Thursday, July 25, 2019
Write about yourself Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words
Write about yourself - Personal Statement Example With my current stand, I wish to contribute more to the political field by becoming a part of an embassy where I can practically impart my skills. Apart from my professional interests, I lead a balanced life by giving quality time to my part time activities and to my family and friends. I enjoy a very healthy relationship with my parents and younger brother and I manage to spend my vacations with them. A recent memorable holiday was only a few months back when we travelled to Orlando, Florida together and visited the Walt Disney World. It was an unforgettable experience as apart from the entertainment, we were able to spend unforgettable moments together. I lead an active lifestyle and keep myself engaged in various part time physical activities as well. I like swimming and regularly enjoy a swim with my friends. Apart from this, football is also my favorite sport and I like playing as well as watching the game. I am also fond of exploring new places and take pleasure in travelling to different places locally and abroad. Thus, I am an all-rounder and try to give my best to my professional field as well as to my family and
Wednesday, July 24, 2019
Health Policy and Politics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words
Health Policy and Politics - Essay Example These are remarkable benefits surfacing the prevailing health care reform program of the government. However, amidst all of these good promises, there still remain rumors and continuing negative feedbacks about this program. This leaves a place to reconsider this issue. The Congressional Budget Office projected that the deficit under health care budget is said to reduce in the years to come. In fact, the projection is for each family to save maximum of $2,300 in 2014 with health care reform (Whitehouse.gov, 2011). This amount could hardly be achieved without health care reform program as indicated in the projection. There might be some truth to this. However, there are other essential environmental factors that need to be taken into account. Considering for instance the unpredictability of the economy, the costs of medicines and other related medical needs cannot be projected at some point. This only implies that the said reform needs to adhere to the prevailing economic condition and other relevant environmental factors prior to the realization of what affordability really means to people. It is true that with health care reform program the expansion of coverage is remarkable compared to the traditional health care system. In fact, young adults can now actually stay on their parentsââ¬â¢ health insurance plan (Whitehouse.gov, 2011). This sounds good to hear, but there are other considerations when it comes to the bottom line. Insurers for instance do not just operate without taking into account how much profit they should make. Considering the dependents are increasing, there are only two remarkable impacts on this. The first is to increase member contribution and the other would be to put certain limit on the coverage or even cut something on the quality. This can still provide the benefits but the issue is about maximizing them. The people always have the final say on
Newborn Stages of Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Newborn Stages of Development - Essay Example This essay focuses mostly on the experience of raising a newborn baby and it being one of the most harrowing yet rewarding experiences of human life. This essay aims to look at and discuss the initial stages of development for a newborn child. The researcher provides important information on the topic, shedding light on baby's physiology and psychological condition and inform parents and caregivers about the importance of bonding with the baby in a positive way. In conclusion, the researcher states that it is important to realize that the age old adage about a newborn being like clay that can be molded into any sculpture is perhaps very true. A parents and caretakers have the utmost responsibility to encourage development of every facet of the newbornââ¬â¢s personality. Parents that are always absent from the babyââ¬â¢s life due to career-responsibilities perhaps inadvertently are hindering their infantââ¬â¢s personality development. Caretakers who also inhibit their infantà ¢â¬â¢s movements due to safety concerns need to realize that such a move restricts the babyââ¬â¢s physical development; a baby needs to be allowed freedom of movement as long as there is no real danger involved. The researcher also suggests that perhaps the greatest thing to realize is that every baby is different. Fretting over a baby who takes a longer time to learn a task than its counterparts is usually detrimental to both the parents and caretakers and the baby and every infant should be allowed to grow up at its own pace.
Tuesday, July 23, 2019
Unemployment in Brazil after the Financial crisis of 2008 Essay
Unemployment in Brazil after the Financial crisis of 2008 - Essay Example The tax cuts made the corporations use the money to keep already employed and even hire new ones despite the harsh economic times. The actions though not much helped to lower the unemployment thereby saving the economy from collapsing. The trends witnessed in the year 2009 and 2010 shows unemployment lower in 2010 was lower than in 2009, on average it showed a decrease of 61% between the two years. Unemployment has a direct bearing on Brazilââ¬â¢s debt, at the time unemployment began to improve in 2009 ââ¬â 2010 fiscal year, the country debt was on the decline, and trade increased and thus exports were up due to favorable climate to conduct business (Turner, 2012). Unemployment rate is the number of unemployed persons divided by the total labor force, where the labor force is the number of unemployed plus the number of employed persons. Employment rate measures the percentage of employable people in a countryââ¬â¢sââ¬â¢ workforce who are aged 18 years and have either los t their job, or unsuccessfully sought jobs during the last month. This workforce is supposed to be actively seeking employment. Unemployment Rate =Number of Unemployed/ Total Labor Force. Unemployment rate in Brazil is averaged 8.84% from 2001 to 2013, reaching an all time high of 13% in 2004 and record low of 4.60% in December 2012 (OECD, 2013). In Brazil, unemployment measures the number of people actively seeking employment as a percentage of the labor force. This is measured monthly in the major metropolitan cities of Brazil. Theà summary is as represented below: Table 1 Brazil metropolitan areas 2003 -2009 Unemployment Rate in Percentage points Year Recife Salvador Belo Horizonte Rio de Janeiro Sao Paulo Porto Alegre Curitiba Total 2003 13.8 16.7 10.8 9.2 14.1 9.5... This essay offers a modern analysis of the issue of unemployment in the Brazilian economy and reviews federal measures, introduced by the government to fight this problem. The international financial crisis after the 2008 September had a considerably negative impact on Brazilian economy, leading to a significant increase in the unemployment level. Unemployment is the situation arising from a willing and able person to undertake paid work responsibilities, being unable to get a job. There are several classifications of unemployment. Demand Deficient Unemployment occurs in recession or a period of low growth. Voluntary Unemployment happens when workers prefer not to work. Frictional Unemployment occurs when workers are in between jobs. Structural unemployment occurs as a result in inefficiencies in the labor market resulting from a mismatch of skills or geographical location. Classical unemployment occurs when wages are artificially kept high above the equilibrium leading to excess supply of labor Employment and economy are directly related in any country. Any change in the economy whether positive or negative, has an implication in employment. Brazilââ¬â¢s unemployment rate is seen on the decline thanks to federal measures introduced by the government. Programs meant to protect workers such as the expanded unemployment insurance were of great significance during the period of economic recession. Additional efforts were put in place aiming towards the sustained supply of credit and recovery of the growth trajectory of the economy.
Monday, July 22, 2019
Burts Bees Essay Example for Free
Burts Bees Essay A while back in 2007, Burts Beeââ¬â¢s was bought out by Clorox for $913 million. In buying Burts Beeââ¬â¢s Clorox is promising to go green. This was Cloroxââ¬â¢s start in buying out other green companies to help them achieve their goal in going completely green. Mr. Shavitz and Ms. Quimby the original owners of Burtââ¬â¢s Bees had a huge fall out that began in the late 1990ââ¬â¢s which has been going on ever since. (1) The reason that Clorox was willing to pay almost $1 Billion for Burts Beeââ¬â¢s because they see a big opportunity in the market to make their products green. The Burtââ¬â¢s Bess is really into the whole giving back to the community, and always helping. A few events they have done for the community is Urban Gardening when they teamed up with NEEM, to help make Durham, North Carolina greener, and help them plant more community gardens. Another event that they have done is help create green homes in North Carolina. As I was looking on the Burtââ¬â¢s Bees website on their most frequently asked questions someone asked how they can receive donations, and the answer the company gave threw me aback. ââ¬Å"At this time, Burts Bees is not currently providing product or financial donations. We remain committed to supporting local community organizations committed to The Greater Goodâ⬠(2) Personally in reading this I feel like if they want to help create that customer satisfaction, they should be willing to help everyone go green and not just the community. Since the buyout according to Clorox, their natural care products already account for over $6 billion in sales and is growing at a fast rate. The sales are climbing to a yearly rate of around 9%. As for the stalk holder Clorox states, they rose from $1. 69, 2. 8%. to $62. 69. This was a huge boost for the stockholders, and for people who wanted to buy into the stalk. As of 25th 2013, the stalks are at $83. 25. (3) This was also helping Cloroxââ¬â¢s public relations by helping them get well known. Clorox does a whole bunch of press releases to help show that they have turned green. They also do press releases when they win an award or do contests for people to enter. When you go on the Clorox website they give you three options to choose from, Press Releases, Media Resources, and Press contacts. Since working together with Burtââ¬â¢s Beeââ¬â¢s, Clorox is also trying to get more involved in the community which they never used to do. On their website they state, ââ¬Å"Clorox knows that it cant do it alone and actively seeks partners and other affiliations to help us become a more sustainable company. Clorox also cares. In addition to our work to make Clorox a more sustainable company, we strive to make a positive eco impact beyond Clorox. â⬠(4) Clorox donates nearly $1 million dollars to environmental causes. Some of things they do to help the community is they donate products to the Save the Frogs, and Save the California Oaks. They also have their own foundations to help Keep America Beautiful.
Sunday, July 21, 2019
Music Therapy for Children With Learning Disabilities
Music Therapy for Children With Learning Disabilities Music therapy: A psychotherapy for the well being of children with learning disabilities Zahra Sultan Somani Music is an inbuilt piece of every culture. The impact of music in childrenââ¬â¢s lives may be demonstrated through childrenââ¬â¢s literature in different languages, through lullabies and traditional plays (Dastgheib et al. , 2013). In my opinion, music therapy plays a pivotal role in shaping different domains of the personality. ââ¬Å"Music therapy is the prescribed use of music by a board-certified person to effect positive changes in the psychological, physical, cognitive, or social functioning of individuals with health or educational problems. â⬠(Barksdale, 2003). (Gilroy Lee 1995). Layman (1999) states that music therapy is the controlled use of music with the objective of helping people to overcome their problems. Whereas Bruscia (1987), suggests that music therapy involves the use of organized music in the development of the clientââ¬âtherapist relationship to promote the physical, mental, social and emotional well-being of the client. (Savarimuthu Bunnell, 2002) The various types of music therapy activities consist of either playing songs or improvisational music (i. e. , spontaneous music making). During my mental health clinical rotation, I visited ââ¬Å"Ma Ayesha Memorial Hospitalâ⬠where I encountered many children with developmental and learning disabilities. They were being taught music in their school curriculum. The students took an active part in the singing, instrument playing and were clapping as well. they all were happy and learning via the therapy. This experience propelled me to take up this topic in order to understand how music affects children with learning disabilities, how it shapes oneââ¬â¢s life towards betterment. There are some questions running in my head: what is the philosophy behind music therapies, how these therapies brings in change? The paper is Organized in the following sections: (1) Background of music (2) Music therapy Approaches (3) importance of music (4)impact of music therapy and its contributions(5)recommendations for the implications Background The development of music therapy as a profession has continued since the power of music as a universal means of communication was first discovered in ancient times. In literature ranging from that of the Egyptians and Greeks to that of the present day, the power of music is evident. The shaman or medicine man in many cultures used music directly in healing and was aware of its curative powers long before the advent of the profession of music therapy. In classical Greece, Pythagoras described the healthful properties of specific musical intervals and modes to promote health. Platoââ¬â¢s Laws, a work that contains a description of music and movement as a prescription for restoring health and harmony, drew associations between music and the moral welfare of the nation. (Barksdale, 2003). Music Therapy Approaches Major approaches to music therapy include analytical psychology theory and classical conditioning theory. Analytical psychology theory is given by Carl Jung. According to Jung, the aim of any therapy should be one of the realizations of the authentic self, or making oneââ¬â¢s issues conscious where they were once unconscious. By dealing with these issues, one reveals the true self residing underneath the once unconscious issue. Music therapy can therefore be seen as sharing the same goals as the Jungian model of psychotherapy and musical preference, using music to express unconscious or inexpressible emotions (McClary 2007). Pavlovââ¬â¢s behavioural concept of classical conditioning suggests that a preferred song or piece, if paired with a neutral product will produce a positive, or negative association between the two stimuli (Zander 2006). So, when a positive piece of music is amalgamated with positive object, the result will be posiitiive or depending how the client perceives it. The concept of music and its therapeutic effects are dated eons of years back, its gaining the limelight lately for 10-20 years in the field of health and in specific for learning diabilities. Though many children are termed as slow learners, but the prevalent cases are not much reported in specific. The former Lahore High Court judge and noted womenââ¬â¢s and child rights activistNasiraIqbal stated that 1. 8 million Pakistanis had learning disabilities, of which 0. 5 million lived in urban and 1. 3 million in rural areas. (The Express Tribune, 2013). Importance of music . Plato has beautifully described music as ââ¬Å"Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, and life to everything. Without music, life would be an error. â⬠Music is a way of life. It brings calmness in the mood. Not only humans, but birds, animals are capable to understand the melodies. I believe music plays an integral part in a childââ¬â¢s growth. it gives a sense of upliftment and binds the children altogether. The department of education, UK, also agrees to it that music plays a pivotal role in the development of children. Childrenââ¬â¢s participation in music connects children, boosting their self esteem, and gets the most out of their improvement in education and not merely in music. (Department of Education, 2011) Many Researches have exhibited a direct relation between music and improvement in reading abilities in children It illustrates that children who were guided with a certain type of music instruction had better skills of comprehending the reading material as compared to those who were not given instructions. (Department of Education, 2011) Straum (n. d. ) states that music can be used as a tool to encourage human development in cognitive, learning, perceptual, motor, social and emotional development. (Sze Yu, 2004) The impact of music therapy: Music therapy is a way to connect to oneââ¬â¢s emotional side as well to increase memory and attention span. ââ¬Å"It aids to achieve individual ambitions in assistance with a licensed professional. â⬠(American Music Therapy Association, 2007). It is a nonverbal and verbal processing along with physical activities (e. g. Playing instruments) for expressing feelings by provoking unconscious psyche of an individual. (Erkkilà ¤ et al, 2011 Malchiodi2005). Today music has gained significant recognitionin many different clinical settings and is playing an important part in the field of learning disabilities (Dimond 1998), especially with people who have severe and profound disabilities. (SavarimuthuBunnell, 2002) In my opinion, the positive points of music therapy are unlimited and itââ¬â¢s currently being used in different health sectors. According to Dastgheib et al. , 2013, studies have reported many benefits of music therapy in managing different diseases, particularly in disorders related to the central nervous system. Widespread research has studied the impact of music on the brain and its role in neural cell growth. The process of music interpretation in the human brain is very similar to that of language processing. Indeed, many language areas overlap with those of music. Music can offer people with learning disabilities an environment in which they can develop and expand their social, cognitive and physical skills and improve their life (MacDonald et al. 1999) and in which they can learn to build a sound rapport with others and enjoy healthy behaviour (Alvin Warwick 1994). Personally, I believe in order toavail benefits from the therapy, clients needs to be motivated and requires to take part in therapy to the fullest. The mentioned authors also agrees to my view point. Both the involvement of Bunnell (1997) and Holford (1999) with clients with learning disabilities suggests that active participation can make music therapy more interesting and successful. They believe that clients should be encouraged to participate in music making as it promotes self-esteem and confidence. Music integration provides children with concrete, hands-on experiences that are essential to developing each The childââ¬â¢s ability to reason, think, solve problems, analyze, evaluate, and to enhancing creativity (Houchens, 1983). Music has a direct effect on speech and communication portion of the brain. It assists in differentiating sounds. Also, it has a major effect in communicating information and in budding an understanding of language patterns. in regard to cognitive and academic, music helps in generating and memorizing mnemonics to teach specific academic information such as a address, telephone number etc . music therapy also have a positive impact in the progress of hand-eye coordination and gross and fine motor skills by playing an instrument. In the social sector, music therapy is proved to be a motivating agent. It instills the concept of group work and each group member contribute an idea or word to a song in song writing. In this manner , music is being utilized to create a bonding where the child can enhance their self-esteem with other peers. (The music therapy center of California, 2005) On the other hand, musical intervention may have a negative impact on clients. One example is when the client is attached to a particular piece of music and rejects what the facilitator offers. Another example is when a client displaysinappropriatebehaviour, which does not allow the aims and objectives of the musical intervention to be met, and which hinders therapeuticcontact with the facilitator (Schalkwijk 1994). Insuch cases, music based interventions should beceased, but reintroduced at a later phasewhen the client is receptive to collaborate with the facilitator. The age and culture of clients are key factors, which needs to be considered for their choice of music may differ. Past experiences can also be set off by specific music where clients may feel distress. Evidence also suggests that music associated with violent lyrics such as ââ¬Ëheavy metalââ¬â¢ can have a negative impact on clients (McCraty et al. 1998). Strategies/Recommendations There are certain interventions that must be done at all three levels, i. e. local, national and international level to cater different domains of learning by applying music therapy and achieve progress. As a student nurse and responsible citizen of society, it is my duty to help and guide people in the effective use of music therapy in dealing with people with learning disabilities. Firstly, it is essential to devise a method whereby it is possible to measure small changes which can be tailored to each individual (Oldfield Adams 1995). This would help to detect very small changes in behaviour. Secondly, it is also important to accept that change may take a long time to occur so the facilitator must not lose hope and discontinue the intervention. Difficulty can also arise when observing and interpreting the response of clients to sound or music (Alvin Warwick 1994). This exercise may become easier after a few sessions with the clients where the responses are identified and understo od. This can be done by teaching individuals or families in particular schools, colleges and university, hospital for instance, in Maa Ayesha; music therapy is being used for children with learning disabilities. While at national and international levels, attention should be given on providing awareness to people regarding the use of music therapy. People should be encouraged to listen and learn music. Furthermore, different courses for music therapies should be introduced at institutional level and certain policies could be made to enhance the productivity and benefits from the therapy. at the governmental level, music therapist career option and courses could be out. . According to Fatima (2013), clinical Psychologist Qudsia Mahmoud states that the Pakistani population lacks the awareness about the significance of music therapy. Fatima (2013) cited Mr. Sohail Khan as he had established Music therapy center in Karachi, Pakistan and has widely worked on ââ¬Å"The Prism Project, A M ultidimensional Approach to Music in Educationâ⬠. The field of music is vital and holds its own importance, yet it remains unexplored in Psychotherapy. Music and art plays a pivotal role in shaping childrenââ¬â¢s lives, especially those with learning disabilities. There is a very close knitted affiliation between music therapy and the recovery of children with learning disabilities. There is an urgent need to initiate music therapies in hospitals in Pakistan, to enhance understanding of these professional caretakers to help patients overcome the disabilities in a fun and learning environment. Also, there is a need to include it nursing education, as foremost priority, as being a nurse who is in close contact with patientsââ¬â¢ needs to know about therapies in order to enhance the productivity of patients and help them in recovery at a faster pace. References Barksdale, A. (2003). Music therapy and leisure for persons with disabilities (1st ed. ). Champaign, IL: Sagamore Pub. Bushra Fatima, B. F. , 1st December, 2013. Health Music Therapy ââ¬â What is it and How to get ità in? Blush, retrieved from: http://blush. com. pk/music-therapy-in-pakistan Cathy. A. Malchiodi, C. A. M. , (2005). History, Theory, and Practice. In: Cathy A. Malchiodi (Ed), Expressive Therapies. 1st Ed. New York: Guilford Publications. Pp. 1-15. Darren Henley, D. H. , (2012). The importance of music: A national plan for music education. 1st ed. England Dastgheib, S. , Riyassi, M. , Anvari, M. , Niknejad, H. , Hoseini, M. , Rajati, M. , Ghasemi, M. (2013). Music Training Program: A Method Based on Language Development and Principles of Neuroscience to Optimize Speech and Language Skills in Hearing-Impaired Children. Iranian Journal Of Otorhinolaryngology, 25(71), 91. David Butler, D. B. , (01 October 1982). Music Theory, Theories of Music, and Systematic Musicology. Journal of the collage music society. 22, pp. 1-15, Retrieved from: http://symposium. music. org/index. php?option=com_k2view=itemid=1933:music-theory-theories-of-music-and-systematic-musicologyItemid=124 Department of Education, . (2011). The Importance of Music A National Plan for Music Education. Crown. Freilich, R. , Shechtman, Z. (2010). The contribution of art therapy to the social, emotional, and academic adjustment of children with learning disabilities. The Arts In Psychotherapy, 37(2), 97-105. doi:10. 1016/j. aip. 2010. 02. 003 JaakkoErkkilà ¤, J. K. , Marko Punkanen, M. P. , Jà ¶rgFachner, J. F. , EsaAla-Ruona, E. A. R. , Inga Pà ¶ntià ¶, I. P. , Mari Tervaniemi, M. T. , MaunoVanhala M. V. , Christian Gold C. G. , (2011). Individual music therapy for depression: randomized controlled trial. The British journal of Psychiatry. 199, pp. 132-139 Savarimuthu, D. , Bunnell, T. (2002). The effects of music on clients with learning disabilities: a literature review. Complementary Therapies In Nursing And Midwifery, 8(3), 160-165. doi:10. 1054/ctnm. 2001. 0629 Shafron, G. (2010). The Science and Psychology Behind Music and Emotion. Journal Of Young Investigators. Sze, S. , Yu, S. (2004). Effect of music therapy on children with learning disabilities. In Proceedings of the 8th international on music perception and cognition. Austraila: Adelaide. The music therapy center of California. (2005). Retrieved 29 August 2014, from http://www. themusictherapycenter. com/. . . /factsheets/mtcca_learningdisabilities. www. musictherapy. org, . (2007). American Music Therapy Association. Retrieved from http://www. musictherapy. org/assets/1/7/bib_psychopathology. pdf. The Express Tribune, . (2013). Dyslexia. Retrieved from: http://tribune. com. pk/story/578452/workshop-1-8-million-affected-by-learning-disabilities/
Main Sources Of Resistance To Organizational Change Management Essay
Main Sources Of Resistance To Organizational Change Management Essay Change is inevitable for modern organizations and increasing rapidly in the world due to internal and external triggers (Refer to Appendix 1) (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010). For survival, organizations must be able to anticipate change and keep reconfiguring themselves as it is critical determinant for their success although it has difficulty and challenges. Organizations that wait for an overwhelming mandate to engage in change efforts are very likely to be left behind and may struggle to survive (Lawler and Worley, 2009). For example, Nokia has already been through one successful change; turning itself from an unfocused conglomerate into a focused mobile phone producer in the 1990s. But, lack of accountability, poor leadership and complacency those came from mobile phone success has caused less competitive in the market due to customer transition from mobile phone to smart-phone (Riley, 2012). According to Nauss (1999), Jacques Nasser, Ford Motors CEO also argued that any business that is satisfied with the present state of affairs is deluding itself. Sitting still or moving at a snails pace is effectively moving backward. Organizational change must be based on intention and goal-oriented and come from within the organization to be effective (See Figure 1 and 2) according Cumming and Worley (Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman, 2001).It also need very careful assessment of individual and organizational capacity for change since they are potential resistance to change. In this report, we will first discuss various causes for resistance to change from those who affected positively or negatively using Arthur Bedeians four common causes for resistance to change, Kotter and Schlesingers six practical techniques to overcome these resistances and Kurt Lewins 3 phase change management model. 2.0 Resistance to Organization Change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) define resistance to change is unwillingness or an inability to accept or discuss changes that are perceived to be damaging or threatening to individual. Carr et al also claim that its significance can be measured by those affected perceive and react to it (Salawu, 2011). As a result, change efforts are often found resisted by individuals and groups overtly and covertly due to their negative perceptions to some extent. Hellriegel, Slocum and Woodman (2001) suggest a variety of sources of resistance in Figure 3 (Detail in Appendix 2). To overcome resistance to change, managers and employees must understand its reasons and sources. Arthur Bedeian cites four common causes for resistance to change (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010). 2.1 Parochial self interest Individuals are so comfort and content with their current situation and they fear that any change in organization may threaten their vested interests. It is one of major reason that people resist organizational change. According to Desler (2004), there are 4 types of organizational change: its strategy, technology, structure and employees. Structural change requires reorganizing organizational chart involving replacing, dismissing or adding personnel (Salawu, 2011). When this situation comes, employees fear to lose their existing positions. E.g. Current Burmese government involves liberal and conservative. Reorganization needs for democratic change process. It is good and can improve the status of its people, but most conservatives fear reorganization as they think that it is a threat to their status quo and interests. For these reasons, Burmas change processes encounter resistance longer time than desired and resulted as a poor country. 2.2 Misunderstanding and lack of trust Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) suggest lack of understanding the reasons and consequences can create resistance to change because it might cost them more than what they will gain. Such misunderstandings most likely occur where there is lack of trust between manager and employees. My former Singapore based Japanese construction announced to his managers an implementation of a flexible 5 days work for all site staffs. No managers resisted because they were introduced the concept of that change in management meeting. Shortly after circulating announcement, various resistances arise from site staffs who do not understand and trust the meaning of flexible working days. One rumor is that they might need to work extra hours in the evening. They were not satisfied with management decision at the beginning. According to Kotter and Schlesinger (1997), only few organizations have a high level of trust between employees and managers. So, it is easy to develop misunderstandings when organizational change is introduced. If managers do not clarify them in time, this can lead to resistance. 2.3 Contradictory assessments Another reason people resist to change is evaluation of costs and benefits differently. According to Buchanan and Huczynski (2010), it is the result of poor communication and inadequate information that causes contradictory assessments. But such resistance to change may lead to constructive criticism and improved proposals to achieve better outcomes since people have different perceptions and knowledge. E.g. My previous project director of Construction Company was shocked by his design team members who made value engineering of structural column. Although this value engineering can achieve design requirement while saving cost, he thought that it can damage the companys reputation. So he didnt allow the design proposal submission to owners consultant. He had reorganized the design team immediately that caused resistance from the people involved. As a result, company lost two good designers and crippled the design team. Different people have different skills and knowledge that may lead to resistance. For the above case, design team has more skill and knowledge than director. And resistance resulted from reorganization will be good for companys future. Low tolerance for change Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) suggest that people respond to change and uncertainty in different ways. Some are more readily to accept and adapt to changes. Others may have a low tolerance to adapt to changes since they have different abilities compared to others. Drucker (2010) also argue that the managers are the major obstacle for organizational growth since they are unable to change their attitude and behavior rapidly to meet organizational requirement. It is the result of peoples limited tolerance that lead to oppose potential beneficial changes even they know that it is positive change. E.g. an engineer in my former construction company received a significant promotion due to expansion. New position required new skill set, relationships as well as loss of some satisfactory current situation. It made him uneasy to give up certain aspects of current situation and resist changing since his tolerance for change was low and he did not understand wisely the reason of change. 3.0 Overcoming Resistance Many managers underestimate not only the variety of ways people can react to organizational change, but also the ways they can positively influence specific individuals and groups during change ( Kotter and Schlesinger, 1997, p-454). E.g. Singapore construction industry has been unable to achieve better productivity due to past experience of managers who dont understand advantages and disadvantages of the methods which they are familiar. So, organizational change becomes managements responsibility. And coping resistance resulted from organizational change becomes the haunting question for todays manager because it determine the success or failure of organization (Martin, 1975). Kotter and Schlesinger identify six practical techniques for managing and overcoming resistance (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010): 3.1 Education and Communication Education is one of most common way that communicates ideas to reconcile opposing views. Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) discuss that this program can be ideal when resistance is based on inadequate or inaccurate information and analysis especially if the initiators need the resistors help in change implementation. Afferson, M. (2010) argue that this program requires face to face communication to discuss sensitive issues since email or written notices are very weak at conveying and developing understanding. E.g. former Philips CEO, Timmer used this program to explain the future of Philips to his employees. As a result, its operating income has increased (Strebel, 1998). Moreover, Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) also highlight requirement of mutual trust to overcome misunderstanding. 3.2 Participation and involvement According to Buchanan and Huczynski (2010), it can reduce opposition and lead to employees wholehearted commitment if the managers who initiate this program address to their concerns. And it will provide employees a sense of belonging to successful implementing of change. E.g. Coch and French (1948) experimented to examine the efficiency and effectiveness of participation to overcome resistance to change involving: introducing by managers to employees, employees representative participation and all employees involvement. Based on their experiment, all employees involvement was the best for overcoming resistance. But Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) also highlighted that it is time consuming and will be useful if employees skill and knowledge has ability to cope the changes. 3.3 Facilitation and support Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) suggest facilitation and support can overcome resistance when it is caused by fear or anxiety. Such approaches include new trainings or simply listening or emotional support. According to Kotter and Schlesinger (1979), one rapidly growing electronics company devised this program for its employees to adapt frequent organizational changes. They employed four counselors to spent most of their time in talking, listening, educating and training to employees. 3.4 Negotiation and agreement It is another way to deal with powerful individuals or groups who create major resistance such as offering incentives to facilitate changes (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010). But they also alerted that it may become expensive for change and take more time to negotiate. E.g. Former Burmese military general have strong power to resist political reform in Burma. Current government has to negotiate with them to reach an agreement for successful change such as protecting their interests. 3.5 Manipulation and co-optation It involves covert attempts to sidestep potential resistance. Management puts forward proposals that appeal to the specific interests of key stakeholders. This information is selective, emphasizing benefits and playing down disadvantages. Co-optation involves giving key resistors direct access to the decision-making process, perhaps giving them well-paid, high-status management positions (Buchanan and Huczynski, 2010, p-573). E.g. A local manager in my former Japanese Construction Company invited Japanese manager to analyze one missing item in the design. Due to busy schedule, he was unable to do proper analysis. It limited his influence on the analysis. But his commitment was subsequently very important during discussing with Japanese director. Generally, he did not like someone trying to make changes. After discussion with Japanese manager, he did not try to block the change. 3.6 Implicit and explicit coercion Although many researchers advocate supportive approaches to overcome resistances, managers have to deal with resistance coercively such as firing or transferring to facilitate change. Buchanan and Huczynski (2010) discuss such situations as where the target group is profound disagreement, has little chance of shifting their ground, and the speed is essential for survival. But Kotter and Schlesinger (1979) argued that using coercion is risky because people will resent forced change inevitably. 4.0 Conclusion Strong resistance to change may root deeply in some organizations, but change has become inevitable for todays modern organizations in fast changing business environment for survival. In Figure 1, effective change management program should be implemented properly by the managers who understand the firms culture to facilitate the change process while protecting the interests of affected person. In this report, we applied Kotter and Schlesingers approaches to manage change. Since these approaches have their limitation, they may not be likely to be effective under all conditions and circumstances. There are many prescriptive models or approaches for successful change. In reality, appropriate approaches can be implemented based on the primary cause of resistance. So, manager may need to combine various techniques to manage organizational change. Finally, we would like to suggest Kurt Lewins 3 phase change management model: unfreezing, moving and refreezing because present approaches or technology may be unsuitable in future. We can learn from the failure and success of Nokia and Apple. Apple was able to unfreeze the old technology or mind set that are outdated, develop new process and technology to move on from the old ways of doing things to the new and refreeze again when all seem okay. And they start Lewins process again since refreezing stage may be temporary in future (see figure 4) where Nokia didnt.
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