The content or what to change usually (but not always) begins when the organization’s leaders are confronted with some event or shift in the organization’s external environment. (Burke, 2013). The content or what to change that I identified in my personal case is the shipping method for service parts that are exported to Europe. This change was triggered by an increase in demand for the windshield commodity in Europe. Severe road conditions in Russia were causing damages to windshields at a much faster rate than our US facilities could produce and ship overseas. The process or the how involves changing the shipping method for export service parts with designing a shipping unit that will maximize trailer density and reduce material, labor and logistics costs. The new shipping module will need to prevent part damage and ensure ease of handling and storing within the different facilities. In regards to the process or how to change I recognized that there will be a combination of several theories which will overlap.

Van De Ven and Poole initially studied the process or how to change, combining and categorizing theories to promote a better understanding. They identified four primary theories; life cycle, teleological, dialectic and evolutionary theories. (Burke, 2013). Each theory focuses on a different set of change generating means to explain the processes that unfold. They describe the teleological theory as being based on the assumption that change is guided by a goal or desired end state. It assumes that the organization is populated by purposeful and adaptive individuals. The theory views development as a cycle of goal formulation, implementation, evaluation, and modification of goals based on what was learned or intended. The theory can operate in a single individual or among a group of cooperating individuals or organizations who are sufficiently like-minded to act as a single collective entity. Since the individual or cooperating group have the freedom to set whatever goals they like, teleological theory inherently accommodates creativity; there are no necessary constraints or forms that mandate reproduction of the current entity or state. (Burke, 2013). With the teleological theory organizations change as the goals and purposes change. Therefore when Toyota joined the Gulf Cooperation Council initiative, implementing direct shipments of service parts to GCC countries the export goals shifted. The goals of the organization were modified to meet an ever changing environment. Another theory that is present with my personal case is Lewin’s three steps. He claimed that in order to be successful, the change process needed to follow this three-step procedure: (1) unfreezing, (2) moving and (3) freezing at a new level (or refreezing). Step (1) Unfreezing occurred when I presented data to the operations group which highlighted the substandard fill rate for the exported windshield commodity. Demonstrating a need for the change and sharing details about the external environment which jeopardized the organizations success. Step (2) Moving is to move toward the new, or desired behavior. The associates must see the leader’s point of view. This is typically what I refer to as gaining buy-in from the associates to support the change. Leaders that maintain two way communication with the followers are more likely to gain support for the change. Addressing the anxieties of how the change may or may not impact them personally is always a great concern. Therefore prompt and thorough explanations are key to the potential success of the change. One method for determining the associates’ perception of management as well as other attributes within the organization is the use of survey feedback. Survey feedback, a systematic way of understanding an organization from the standpoint of employee perceptions and processing this understanding back into the organization so that change can occur, is a