| The purpose of this applied project was to determine what the impact of an organization vision would have among performance teams undergoing transformational change. The CEO of the American Red Cross of Greater Los Angeles Chapter shared a vision with his newly acquired Chapter, "to be the best." The applied project included the use of action research methodology, organization development, organization design, and human resource management interventions that were integrated into a business review process for the Health and Safety Services Department of a large disaster response and preparedness unit of the American Red Cross. The vision for the organization was integrated into each of the interventions throughout the phases of action research, which was utilized for the first time as part of a business review for this unit.;Previsit documents were requested for initial analysis: followed by interviews, electronic satisfaction surveys, and on-site observations. Frequent cycles of feedback sessions with the client organization occurred throughout an 11-month period. The primary findings included a need to restructure the Health and Safety Services Department; clarify roles, responsibilities, and functions; and complete a cross-sectional analysis of similar Chapters across the United States.;The electronic Job Satisfaction Survey was used at the onset of the project and again 6 months later after the interventions were completed, indicating an improvement in employee satisfaction. Quantitative data were evaluated using revenue and reach results, which indicated improvement occurred. Qualitative data were gathered initially through the data-gathering process, 6 months and 11 months after the initial request for a business review and a distinct awareness of the organizational vision was evident. The Anderson and Ackerman Anderson model for transformational change and McLean and Cady's organization development evaluation model served as a foundation for the project.;Although there were multiple levels of transformation, one finding indicated that continued communication and integration of the vision in all aspects of organizational design, job resdesign, and HRM ensured the vision was kept active and at the forefront. The results concluded that continued engagement, alignment, and communication of the vision proved to be a success for the performance teams in this complex transformational change process. |
