Description
Organizational change can be precipitated by public pressure, intraorganizational interest, or both. Designing, planning, and implementing of organizational change are not uncommon features of today's organizations. Little is known, however, about the operation of these processes at the functional level (Williams, 1976). There has been little concern with specific elements of organizational change as they relate to a functional effectiveness of organizations and to programs and structure. What is most often lacking is a process of follow-up, including monitoring and subsequent evaluation. This study has sought to make evaluative action easier through the design of a model for early analysis of planned change at the implementation stage. A case study approach provided data from the administrative, or management, function of the organization as well as from the operational levels. These data are incorporated into the Early Analysis Model of Planned Change at the Implementation Stage. A school system and an organizational change within that system were utilized for the collection of the data for model development. Based upon data collected, the implementation process is analyzed using current indicators of system success and effectiveness (Principal's Strategies and School-related Factors, Classroom-related Factors and Student Learning). Principal's Strategies and School-related Factors are analyzed using a profile of factors derived from the dimensions and subdimensions of the 1982 study of Leithwood and Montgomery. Classroom-related factors are analyzed in relation to preferred behaviors (Key Instructional Behaviors), as determined by the school district. Student Learning is measured using statistical procedures, including t-tests, ANOVA, and multiple regression. The organizational data are also analyzed in relation to the Contributors Complexity, Formalization, and Centralization. Both individual organizational analyses and a combined analysis are provided through the model. A comprehensive process of analysis is consistent with Brookover's and others views concerning the necessity to account for the total functioning of a system. Implementation is the procedure through which change is brought to fruition. The Model for Early Analysis of Planned Change can facilitate successful program implementation through careful and integrated analyses and consideration of the change. Program failure can, in this way, be predicted or prevented so that a program's outcomes and effect can be improved. For educational systems, in particular, the model holds good potential for improvement of future educational prospects. Programs can be measured according to effectiveness; policies can be evaluated in relation to the findings; and the nature of successful education can be more adequately determined. Additionally, the model, which concerns basic organizational factors, is applicable to any organizational system in which change is anticipated.
