r$)$ Instructions: An individual in an Organization Development and Change class needs to consider the 'people problem' or another important issue in their organization which is a small optometrist practice that they might consider a change challenge.$$ Based on the Heifetz video summary as well as book chapter. The individual needs to address the following question thoroughly and succinctly plus provide examples to justify the individual$$s way of thinking: $1)$ Is the individual$$s change challenge technical or adaptive?$$ Explain why $(*$the individual works as a medical administrator at a small optometrists office, the staff including them is $2$ medical administrators and $2$ optometrists$).$

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Heifetz video summary: Heifetz emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between technical and adaptive challenges in various situations. Technical challenges involve clear problem and solution, and experts can address them quickly. In medical situations, stakeholders must be involved in making progress towards healthier lifestyles. Adaptive challenges involve learning, engaging stakeholders, and experimentation rather than having a fast immediate fix. Most civic issues involve both technical and adaptive components. For example, consolidating schools with different cultures and expectations can be done through technical aspects like combining budgets and deciding which technologies work best. However, consolidating schools requires learning about community expectations, engagement among parents, sports activities, teachers, curriculum design, and community engagement. Stakeholder involvement is necessary to make progress towards a unique school before the building opens. The challenge lies in distinguishing between technical and adaptive aspects of challenges and attending to the specific demands of each. By doing so$,$ organizations can better navigate complex and often challenging situations. All too often in organizational life, we jump to solutions to problems without knowing as much as we should about the situation or clarifying the nature of the problem itself.$$

Book chapter from Harvard Business Press: Diagnose the Adaptive Challenge. Understanding the Human Dimensions of Change. Excerpted from The Practice of Adaptive Leadership: Tools and Tactics for Changing Your Organization and the World by Ronald Heifetz, Alexander Grashow, and Marty Linsky, Harvard Business Press.