MANAGING CHANGE IN ORGANIZATIONS-UN

Managing Change in Organizations-UN

Managing Change in Organizations-UN

Q1. Briefly describe ONE significant change which has occurred within the last 5 years in the United Nations. Identify the main drivers for this change.

The first and most obvious definition of "change management" is that the term refers to the task of managing change. Managing change is itself a term that has at least two meanings. One meaning of "managing change" refers to making changes in a planned and managed or systematic fashion. External events may also necessitate organizational change. Hence? the second meaning of managing change - the response to changes over which an organization exercises little or no control (e.g.? a rapid rise in the price of oil? devaluation of the national currency? civil unrest? new legislation? and so on). The recognition of the need for timely adjustment to external events has given rise the concept of the "learning organization"? one capable of continuous adaptation to the changing external environment. Finally? change management refers to an area of professional practice and the related body of knowledge that has grown up within and around this subject? mainly as a result of experience in the private sector. There are many models for change management: business schools offer instruction in its theory and practice and consulting firms offer a variety of services to facilitate change. This body of knowledge focuses on change within a single organization.

Change Management and Development Cooperation

The business of development is about change. One meaning of "managing change" therefore refers to making changes in a planned and managed or systematic fashion. This is the definition that strikes a chord with development practitioners.

Change also happens in response to external stimuli. These stimuli may be of a foreseen nature (e.g. the need for a one-UN approach as underpinning change in the UN) or unforeseen (e.g. the Asian tsunami forced the Maldives Ministry of Finance? Ministry of Planning and Department of External Resources to drop their differences and join hands in planning the recovery phase? irrespective of who assumed charge of expanded ODA receipts? management and disbursement). (Ackerman? 1997)

Development practitioners have adapted some change management methods under the banners of organizational development and institutional reform. (Ackerman? 1997) "Change management" is commonly the name of a chapter in a handbook on organizational development. The content consists of a grab bag of "tools" for managing organizational change. This usage of change management is quite similar to the usage in the private sector. To the extent that development activities also focus on an individual organization? the private sector approaches may be relevant and may be applied after taking into account the differences between firms and public sector organizations.

However? as referred earlier? the "changes" promoted by development assistance may focus not only on an individual organization or a group of related organizations? but also on the larger development environment. (Ackerman? 1997) For example? a development intervention may seek to mitigate cultural constraints that inhibit delivery of health services to people infected with HIV and AIDS; to ...