Organizational Change
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course
Instructor
Date
Abstract
Organizations are facing rapid changes cutting across all the departments, which is significantly affecting their operations. Therefore, to tackle these changes, organizations and businesses have to adopt new strategies such as organizational learning to ensure that they continue operating in the competitive market and make profits and meet the demands of the clients. The paper analyses the techniques of organizational learning incorporated in tackling the ongoing changes at Disney Company. It defines the approach, goals, and how to measure the purposes of the company. Furthermore, the paper analyzes how Disney Company can implement organizational learning to remain abreast in both technologies and the competitive film industry. The article also discusses the business structure that suits the corporate learning and how to acquire the employees’ support to introduce changes through the employee “buy-in” technique. Finally, the paper discusses leadership and management’s roles in implementing organizational learning and the implication of the strategy to the organization and its employees.
Keywords: Disney, Change, Organizational Learning, Business, Goals.
Organizational Change
Change is inevitable in almost all aspects, and organizations are not exceptional. Therefore, for companies or organizations to improve their operations, they must undergo transitional changes. Organizational change is the company’s actions to change its system functions, such as cultures and infrastructure. However, the changes might not be easy to adapt to in the entire system of an organization. Milway and Saxton (2011), for instance, explains that the lack of clear vision and measurable goals among organizations may derail organizational learning as dissemination and use of knowledge to improve performance is underrated. However, despite these challenges, adaption has to occur for the organization’s survival and sustainability in the competitive environment.
Consequently, it is the organization’s manager’s role to take the entire company or organization through the inevitable changes. The paper covers particularly one of the approaches of initiating change in Disney studio company: organizational learning, what it means, the goals achieved through the strategy, and how to measure the goals. Additionally, the paper covers how to implement the organizational learning, the structure needed, the system that suits the respective strategies, gain “buy-in” through the employees, the leadership roles in implementation, and organizational implication on culture.
Organizational Learning
Organizational learning is an approach that majorly describes or deduces knowledge from employees to staff management. For an organization to improve its operations, there has to be an improvement in the knowledge and skills necessary to boost an organization’s operations. Additionally, four different types of expertise are exhibited in an organization: individual, group, organizational learning, and inter-organizational learning. Organizational learning is essential to a company or a firm since it enables companies to compete in the fast-changing environments and sustain themselves in the competitive environment. (Roder, 2019).
Goals of the Organizational Learning Approach.
It is almost impossible for an organization to improve its operations without equipping its employees and management staff with knowledge and skills updated to the rapidly changing markets. Therefore, as a Disney company manager, choosing an organizational learning technique requires the goals and targets to effectively perform their operations. One of the first goals to set out is strengthening the community and improving the relationship with the district. A lot an organization can gain from building a strong community and collaboration, the employees and staff members of an organization. Cooperation and unity among employees and the staff members are arrived at when an organization shares knowledge and information with the employees. It builds trust and faith in the company and a feeling of belonging.
The second goal is innovation, which comes immediately after building strong collaboration between the employees and staff members. Teamwork, which happens as a result of a healthy community, involves sharing problems and makes it easier to find solutions. In her article, Melanie Dimmit explains that Disney uses teamwork and employs the intrapreneurs, which is an innovative shark-tank-like, which ensures that the staff engages in healthy competition among themselves in developing and pitching creative ideas for the company (2017). Lev-Ram (2014) further explains that Disney’s significant milestone has been as a result of innovation and using lessons and knowledge from their activities in ensuring organization learning and implementing better technology and more significant films for their client base. The third goal is to promote high efficiency in an organization. Performance efficiency improves if the employees are free to interact through brainstorming ideas, making it easier to solve a problem and, hence, low operation costs. The fourth objective is to ensure that there are continuous improvements in the entire departments in an organization.
Consequently, an organization that encourages and supports learning benefits since learning is a continuous process that does not stop. Therefore, improvements in service and goods production will also continuously improve (Marjetka, 2020). The fifth goal is that of increasing productivity in the Disney organization. The employees and management productivity guarantee the productivity of a company or organization. Therefore, organizational learning helps improve employees’ efficiency and productivity, which finally translates to an increase in the company’s productivity.
How to Measure the Goals
After initiating the program, research must be done to measure the performance and the goals set. The plans that are set out are passed through the implementation evaluation. Implementation evaluation tells if the program initiated is working and meeting the expectations and intended purposes. Furthermore, it measures the expectations that the stakeholders tailor and that the program conforms to the regulations and standards’ requirements. Secondly, the outcome evaluation is also used to measure the goal of the program’s organizational learning. Outcome evaluation is a technique specifically put in place to trace a program’s performance based on its outcomes.
Additionally, the technique also assesses the program’s effectiveness in delivering the intended purpose and tracing the lope holes or the entire program’s weaknesses. The third initiative of measuring the goals of organizational learning is the impact evaluation. It is essential to measure the program’s impact and analyze the effects that would have been experienced without the presence of the current program initiated. Therefore, the initiative helps to draw the importance of employing organizational learning in the organization. The fourth initiative is the cost-benefit evaluation. The industry deduces the outputs of the program as compared to its cost of establishment or initiation. The initiative is also significant since it helps an organization evaluate the most relevant goals regarding the number of resources it requires to establish and function as expected.
How to Implement the Program
An institution’s organizational learning program should be implemented by learning a tradition and one of Disney’s culture. Consequently, Disney company runs a program that ensures that all new and old employees undergo mandatory regular training regardless of who they are and their roles in the company. Additionally, any employee rehired to the Disney Company also has to go through the system’s program to attain the competitive skills and techniques. Disney’s traditions under training involve ground viewing, a thorough understanding of the current company, and understanding the great history of the company. The Disney company has its trainees in the 1990s undergo a severe training that involves ground tours that could last for three days but has been sliced down to eight hours. Finally, the trainees are now issued with nametags to mean that they are now free to tour the park free of charge. Secondly, Disney Company has a program referred to as the park orientation, which involves all trainees, regardless of whether new or old, is taken around Disney Park. The new trainee must participate in several rides, which are made fun of, including other fun activities such as scavenger hunt and trivia.
Notably, the trainees are also required here to learn some of the histories of the park. Ideally, the company initiated the program to deal correctly with the common guest question concerning the park and its facilities. Additionally, the park orientation helped the company avoid the responses such as, “I don’t know,” instead they should be well equipped with the knowledge of the entire place, and if not, they should know someone can best guide a customer. The third implementation strategy involves the splitting up of trainees into their specific specialization location and receiving their continued training. In Disney company, splitting happens severally, but the major ones include the spiel attraction and the merchandise employees. The spiel attraction is taken to meet their trainees and the real interest.
On the other hand, the merchandise trainees are taken through a class referred to as Merchantainment since it deals exclusively with the selling and blending with entertainment. The fourth strategy involves training the employees on handling the vehicles, especially the tour guide vehicles. Every single trainee of Disney company is given a driving taste on the trucks that some are fully automated while others depend on the trainee to take full control of the tuck.
Specifically, this training aims to make all the employees familiarize themselves with the narrow winding pathways as they carry tourists around the park. Specifically, Disney trains their employees to drive the tour bus through the Disney park such that the employees can operate smoothly and safely touring individuals. The fifth strategy is the Spiel focus, which involves trainees memorizing the complete knowledge and skills acquired in the full training. The spiel process can begin whereby the trainee rehearses outside the vehicle and finally do it while driving. The trucks at the moment are empty while a rehearsal drive is done. o In contrast, the sixth strategy involves the organization encouraging a rotation of the employee from one department to another to recollect and put together all the knowledge and skills acquired through the training process. Finally, a test is conducted to assess the employees’ efficiency after undergoing the training process (Fristcher, 2014).
The Matrix Structure
Matrix business or organizational structure is when employees have more than two bosses to report to instead of the standard business structures where there is only one boss to say matters. Specifically, the matrix organizational structure is defined by one primary manager, but other project managers work under the leading manager. Research done reveals that the matrix organization’s system is essential in skills needing to be passed across several departments in an organization. Therefore, the suitable type of organizational structure that matches the organizational learning Disney organization is the matrix. The matrix business structure suits the business approach to education because they increase communication efficiency. Corporate learning strategy requires communication efficiency since learning involves communication. The matrix structure promotes communication since employees interact freely with several people and personalities, including the report’s event to their managers.
Additionally, the matrix strategy improves on employee’s motivation, which helps to increase production and efficiency as well. Specifically, this type of structure values and appreciates every individuals’ contributions and encourages contribution; hence employees feel motivated every time (Indeed Career Guide, 2020). The matrix organization structure also encourages teamwork as employees interact through multiple projects pulling the talents together.
How to Gain ‘Buy-In” Through the Employees.
Individuals who have a revolutionary idea and are thinking of initiating it might be challenging if they do not have the employees’ buy-in support. An organization’s situation makes it hard to implement a revolutionary idea through hierarchy but preferably through influence. Ideally, nothing in particulars happens to revolutionary ideas if they do not attract public buy-in. Therefore, to initiate massive changes in the Disney organization, the ‘buy-in’ technique draws the employees’ attention in the Disney organization. Thus, a prudent step should be put in place to be followed to trigger the changes. The first stage is formulating a crucial idea, whereby it involves laying out clear and distinctive ideas. Raise awareness in public concerning the problem at hand because people will not take any action or a move not until they are aware of an imaging issue or a problem at hand. Make a valid and robust explanation of why you think that a particular case is a threat and needs to be addressed. The second stage is to expose the idea to the people and waiting for their response. Notably, if there is no public reaction does not mean that your revolutionary idea is good. This means that nobody cares about the concept introduced. The revolutionary notion should spike or trigger some conflict among the people. This means that the idea raised attracted the public’s attention, giving you room to explain to them why the idea is essential and why it should receive some favors.
Additionally, take time to listen to their opinions and engage them in finding a better solution to better the idea. The third step is to inviting in their thoughts and using their feedback to improve your primary revolutionary idea. Invite the public in as well in the entire process of shaping the idea through their opinions. This shows that you value and respect their thoughts, making it possible to trust your and the general idea. The last step is to communicate your progress to the people. Giving back the feedback and updates makes the public feel like they are part of the entire process and meant for their common good. (Kristi, 2015) The most dangerous idea that prevents a revolutionary idea is the fear f the unknown; therefore, it is necessary to overcome the people’s fear about the unknown. A good explanation should be made on the possible results in passing the idea.
The Roles of Leadership/Management in Implementing Organizational Learning
The management and leaders of Disney play a vital role in promoting learning to improve the system’s operations. Leaders are responsible for showing the direction to the employees and the entire organization to emulate and adapt the institution’s learning process. Additionally, the management and leaders act as a guide to the employees; therefore, if they embrace learning, then it makes it easier for employees to emulate and follow the examples set by their leaders.
Implications of Organizational Culture
Disney’s culture implies the social norms and ethics that define an organization. Organizational culture is a vital tool that builds or identifies a company’s structure of operations. Notably, an organization’s culture is also influential such that in the case of business owners understanding the right projects that work well with the culture of an organization. Therefore, this will enable the business owners of Disney Company, leaders, and managers to understand the suitable projects that work well for the businesses (Jeremy, 2018). Besides, Disney’s Organization culture, defines by ethics and social norms, will facilitate organizational learning and transparent business and ethics parameters that are acceptable to the organization.
References
Business Administration. (2015). Four types of organizational structure, POINT PARK University, https://www.online.pointpark.edu February 2, 2021
Fritscher, L. (2014, September 12). The 7 Steps Walt Disney World Takes to Train its New Cast Members.
Jeremy, K. (2018). Implications of Organizational Culture on Project Structure, Chron, https://www.smallbusiness.chron/implications-organizational-culture-project-structure-73039.html February 2, 2021
Kristi, M. (2015). How to Get a Real Buy-In for Your Idea, Forbes, https://www.forbes.com February 2, 2021
Marjetka, (2020). 5 Benefits of Learning Organization, Life Learning Accademia, https://www.llacademia.com February 2, 2021
Roder, J. (2019). What Is Organizational Learning (And Why Is It Important), WORKEST, https://www.zenefits.com/workest/what-is-organizational-learning/ February 2, 2021
Milway, K. S., & Saxton, A. (2011). The challenge of organizational learning. Stanford Social Innovation Review, 9(3), 44-49.
Dimmit, M. (2017, August 17). This is how Disney Nurtures a Culture of Innovation. Behold, The Business Magic. Collective hub. Available at https://collectivehub.com/2017/08/how-disney-nurtures-a-culture-of-ideas-and-innovation/
Lev-Ram, M. (2014, December 29). 14 Iconic Milestones of Disney Innovation. The Fortune. Accessed on February 6, 2021, from https://fortune.com/2014/12/29/disney-innovation-timeline/