A630.1.4.RB - Board of Directors

Describe a situation from your organizational life that was similar to the situation from the video. Describe the situation in detail making sure to discuss how the organization was able to work through the difficulties to enable real change to occur.
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It is amazing how a simple cartoon can deliver such a powerful message.  Even though the You Tube video titled “A Tale of Power and Vision” will make you smile, at the same time, it will make you reflect on the struggles of organizations that are going through a change process.   In my adult career, I have seen this type of struggle in both corporate America and in various federal government agencies. It is amazing how a few individuals with power and authority; that are not open to change can stagnant change within an organization. 

I have witnessed this type of behavior on many occasions during my working adult career.  In my previous organization, I was one of many engineers serving in a supervisory position.  One of the biggest issues for a large manufacturing organization is how to address the union.  The union in the organization I am referring to have a very negative attitude when it related to corporate policy.  Many of the older employees often threaten managers by saying that they were going to file grievance when they did not get what they wanted.  When I arrived, this was well established as a cultural norm of the organization. 

During a staff meeting one of the older employees decided he did not want to work with a certain individual because of his race.  He felt that because he was a Vietnam veteran, he should not have to work with people from that nation.  This was totally against company policy and a situation that needed to be addressed.  The problem was current management was not willing to address this situation due to the union; so they gave him his wishes. This employee believed that the need for diversity and inclusion did not apply to him.  The managers believed they did not have to enforce the diversity policy and it was easier to let employees choose with whom they would work. At the time, these corporate cultures bred negativity when it came to the idea of diversity.

When I and several other supervisors spoke to the operations Vice President, he was very upset when he learned about the situation.  He was new to the organization and had a different mindset than the previous senior leader.  After communicating the company policy to the management team, he was able to get everyone board.  There were a few individuals who demonstrated resistance because they did not want to deal with the union.  However, it was explained to them that this was a corporate policy that would be followed, did not violate any employee labor laws, and was a key part of the supervisor’s responsibility.  In the end, the enforcement of the policy became the new norm; with some of the older supervisors still trying to cling to the old way, saying the news way was too much work.  Discrimination grievance and lawsuits went down and overall productivity of the manufacturing organization increased.  The change implemented was for the betterment of the organization and team, and as far as I know, that process is still in effect today.