Task Design for Change

The following Course Outcome is assessed in this assignment.

GM504-3: Assess the impact of change on people, processes, leadership, and organizational climate.

Introduction: Just determining what needs to change is only the initial consideration in implementing change. There are many considerations that must align with the goals, vision, strategy, and firm environment in order to be successful. You will consider the impact of change in a fictitious organization which will allow you some insight into the web of interconnections involved in the change implementation process.

Read the scenario and address all the checklist items.

Scenario:

DentalGiant, Inc. is a large dental practice with 10 dentists, 15 assistants, 5 receptionists, and 6 dental hygienists. The two founding dentists, Casey and Rhea, realize they need to start using robots for some of the routine work as they are already at capacity addressing the needs in the Washington, D.C., Virginia, and Maryland areas. They have three offices. One just over the bridge into Arlington, Virginia, so D.C. residents and workers can access their services, another office in Leesburg, Virginia., and another in Fredericksburg, Maryland.

The dentists all graduated from top dental schools in the area but are laid back and like their staff to project an unhurried air while simultaneously being very expert at what they do. There are few policies, if any, and the attitude adopted by all is laissez-faire. The staff members have grown to be a close-knit group. The staff is quite content with their employment circumstances since they value their personal time, which the dental practice leadership honor. Typically, the staff is used to taking an hour for lunch and always taking a half-hour whenever they need it to do errands during the day. Most staff who have been there since the offices were opened ten years prior work 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Thursdays, while the dentists work 9 a.m.- 3 p.m. only on Mondays through Wednesdays. In addition, the practice has up until now, not accepted insurance, although they will file it for the patients. They realize that they need more coordination regarding billing, and they need to start accepting dental insurance and processing claims for patients. The latter change will mean adding additional personnel. They are also concerned as the practice has grown, it is often difficult for the staff to reach the founders on their days off for questions and problems. The two founding partners realize that to accommodate more patients, they need to make the practice more efficient while bringing in dental robots to accommodate the increasing demand for their services.

Checklist:

Determine the process changes that need to be made. Assess the specific tasks and subtasks. Explain the task design type. Explain how these tasks and subtasks coordinate to ultimately align with the organization's goals. Assess the impact of the changes on leadership. Decide what the leader's style is. Determine what impact the proposed changes will have on the executive leadership's (i.e., the C-suite) leadership style. Substantiate your assessment of the impact of the proposed changes on leadership's role using one reputable article. Evaluate how those proposed changes will impact the employees and the possible need for new hires. Assess the impact of the proposed changes on the clients. Determine the organization's climate category before and after changes have been implemented. Determine the impact of the proposed changes on the practice's organizational climate (values, attitudes, and policies). Summarize the impact of the proposed changes in terms of climate tension and ability to change.