Until Recently, Employees at a Regional Location of a Large

question 13

Essay

Until recently, employees at a regional location of a large telephone company were throwing out nearly two tons of rubbish every day.To reduce the amount of waste at the 12-story building, a special task force was set up consisting of respected employees representing most areas within the building.The task force reviewed practices in other organizations and developed action plans to implement the changes.Employees received weekly information via email about what changes they should expect during the two months before the program started.Employees attended special sessions that showed them how to reduce paper waste by using both sides of paper, using scrap paper as memo pads, reusing office envelopes and relying more on email and voice mail than written memos.A special telephone hotline was set up so that employees could get answers to questions about recycling and ease their concerns about the change.The program also created barriers to wasteful behavior such as replacing paper towel dispensers with electric hand dryers in the washrooms, replacing Styrofoam cups with reusable mugs at each employee's desk, removing wastepaper baskets in each cubicle and replacing them with tiny reusable bags to carry non-recyclables to specially marked trash cans located elsewhere in the building.The task force monitored waste every week and displayed the results on a large graph in the building entrance.What strategies did this company use to minimize resistance to change?

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Definitions:

Subunits

Secondary or smaller divisions within a larger organization or structure.

Network Structures

Organizational designs that emphasize and rely on interconnected, flexible arrangements of individuals, groups, or organizations to complete tasks or projects.

Functional Structures

An organizational framework where the company is divided into departments based on their function, such as marketing, finance, and production.

Informal Structures

Unofficial, non-bureaucratic networks and relationships that influence decision-making and culture in organizations.