Kotter’s 8-Step Model
•
An increase of the urgency- The employees and staff in an organization can
encourage each other to change the system.
•
Building the guiding team- The organization may come up with a dominant group
that aims at guiding others towards change in togetherness.
•
Getting the right vision- the team chosen to guide the others may develop clear
and correct visions and strategies that stimulate the change effort.
•
Communication for buy-in- the people in an organization may begin by buying
into the idea of change hence showing constant support in their behavior.
•
Empowerment of action- A lot more people in the company may develop a
feeling of being able to act and acting on the vision.
•
Creation of short-term wins- Once momentum is developed, it builds people in
trying to accomplish a vision and reduces the number of those employees resisting
change.
•
Consolidating gains and producing more change- the people can make some
changes one by one until there is the fulfillment of the vision.
•
Anchoring new approaches into the culture- the development of new behavior can
be continued despite the old habits and tradition, and a constant change of leaders
will see through the advancement of reform.
KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
6
It is clear that the Kotter's 8-step model, in turn, ensures successful change in the
management of an organization. It also recommends that people are driven towards the approach
that helps them come to terms with the reason for the change.
KOTTER CHANGE MANAGEMENT MODEL
References
Kotter, J. P., (2011), Why Do Change Efforts lose Momentum? Forbes (online ed.).
Kotter, J. (2007). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts fail. Harvard Business
Review, 1-10. Retrieved from http://www.hbr.org
Kotter, J.P., (1996), Leading Change. Boston: Harvard Business School Press
Paul R. Lawrence (1969) How to Deal with Resistance to Change, Harvard Business
Review
7
Purchase answer to see full
attachment