Leading Innovation and Change

Abstract This paper provides a critical review of the theories of change and innovation, as well as, leadership of change and innovation. It also presents an assessment of my leadership skills, as well as, examples of change processes that I have participated in.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leading Innovation and Change specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The change that I successfully led involved improving the website of a bank. This change was successful because of effective planning and my ability to create a sense of urgency. In addition, a team of experts from the bank who had a clear understanding of the company’s needs modified the website. A less successful change that I have led involved renovating 32 bank branches and increasing the efficiency of serving customers. This change failed because of inability to eliminate obstacle (financial constraints) and early declaration of victory. An analysis of my leadership skills reveals that am capable of creating urgency for change and the vision to guide its achievement. My main weakness is inability to eliminate obstacles to change. Introduction Innovation refers to the creation of new customer value by developing solutions that satisfy emerging needs, unarticulated needs, as well as, existing market needs in a different manner. Change, on the other hand, involves initiating and managing the consequences of new business processes, organizational structure, and culture. In most organizations, change and innovation often occur simultaneously. Thus, the two can be conceptualized as two sides of the same coin. Figure 2, in the appendix highlights the increase in innovation in the UK, in terms of expenditure on RD. Change and innovation can be realized if effective leadership guides the process.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More This paper presents a critical review of various innovation and change theories. An assessment of my leadership skills will also be discussed. Critical Review Creativity, Innovation and Change Creativity, innovation, and change are related concepts that managers often use to create competitive advantages for their organizations. In the business world, creativity is associated with the production of novel and valuable products (Imtiaz 2012, 326-332). Thus, creativity refers to â€Å"the mental ability to conceptualize new, unusual, or unique ideas and to identify the new connection between random and unrelated things† (Barcana 2010, pp. 6-7). In this regard, creativity involves the production of an original and worthwhile product. According to Amabile (1997, pp. 39-58), creativity is determined by the following factors. First, organizational encouragements facilitate creativity. Creativity develops in an environment that supports risk-taking. Additionally, motivation facilita tes creativity by influencing the extent of explorations, as well as, the possibility that alternative responses will be evaluated. Intrinsic motivation develops within an employee because of the interest, satisfaction, and challenges that are associated with the execution of a task. A performance-based reward system often leads to the development of intrinsic motivation. Second, resource availability determines the level of creativity in an organization. According to Amabile (1997, pp. 39-58) the resources that facilitate creativity include sufficient funds, training programs, and work materials. Finally, creativity develops in organizations whose management practices encourage autonomy among the employees.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Leading Innovation and Change specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Innovation is the process in which the ideas generated through creativity are transformed into actual products o r processes. Thus, creativity leads to innovation. According to Von and Stamm (2009, pp. 49-66), innovation does not only require the use of structured processes, but also changing the behaviors of people. Moreover, significant innovation can only occur if several processes are used to achieve it. In this regard, innovation brings about change in the organization. Organizational change involves executing business activities through new and better processes that facilitate value addition and efficiency. Organizational change also involves transforming norms, values, and business cultures. This helps managers to align their organizational culture to the desired change (Bent, Paauwe Williams 1999, pp. 377-404). The foregoing discussion indicates that creativity, innovation, and change are interrelated concpets. Thus, an organization that intends to achieve meaningful change must encourage both creativity and innovation. Innovation According to Tidd Bessant (2009, pp. 3-50), innovatio n refers to successful utilization of novel ideas. This involves the use of new or improved ideas to perform technical, manufacturing, and management activities that are associated with the production of a new or an improved product. Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) assert that innovation is characterized with technological improvements and the use of better techniques to perform business activities. They further, state that innovation is manifested in processes such as product development, and strategy formulation among others. In this regard, innovation refers to â€Å"scientific, technical, commercial, and financial steps that are necessary for the successful development and marketing of new or improved products† (Goffin Mitchell 2010, pp. 1-40). Furthermore, innovation includes the development of new or improved business processes. Based on these definitions, the fundamental elements of innovation include change, the degree of change, as well as, the source of the chang e and its influence. These elements define the different types of innovations.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Types of Innovation Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) categorize the various forms of innovation according to what is being changed and the degree of the change. With reference to the thing that is to be changed, Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) identify three types of innovations namely, process innovation, services innovation and product innovation. Service innovation involves creating new services or improving existing ones in order to satisfy market needs. Similarly, product innovation entails the development of new products or improving existing ones in order to meet the customers’ expectations. In process innovation, organizations develop new business processes or improve existing ones in order to boost their efficiencies and competitive advantages. Tidd Bessant (2009, pp. 3-50), extend this category by identifying two more types of innovations namely, paradigm innovation, and position innovation. The later involves changing the mental models that shape organizational behavior and activities, whereas the former refers to the modification of the context in which new or improved products are launched. By considering the degree of change, Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) identify two types of innovations namely, radical and incremental innovation. Radical innovation is associated with the use of breakthrough ideas or techniques to create new products or processes. Radical innovation often creates new markets or modifies existing ones through introduction of superior products. Incremental innovation, on the other hand, involves making small but important improvements to existing products or process in a consistent manner. Managing Innovation Tidd Bessant (2009, pp. 3-50) characterize innovation as a continuum in which minor changes occur at one extreme end, whereas radical changes take place on the other extreme end. Thus, incremental changes occur at the center of these two extremes. Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) agree with this perspective b y asserting that innovation occurs through a series of phases. This progression occurs irrespective of the type of innovation. According to Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40), innovation is an organization wide exercise rather than the preserve of the research and development (RD) department. Consequently, important departments such as human resources management, finance, marketing, and operations among others should actively participate in innovation. This facilitates creation of synergies through sharing of ideas and resources (Reiss 2012, p. 67). Innovation requires an effective leadership since it is a change process. Furthermore, the leadership must develop an effective innovation strategy. According to Goffin Mitchell (2010, pp. 1-40) the implementation of the innovation strategy include tasks such as assessing the influence of market trends on the need for innovation, as well as, the role of technology in the process of innovation. Moreover, the management must create awarene ss about the role of innovation among the employees and align the available resources to the innovation strategy. In this regard, innovation requires a framework that enables organizations to match technical expertise with their employees’ soft skills. Apart from formulating a strategy, the following elements of innovation must be managed. First, a pool of ideas must be generated through strategies that encourage creativity. Concisely, creativity should enable the organization to utilize both internal and external knowledge to innovate. Good ideas should enable the organization to take into account the technical, customer, and market needs in its decisions (Goffin Mitchell 2010, pp. 1-40). Second, a prioritization mechanism that involves analysis of risks and returns must be available to enable the organization to choose the right ideas. Third, the implementation of the innovation should take the shortest time possible. The implementation stage includes processes such as pro totyping, testing, and commercialization. Finally, innovation requires effective management of human resources (Goffin Mitchell 2010, pp. 1-40). This involves adopting effective staffing and training policies, as well as, creating functional organizational structures and a culture of innovation. Change Change is the process through which business strategies or departments of a company are modified in response to the prevailing market or industry trends (Kuntz Gomes 2012, pp. 250-256). Change occurs in nearly all organizations, and its effects can be negative or positive. Some of the aspects of an industry that are likely to change include regulations, technology, and resource availability. Thus, change management is the process of handling these alterations in a systematic manner. The aspects of change management include the following. First, it involves identifying and introducing new values, norms, and behaviors that will facilitate execution of business activities using improve d techniques (Kuntz Gomes 2012, pp. 250-256). Second, it involves building consensus among stakeholders concerning the changes designed to satisfy their needs in a better manner. Finally, change management involves planning, testing, and implementing the processes that are associated with the transition from one business model to another. Lewin’s Force Filed Model According to Lewin’ model, organizational behavior is determined by â€Å"the dynamic balance of two forces namely, driving and restraining forces† (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45). Change occurs when the balance between these forces shifts in either direction. Driving forces are those that facilitate achievement of the required change. Restraining forces, on the other hand, are the factors that hinder achievement of the desired change. The two forces create a state of equilibrium in the organization. Concisely, no change will occur if the magnitudes of the two forces are equal. Thus, a change in the magnitu de of one of the forces will create a new balance or quasi-equilibrium, which represents organizational change. According to Lewin’s model, successful change occurs in three phases namely, unfreezing, moving, and refreezing (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45). Unfreezing occurs when the equilibrium between the forces is destabilized. Movement involves altering the driving and restraining forces in order to achieve the desired change. At the refreezing stage, behaviors that promote positive change are reinforced in order to sustain the achieved change. The strengths of Lewin’s model are twofold. First, it provides a useful framework that enables organizations to scan their environments in order to identify impending changes. These changes are essentially the threats and opportunities in an organization’s environment (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45). In this regard, the model helps organizations to plan and implement the type of change that will enable them to take advantage of op portunities and minimize threats. S econd, the model enables organizations to plan for the utilization of the available resources in preparation for the impending change. Concisely, resource planning is often easy if their intended use is known in advance. Despite its importance in planning, Lewin’s model has the following weaknesses. First, change is not always achieved by influencing the behaviors of the members of an organization. This is because change can occur due to external factors such as the emergence of new technologies or enactment of new regulations. For example, a law that prohibits the use of coal will force a manufacturing firm to change its production technique without necessarily convincing the firm’s members to embrace the change. Second, creating change by diminishing the restraining forces can cause harmful tensions due to the competing perspectives of the individuals who are supporting change and those who are opposing it (Bernard 2004, pp. 23-45) . The party that loses in this competition can develop low morale, thereby limiting the possibility of achieving the change. Third, the movement phase ignores the roles of non-human resources such as financial capital in the process of implementing change. Concisely, it is unrealistic to implement change by simply influencing stakeholders’ behaviors. Non-human resources and technical processes are also important at the implementation stage. Finally, the freezing stage focuses on maintaining the already achieved change rather than promoting advancement of the change process. In this regard, the culture of change can be lost as the organization focuses on maintain the new status quo. Haye’s Theory Haye (2010, pp 41-55) extended Lewin’s force-field theory by developing a change model that consists of eight stages. The first stage involves identifying the need for change. This stage involves influencing people’s attitudes towards change, interpreting the busi ness environment and making decisions to change the status quo. The second stage involves commencing the change process by creating a desire for change among stakeholders. The third stage entails a diagnosis process in which the current state is examined in order to identify the weaknesses of the organization. This leads to the fourth stage in which the change vision is developed. The fifth and the sixth stage involve preparing and planning for implementation (Haye 2010, pp 41-55). The tasks that must be completed, as well as, the time and the recourses that are needed to implement the change are identified at this stage. At the seventh stage, the change is implemented. Furthermore, monitoring and control measures are put in place to guarantee achievement of the desired outcome. The last stage involves maintaining gains in order to sustain the change. Additionally, attempts are made to improve the change. Heye’s model has the following strengths. To begin with, it addresses t he weakness of Lewin’s refreezing stage which focuses on maintain the already achieved gains. In this regard, Heye’s model enables organizations to improve their competitiveness by approaching change as a continuous process (Reiss 2012, p. 134). The model highlights the importance of monitoring and control mechanisms in the implementation stage. These mechanisms help organizations to identify mistakes and to take corrective actions in time, thereby preventing failure. Finally, the model improves Lewin’s theory by identifying additional resources that are necessary for successful implementation of change (Haye 2010, pp 41-55). Concisely, it recognizes the importance of taking into account time and non-human resource constraints at the implementation stage. The main flaw in Heye’s model is that it focuses only on planned change. In reality, the application of planned change is difficult due to the complications associated with predicting future changes. Bes ides, using a rigid blueprint to introduce change limits the organization’s ability to take into account emerging changes or concerns during the implementation stage. Heye’s model cannot be used to address unexpected changes or situations that require urgent response. This is because there will be not adequate time to prepare a blueprint for the change (Reiss 2012, p. 141). Moreover, it is not possible to plan for a change that is not expected to occur. The other weakness of the model is that it lacks a clear framework for change management. Much of the tasks in stage two and three occur at the first stage. Concisely, reviewing the current state (stage 3) and commencing the change process (stage 2) are essentially part of the first stage. Moreover, monitoring is done only during the implementation stage. Ideally, monitoring and evaluation should continue even after implementation in order to identify opportunities for improvements. Kotter and Cohen’s Model Kotte r Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) also developed a change management model that consists of eight stages. In this model, change begins with the creation of â€Å"a sense of urgency among relevant people† (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). A guiding team is established in the second stage to lead the change process. This team consists of individuals with advanced technical and leadership skills, as well as, adequate authority and connections. In the third stage, the guiding team develops a clear vision for the desired change. They also formulate strategies to facilitate achievement of the vision. At the fourth stage, the guiding team communicates the vision to all stakeholders in order to improve their understanding of the impending change. The obstacles that are likely to hinder the achievement of the vision are eliminated at the fifth stage. The sixth stage focuses on creating short-term wins to encourage members of the organization to continue with the change. In the seventh stage, th e pursuit of the vision is intensified through achievement of a series of changes. In the last stage, the guiding team creates a new culture that sustains the change. The main strength of this model is that it emphasizes the importance of creating and communicating a clear vision for the change. A clear vision is important because it enables organizations to focus on the stated change objectives. The model also highlights the importance of effective teamwork in the process of implementing change. A team of highly skilled individuals is likely to generate enough ideas in order to translate the vision into reality (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). Finally, by creating a new culture at the last stage is likely to sustain the change, especially, if the members of the organization identify with culture. Despite its strengths, the model has some flaws. To begin with, entrusting the change process with a few ‘relevant’ members of the organization can cause isolation of employees and resistance to change. Moreover, creating a sense of urgency is all about influencing the perspective of the entire organization about the change rather than convincing a few ‘relevant people’ to accept the change (Bent, Paauwe Williams 1999, pp. 377-404). Even though the relevant people might develop the sense of urgency, change might not occur if other members of the organization reject it. Finally, creating short-term wins can lead to premature celebrations, thereby jeopardizing achievement of the vision. Concisely, members of the organization might relax after the first achievements, thereby losing their focus on the vision. The main similarity of the three models is that each of them focuses on change management through a series of stages. Hence, they conceptualize change as a continuous process. However, the activities associated with each stage vary from model to model. The other similarity is that they focus on sustaining change by reinforcing achieved gain s. Theory E The aim of this theory is to facilitate creation of economic value in line with the expectations of the shareholders. According to this theory, creation of economic value is the most important objective of the firm (Beer Nohria 2000, pp. 1-31). Thus, economic value is the only objective that firms should pursue. Additionally, financial incentives are used to motivate members of the organization to achieve the sole objective of creating economic value. Leaders using this theory focus on changing the organization’s strategies, structures, as well as, systems. Since these aspects of the organization can readily be changed, quick financial results can be achieved. Since market expectations drive change, the change process must be pragmatic and well planned. In order to develop these plans, the organization has to engage large consulting firms for professional advice. This is expected to enable the organization to realize rapid and outstanding improvements of its econ omic value. The main strength of theory E is its ability to facilitate high returns on investments. In this regard, it promotes sustainability since the high returns can be used for further investments and programs that benefit all stakeholders (Kuntz Gomes 2012, pp. 250-256). However, the theory has several drawbacks. To begin with, focusing on strategies and systems is less likely to be effective if employees are not involved in the process of changing the organization’s structures (Aitken Higgs 2010, pp. 41-55). This is because the employees are not likely to identify with structures that are imposed on them. Besides, ignoring the ideas of employees prevents innovation. As illustrated by figure 1 in the appendix, sources of change have diverse characteristics, which can best be articulated through a bottom-up leadership style. It is apparent that not all organizations can afford the services of large consulting firms. Besides, the solutions developed by the consultants c an be ineffective if the needs of the organization are not clearly understood. While financial incentives can motivate achievement of change, skill-based incentives have to be implemented to facilitate innovation. Skill-based incentives will promote acquisition of advanced skills that must exist if meaningful innovation is to be achieved (Beer Nohria 2000, pp. 1-31). Finally, the theory provides a narrow view of the firm. In modern economies, objectives such as corporate social responsibility (CSR) and good corporate governance are just as important as the financial objective. Thus, the financial objective cannot be considered in isolation of other objectives that often facilitate its achievement. Theory O According to theory O, the purpose of change is to enable an organization to develop capabilities such as employees’ ability to identify and solve problems. In this regard, the main objective is to develop a work system that promotes emotional commitment among employees in order to improve the firm’s efficiency and effectiveness (Beer Nohria 2000, pp. 1-31). Thus, the management has to articulate and promote the values and behaviors that inform the organizational culture and emotional commitment. Theory O advocates for non-pragmatic and emergent planning for change. Planning is led by the employees and is done through experiments, which facilitate innovation. Engaging employees enhances motivation; thus, financial incentives only play a supplementary role in improving morale. Proponents of theory O prefer a consulting model that focuses on process. The rationale of this preference is based on the premise that small projects and engagement of a handful of consultants will facilitate a lasting cultural transformation that promotes innovation. The main strengths of theory O is that its focus on organizational culture helps in implementing a lasting change, which all stakeholders identify with (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). By promoting commitme nt among employees, innovation can be achieved even in the absence of financial incentives (Filippetti 2011, pp.32-45). Additionally, it is easier to innovate if emerging issues are taken into account during the planning process. Similarly, a consultancy model that focuses on process promotes innovation by enhancing employees understanding of new processes. Theory O is often criticized due to the following flaws. To begin with, the fact that non-financial objectives are important does not mean that organizations should not focus on creating economic value. It is apparent that a firm that performs poorly in terms of returns on investments will be less attractive to investors. Besides, poor financial performance will hamper the implementation of programs that promote commitment among employees. In this context, theory O cannot promote sustainability in the long-run. Cultural transformation and development of emotional commitment often take a long time. Thus, theory O cannot be used to implement revolutionary change. Finally, ignoring expert advice from consultants can hurt the organization. In most cases, product and process innovation requires expert advice, which can only be obtained outside the organization (Von Stamm 2009, pp. 49-66). Leadership of Change and Innovation According to Balogoun Hope (2008, pp. 20-59), change can only be successful if there is a person who is responsible for leading it. In this regard, Balogoun Hope (2008, pp. 20-59) identified the following change roles. First, there must be a change champion. This can be the CEO, or the MD of the company. Second, there must be external facilitation. Concisely, organizations should hire external consultants to provide expert advice during the change process. Third, a change action team has to be created to lead the change process. Finally, there must be functional delegation. In this case, the change responsibility is delegated to a given department such as human resource management. Externa l consultants can provide useful advice that leads to the achievement of the desired change because most of them have vast experiences and knowledge. However, they can be very expensive, thereby limiting the ability of organizations to access their advice. In some cases, external consultants may lack accountability or may fail to understand the organization’s needs. In this situation, consultants are likely to give misleading advice. The benefit of establishing a change team is that it facilitates generation of ideas and ownership of the change process (Von Stamm 2009, pp. 49-66). However, making decisions in a large team can be time consuming due to the need to build consensus among the members. Moreover, entrusting the change process with only one department is likely to cause failure. This is because change is a multidimensional process that requires the input of all departments. Aitken Higgs (2010, 41-55) also identified four change roles namely, change advocates, chang e sponsors, change agents and change targets. The role of the change advocate is to initiate the change process. The skills needed in this role include ability to scan the environment in order to identify the need for change. Change sponsors are expected to support the change process. Thus, they should have networking skills. Change agents are responsible for the implementation of the change. This role requires ability to manage change plans and process. The strength of Aitken and Higgs’ theory is that it highlights the skills that are necessary in each role. One of the weaknesses of the model is that it does not illustrate the interdependencies between the change roles. For example, the change advocate must consistently work with the change agents to ensure that the implementation process is aligned to the vision. According to theory E, change and innovation should be led a through a top-down leadership approach. The leader does not involve his or her management team and oth er employees in making key decisions (Beer Nohria 2002, 1-31). The rationale of this approach is that the delays associated with consultations during decision-making can be avoided. In addition, the organization can avoid the risk of entrusting lower-level staff with the responsibility of making strategic decisions during turbulent times. The weakness of the top-down approach is that leading change requires a powerful coalition that consists of change advocates, targets, sponsors, and agents (Aiteken Higgs 2010, pp. 41-55). The leader cannot achieve a meaningful change by excluding the coalition members. A top-down approach also jeopardizes innovation by discouraging ideation among employees. Finally, a top-down approach exposes the organization to the risk of failure, especially, if the leader is not a visionary and an effective change advocate. His failure to consult other members of the organization will certainly lead to failure. Proponents of theory O believe that effective l eadership of change and innovation should involve collaboration with employees. Thus, employees should be actively involved in identification of problems and finding solutions to such problems (Beer Nohria 2002, 1-31). As illustrated in figure 3 in the appendix, change affects various organs of the organization. Thus, involvement is needed to facilitate creation of trust, and commitment (Okurume 2012, 78-82). It also promotes ideation, which informs innovation. Besides, long-term change can be achieved if the employees are committed to the change process. However, participative leadership can be a slow way of achieving change. Issues of Politics and Stakeholder Engagement Power concerns the â€Å"capacity of individuals to exert their will over others, while political behavior is the practical domain of power in action, worked out through the use of techniques of influence† (Senior Swailes 2010, pp.177-221). Thus, power is the ability to influence a person or a group of peo ple to adopt a given perspective. In this regard, power refers to the capacity to get things done and to avert resistance to change. Senior Swailes (2010, pp. 177-221) identified five sources of power namely, positional, expert, referent, reward and coercive power. Reward power can lead to change through push and pull strategies. Push strategies involve influencing people to accept change by withholding rewards from those who are resistant to change. This strategy is likely to fail in organizations with high levels of democracy. Democracy allows people to make choices, thereby limiting the managements’ ability to impose change on people. Pull strategies use material and social rewards to facilitate change. Even though rewards can encourage members of the organization to support change, the underlying cost implication can limit its use. Stakeholder engagement advocates for active involvement of all concerned parties in the change process. However, negative use of power can re sult into conflicts among the stakeholders, thereby grounding the change process to a halt. Conflicts usually occur due to poor communication and unwillingness to accept divergent opinions (Senior Swailes 2010, pp.177-221). The source of power determines the level of stakeholder involvement. Change agents with expert power are likely to encourage stakeholder engagement. This is because using expert power necessitates sharing of knowledge and ideas, and this facilitates stakeholder engagement. In authoritarian organizations, using positional power can result into alienation of stakeholders in the change process. This is because authoritarian leaders do not believe in consultations. Poor stakeholder management often results into covert political action such as sabotage, and theft (Senior Swailes 2010, pp.177-221). These actions are often defined as deviant behaviors rather than organizational politics. This perspective can lead to failure because it ignores the underlying conflicts that lead to covert political action. Concisely, proscribing covert political action can limit the organization’s ability to understand stakeholders’ concerns. Thus, addressing resistance to change will be difficult. Examples of Change Successful Change The customers and the employees of the bank that I work for had difficulties in finding information from the company’s website. Customers could not easily access product information and manage their accounts through the internet. The employees, on the other hand, were not able to access information about company activities. As a manager, I saw the need to change the bank’s website in order to improve its usability. The change that was needed was to improve the availability of information on the bank’s website and the ability to access it, especially, from remote locations. The change was achieved through incremental innovation because we simply improved the performance of the website rather than con structing a new one. This involved using advanced internet technology. Thus, the introduced change was a technological one. The success of this change can be attributed to the following factors. To begin with, I was able to identify the need for change and to create a sense of urgency. According to Lewin’s model, successful change begins with the unfreezing stage in which the need for change is identified. Kotter Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) assert that a sense of urgency must be created in order to motivate others to accept change. Even though Kotter Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) argue that a powerful coalition must be built to ensure change, I did not establish any alliance. This refutes the claim by Kotter and Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) that change must be supported by a specific number of people for it to succeed. The change team consisted of eight experts from the bank. This is contrary to the perspective of Balogun and Hope (2008, pp. 20-60) who believe that external facilitation is a necessary condition for change. One factor that enhanced the success of the change was effective planning. A blueprint that highlighted the details of the change was used in the implementation stage. This strategy confirms the perspective of Heye (2010, pp. 41-55) who opines that a master plan is necessary for successful implementation of change. Through periodic improvements of the website, we have been able to sustain the change. This observation confirms the premise that continuous improvements lead to sustainable change (Heye 2010, pp. 41-55). Less Successful Change As the bank manager, I decided to renovate all the 32 branches of the company in response to market demands. The aim of this change was to make the branches trendy and to reduce the time spent to serve customers. The change that was needed involved improving the ambiance of the branches and modifying the procedures for serving customers. Thus, the change was introduced through incremental process innovation. However , the change was not successful due to the following reasons. To begin with, the risks associated with the implementation of the change were not taken into account. Concisely, financial constraints prevented us from implementing the change in all branches. This confirms the findings of Kotter (1995, pp. 1-18), which states that failure to remove obstacles in the change process can lead to failure. According to lewin’s force filed model, change is likely to fail if the restraining forces exceed the driving forces. In our case, the change was not fully funded because the finance department believed that it was very expensive and had little return on investment. This observation illustrates the importance of winning the support of relevant people in the change process (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). Concisely, we could have accessed enough funds by convincing the finance department to support the change. Finally, the change failed because I declared victory too early. Initially, the employees increased their productivity, thereby reducing the time spent to serve customers. However, the first wave of change created a feeling that success had been achieved. Thus, the employees reduced their effort before the achievement of the vision. This observation confirms Kotter’s view that declaring victory too early leads to failure. Assessment of My Leadership Skills My strengths as a change leader include the following. First, I have the ability to create a sense of urgency for change. A sense of urgency is always needed to motivate colleagues to assist in implementing the change (Heye 2010, pp. 41-55). For example, I successfully led the process of improving the bank’s website by creating a sense of urgency. Second, I always develop a clear vision for the intended change. Besides, I often communicate the change vision clearly to the concerned stakeholders. Third, I have been able to systematically plan for change. This strategy is one of the main fact ors that led to the successful change of the bank’s website. Finally, I always focus on evolutionary change that aligns the change to the organization’s values and norms. This helps in creating a lasting change that is well integrated into the organizational culture (Aitken Higgs 2010, pp. 41-55). My weaknesses include the following. I often fail to build a powerful coalition to guide the change process. In particular, I sometimes fail to get the minimum number of people that would effectively support me in the change process. Kotter Cohen (2002, pp. 1-13) assert that failure is likely to occur if a powerful coalition is not built to lead it. Another challenge has been the inability to remove obstacles in the change process. This often happen since some obstacles cannot be foreseen and addressed in time. For example, renovating the bank’s branches failed due to financial constraints. Finally, I sometimes declare victory too early; thus, I often quite the chang e process before it deeply sink in the organization’s culture. This explains our failure to sustain the culture of high productivity in order to reduce the time we spend to serve customers at the bank. Action Plan One of my leadership weaknesses is inability to build a powerful coalition. This weakness will be addressed by focusing on stakeholder engagement and improving my communication skills. Stakeholder engagement will enable me to identify and include the relevant people in the change process. Advanced communication skills will improve my ability to convince the relevant people to support the change (Kotter Cohen 2002, pp. 1-13). My second weakness is inability to remove obstacles in the change process. I will address this weakness by acquiring risk management skills. These skills will enable me to identify potential obstacles in the change process. Additionally, I will focus on working with external consultants in order to access expert advice on how to eliminate obsta cles. The last weakness is declaring victory too early. In this regard, I will focus on creating short-term wins in order to motivate members of the organization to continue with the change. Furthermore, I will focus on convincing the employees to improve their efforts until the desired vision is achieved. In this case, short-term wins will be a means of creating high morale rather than a sign of early victory. Conclusion Change and innovation are essential and inevitable in every organization. In order to realign themselves to market dynamics, organizations must consistently innovate and implement change. Successful change and innovation depends on how well the process is led by the change advocate (Heye 2010, pp. 41-55). Additionally, the theory that informs the innovation and change process determines success. Generally, there are several change and innovation models or theories. Each of these theories has its weaknesses and strengths as discussed earlier. Thus, the change advoca te must always make deliberate efforts to address the weaknesses of the adopted theory. Appendix Figure 1 Features/ characteristics of sources of change Internally generated change Externally generated change Positive feelings Negative feelings Greater driving forces Greater restraining forces Viewed from as opportunistic position Viewed from a problem solving position Greater certainty Greater uncertainty Greater control Reduced control Less disruption Greater disruption Closed boundaries and fixed time scales Vague and variable boundaries Figure 2 Gross expenditure on RD in the UK ( £ million) In cash terms In real terms1 Cash terms percentage of GDP 2004 20,242 23,510 1.67 2005 22,106 25,162 1.74 2006 22,993 25,332 1.71 2007r 25,085 27,015 1.76 2008r 25,585 26,750 1.80 2009r 25,880 26,581 1.84 2010 26,362 26,362 1.78 Table source: Office for Natio nal Statistics Figure 3 Impact of organizational change References Aitken, P, Higgs, M 2010, Developing Change Leaders, BH Press, London. Amabile, M 1997, ‘Motivating Creativity in Organizations: Doing What You Love and Loving What You Do’, California Management Review, vol. 40 no. 1, pp. 39-58. Balagun, J Hope, H 2008, Exploring Strategic Change, Financial Times Prentice Hall, New York. Barcan, L 2010, ‘Change Management of Organization in the Knowledge Economy’, Economic Science Series, vol. 3 no. 38, pp. 6-7. Beer, M, Nohria, N 2000, Breaking the Code of Change, HBS Press, Boston. Bent, J Paauwe, J Williams, R 1999, ‘Organizational Learning: Exploration of Organizational Memory and its Role in Organizational Change Processes’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 12 no. 5, pp. 377-404. Bernard, B 2004, ‘Kurt Lewin and the Planned Approach to Change’, Journal of Management Studies, vol. 41 no. 6, pp. 23-45. Fil ippetti, A, 2011, ‘Innovation Modes and Design as a Source of Innovation: Firm-Level Analysis’, European Journal of Innovation Management, vol. 14 no. 1, pp. 32-45. Goffin, K, Mitchell, R 2010, Innovation Management, Palgrave Macmillan, London. Hayes, J, 2010, The Theory and Practice of Change Management. Palgrave Macmillan London. Imtiaz, S 2012, ‘Change Management’, Journal of Applied Management and Investments, vol. 1 no. 3, pp. 326-332. Kotter, J, 1995, Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail, Harvard Business School Press London. Kotter, J, Cohen, D 2002, The Heart of Change, HBS Press, London. Kuntz, J, Gomes, J 2012 ‘Transformation Change in Organizations: A Self-Regulation Approach’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 25 no. 1, pp. 13-24. Norgrasek, J 2011, ‘Change Management as a Critical Success Factor in E-Government Implementation’, Business Systems Research, vol. 2 no. 2, pp. 13-24. Okurume, D 2012, ‘Impact of Career Growth Prospects and Formal Mentoring on Organizational Citizenship Behavior’, Leadership Organization Development Journal, vol. 33 no. 1, pp. 78-82. Reiss, M 2012, Change Management, McGraw-Hill, New York. Senior, B Swailes, S 2009, Organizational Change, Prentice Hall Financial Times, New York. Tidd, J Bessant, J 2009, Managing Innovation, Wiley, London. Von, S 2009, Managing Innovation, Design and Creativity, John Wiley and Sons, New York. This essay on Leading Innovation and Change was written and submitted by user Madison Sargent to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

did america do enought to help the jews in the holocaust essays

did america do enought to help the jews in the holocaust essays Did the Western World do enough for the Jews in th Description of this essay : Western Civilization - World War II Did the Western World do enough for the Jews in the Holocaust "When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am not a gypsy. When they came for the Jew Did the Western World do enough for the Jews in the Holocaust "When they came for the gypsies, I did not speak, for I am not a gypsy. When they came for the Jews, I did not speak, because I wasnt a Jew. When they came for the Catholics, I did not speak, for I am not a Catholic. And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak." -On the Wall at the Holocaust Museum in Washington It is impossible to learn about the Holocaust and the Second World War without the question of how it possibly could have happened arising, and along with that question comes another. The question of whether or not the Western World did enough to help the Jews in Europe. What was their reaction to the campaign of systematic persecution, robbery and murder the Third Reich inflicted upon the Jewish people? During the time leading up to the outbreak of World War II, the Western Press consistently carried numerous reports of the Germans anti-Jewish policies and their purposeful victimization of the Jews living in Nazi Germany as well as the annexed territories. The general public cannot claim that they did not know what was going on, that they were uninformed. Whether or not they chose to believe it however, is a completely different story. The public were indeed outraged in many of the cases but the governments of the major European democracies felt that it was not for them to interven e for they felt that the Jewish problem classified as an internal affair within a sovereign state. The truth behind this is simply that the governments were anxious to establish cordial relations with Germany and didnt want to cause any hostility. Thus they stood id...

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Learning From Interprofessional Collaboration In Practice Social Work Essay

Learning From Interprofessional Collaboration In Practice Social Work Essay Interprofessional working (IPW) in health and social care is essential for effective service provision and is a key driver of modern healthcare. In a changing and more pressured working environment, health and social care professionals need to be partners in delivering services, embracing collective accountability, be flexible and adaptable and have shared goals in integrating care around service users (Fletcher 2010a, Pollard et al, 2010). According to Tope and Thomas (2007), analysis of policies from as early as 1920 in health and social care have recommended professional collaboration, improved communication and teamwork to improve outcomes for service users. There have been similar recommendations in government policy since this time (Tope and Thomas, 2007). High profile investigations since 2000 highlight deficiencies in IPW across health and social care. Inadequate communication between professionals in cases of the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry (HM Government 2001), the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report (Laming, 2003), and The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report (Laming, 2009) have caused nationwide concern beyond the professions and services involved, causing a frenzy of media comment and public debate. Core recommendations are for professionals to improve communication between agencies, to have an ethos based around teams and working together and to improve professional accountability. The investigations provide evidence that collaborative working can only improve outcomes and underpins the real need to find out how best to develop a work force that can work together effectively (Leathard, 1994, Anderson et al, 2006 and Weinstein et al, 2003). Policy also recommends putting service users at the forefront of care and coordinating services across the authorities, voluntary and private sector organisations (DoH, 1997, DoH, 2000a, DoH, 2000b, Doh, 2001a, DoH 2001b, DoH 2001c, DoH, 2002a, DoH, 2006, DfES, 2006, HM Government 2004, HM Government 2007). Literature suggests that IPW improvements begin in interprofessional education (IPE) (DoH 2000b, DoH 2002b, Fletcher 2010a, Freeth et al 2002, Higgs and Edwards 1999, HM Government, 2007 Reynolds 2005,). IPE has been defined as learning which occurs when two or more professions learn from and about each other to improve collaboration and quality of care (CAIPE, 1997). The need to produce practitioners who are adaptable, flexible and collaborative team workers has focused attention on IPE, which aims to reduce prejudices between professional groups by bringing them together to learn with and from each other to enhance understanding of other professional roles, practice contexts and develop the skills needed for effective teamwork (Barr et al. 2005; Hammick et al. 2009, Parsell et al, 1998). At our interprofessional conference, we worked in teams of mixed student professionals. We introduced ourselves, our disciplines and our course structures, elected a chair and a scribe and set about to complete our tasks. Cooper et al (2001) identify one of the benefits of IPE as understanding other professional roles and team working. In their study, they found evidence to suggest that early learning experiences were most beneficial to develop healthy attitudes towards IPW (Cooper et al, 2001). None of the members of my group knew what a social worker did and I explained my training and professional role to them. McPherson et al (2001) describe how a lack of knowledge of the capabilities and contributions of other professions can be a barrier to IPW. In our discussions, we talked about our preconceived ideas. Social workers were described as hippies and doctors described as arrogant. Leaviss (2000) describes IPE as being effective in combating negative stereotypes before these develop and become ingrained. Atwal (2002) suggested that a lack of understanding of different professionals roles as well as a lack of awareness of the different pressures faced by different team members could make communication and decision making problematic. The conference provided an opportunity for us to interact with each other and was conducive to making positive changes in intergroup stereotypes (Barnes et al, 2000, Carpenter et al, 2003). Barr et al (1999) describe how IPE can change attitudes and counters negative stereotyping. The role play exercise gave us an understanding of differing pressures faced by each professional. Our team worked well together, taking turns to let each other speak, listening, challenging appropriately when needed and creating our sentences by the end of the conference. I feel that our friendly and motivated characters made communication and thus teamwork easy in the group. Weber and Karman (1991) found that the ability to blend different professional viewpoints in a team is a key skill for effective IPW. Pettigrew (1998) emphasises that the ability to make friends in a group of other professionals can reduce prejudice and encourage cooperation in future IPW. We agreed that teamwork was essential to IPW and can assist in the development and promotion of interprofessional communication (Opie, 1997). We felt that IPE allowed us to teach each other while encouraging reflection on our own roles (Parsal et al, 1999). We were very clear on how we worked as a group and effective as meeting our tasks and I feel we reached the Tuckmans performing stage (Tuckman 1965). Baliey (2004) describes team members who are unable to work together to share knowledge will be ineffective in practice. Although, there is an argument that this is more likely to happen in teams where the concept of IPW is new and team members lack skills to understand the benefits of IPW or adopt new ways of working (Kenny, 2002). Being in our second year of study and having all had experience of working in an interprofessional setting, we were very motivated at the conference and in achieving our objectives. It is noted that personal commitment is important for effective IPW (Pirrie et al, 1998). We acknowledged the issue of power in our professional social hierarchies. In our role play exercise, we found that we all looked to the doctors first for management of the service users treatment and they commanded the most respect. We agreed that medicine was the most established out of all the healthcare professions (Page and Meerabeau, 2004, Hafferty and Light, 1995) and that other professions have faced challenges in establishing status (Saks, 2000). I felt this was especially relevant to social workers who have recently extended their professional training to degree status to bring it in line with other professions. Reynolds (2005) suggested that hierarchies within teams could contribute to communication difficulties; for example, where input from some of the team members were not given equal value. Leathard (1994) describes that rivalry between professional groups especially in terms of perceived seniority are a barrier to IPW. The Shipman Report (2005) noted the importance of ensuring all team members are valued, recommending less hierarchy in practice, more equality among staff, regardless of their position. We talked about valuing and respecting each others professional opinion. Irvine et al, (2002) discuss how IPW can break the monopoly of any single profession in providing sole expert care, promoting shared responsibility and accountability. We discussed understanding, supporting and respecting every individual in the workplace to promote diversity and fairness. We also concluded that institutions and differing professional pressures could be a barrier to IPW. Having previously worked in an interprofessional HIV team for Swansea NHS Trust, I found that team members were given priorities from their managers which impacted on their availability to attend team meetings. Wilson and Pirrie (2000) suggest that a barrier to IPW can be a lack of support from managers and the workplace structure. Drinka et al (1996) describe how during times of work related stress, individuals can withdraw from IPW. We acknowledged that institutional support would be essential to effective IPW. Dalrymple and Burke (2006) discuss that different professionals have different priorities, values, pressures and constraints, obligations and expectations which can lead to tension, mistrust and go on to cause to discriminatory and oppressive practice in IPW. In light of the above learning, we all felt that IPW had occurred naturally in our first year placements, where it was considered the norm in our working environments and where the concept was understood and encouraged. The conference had highlighted some of the barriers to IPW and we will take this knowledge into our practice settings. Word Count 1348 Section 2 How would you take what you have learnt about IP working into practice? The conference highlighted some key issues about IPW that I will take into practice. One of the most significant developments in health and social care policy in recent years has been the move away from the professional being the expert with the power and knowledge to the patient centred care with professionals applying their knowledge to the needs and rights of the service user (Barrett et al, 2005). The social model of care identities issues of power in the traditional medical model approach to care and looks at how dependency on the professional can be a side effect of the helping relationship and be disempowering for service users (Shakespeare, 2000). Informing, consulting with and incorporating the views of service users and carers is critical to effective interagency interprofessional practise. There is a drive in recent policy for service users and carers to be engaged in service provision and the recent white paper Liberating the NHS (HM Government, 2010a), calls for more aut onomy for service users, making them more accountable through choice, being able to access services that are transparent, fair and promote power and control over decisions made. Nothing about me without me ( HM Government, 2010a, page 13) is a commitment that will shift power from professionals to service users, a huge change in current culture. The service user is the central vision, a team member involved in decisions made about their care, transforming the NHS to deliver better joined up services, partnerships and productivity (HM Government, 2010) My learning has reiterated the importance of service user involvement and I have reflected on ways to implement this in practice. In previous employment, I helped to run a patient public involvement group at the HIV service, Swansea NHS Trust. This enabled service users to give feedback and make suggestions for improvements (i.e. having evening nurse led clinics, introducing the home delivery of medication). In my experience, service users were actively involved in shaping services in their communities and it was very successful. In my practice, I will continue to value the service user as part of the interprofessional team as well as encourage this practice in my places of employment. In my placement at a supported housing charity for young mothers, ways to achieve service user involvement were being introduced. One of my roles was to carry out a questionnaire with the aim of getting feedback and empowering the service users. Reflecting on this, I can now see how valuable this exerc ise was and I will continue to see the value in gaining service user feedback and always aim to do this in practice. I discussed this with my group and this added to our learning. Informal unpaid carers, the voluntary and private sector are also essential team players and the value of their contribution is being acknowledged increasingly as the success of an interprofessional workforce (Tope and Thomas 2007). In my role within the HIV service, Swansea NHS Trust, I coordinated an interprofessional team and ran a support group for African women living with or affected by HIV in conjunction with social services and the Terrence Higgins Trust. I understand the value that the third sector organisations can be for service users, often filling gaps in statutory services. The Terrence Higgins Trust were able to provide funding for activities as well as support sessions, training opportunities and counselling. Social Care Institute for excellence (2010) in a response to the white paper, Liberating the NHS (HM Government, 2010a) discuss how around 90% of direct social care services are delivered in the private and voluntary sector. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a soci al policy research and development charity, discuss that the state is withdrawing from many welfare functions and increasingly relying on the voluntary sector to fill gaps in care (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1996). The recent strategy document, Building a Stronger Civil Society (HM Government, 2010b) discusses how integration with the voluntary sector will be essential to meet the challenges faced by the health and social care provision. The report focuses on our society being able to access wider sources of support and encourage better public sector partnerships, shifting the power from elites to local communities. The government are also keen to support and strengthen the sector and promote citizen and community action (HM Government, 2010b) . My learning has made me aware that future teams will include professionals across all sectors and communication with these sectors will be essential to our professional roles. Working with the voluntary and private sector as well as statutory services, will require skills to acknowledge different agencies focus on care. Petrie (1976) acknowledges that each profession holds a direct focus to care and it can be challenging to communicate. Laming (2003) called for the training bodies for people working in medicine, nursing, housing, schools, the police etc to demonstrate effective joint working in their training. I feel that it would be useful in the future to incorporate more of these professional groups in IPE conference. Fletcher (2010a) discussed how he would hope this could be achieved in future IPW programmes at UWE. I feel that the addition of these extra professions would really add to the learning. Fletcher (2010b) discusses the central dilemma in ethics between health and social care professionals about having a different focus and the best angle for patient care. These value differences can cause conflict (Mariano, 1999). I feel, in practice, it will be important to take time to find out what each agency/ professional does and I will always remember that in IPW, we have a common goal providing a good service for the service user. Leathard (2003) identities that what people have in common is more important than difference, as professionals acknowledge the value of sharing knowledge and expertise. In my practice, I will uphold professional responsibility and personal conduct to facilitate respect in IPW. Carr (1999) explained that the professional has to be someone who possesses, in addition to theoretical or technical expertise, a range of distinctly moral attitudes and values designed to elevate the interest and needs of service user above self interest. According to Davis and Elliston (1986), each professional field has social responsibilities within it and no one can be professional unless he or she obtains a social sensibility. Therefore, each profession must seek its own form of social good as unless there is social sensibility, professionals cannot perform their social roles (Davis Elliston, 1986). The conference highlighted the benefits of professional codes of ethics, setting of standards for our professional work, providing guidance as to our responsibilities and obligations and obtaining the status and legitimacy of professionals (Bibby, 1998). I feel that is in im portant to always uphold our values and ethics to create respect in our communities and with this comes respecting each others roles. I believe that shared values will underpin this in practice. Darlymple and Burke (2006) discuss that we have a shared concern that the work we do makes society fairer in some small way and we have a commitment to social justice. I feel that IPE has facilitated respect and mutual understanding across our professions. It has made me aware of the importance of professional development, about how we are part of the wider team of health and social care services and how our common values can underpin effective partnership working. It reinforces that collaboration is required as not one profession alone can meet all of a services (Irvine et al. 2002). My social work degree is a combination of theory and practical learning. It is through combining this learning and by reflecting on my experiences throughout the course, that will set my knowledge base, allow me to relate theory to practice, allow me to test my ideas and thinking while identifying areas that need further research becoming a reflective practitioner (Rolfe Gardner, 2006 and Schon, 1983). As a group we discussed that there we all value continued professional development, reflection and awareness and personal responsibility for our learning (Bankert and Kozel 2005). It is this that we agreed we would carry forward as we start our working careers. Word count 1352 Section 3 References Anderson, E., Manek, N., Davidson, A. (2006) Evaluation of a model for maximising interprofessional education in an acute hospital. Journal of Interprofessional Care 2 182-194 Atawl A (2002) A world apart: how occupational therapists, nurses and care managers perceive each other in acute care. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65(10) 446-452 Bailey, D. 2004. The Contribution of Work-based Supervision to Interprofessional Learning on a Masters Programme in Community Mental Health. Active Learning in Higher Education 5(3): 263-278 Bankert, E., G. And Kozel, V,.V (2005) Transforming pedagogy in nursing education: a caring learning environment for adult students. 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Weinstein, J. et al, 2003, Collaboration in Social Work Practice, Jessica Kingsley Publishers

Haig V. Agee: Power To Revoke Passports :: essays research papers

Haig v. Agee: Power to Revoke Passports Whether a passport can be revoked or not has been a major question since the mid- 1800's. Haig v. Agee is a landmark Supreme Court case charging that the Secretary of State can not revoke a passport on the grounds that the power has never been granted by the Congress to the Secretary, and that revoking a passport violates the first and fifth amendments of the Constitution of the United States. Not only does the Secretary of State have implied powers, but revoking Agee's passport did not violate any laws or rights. In Haig v. Agee, the defendant claims that the Passport Act of 1926 does not grant the Secretary of State the right to revoke passports. However, the Passport Act does state that the Secretary of State is the only person who can grant and withhold passport applications. And based upon later provisions, the Secretary can withhold applications if the party is involved with illegal activities. If the Secretary of State can grant and withhold passports, was it implied by the Congress that the Secretary has the powers to revoke passports? "The Secretary of State may grant and issue passports, and cause passports to be granted, issued, and verified in foreign countries by diplomatic representatives of the United States . . . under such rules as the President shall designated and prescribe for and on behalf of the United States, and no other person shall grant, issue, or verify such passports." 22 U.S.C. 211a (1976 ed., Supp. IV). Since the Congress did not specify who has the powers to revoke passports, it should be assumed that because the Secretary is the only person who can grant passports, they are the only ones who can revoke passports on grounds of illegal activities, such as treason. If you consider that Agee's passport was revoked because he was uncovering secret CIA agents, he was undoubtedly committing treason. Though treason is usually considered to be evident during times of war, treason can also be defined as placing national security in jeopardy, such as the case of Agee. Agee's passport should not only have been taken, he should have been extradited and tried by a jury for the crime of treason. Agee also claims that since the power to revoke passports was not directly given to the Secretary of State or the President, then in order to show they have the power, they must have revoked many passports in the past and have the Congress' approval. However, the need to revoke passports on the grounds of

Family as a social institution Essay

Social institution is a set system with values, roles, norms and statutes organized in a manner that satisfies societal needs. One major example of a social institution is the family which is defined as a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption who lives together and share economic resources. American families are mostly organized in form of nuclear family which consists of father, mother and children. Extended family is another form of family arrangement recognized by Americans and consists of uncles, aunts and grand parents. The family structure has changed in various aspects that are related to certain social factors. Andrew J. Cherlin in his book argues that marriage in America has taken new direction different from other developed and developing nations. Marriage which is a bond that leads to existence of a family is faced with a lot of conflicts such as same sex marriage. One major social aspect that has led to changes in family structure is adoption of different cultural ideals. Family is considered as a means of formal commitment through which individuals share life with one another but this is taking another shape because of different ideologies. Through marriage, an aspect of individualism is emphasized by personal choice which is a form of self development that tries to make a family live as one unit. Nuclear type of family is mostly recognized in U. S but growth of population and adoption of different cultural practices has led to changes in family structure. The social aspect of population growth and its impact on family structure can be attributed with migration of family members from overseas countries. Individuals move from other countries to U. S in search of better jobs or to further their education. Once they are in America, such individuals are hosted by family members such as uncles or aunts making the structure of family to change. A family that consisted of husband, wife and children massively expands making its structure to change. Thus population growth and migration of individuals is attributed with changes in family organization or structure. Adoption of cultural practices through intermarriage is another social factor that has led to changes in family structure. In the recent past, individuals from different cultures marry. This allows people to adopt certain cultural practices whereby the role of husband, wife and children changes. Every individual in a family organization has his or her role to play as is defined by the Holy Book but nowadays changes have been adopted in defining the role of each family member. Civilization is a social factor that has led to changes in the structure of family. Most families in developing nations have adopted the live of western countries making the structure of family to change. The role of the family as a social institution Family plays important role in respect to certain responsibilities on children and the entire society as a whole. A family is a social institution that observed certain values, norms or statutes with an objective of existing as one unit. One major role of family in relation to its function on children is to provide the basic needs. Children in a family constitute people below the age of 18 years. Such individuals are not in a position to find money on their own and thus depend on parents to provide for them basic needs. Basic needs in this aspect consist of food, shelter and clothing which should be provided by husband and wife. Another basic role of family to children is enforcement of norms such as discipline, ethical considerations, moral values and strong base on religion. Parents in a family are supposed to provide strong discipline to their children so as to have a bright future. Discipline is one of the core things a family cannot deny its children because it is the beginning of wisdom and adoption of good moral values. Parents should teach their children about religion when they are young so as to have a strong base in Christianity, Islamic teachings, Hinduism and any other form of religion recognized by the constitution. Parents in a family are very instrumental in the aspect of teaching children how to behave and be responsible adults. Family as a social institution plays a very important role concerning the entire society. A society is a collection of many families with common goal and objective of sharing economic resources. Family members play a very important role through provision of needed services to serve the society. The parents work in various sectors of the economy thus they participate through collective responsibility. Certain services that are provided by the parents include teaching, nursing, accounting, engineering and legal services. All these services are needed by other members in the society and thus it avails services required by the entire community. The family engages in various social activities in the society whereby the children participate in schools, churches games, competition and entire society. It is a very important role that sees children grow as one unit which is a symbol of unity and peace. Work Cited Kirkpatrick Clifford, 1955, The Family as Process and Institution.

American Industrial Worker

Andrea October 19, 2010 A. P US HISTORY During 1865-1900 technological changes as well as labor unions had great impact on the average American industrial worker either it be positive or negatively in the sense that workers were abused and underpaid to the point where their needed to be change. Technology was advancing steadily and new inventions were being introduced to industry at a rapid pace. With that, a new breed of machines used for manufacturing would be operated by the American worker thus creating tension with workers and employers due to them not seeing eye to eye.Technological innovation created more jobs but because most machines were labor saving devices, fewer workers could produce more in less time thus having workers being paid based on time rather than the time spent on the job. This affected the American industrial worker in the sense that they could no longer decide when to begin and end the workday, when to rest and what tools and techniques to use further depriv ing the worker’s of their independence.Since machines and the assembly line were of great use they reduced the need for skilled workers causing employers to cut wage costs by hiring more women and children. Due to employers lowering wages this just caused workers to work even harder and longer just to maintain the same income further showing the abuse they endured. Labor unions were a result of the loss of independence, desire for better wages; hours and working conditions the American industrial worker were deprived of.This caused workers to unite under the same cause and fight for what they believed their deserved. Groups such as the Knights of Labor believed they could eliminate conflict between workers and employers by establishing a cooperative society in which laborers worked for themselves, not for those who possessed capital but though a great goal for workers technological and economic changes made it impossible for each worker to be his or her own employer.Most labo r unions were a failure and didn’t really achieve much for workers and strikes stirred up due to these movements which only ended badly and without gains for workers. Technological innovations as well as labor unions though interconnected greatly impacted the life of the American industrial worker. Lowered wages due to the idea of efficiency machines provided further burden on workers causing labor unions to promise better wages and working conditions though not a success the idea of wanting to help workers impacted them positively and negatively.

buy custom Law Enforcement Technology essay

buy custom Law Enforcement Technology essay According to Reichert, the contribution of technology in the last two decades has majorly been attributed to development in both the computer and communication technologies. The law enforcement has not been left out either. Reichert (2001) notes that the department has since 1990s involved itself in carrying out various researches while also trainings its staff in the relevant computer knowledge. Technology has enabled the department to improve the way it transmits data. Most significant, is the attractive and user friendly graphic interface. These advancements have greatly increased the capacity of the department in collecting, storing, analyzing and sharing of the data within and across relevant departments. However, such technological advancements have not come without challenges to the law enforcement agencies. John and Champion (2007) also noted that technologies have as well been used by the law breakers to coordinate their illegal activities. This write up looks at the advancement in law enforcement technology over the years and their impact in law enforcement. Positive Contributions of Technology to Law Enforcement For any meaningful achievement in the work of the law enforcement department there must be a medium which could help increase cooperation between communities and the police. Mitchell (2002) denotes that prevention of crime is the responsibility of both the police and the community. The law enforcement department has today taken advantage of the prevalent use of the social network, the internet and state of the art communication technology. This has greatly helped bridge the communication between the police and the community (Mitchell, 2002). According to John Champion (2007), crime prevention is a multidimensional undertaking. It engages different groups starting with the police, members of the society, the law courts and the correction facilities. However, in order to prevent crime from occurring, there is a need to stop it at its source. According to Mitchell (2002), the best way of minimizng incidences of crime, is by developing a system that easily identifies and reports criminal activities. This requires an excellent law enforcement technology that would enable easier collection, storage, analysis and sharing of information relating to crime. Reichert (2001) identifies two aspects of police work in which technology has played a significant contribution. These are crime mapping and information sharing. Over the past decade, the use of computers to map crime has continuously increased. According to Reichert (2001), this phenomenon is attributable to the developments in geo-information systems (GIS) and improvements in theoretical analysis and investigation of crime. Reportedly, a combination of GIS and mapping software in computers has significantly increased capacity to extract and analyze data. This technology has widely been used because of its ease in implementation and efficiency in data analysis. Reichert (2001) noted that technologies have also allowed the concerned individuals within the law enforcement echelon to share the gathered information by other enforcement officers. This has been possible through a pull of information called a database resulting from the created networks and internetworks that connect all law enforcement officers within the given described region. According to Reichert (2001), technology has allowed a fully integrated system with careful planning, and coordination among the concerned law enforcement agencies. With advancement in technology, the challenge of information security is quickly being addressed. Technology has presently ensured optimum security of the stored information as it makes it easy for the law enforcement agencies to control access and consistently manipulate the stored data. Ratchet (2001), notes that presently the department has developed a system in which access rights to the shared resource are defined based on seniority among the officers and urgency of cases tackled. He added that most law enforcement technologies have also provided a window through which members of the public can provide input relating to crime or suspects. Examples of the Technologies in Use Mitchell (2002) denotes that there are plentiful of such systems of law enforcement used globally to sponsor police work. In my view, the most outstanding system is one currently used by the Chicago Police Department (CPD). Reichert (2001) explains that, the CPD developed a computer based system called CLEAR which stands for Citizen and Law Enforcement Analysis and Reporting CPD. The program has helped in tapping the information technology to guide in more effective management of different sectors. It has also helped reinforce the community partnerships while also enhancing the sharing of information with other criminal justice and agencies (Reichert, 2001). Apart from this technology there has also been the public Video Surveillance which has widely been used as an effective crime prevention tool. It involves the use of CCTV to capture every action taking place within a give range of distance. The technology has been installed in various towns and cities across the globe to help in crime prevention. Technology Related Challenges In spite of the benefits it has afforded law enforcement officers, technology still poses significant challenges in their line of work. There are several technology related crimes which have posed great challenges to the law enforcement department because of their faster rate of advancement. The operations of criminal organizations like those dealing with drug trafficking have also been enhanced through the very technology. Though several attempts have been made to find solutions to such problems, there have been major draw backs emanating from issues relating to privacy, harassment by the established autocracies, security concerns and the overall cost of implementation. Conclusion In conclusion, though it has come with its costs, the proper use of law enforcement technologies has gradually increased capacity and effectiveness of combating crime. Buy custom Law Enforcement Technology essay

The Role and Tasks of Purchasing In Assuring Product Quality from Essay

The Role and Tasks of Purchasing In Assuring Product Quality from Suppliers - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that purchasing is critical to the effective management of material logistics. Positioned at the interface between the customer and the supplier, responsibility often falls on this function for managing the relationship between the customers and suppliers in the supply chain. The role of purchasing is a gateway to suppliers so that other business functions can communicate with counterpart within the supplier organizations. According to Garvin, there are eight basic elements of product quality. They are performance, features, reliability, conformance, durability, serviceability, aesthetics and perceived quality. What is quality Quality is defined as "conformance to requirements". To maintain a high quality standard of goods, supplier quality is of paramount importance. Purchasing has different meaning in different industries. This article first introduces different perspectives of purchasing in different industries. Then, the role and task o f purchasing in the abovementioned areas will be analyzed respectively. Examples are given in each area in the article. Purchasing has four objectives. They are right quality, competitive price, economic quantity and on-time delivery. Right quality refers to conforming specification requirement. For competitive price, there are two aspects. One is internal competition, the other is external competition. The former can be achieved by reducing the production cost. The latter is due to highly competitive market, with reference to price comparison, historical price, shipping and payment terms etc. Third, economic quantity is crystal clear that buying quantity must lead to a lower cost of the purchase. Cost of holding inventories and cost of not holding inventories are essential consideration. Cost of holding inventories and cost of not holding inventories are essential consideration. Last, on-time delivery is vital to a company as there are cost and price consequence. Normally, urgent o rder placement is more expensive than the regular placement as late delivery for urgent one might hold up production and incur cost penalty. The aim of purchasing varies in different industries. In manufacturing firms, purchasing of raw materials and components is for supporting production. For original equipment manufacturer (OEM), high cost in purchasing raw materials means it should transfer the burden to its customers or cut the production cost. Besides, quality of components counts. Quality-in-quality-out is of paramount importance. If there is defect in one lot of components and it is not discovered by the staff responsible for quality control, it would be disastrous. Quality of components affects the quality of production, and hence affects customer satisfaction. In government or public organization, purchasing is used to support user's need. For example, stationery is essential for every department in government. Purchasing, in this sense, means buying at a satisfactory qual ity with the lowest price. This can be achieved by formal tendering. According to Government Procurement Agreement, Hong Kong government has to go for an open tender for a purchase order of approximately over $1.3 million. In service sector, purchases have to match corporate image and business strategies. For a five-star hotel, the quality of commodity purchased is indispensable for its image.  

Topic 1-2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Topic 1-2 - Essay Example In most cases, people get jobs to earn income and gain status, which are part of reasons that make people to work. Career as work refers to a collection of jobs that a person involves in over the individual’s work life. This description is not to mean that work can be a career when a person serve as a nurse for ten years, and then as an hotelier for five years. Work only becomes a career when a person maintains a particular line of work practice though for different periods, positions or work place. For instance, work can be a career when one serves as a junior engineer for ten years and later as chief engineer for ten years. Additionally, a person can be in a career if they work for a particular company as engineer for three years and then for another company in the same position for six years (Brown & Lent, 2013). As a calling, work involves performing a certain activity with great passion and conviction. Work becomes a calling when a person is very concerned about work and considers it a social responsibility and less concern pay even though they work on paid