Overview
Organizational transformation is sometimes necessary for companies to succeed and grow. However, the changes that such strategies bring need to be planned and managed well for the transition to occur smoothly both for those leading the change as well as for the other employees in the organization.
In your initial post, address the following:
- Introduce yourself, including some information about your educational or professional background. Include some thoughts about your experience with the MBA program so far.
- Share some professional and functional skills you have acquired during your MBA journey. Also, identify any skills that you hope to continue to develop in the near future to align with your career goals.
- Next, address the following questions regarding organizational strategy and change management:
- Have you been impacted by strategic decisions that led to organizational transformation in your current or past workplace or school? If yes, share your experience with how the organizational change was managed, what helped the transition, and what didn't.
- If you haven't experienced organizational change in real life, imagine a situation where an organization you work for is being restructured. What would you want the organization to do before and during the restructuring to help you with the transition?
In your response to two peers, address the following:
- Compare your experiences related to organizational change management with those of your peers. Do you share the same experience of what worked well and what didn't?
- Do you think any of the organizational changes in your peers' examples could have been handled better? How?
PEER 1
Hi everyone,
My name is ..., and I have over 10 years of experience in healthcare operations along with three years of leadership experience. I earned my Bachelor of Arts from SNHU in August of 2025 and began my MBA in Business Analytics shortly after. My experience in the MBA program has been positive. As I complete my final term, I can confidently say that the program has strengthened both my strategic thinking and my ability to critically analyze organizational decisions.
During my MBA journey, I have developed a stronger understanding of strategy and implementation. Before the program, my view of strategy was focused on team alignment, staffing, and workflows to meet goals. The MBA has helped me understand that strategy also requires alignment across leadership, communication, and execution. I have also started building data analytics skills, which I plan to continue developing to support data-driven decision-making.
I have personally experienced transformation in my professional career, particularly during a hospital partner's transition to a new pharmacy system. At the time, I served as a trainer responsible for supporting staff onsite during implementation. While the change itself was necessary, the process was not managed effectively. I was excluded from key strategic meetings related to workflows, system processes, and implementation planning. This lack of inclusion created gaps in communication and alignment, which ultimately made the transition more challenging for both staff and leadership.
What helped the transition was my prior experience with systems and my ability to quickly adapt. I proactively aligned myself with the Epic analysts to better understand the system and support staff after go-live. However, what did not work was the absence of structured communication, stakeholder involvement, and strategic alignment during the planning phase. This aligns with Kotter's (2007) finding that transformation efforts often fail due to weak coordination and communication.
Reflecting on this experience through the lens of my MBA coursework, I now recognize that many of the challenges I encountered were not isolated incidents, but rather example of broader organization gaps and the lack of formal strategic training. These lessons have significantly shaped my approach to leadership, and I am committed to applying them in future roles.
Reference
Kotter, J. P. (2007). Leading Change: Why Transformation Efforts Fail. Harvard Business Review, 85(1), 96–103.
PEER 2
Hello everyone,
My name is ..., I work at Tesla as a Lead Production Associate, where I oversee a team on the production line and focus heavily on process efficiency, quality control, and continuous improvement. Before that, I served in the U.S. Navy and later worked in banking, so my experience has given me exposure to both highly structured and customer-focused environments.
So far, my MBA experience has been both practical and directly applicable to my current role. I’ve found that many of the concepts; especially around operations, leadership, and strategy, translate almost immediately to what I deal with on the production floor. It’s helped me think less in terms of just “getting the job done” and more in terms of systems, scalability, and long-term organizational impact.
Throughout the program, I’ve developed stronger analytical and strategic thinking skills, particularly in process optimization, data-driven decision-making, and organizational leadership. My Six Sigma background has also complemented this, allowing me to approach problems with a structured, continuous improvement mindset. Looking ahead, I want to continue developing my leadership communication skills, especially in change management scenarios as well as deepen my understanding of large-scale operational strategy. These are critical for my goal of moving into higher-level leadership roles within operations.
In terms of organizational transformation, I have experienced this firsthand at Tesla, particularly during new product launches and production ramp-ups. These transitions required rapid changes in processes, team structures, and performance expectations. What worked well during these transformations was clear direction from leadership, a strong emphasis on standardization and hands-on training that allowed employees to adapt quickly. When expectations were clearly communicated and reinforced through systems, the transition was much smoother.
However, what didn’t work as well at times was the pace of change outpacing communication. In high-growth environments, decisions can be made quickly, but if the “why” behind those decisions isn’t consistently communicated, it can create confusion or resistance at the team level. I’ve seen that even highly capable teams can struggle if they don’t fully understand the purpose behind a change.
From my perspective, effective change management comes down to three things: clarity, consistency, and support. Employees need to understand why the change is happening, what is expected of them, and have access to the tools and training needed to succeed in the new system. When those elements are in place, transformation becomes less disruptive and more of an opportunity for growth.
I’m looking forward to learning from everyone else’s experiences and perspectives on this topic.