CLASSMATE 1

Discussion 8

Topic: How does a leader set a sense of urgency for change in an organization?

To improve things, change is introduced and learning makes it possible to make the change. Change is a process through which people and organizations move as they gradually learn, come to understand, and become skilled and competent in the use of new ways (Hall & Hord, 2015). Embracing change can be beneficial for organizations, especially since things in the world are constantly changing. Therefore, it is imperative for leaders to act as agents of change. Change Agent is defined as an individual whose “job is to engage with the user system and prospective adopters to introduce and encourage adoption of the innovation” (Hall & Hord, 2015). In simpler terms, an agent of change is an individual that that seeks to increase effectiveness within an organization.

From my experience, most staff members are resistant to consistent change. It, also, makes it more difficult when the consistent change is mandated. Teamwork and collaboration are huge factors that contributes to the success of the company. When the staff are included in the decision making process, it makes the transition more comfortable. “Leadership is a set of processes involving creating a vision of the future and a strategy for getting there” (Kotter, 2010). In regards to establishing a sense of urgency, change one of John Kotter’s 8 Stages of Organizational Change, details the significance of motivating staff to change (Hall & Hord, 2018). As there cannot be a leader without followers, leadership involves interpersonal influence. The leader has the ability to motivate others to get involved with achieving a common goal. Leadership involves the leader being goal directed and action oriented. Therefore, leaders play an active role in groups and organization by using influence to guide others through a certain course of action. It is the leader that sets the tone of the work environment. When the leader embraces and encourages change, the staff will follow suit.

Hall, G. E. & Hord, S. M. (2015). Implementing change: Patterns, principles, and potholes (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice- Hall.

Kotter, J. (2013). The Key Differences Between Leading and Managing. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEfgCqnMl5E&list=PLRA49gaKoVqOdc28ycg8rgTOC6tNoxKP0&index=12)

CLASSMATE 2

Change is inevitable and must occur (David & David, 2017). Businesses cannot remain the same as competitors are constantly shifting their practices to improve productivity and customer satisfaction. It is imperative that leaders do not become complacent. Being complacent can hinder the organization from growing, expanding, and increasing productivity. Leaders must consider having competitive rates, excellent customer service, deals, etc. to stay in competition with others. Leaders and employees want to envision change as something positive that than an anxious event or a pessimistic way (David & David, 2017). Organizations must be able to recognize the urgency for the need to change. Kotter 8 step model for leading change discusses leaders creating a sense of urgency. 

Kotter and Cohen (2012) mentioned that creating a sense of urgency will require leaders to make bold or risky decisions. Leaders in the position must be okay with making difficult decisions even if others in the organization do not approve of it, as long as it benefits the whole organization. Leaders can create a sense of urgency by recognizing that change needs to occur within the organization. Once the leader realizes that change needs to occur, it is important for leaders to assess what needs to change. Leaders want to ensure that they prepare efficiently and effectively for the change that needs to occur. Communicating the change to the team will be a vital step in ensuring that the change is implemented accurately. Once the change is implemented, it will also be important to track the progression of that change and whether the organization is improving or deteriorating from the change. It is always vital to assess the needs of the organization, for things change, and sometimes change quickly. Leaders want to ensure that they are aware of what is needed to generate effective productivity and overall job satisfaction. As mentioned above, change is inevitable; therefore, leaders want to be aware of when a change needs to occur, how often it occurs, and the outcome of the occurrence.

David, F. R., & David, F. R. (2017). Strategic Management: A Competitive Advantage Approach. Florence: Pearson.

Kotter, J. P., and Cohen, D. S. (2012). Leading Change. Boston, M.A., Harvard Business School Press.

Paper #1 Requirements: A  “career path” in a given occupation can be defined as a series of  increasingly responsible and demanding “jobs,” where at least some of  those jobs are prerequisites for one another, like prerequisites for  college courses.  When we think of professional careers, we often think of progressions like “Jr. Accountant, Accountant, Financial Analyst,  Accounting Manager, Division Comptroller, CFO.”

Smart companies arrange step-wise  progressions for non-exempt (hourly paid, typically non-degreed)  employees in order to retain them over time.  For example, an employee of a residential moving company might go through the following sequence of positions: Loader B, Loader A, Lead Loader, Truck Driver, and  Project Coordinator, where each job requires the expertise gained in its  predecessor.  You should go into LIRN and search for at least a couple  of articles that treat these kinds of “job families” for non-exempt (or  “hourly”) employees. 

When companies create job families, they are said to have “internal labor markets,” which means that, aside  from an entry-level position, which can be filled “off the street,”  recruitment for the higher-level jobs is almost always done within the company. 

Deliverables 

Once you have done your research and reflected upon this matter, please address the following questions:

1. a. What are the advantages to a company of having such job families?
2. b. Do you believe that, over the long term, job families are good for profits, or not? Why? 
3. c. What are the advantages to the employees? Are there disadvantages to the employees that you can think of?
4. d. Overall, why would you recommend (or not recommend) the use of job families?

Use the required reading, the  lectures, and the sources cited in the lectures to justify your  position, along with additional research you have done.

Paper Writing Requirements 

Please be sure to address the following requirements when completing your papers:

• The cover page and reference page/s are not included in the page requirement or word count. These should be in addition to paper page count requirements.
• Papers need to be formatted in proper APA 6th Edition style.
• Each paper requires a minimum of at least three outside peer-reviewed sources for your references.
  • Acceptable/credible sources include: Academic journals and books, industry journals, and the class textbook. You could also use credible business website sources in addition to the peer-reviewed required sources, but avoid Wikipedia and Google. These are academic papers that need to include scholarly research.

This is not a formal Wilderness Medicine class, and we are not certifying, or developing treatment skills for you to provide medical care in the backcountry. With that being said, it is still important to learn about the most common medically related risks that can occur in the backcountry. For the next few weeks we will identify the following components for different Wilderness First Aid Topics:

‘Signs and Symptoms’ – How to identify the problem. What are the most common physical, psychological signs that something is wrong. How do these medical issues manifest themselves over time and what indicators can alert us to the medical issue?

‘Treatment’ – How you solve the problem. What are the most common, and effective treatment options as agreed upon by the medical community?

‘Prevention’- How to avoid the problem. The most common methods and strategies for avoiding these wilderness risks.

This week please address the above components for each medical topic below. (sentences or bullet format are acceptable)

Altitude Illness- AMS, HACE, HAPE
Blisters
Heat Related Illnessess
Hypothermia
Insect Bites and Animal Bites
Allergies and Anaphylaxis

*Again, completion of these sections, and/or of this course, does not certify you in any way to diagnose or treat medical complications in the front country or backcountry. If you are interested in becoming a certified Wilderness Medicine Practitioner, please search for Wilderness First Aid, or Wilderness First Responder courses near you.

Resources

https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/atg/PDFs/Take_a_Class/WRFA_ERG_9781584806295.pdf  (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

http://www.ewbdenver.org/wiki/files/b/b6/WFA_Course.pdf (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. 

If you use your own resource please add a link at the end of your submission. 

300 Words

Managing Risk

The gear revolution minimized many barriers of access to the Backcountry but did not eliminate the inherent risks involved in stepping outside.

This week we will explore risk matrices from Rick Curtis. Rick Curtis is a US Outdoor professional with Princeton University and a leading author and contributor to many fields of study within Outdoor Education. His Risk Assessment Safety Management (RASM) model provides an in-depth, collegiate level introduction and explanation of the phenomena of RISK and his model of identifying and interacting with RISK.

https://www.outdoored.com/articles/risk-assessment-safety-management-rasm-complete-risk-management-model-outdoor-programs (Links to an external site.)

https://www.outdoored.com/file/risk-assessment-safety-management-model-rasm (Links to an external site.)

After you complete the reading and watching the clip, browse through the National Park Services list of ‘TEN ESSENTIALS’. https://www.nps.gov/articles/10essentials.htm (Links to an external site.)

The Ten Essentials represent the minimum equipment you should bring with you when you venture into the back country.

After connecting the Ten Essentials to RASM please answer the following questions in the discussion section of CANVAS under ‘Week 9- Managing Risk’

1- Explain Safety Factors.
2- What is Bailing out?
3- Explain the advantages of the RASM model.
4- Explain the disadvantages of the RASM model.
5- Explain why the TEN ESSENTIALS are so important and how they fit into RASM.

• Read the article titled, “Recognition, Reification, and Practices of Forgetting: Ethical Implications of Human Resource Management.” Be  prepared to discuss. Next, analyze one (1) human resource ethical issue  that you believe is prominent in today’s organizations. Suggest two (2)  approaches that organizations could take in order to resolve this  issue. Provide a rationale for your response.
• Rank the major ethical issues and dilemmas in business in order  of importance (one [1] being the most important). Provide a rationale  for your response.