Holistic Child Development With Special Needs Children Research Paper

Holistic Child Development With Special Needs Children - Research Paper Example In third world countries, Holistic Child Development is hindered by the discriminative social-economic and cultural factors that have provided a home for poverty (Santrock, 152). A clear outline of understanding of Holistic Child development is ideal in establishing the expectations between field ministries and missions of mercy. By provision of clear Holistic Child Development framework, the achievement of better training and evaluation is possible. Relevant programs can also take effect in the campaign for Holistic Child development. In the quest for Holistic child Development, four factors are considered and defined; Spiritual Development – This is the concept of creating change in the relationship with God and more awareness about Him. It is the subject where questions such as who am I, why am I here, what meaning does life have; are answered. This process of growth brings the believer in the maturity of Christ. Physical Development – This defines the changes in the sizes body organs. In this domain, health and growth are usually addressed together (Fox and Robert, 67). Social Economic Development – This addresses the change in the relationships between people. It consist changes in emotions and personality. According to a study of humans, it was discovered that emotional domain and social are inseparable. In merging the two together, we realize that the communication plays a major role in the growth of children in the fulfillment of emotional needs. Cognitive Development – It is true that the missions of mercy provide basic resources for the children who live in economic poverty. However, the subject of poverty seems to be multi-dimensional. Economic poverty would imply monetary handouts, micro-enterprise interventions and business ventures,... This report stresses on the concept of holistic child development which might be new. However, the principles behind it are definitely not, It is a reminder of what God requires of us as we focus on the blessing that comes out of a marriage; a child. Metaphorically, Holistic Child Development can be viewed as a lens that helps parents to magnify their approach toward handling a child in all aspect of its life. This paper makes a conclusion that different people have different perceptions towards children with disabilities. The implementation of any interventions needs to come after an effort to transform the way of thinking and campaign towards equality and equity. The disability in children is a major challenge for their family members. For people already living in hard situations, this calls for a high physical and emotional stress. It is important that in trying to improve on the situation of disability cases, the family members should also be considered more so in term of their environmental needs. These considerations would require a holistic child development approach, which involves as mention before; proper national policies and fair allocation of resources to promote access. Because of the simple fact that no one has an idea of what the disabled are undergoing better than they do, they should be included in the implementation of the programs. The growth of a child comes along with changes in its needs. Therefore, every child at least deserves the opportunity to develop and explore his or her own talent in environmentally friendly conditions.

The Influence of Mass Media in Society Research Paper

The Influence of Mass Media in Society - Research Paper Example The effect of television on the way that people perceive reality can be seen in its full clarity through the influence of reality shows in the daily loves of people. The Kardashians, The Beverly Hills Wives, Guiliana and Bill, these are all scripted programs that â€Å"depict† the â€Å"real life† of a celebrity in such a manner that what they are doing on-screen becomes gospel truth to the voyeuristic viewer. This paper will focus on how television, through reality shows, has managed to changed the way that people perceive the reality of their own lives. Using facts and other verifiable information from various websites, articles,books , and/or journals, this paper will do its best to explain the phenomenon of the reality show and how it manages to change the way people view how they should conduct their lives based upon the television images and â€Å"real life† situations that they see. Towards the end, this paper will make mention of â€Å"The Hunger Gamesâ €  and how that particular movie helps to depict the evils of reality shows and how people sometimes, can no longer tell the truth between fiction and real life because of what television shows them. In order to best explain the phenomenon that has been created by the reality shows, one must first understand what a reality show is and what comprises the format. It is important for people to know that to call a reality show â€Å"unscripted† is a fallacy. According to David Rupel of the Writer's Guild of America reality shows do not have scripts but there are writers who â€Å"create formats, cast people based on character traits and edit scenes to tell a powerful, intriguing tale† (â€Å"How Reality TV works†). There are actually two types of reality shows, it either has (1) very little structure like The Kardashians, which means that the producer needs to sift through days worth of footage in order to develop a story line that the viewers will find intriguin g and stick to watching. Or (2) it is a reality show that is heavy on the formatting side such as The Amazing Race wherein the situations are pre-determined and thus includes a sense of drama that is more engaging for the audience (Rupel, David â€Å"How Reality TV Works†). Because reality shows have nothing real happening within them, one cannot help but wonder as to how the producers of such shows manage to alter the perception of people about the reality of what they are watching and influence them into illiciting an emotion that connects them to the show. Rupel, gives us a perfect example of how television and reality shows manages to alter the viewers perception of reality. He explains: When I worked on Bug Juice(a show for Disney Channel about kids at summer camp), we faced a major problem with our big boy-girl love story. After weaving this storyline through nine episodes, we were caught flat-footed when our boy Connor had the nerve to dump his girl, Stephanie, off-cam era! We had enough interview bites to explain what happened, but we needed a good visual to make it work... If you catch a rerun of the show, you will see a happy Stephanie obliviously bounce up to Connor, who solemnly takes her hand and leads her off, as his interview bite explains he needs to end things. With the help of a tender music cue, it turned out to be a touching and bittersweet end to our summer romance. The reality: Steph walked up to Connor, gushed about his Adidas

The woods Essay Example for Free

The woods Essay Dont think about that kind of stuff, he warned himself. Youll freak out and run back to the house screaming, and everybody will call you a little wussbag. Sure they will. Itll be just like the time jerry Samson was dared to stay in his garage (which he suspiciously thought was haunted), and hed come out screaming and crying and saying hed seen a ghost in there. And the whole group had teased him for the next whole week. Just like jerry had thought his garage was haunted, Shaun thought these woods were haunted. Had thought so for quite some time. Something rustled in the trees above him. Oh no, he thought, please let it be the wind making the leaves do that. Shaun stopped, looked up. Nothing there. Just the tree branches. And a dangling arm. He had lowered his eyes and now he shot them back up to the branches. No, there was nothing there. Stupid imagination, Shaun thought, leave me alone. Something rustled in the trees above him once more. He looked straight back up. Still, nothing there. Damn it, why did I ever have to play stupid dares? Suddenly, Shaun wanted to be back in his house, under his warm blankets, with his mum and dad in the next room. Mum and dad. He wished that they were both out here with him, camping with him in their tent. But instead, they were inside the house back there, most likely asleep in their own warm bed, his dad snoring away. They thought he was over a friends house, because hed lied and told them that so he could do the dare. The other kids in the group did this often. They were never caught. Shaun wished he would get caught. That maybe his mum would get up and look out the back window and see him walking into the woods. No such luck. He looked up and was grabbed by a branch. The branches end had curved twigs fingers- and he was being thrown into a giant gaping mouth in the trees trunk, and being swallowed whole. Never go into the woods alone. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Miscellaneous section.

Compatibility Of Divine Foreknowledge With Human Freedom Philosophy Essay

Compatibility Of Divine Foreknowledge With Human Freedom Philosophy Essay In this essay I will discuss Leibnizs position that divine foreknowledge of all events is compatible with human freedom and why it is that I agree with his position. To do so, I will first discuss Leibnizs position. Next, I will discuss what divine foreknowledge is and what human freedom is, so that it will be much easier to understand Leibnizs position. Following these descriptions I will provide Leibnizs conclusion and then show that his position is in fact correct due to the lack of contradiction between the two concepts that would have made divine foreknowledge and human freedom incompatible. Leibniz believes that divine foreknowledge, meaning Gods prior knowledge of every action, occurrence or event, is compatible with human freedom (Schlà ¶sser) which means that there is no contradiction between the two and that they go hand-in-hand. This mention of compatibility shows that Leibniz believes that divine foreknowledge works with human freedom and does not disrupt freedom in any manner. Before venturing on with Leibnizs position, it is best to first describe the two concepts in which Leibniz is considering which is Divine foreknowledge and human freedom. Divine foreknowledge is the knowledge of the world and everything within it which is preordained by a divine figure, which in this case is God (Schlà ¶sser). This concept of divine foreknowledge assumes that everything in the past and things in the future, that have not occurred yet, have already been seen and put in place by God. The concept of divine foreknowledge can be related to a priori truths (Leibniz 31) because the ability to know and see everything prior to its occurrence leaves no room for truth without all possible facts. What I mean by this is that, since God has created all and has the ability to see everything in that past, present and future, it is impossible for the truth/knowledge to be without factual backgrounds and is therefore a priori. Divine foreknowledge also follows the principle of contradiction which relates to all truths that concern possible or essences and the impossibility of a thing or its necessity (Leibniz 19). There is quite a difference in terms of human knowledge as human knowledge contains both a priori and non a priori truths. The reason for this is because humans do not possess the unlimited knowledge as divine foreknowledge does. This means that humans are incapable of knowing everything in the past, present and future which deems their knowledge very limited and cannot possess the ability to know everything with complete factual backing. There are truths in human knowledge which are a priori such as there is no effect without a cause (Leibniz 31) but there are also non a priori truths that humans are subject to such as, a hundred people on Earth, weigh the same as a hundred people in an unknown universe, which cannot be proved because this unknown universe has no factual backing to it to prove this claim, yet the truth/claim still exists. A good example of divine foreknowledge, given by Leibniz, is Julius Caesar and his rise to dictator and emperor of Rome (45). Leibniz writes that it is within Caesars notion, or natu re, as predetermined by God, that Caesar would overthrow the Roman Empire (45). Leibniz does not say that to do the opposite (i.e. not overthrow the Empire) would be impossible but seeing that it has been predetermined it is impossible (45). That may seem confusing, but what Leibniz means is that Caesar always had the choice to do the opposite but chose to overthrow the Empire, and the foreknowledge of this event is irrelevant in the choice that was made. Leibniz states that to find a connection between the subject, Caesar, and the predicate, his successful undertaking, he would in fact be showing that Caesars future dictatorship is grounded in his notion or nature (45), which is a predetermination of God but still is founded on free will as the decision to [cross] the Rubicon and [win] rather than [lose] at Pharsalus was based purely on reason and not cause (45). With this example, Leibniz is able to show not only how divine foreknowledge works, but also its connection and compatib ility with human freedom. Human freedom, as described by Leibniz, is any action that is committed purely out of personal views, beliefs, goals, et cetera (Schlà ¶sser). This action cannot be influenced by any other source outside of ones own self, else the action cannot be deemed as free (Schlà ¶sser). Also, it is merely reasons that guide us rather than the cause, which means we do things based primarily on a reason to do so instead of committing actions consistently for the same cause as everyone else, which is to say we were being controlled at every moment. Human freedom is different, in a sense, than that of divine freedom. Human freedom is limited purely by the person committing the action and his/her morals, beliefs and values (Schlà ¶sser) that back the action, while divine freedom is somewhat similar in its limits where the actions are limited purely by doing the right thing and not the wrong. Overall both freedoms are similar in that they are limited by some form of morality or belief, one of the only differences being that there is still the free will to choose ones action (Schlà ¶sser) over preordained divine freedom which is already set in stone. Therefore if free will is based primarily on ones own self and nothing else, then it is safe to assume, still, that Gods foreknowledge of these events is compatible. Leibniz has shown what it means to have free will and what divine foreknowledge is, as I have discussed. What must now be discussed is what makes divine knowledge so compatible with human freedom? At first, it seems as if God already knows whats going to happen before it even occurs, but then it couldnt be possible for humans to have free will as their every action had been preordained. However, this is not the case. It may be the case that God does has foreknowledge of every event, even prior to its creation, but what allows for human freedom to exist is that it is the person who commits the action at that point and time (Schlà ¶sser). God may have pre-existing knowledge of what you are going to do, but God does not control your actions every step of the way. It is still the person who makes the choice based on their own reason (Schlà ¶sser). Unlike a machine (Schlà ¶sser), humans have the option to choose a different path regardless of divine foreknowledge. This can be seen in t he world everyday with overbearing amounts of sin. These sins were also predetermined but not prevented by God (Schlà ¶sser), because if all foreseen sinful acts were prevented than there would be no existing human freedom and therefore divine foreknowledge would, instead, not be compatible with human freedom as the two concepts would create a contradiction. That being said, since there is sin in the world, it means that God has allowed for humans to make their own decisions based on their own reasons, beliefs, nature, et cetera, which means that human freedom does exist, even when the event at hand had been foreseen by God. Therefore, Leibniz can conclude that divine foreknowledge is in fact compatible with human freedom. I am in complete agreement with Leibnizs position on human freedom and divine foreknowledge. Leibnizs concept of divine foreknowledge not interfering with human freedom appears to be sound in its explanation. There would be more issues concerning freedom if divine foreknowledge had any effect directly on human decision in real-time. This means that as the decision to act is being made, a divine being is there to bend our choices to the right decision (i.e. a puppeteer). If this is the case then there would not be any free will in existence because, as Leibniz notes in his explanation of free will, our will is being governed by some external force (Schlà ¶sser). Therefore the action committed is not a free choice but a controlled one. I believe Leibniz is correct in saying that divine foreknowledge is not a problem for human freedom because this knowledge of all events is predetermined long before the existence of such events and therefore has no direct effect on human freedom to cho ose between the right and wrong decision. There is another way to look at this scenario that may better solidify Leibnizs claims (other than the Caesar example). To stray away from divinity for a moment, lets say that there is an ordinary man who can see into the future. This man has a vision that a teenage thug is going to steal a purse from a store in downtown Toronto. Moments later a teenager walks into a purse store. At this very moment, the teenager has the choice to do the right thing and rather purchase a purse or leave the store empty handed. The other option is to do the wrong thing and steal the purse. This choice is what determines the existence of free will. The teenager chooses to steal the purse for her own reasoning and leaves the store. I will now pose the following question: is the mans ability to foresee this theft a disruption of the existence of this teenagers freedom? The answer is simply, no. This vision, or foreknowledge, is simply an ability to foresee other humans making their choices to do good and bad things and not the ability to command or change a persons mind to choose right over wrong, as this would disrupt human freedom. This example provides a well-rounded and more up to date explanation of Leibnizs claim. The only difference would be that the man with visions could choose to stop the person from doing what is wrong, which is a little different from God, who has known about all events prior to their creation but will not interfere with free will. To make the example a little more satisfying, we can say that the time between the vision and the action is mere milliseconds, so that no disruption will be provided to intervene with free will. All-in-all the mere fact that God allows for sin to occur and that he is all knowing shows that this divine figure does not wish to intervene in human free will and change the outcomes. Just like the man with the visions, God has foreseen a humans every action but what God sees is free will in action as the person chooses to commit right and wrong actions. By no means does foreseeing an event occur, grant that that something or someone is being controlled. If it were the case that foreseen actions were tampered with, then human freedom would not exist. The same can be said for the man with visions. If the man decided to assist those people he foresaw in charging their ways to the right decision (not taking into account the very minute time gap put in place between vision and action) he would also be interfering with another persons free will, but at the same time is making use of his freedom of choice in order to help this person. This means that the man must implement his free will in order to do the right thing (although it can be argued whether interfering with another persons free will can in fact be considered the right thing to do). Therefore this example shows that the mere foreknowledge of an event does not mean that it contradicts free will, which means that div ine foreknowledge is in fact compatible with human freedom and also that Leibniz is correct. In conclusion, I have discussed Leibnizs position, that divine foreknowledge of all events is compatible with human freedom, by providing an explanation of what divine foreknowledge is and what it means to have free will in accordance with Leibniz. I then grouped the two concepts and explained why Leibniz thought they were compatible and then provided Leibnizs example of Julius Caesar and divine foreknowledge to show this. I then concluded this essay with why I agree with Leibnizs position and provided an example of my own, regarding a man who has visions of the future, to provide a better understanding of Leibnizs position without the use of divine characters. After careful consideration of Leibnizs position and reasoning I have concluded that Leibniz is correct in his position and divine foreknowledge poses no contradiction to human freedom and is indeed compatible with it.

William Faulkners As I Lay Dying :: Lay Dying William Faulkner Essays

William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying Works Cited Missing   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fulfilling a promise they had made to their mother, Addie, Cash, Darl, Jewel, Dewey Dell, and Vardaman, in William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, journey across the Mississippi countryside to bring her body to be buried in Jefferson, alongside her immediate family. Each one, in turn, narrates the events of this excursion as they are perceived. Though all of the family members are going through the same experiences, each one expresses what they see and how they feel by exercising their individual powers and limitations of language. What each character says as well as how he/she says it gives insight into that character's underlying meanings.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Darl, for example, uses his linguistic skills to gain power as narrator. He possesses the ability to pick up on things unsaid and to read other people's actions. Dewey Dell describes his intuitiveness when she says that â€Å" he said he knew without the words, and I knew he knew because if he had said he knew with words I would not have believed†¦and that's why I can talk to him with knowing with hating with because he knows† (27). He uses his gift of realizing things without them having to actually be told to him to gain credibility with the reader. Who would doubt a narrator who possesses that type of adroitness? Also, his language is clear and reflective. He uses similes and metaphors and appears to have an acute awareness of spatial relationships. Darl's sophisticated perception and poetic linguistics give him the means of reaching for and maintaining his role as a competent observer and reporter. However, his position does create certain problems for his siblings. Tull describes Darl's â€Å"look† as being uncanny. "He is looking at me. He dont say nothing; just looks at me with them queer eyes of hisn that makes folks talk. I always say it aint never been what he done so much or said or anything so much as how he looks at you. It's like he had got into the inside of you, someway. Like somehow you was looking at yourself and your doing outen his eyes." (125)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is the same penetrating gaze that gives Darl so much power that makes the others around him so uncomfortable, especially Dewey Dell. She feels that his strange knowledge of what has not been said is an invasion of her privacy. â€Å"The land runs out of Darl's eyes; they swim to pin points. They begin at my feet and rise along my body to my face, and then my dress is gone: I sit naked on the seat above the unhurrying mules, above the travail† (121).

Compare and Contrast Mitosis and Meiosis Essay -- Biology

Compare and Contrast Mitosis and Meiosis Meiosis and mitosis describes the process by which cells divide, either by asexual or sexual reproduction to produce a new organism. Meiosis is a form of cell division that produces gametes in humans these are egg cells and sperms, each with reduced or halved number of chromosomes. The number of chromosomes is restored when two gametes fuse together to form a zygote. A cell with two copies of each chromosome is called diploid cell and a cell with one copy of each chromosome is called a haploid cell. Meioses produces haploid daughter cells that are genetically different from each other and from the parent cell. However, mitosis is a form of cell division that produces daughter cells identical to the parent during repair or growth. Each cell contains the same genetic code as the parent cell, it is able to do this because it has copied it’s own chromosomes prior to cell division. Meiosis consists of two divisions whilst mitosis is followed in one division; both these processes involve the stages of interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. Meiosis allows cell variation and genetic differences between each cell whereas mitosis is an exact replication of each cell. There are three main ways meiosis produces genetic variation, this through independent assortment, crossing over and random fertilization. During the first meiotic division in prophase I the homologous chromosomes join together to form biv...

Change Management – A review

The determinants and Impediments of change In each branch of change management have been considered and addressed. Some elements fall outside the scope of the literature review and research. The literature review is structured in such a way that echoes this integration as illustrated in the following diagram (Figure M). Figure XX: Areas within and outside the research boundaries leading to organizational responsiveness to change. Figure XX: Areas within and outside the research boundaries leading to organizational responsiveness to change. People Management Leadership Organizational Context.Culture. Organizational Learning. Knowledge Management. Change Management. Change Management Change Management is neither an art nor a science; it is an individual process relying solely on the organization, individuals within the organization (employees), leadership style and management of the organization (middle and top managers), organizational culture, and a variety of external Influences Inc luding environmental, technological and social. The scope for change management within an organization to fail is huge; however the scope for effectiveness is as wide if approached logistically.It is important to keep in mind that change management is not an art or a science but each area and issue of change management is completely individualistic. Many authors have written and researched within the academic area of change application, and how it can be applied strategically to assist the organization. The work that these authors within the field of change management bring to the academic discussion have been studied, analyses, criticized and presented here in an attempt to both inform the reader and support the research and subsequent analysis.Organizational Dynamics Systems Theory The concept of the ‘organization' is not abstract from the idea of systems theory. The organization exists within an environment, has Inputs (l), Processes (P) and Outputs (O) taking into account both formal and informal subsystems and processes. Combined together this presents a system that is both effective and theoretically sound. â€Å"A system is an organized collection of parts interacting in certain ways to achieve certain goals. Any change in any part of the system will produce different effects† (Hellhole, 2006).As Hellhole (2006) identifies change can occur at an individual (l, P or O) level and see effective results, however the argument can also be constructed to assume that when change management is handled holistically, changing all the individual parts of the working cog model, a better result is often seen. Theory in this area is rather limited, however Senior and Swales (2010) present the following illustration (Figure 10) which builds upon the work of Child (1973) focused on the intangible elements of organizational operations. â€Å"Systems thinking† is relevant to highlight here.Whilst it is possible for change to be approached from n indivi dual (l, P or O) level, as well as a holistic stance, systems thinking looks at the concept of ‘does it need changing to enhance the overall level of organizational effectiveness'. An example that may be given here to help explain and contextual this point is that of a maintenance company repaving a road. One element of the system may be to fill the hole with a temporary road surface which is followed up by the removal of this and re-surfacing to correct standards a week later.It could be argued that both elements of the process could be enhanced but the systems hinging viewpoint would maintain that removing stage one would enhance effectiveness, reduce cost and wastage, as well as the crucial element of satisfying customer demand. The author finds this theory and viewpoint interesting and will return to this concept at a later point. Figure 10: The Organization as a System – adapted from the work of Senior and Swales (2010) A key area that the author feels is missing f rom Senior and Swales (2010) model is feedback.Organizations are subject to change and influence from the external environment; this therefore requires a agree of planning and control, which is most effective if informed with feedback. Removing the feedback loop from the ‘organization' almost takes the model back to the classical theorists that considered organizations as rational but closed systems (Hellhole, 2006). Through the addition of the feedback loop the system becomes open as well as debatable more ‘open' to change.Hayes (2002) expands on this concept of open systems commenting that, â€Å"Open-systems theory provides such a framework and views organizations as a system of interrelated components that transact with a larger environment. From the perspective of open systems, some of the main characteristics of organizations are that they are: embedded within a larger system, able to avoid entropy, regulated by feedback, subject to equability, cyclical McKinney a nd the AS model can be used here to look at the infrastructure of the organization, in addition to the informal and formal processes that is presented above.An analysis of the internal environment from this perspective adds to the depth of analysis that can be undertaken. The AS model encompasses the areas of Structure, Systems, Style, Staff, Skills, Strategy and Shared Values providing a useful LOL to merge both tangible and intangible organizational elements. At the analysis stages of this research it will be interesting to return to the idea of change at both an individual (l, P and O) and organizational level and contrast this to what is observed within the case studies, and the influence that this holds over organizational readiness and responsiveness to change.The concept of organizational systems theory is Just one very small part of the evolution of organization theory. This links with the changes in development of change management theory addressed revisions due to culture and influencing factors throughout the eras. The question can always be asked that is everything that the business doing contributing to fulfilling the customer's demands? The author would suggest that this is not necessarily always a requirement, however this could be debated further.Contingency Theory – Mechanistic and Organic Organizations Before the theories and application of change management are examined and analyses, the author believes it to be of importance to examine organizational dynamics as briefly highlighted above within Section 3. 4. 1 . There are three main viewpoints; open yester theory, contingency theory, and congruence model for organizational assessment. Open systems theory as previously discussed looks as the organization as having Inputs, Processes and Outputs and is made ‘open' through the inclusion of a feedback loop.This basic approach was enhanced through the work of Burns and Stalker (1961) and Lawrence and Lora's (1967) who identify that o rganizations do not exist and operate within a vacuum, and investigated the relationship between the internal structure and the environments in which they operate (external environment). Their results, characterized due to the degree of internal formality, internal structure and external stability results in what they term ‘mechanistic' and ‘organic' organizations. They described firms that operated in stable environments as ‘mechanistic' because they were characterized by many rules and procedures and were dominated by a hierarchy of authority. The firms that operated in less stable environments were described as ‘organic' because they tended to have a free-flowing, De-centralized and adaptive internal organization† (Hayes, 2002). Mechanistic Organizational Characteristics Organic Organizational Characteristics 1 . Specialized tasks, narrow in scope 1 . Common tasks and interdependencies 2. Tasks rigidly defined 2. Tasks adjusted and redefined as requi red 3.Strict hierarchy of authority 3. Less adherence to formal authority and rules 4. Centralized knowledge and control 4. Decentralized knowledge and control 5. Hierarchical communication 5. Network communication, diffused channels Table 18: Characteristics of Burns and Stalker's (1961) Contingency Theory – Mechanistic and Organic Organizations There are a range of critics around congruence theory; some agree and identify with the ‘alignment' that this model (2000) for example, disagree arguing that the explanation for organizational operation is not clear enough.The author does not have a specific view on this matter. It has not been unknown for alignment to be criticized within the field due to the fact that it is very difficult to apply in practice. It is clear within both the work of Burns and Stalker (1961) and Child (1973) that changes to one or more of either the internal or external elements will have an impact upon other elements that therefore may also requi re change subsequently.This was highlighted and expanded upon by the work of Cotter (1980) who in essence merges open systems theory and interagency theory creating an integrative model of organizational dynamics. He uses his model comprised of six structural elements and key organizational processes to address impacts upon the organization in both the short, medium and long term time Figure 1 1: Cotter's integrative model of organizational dynamics. Source: Cotter (1980) Table 19: Cotter's integrative model of organizational dynamics.Source: Cotter (1980) Cotter's (1980) work can be used to look at readiness and responsiveness from an organizational dynamics perspective. In the short term Cotter comments that organizational effectiveness is enhanced and determined by he speed with which the organization can control and respond to any of the six structural elements before they start to have an impact on one of the other areas. However using the integrative model for a long term appr oach the idea of readiness is very much at the core.Adaptability to the six structural elements will be the determinant of effectiveness; this requires organizations to put into place tools and techniques that will help evaluate elements that determine which structural element will 'emerge as the driving force that shapes the development of the company (Hayes, 2002). Adaptability is important because it determines whether or not the organization will be able to maintain the required degree of alignment over the long term.Over the longer term, therefore, the focus of change management needs to ensure that the structural elements of the organization are as adaptable as possible† (Hayes, 2002). The organizational dynamics need to support the organizations ability to be both ready and responsive to change; readiness helps support the long term strategy whilst responsiveness will assist in the rectification of the cause-effect relationships that interlink the organizational system together.Congruence Model – the focus towards strategy As the thinking behind organizational management developed the importance of strategy increased amongst firms; a few years after the development of the above organizational dynamic models Needle and Dustman (1982) entered into the academic arena with their take on systems theory, the difference being a strategic focus adopted. Some of the elements of the congruence model are derived from work by Alleviate (1965) and Katz and Kahn (1966) (both cited in Hayes, 2002).The congruence model is in effect a different take on open systems theory. Its main preference is its focus towards strategy and strategic management through assessing the congruency of the organizational components on organizational effectiveness. A distinct difference between the work of Needle and Dustman (1982) and open systems theory is that the integrative model focuses in some depth around the relationship between all of the components within the transfor mational process.This and allows the authors to propose a model that's key concept, of congruence or alignment between the organization, the environment and the internal components of the organization, aids organizational diagnoses and the development of change management strategies. Needle and Dustman play specific emphasis towards the four components that they believe create the transformation process (informal organization, formal organization, task, individual); they look specifically at the relationship between each of these components (six fits' as discussed in Table 20) and that influence on the organization as a whole.This is illustrated by the directional arrows in Figure 12 below. Relationship between†¦ Example areas for consideration Individual Formal Organization What extent are individual needs met by the formal organizational arrangement? For example – Personal Learning Styles (Briggs Myers and Briggs Myers, 1980; Honey and Uniform, 2000), Team Roles (Beeli ne, AAA), and specific HER elements such as Individual appraisal processes (CHIP, AAA; Armstrong, 2009; Armstrong and Baron, 2004). Individual Task To what extent do individuals have the skills necessary to meet task demands and to what extend do the tasks satisfy individual needs?Individual Informal Organization To what extent does the informal organization satisfy the needs of the individuals or make best use of their talents? For example is the individual's Learning Style or personality type understood and utilized within the team, and organizational context (Briggs Myers and Briggs Myers, 1980; Butterflies, 2008). Task Formal Organization To what extent are the formal organizational arrangements adequate to meet the demands of the task? Task Informal Organization To what extent does the informal organization facilitate task performance?For example the work of John Adair looking at Task, Team, and Individual (1996). Formal Organization Informal Organization To what extent are the goals, rewards and structures of the informal organization consistent with those of the formal organization. Table 20 : Areas for consideration between the ‘six fits' of the transformation process in the Congruence Model. Adapted from: Hayes (2002) One element that strikes as being predominant, and harmonies with the opinion of the author, is that of the individual.This model takes into consideration an area that most other models merely merge with other organizational elements. Here the individual is given specific credit and attention, and is focused on in terms of interaction with the formal organization, the informal organization, and the organizational tasks. The individual is seen as a personalized resource to the cuisines that brings individual skills and knowledge that help to equip and shape the organization. The author has a specific interest in the role of the individual (Butterflies, 2008; Section 3. 3. ), but it is also an important element for authors such as He llhole (2006), and is therefore a significant ingredient within the congruence model to draw the reader's attention towards. Hellhole (2006) comments, â€Å"Increasingly, there is recognition that organizational success depends largely on the skills and commitment of a knowledge-based workforce and that organizational ultras conducive to high performance are central to sustaining success beyond the short term†. Figure 12: Needle and Dustman's (1980) Congruence Model. Source: Needle and strategy before the transformation process.This inevitability requires that management have looked at and decided on the appropriate strategy in advance; it almost contradicts the process as one would assume that the strategic direction would follow the process and possibly the output. With the inclusion of the feedback loop it could be considered that this is the case and its position here is deliberate fitting with the experiential learning cycle of Kola (1984). At the application stages of t his research when the case studies are looked at it will be interesting to see where this features in the reality of the organizations.All of the models looked at and discussed above can only ever be a simplification of reality. In terms of change management it is the ability to take these models and look at their use in turning ability to become an appropriate conceptual framework for taking an existing situation and managing the desired change within the applicable circumstances. Out of all of the models looked at the author feels that the congruence model is the cost applicable within the research to be carried out.This is mainly due to its strategic focus, and consideration of the individual. As previously mentioned the models only become applicable and useful if application as a conceptual framework can be adopted. This will be applied and analyses within the findings chapter (Section 5). Drivers for change There are many drivers for change and these are dependent upon on the a rea of change that you address. This is such a huge topic and an in-depth analysis far exceeds the scope that the topic can occupy within this thesis.It is hoped that the main drivers for change for each organization will become apparent within the case study analysis as these are very personal and dependent on both the organization and the industry that the organization is operating within. The following drivers for change are included to provide context and provide some food for thought; these have been taken from the text ‘Understanding Change', by Hellhole (2006). Competition Globalization Demands for greater transparency and accountability Global Sustainability Technology The e-economy The consumer revolution The social context Knowledge Management Future organizational trendsChanging industrial relations climate and employment legislation Stereotypical social attitudes The rise of the stakeholder Degree at which innovation progresses Demographics and Social fragmentation they believe to be the 10 top drivers for organizational change in 2010; whilst these make interesting reading for the author, the author is of particular support with the tenth; â€Å"a new war for talent commences†. This picks up on what the author has been trying to convey throughout the sections on Personnel Management (Section 3. ) and Knowledge Management (Section 3. 3). Not only are there external drivers for change UT internal ones too. As people recover from the economic crisis they will begin to drive forward organizational change in a bid to better themselves and get credit and assurance of their work to the organization. Organizations need to bear this is mind and respond appropriately. The ten top drivers for organizational change as identified by Bloomberg Businesslike (2010) are: † 1 . Consumer preferences will remain â€Å"reset† based on values, not pricier.Energy costs will continue to increase in the medium termed. U. S. Tax policy could erode the competitive positioning of U. S. Companies. Innovation happens for emerging market consumers, not in emerging markets 05. A new return to vertical integration gains traction 06. Industry shifts create competitive shifts 07. Increases in information requires more Judgment from decision makers 08. Markets reward long-term strategic focuses. Economic recovery wont mean recovery for everyone 010. A new war for talent commences† Bloomberg Businesslike (2010).Kurt Lenin; group focused change theory Kurt Lenin can be quoted as saying â€Å"Group life is never without change† (1947). Predominantly Kurt Lenin presents us with a change management theory revolving round the concept of unfreezing – change – and refreezing which presents a high- level approach to change. This has specific relationships back to the school of personnel management due to its importance for change in group settings as highlighted by Lenin in his work ‘Frontiers in Group dynamics ' addressing the art of social science of social equilibrium and social change (1947).Linen's work is not only applicable in a group setting it also holds great importance for the individual context too as well as large communities of practice and teams (Lenin, 1947). Through use of he model there is scope for management to make a radical change, minimize disruption of operations and ensure that the change becomes a permanent and rooted element of the organization through the re-freezing stage.The model, very focused around getting people to change as opposed to changing an organization, consists of three stages: Unfreezing – This is based upon the assumption that there is a need to change as present practices may have become outdated, slow, ineffective, expensive etc†¦. The need to instigate the unfreezing stage is typically based upon an assumption that the status quo is no longer desirable or positive; exulting from this there is often a motivation for change, the tea m unites, recognizes the need for change and begins the process of change management.It is essential there is some degree of confidence amongst the team that the change will be implemented and fulfilled successfully in order to achieve group ‘buy-in' and a positive Psychological Contract. The Change – Normal change management theories and principles generally come into play here. Whilst the team may all be on common stress will develop, individuals will have different ideas of the perceived outcomes, expectations will not be managed, the Psychological Contract diminish etc†¦ This is a time of exploration of opportunities where goals and objectives are set and implementation for change is developed.Lenin stresses the fact that it is essential as with any other change management theory that goals, objectives and plans for implementation are continually assessed and reassessed in order to generate the best possible outcomes. It is important to note here that whilst th e objectives are important for Lenin this does not necessarily form the most essential stage. His focus upon change within groups provides a perspective that is more in line with the needs of individuals and maintain positive relationships and focus, in order to bring about a successful re- freezing stage as described below.Re-freezing – At the completion of the change discussions when implementation has been rolled out across all involved, Lenin identifies the need for re-freezing. â€Å"Change will only reach its full effect if it's made permanent† (Lenin, 1947). As in the re-freezing of a liquid it is important to cement or solidify the change making it an official procedure of the organization; in drawing specific attention to the completion of the project and the new processes re-freezing would therefore inhibit individuals returning to the old ways as existed pre-change process.Refreezing is the heart of this model. Lenin (1947) comments, â€Å"A change towards a higher level of group performance is frequently short-lived, after a â€Å"shot in the arm†, group life soon returns to the previous level. This indicates that it does not suffice to define the objective of planned change in group performance as the reaching of a different level. Permanency of the new level, or permanency for a desired period, should be included in the objective. † Figure 13: Kurt Linen's model of unfreezing and re-freezing.Source: Adapted from Lenin (1947) Right Sizing There are various authors who have looked into the correlation between the size of the firm in terms of personnel and effectiveness in organizational performance. There is however still a heightened awareness that there are additional variables that impose upon organizational effectiveness namely technology; it is said that this could possibly account for up to fifty per cent of the variability in result findings which lead to an inconclusive theory being proposed (Senior and Swales, 2 010).Culture, leadership style, and politics all have an influence on the correlation teens size and organizational performance. Child (1988) who investigated into the correlation between size and performance concluded that the leadership style operated within the organization was relevant to the size of the organization (number of employees employed). It was the leadership style and subsequent influence into the structure that Child's (1988) sees as having an impact upon organizational effectiveness including role specialization and formalization.Senior and Swales (2010) summaries the work of Child (1988); large organizations with a higher degree of bureaucracy structure were in general better performed. Bureaucracy did not work for the smaller organization who had a better degree of performance with a more informal leadership style. â€Å"In organizations with below 2,000 people performance was assumed to be better in those that have little formal structure more bureaucracy and s uperior performance was greater† (Senior and Swales, 2010). Several external driving forces for change (Section 3. 4. ) such as the current economic climate and recent recession which have occurred at both local, regional, national and even international levels have created a heightened degree of urgency or organizations to increase efficiency; many are doing this through operations management and seeing the organizations as a clearly defined set of inputs, processes and outputs. The author is of the belief that for successful change management to occur the process of managing change must occur holistically, which can also occur when viewed through the strategic lens.Both the immediate survival and long term sustenance of any organization heavily depends on organizational responsiveness to its external environment and its ability to face the external challenge. A huge problem facing strategic re-focusing of operations creates opposition due to an emotional connection to common practice challenged by the need to change for survival (Balloon and Hope-Halley, 2008, Sense, 1993). With the distinct lack of literature on right sizing the author has conceptualized a model that illustrates where the concept of right-sizing fits into the organization.Taking the multi-lens perspective approach (Regional and Sprinter, 1996) and essential elements of organizational management the author proposes that the concept of right sizing is situated predominately within the cognitive lens. Figure 14: Position of right sizing within the organization Right sizing would normally e linked to the structural view of the organization. The Rational Lens considers the structure of the organization as an ought-to-be scenario.The Cognitive Lens considers right sizing as what is practicably possible scenario. The Rational Lens considers culture and corporate politics as an impediment to change which is what many change managers attempt to override or ignore. With the cognitive lens appro ach culture and corporate politics are seen as an intrinsic component of change. Therefore culture and corporate politics should be understood and made to become â€Å"enablers† within the change management process.This is currently the issue that several organizations are facing. By positioning right sizing as a resulting factor of a combination of Organizational Culture, Politics and Organizational Type the author feels that it will help in the analysis stages where the variety of case studies will be analyses. As mentioned within Section 2 the case study profiles were deliberately selected by the author for their variations in size.The author feels that it is important to note here that there is not necessarily a formula for what is the ‘right size' of an organization or a specific team dealing with change management, UT that this may be discussed throughout the finding and analysis chapter (Section 5) where the case studies may lead towards generating an inclination as to what works best. The Readiness of Change Several articles regarding both individual and institutional readiness to change (readiness') within an organizational context have been written over the centuries.Many well respected, and up-and-coming academics have posed models and theories in relation to how readiness can be increased, encouraged and developed within both individual and institutional spheres of influence; a large gap that is still existent in the knowledge base centers around the definition of ‘readiness to change'. Several pieces of relevant academic literature and building together a picture towards a ‘comprehensive definition' of readiness for change.Holt et all's work which has been consulted extensively opens with an important issue that the author must recognize; the lack of measurement of readiness for change does not arise from a lack of instruments designed for this purpose. There are several in existence but without a common and universal unde rstanding of what constitutes readiness a liable and robust framework, to operate quantitatively cannot (and has not currently) been developed.Evidently, with readiness being an area of research that is being encouraged (Holt et al, 2007) this is therefore an area that requires the knowledge gap being fulfilled in order for research in this area to pursue. It is the aim of the forthcoming section to be devoted to this cause, reviewing the use of the literature, working towards a definition of readiness, and identifying means of its analysis within a strategic institutionally based context. There is also the need for the adopted method to be suitable to institutions of different natures, sizes and specialties; as always generalization is imperative.Readiness and Resistance; are they related concepts? The concept of readiness is a result of the concept and result of resistance – a sweeping statement or Just a different approach? It is perhaps no surprise, that change management due to its inclusion with the human resource management approach is highly subjective to the reactions of people (employees). This would explain the development of the need to research readiness, resulting from manager's efforts to reduce resistance to change.Again the body of literature exists in this area, yet Ramekins et al (1993, cited in Holt et al, 2007) put forward their argument that any of these, â€Å"strategies designed to help managers avoid resistance, are effective only to the extent which they facilitate employee readiness†. The circular nature of this issue is again illustrated here. The transition of the Traditional HARM philosophy into the personnel management phase transfers its focus from objectives and output into placing value, focus and ultimately having an investment and involvement with he people.To some extent it can be argued that traditionally to date the people management processes within educational setting operate under this philosophy; a large degree of responsibility and autonomous working is put upon the employee's and in response it is hoped that the organization values staffs contributions. General motivational principles (Amazon, etc†¦ ) encourage the involvement of employees in a drive to encourage general commitment to organizational objectives and partnering of aims, especially plans for development, drive forward and ultimately change.Readiness has been looked at with a specific workforce focus; whilst this is important, organizational culture, as explored above, external pressures and the lack of a strategic dimension can also reduce organizational readiness. What impact does this have on the organization's desire to change and move into a market leader position, driving forward its position within the market and gaining an advantage in what is a highly competitive market arena. Oakland and Tanner's Organizational Change Framework Research supporting the model Oakland and Tanner have been instrumental in t he field of research into change