Change Commitment and Change Efficacy: Organizational Readiness for Change of Fiore Del Carmelo School towards K-12

Implementation
AUTHORS: Navarrete, Carla Joyce B. Aquino, Theresa Perly A. Aresgado, Maylene L. Candare, Arnol L. Magculang, Rose Analyn H.

ABSTRACT Background The Philippine basic educational system was altered from the usual ten years into twelve years which is referred to as K-12. This educational policy was implemented due to the fact that Filipino students are not prepared to enter neither in the labor force nor in the university world. However, different reactions are still apparent from different groups of people. In this paper, the researchers found out the perception of some members of Fiore Del Carmelo School regarding this educational change as well as their commitment and their perceived efficacy about themselves. Moreover, the researchers attempted to explain theoretically their points of view regarding the implementation of K-12 educational policy.

Discussion A change in an organization can bring a lot of reactions coming from the people within it. Some were acting auspiciously and some are contradictory with it. A successful organizational transformational change can only be achieved if the people within the organization are committed and primed to adapt to this modification. To determine the readiness of an organization with a change, one has to consider its members commitment and efficacy to the change. The motivation of an individual, as well as the expectations from this change, is an important contributing factor in increasing the commitment or the valuing of someone with a certain alteration. Moreover, ones self-perception of his/her skills and capabilities can also affect his commitment to the change. When one is confident to his/her skills and abilities, the more he/she is motivated to adapt with change. Otherwise, he/she will react pessimistically with a certain alteration.

Summary This paper sought to determine the organizational readiness of Fiore Del Carmelo School towards K-12 implementation as to the faculty members change-commitment and change-efficacy. The researchers tried to explain theoretically how important people within the organization adapt the change, not only through following the rules, process, and systems, but also by integrating to themselves the essence of a certain change. This can only be done through increasing their change-commitment and change-efficacy. In this way only true successful transformational change can be achieved.

Keywords: Organizational Readiness, Change-Commitment, Change-Efficacy, Change Curve Model, RISE Model, Expectancy Theory, Self-Efficacy Theory, Commitment, Efficacy

BACKGROUND
[3]

Enhancing the quality of basic education in the Philippines is urgent and

critical. Due to that, one of the discussions of DepEd which incurred last October 2010 is to enhance the basic education program of the country in a manner that is least disruptive to the current curriculum, most affordable to government and families, and aligned with international practice through the K-12 policy. The poor quality of basic education is reflected in the low achievement scores of Filipino students. Many students who finish basic education do not possess sufficient mastery of basic competencies, (De Justo, H.G.A, et. al, 2012). Truly, the Philippine Educational System was changed from the usual ten years of basic education to K-12 which started in school year 2012-2013 to enhance the training of every Filipino student. The previous studies regarding the poor performance of the students, particularly in Math and Science subjects, served as one of the grounds to impose this change. In addition to this, the unpreparedness of the high school graduates to enter the world of work or college also became an index to implement this new educational system. However, though it is already implemented for almost two years, different reactions are still apparent. There are still pros and cons regarding this change. Many were saying that the country is not yet ready for this rapid alteration. Students, parents, teachers, as well as the financial budget to sustain this change are all at stake. In view of this, this paper aims to find out the perception and readiness of the teachers of Fiore Del Carmelo School regarding the implementation of K-12. This covers

their insights regarding the policy, themselveschange-efficacy and changecommitmentand their schools readiness for this alteration.

DISCUSSION Insights on K-12 Implementation The sudden change in the Philippine educational system astonished every Filipino. There were even aggressive reactions regarding the K-12 implementation. A lot of commentaries have appeared coming from different groups of people. Some were surprised, some were shocked and others remained passive with regard to this change. According to the Change Curve model (a model which describes the four stages most people go through as they adjust to change),
[8]

when a change is first introduced,

people's initial reaction may be shock or denial, as they react to the challenge to the status quo. This is the first stage of the Change Curve. As an example of this stage, take a look on several interviews to some of the members of the faculty of Fiore Del Carmelo School that the researchers conducted concerning their insights on K-12 policy. One of them said that: Parang nabigla lang na parang may kasamang pag-alala. Kasi siyempre iyong mga magulang natin ngayon, hindi afford na magtagal sa high school. Hindi rin kasi natin sure kung talagang magiging competitive talaga iyong mga bata after ng high school nila. Tinitingnan natin iyong financial budget ng mga magulang Nandoon iyong pag-aalala sa budget ng mga magulang. Kasi hindi

natin alam baka mamaya after nga mag-graduate hindi naman sila ganoon kacompetitive. Another said: Maganda. Iyong K-12 kasi iyong 7-10 (grade) ga-graduate na. At saka grade 10 may NC. Iyong 7-10 ay junior high school iyon, iyong 11-12 ay senior high school. Technical level iyong senior high school, iyong mga subjects ay subject ng college, 11-12 ay iyong two year technical school sa trade school. Iyong 11-12 binago lang ang pangalan. Ngayon pagkatapos ng 11 and 12, at gusto mo ituloy sa college, third year college ka na. Oo, tingnan mo mga subject; senior high school: English, Language, Natural Science, Social Science, Media Information, Literature, Philosophy, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics and Foreign Language. One of them held: Noong una siyempre nagulat. Pero ngayon, okay lang. Maganda siya. *From these responses of the faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School, it is implied that two out of three interviewees were astonished regarding the K-12 implementation, while one of them already had an idea regarding this new educational system.

[8]

Once the reality of the change starts to hit, people tend to react negatively and

move to stage 2 of the Change Curve: They may fear the impact; feel angry; and actively resist or protest against the changes. Some will wrongly fear the negative consequences of change. Others will correctly identify real threats to their position. As a result, the

organization experiences disruption which, if not carefully managed, can quickly spiral into chaos. To illustrate: One faculty member said: Sa grade three, meron na iyong Arabic, iyan ang naging problema ng Elementary; kung saan sila kukuha ng instructor ng Arabic? Bakit kailangan ng Arabic? Kasi iyong mga Pilipino nagpupunta sa Saudi Arabia at China. Hindi lahat ng high school ay required mag-offer ng senior high school. Iyong mag-o-offer ay iyong mga prepared, may facilities, may mga teachers na magtuturo. Ang mahirap diyan ay saan mapupunta iyong galing sa high school, eh hindi naman lahat ay mag-o-offer ng senior high school?.Iyong may capability lang na mag-offer, at saka kung sino ang laging may facilities. Iyong Fiore ay mag-o-offer ng Senior High School, pero kulang naman sa mga teachers.

He further stated: Dapat hindi makialam ang mga bright girls,kasi walang mangyayari kung ang ginagawa mo ay hindi mo alam kaya tumahimik ka nalang kung hindi mo alam. Nagkakaroon ng conflict sa success ng school ang administration.

Another said: At the same time may advantage iyon, iyong mga hindi kayang tumuntong ng college, after ng mga skills na napag-aralan nila sa high school, pwede nilang gamitin. Pero siyempre `pag skills kasi, hindi lang kasi sagot ng government iyong materials na gagamitin. Kailangan may part iyong estudyante

na kung saan magbibigay ng budget nila para mag-produce ng ganitong gamit kasi kailangan sa skills o kaya course na kinukuha nila. *Two of the faculty members who have been interviewed for this research perceived the difficulty of implementing this new educational system especially when it comes to the availability of resources.
[8]

At stage 3 of the Change Curve, people stop focusing on what they have lost.

They start to let go, and accept the changes. They begin testing and exploring what the changes mean, and so learn the reality of what's good and not so good, and how they must adapt. By stage 4, they not only accept the changes but also start to embrace them: They rebuild their ways of working. Only when people get to this stage can the organization can really start to reap the benefits of change. To exemplify: Other countries are already offering this kind of curriculum and we are one of the few countries that dont have this. Kumbaga, napag-iiwanan na tayo, eh. Its time for us to adapt their curriculum to be globally competitive.

*One of the faculty members has noted the benefit of implementing the K-12 policy, especially the global competitiveness of the students. With this idea, the researchers concluded that in stage 3 and 4 of the Change Curve, the employee starts to commit themselves to the change in the organization. Since the employees started to realize the gain they could have with a certain change, they begin to value it.

Change-commitment
[1]

The fact is that organizations do not just change because of new systems,

processes or new organization structures; they change because the people within the organization adapt and change too. Only when the people within it have made their own personal transitions can an organization truly reap the benefits of change. As someone needing to make changes within your organization, the challenge is not only to get the systems, process and structures right, but also to help and support people through these individual transitions (which can sometimes be intensely traumatic, and involve loss of power and prestige and even employment). This is now commitment of the employees to the change has to be developed.
[5]

Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that

speak boldly of your intentions; and the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none; coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of: the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism, (Shearson Lehman, cited by Jim Selman). Commitment is a phenomenon that can be experienced and observed. We can remember that when we are committed we have a different mood, we observe and listen differently, and we feel different than we do when we arent committed or are not aware of our commitments. We can hear someone speak a promise and listen to what they say as being a commitment.
[6]

Herscovitch and Meyer observe that organizational members can commit to

implementing an organizational change because they want to (they value the change),

because they have to (they have little choice), or because they ought to (they feel obliged). Commitment based on 'want to' motives reflects the highest level of commitment to implement organizational change, (Weiner, B.J, 2009). As Dubow, J.D.,(2012) noted:
[4]

This is the place, in my opinion, where change

frequently breaks down. Change often takes time, especially large organizational transformations such as incorporating social business practices into core business processes. People can experience change fatigue along the way, executives may get frustrated that adoption or performance results arent where they should be, and the list goes on, etc. When one is committed to the organization where he/she belongs, to his coworkers, to his employer and to the change itself, desirable behaviors can be observed with the employee. The urge to do something to change and adapt to this change is what we refer to as commitment. One values the change because he started to realize that it will provide benefits and it is also the perception of his employers and co-workers. In the interview of the researchers with three of the faculty of Fiore Del Carmelo School regarding their change-commitment towards the implementation of K-12, they held: First Interviewee: Siguro sa akin, sa umpisa, parang o sige wala na kasing choice; sige doon na lang, wala na tayong magagawa, iyong government iyong nagimplement. Pero nandoon na rin iyong realization, na kailangang tanggapin. Okay nandito na ito. Gawin na nating passion iyong pagtuturo sa mga estudyante

pagdating sa mga skills .Kasi kapag binago kasi iyan, parang ano ba namang nangyayari? Parang magtatanong ka, bakit pabago-bago? Walang consistent na nangyayari sa educational system ng bansa. Iyon, K-12, kailangan nating yakapin, kumbaga. Kailangan nating tanggapin. Ang mai-i-contribute na lang natin ay iyong passion natin na turuan natin sila nang maigi, iyong mga bata. Kung hindi nila afford sa college, iyong natutunan nila sa iyo, sa mga teachers, kagaya natin, iyon ang magagamit nila . Pwede na silang mag-business. Puwede na silang mabuhay kahit hindi sila makapag-college. May income-generating, may kinikita sila. Kahit hindi sila nakatuntong ng college. Siguro sa umpisa, masasabi kong mahirap mag-adapt kasi iba iyong nakagawian natin eh. Pero siguro sa pagdating ng panahon, kailangan mong ipaintindi sa sarili mo na kailangan mong tanggapin. Kung hindi mo i-integrate sa sarili mo na kailangan mong mag-adapt, parang lalayo ka sa teaching, parang gusto mong mag-iba ng career. Pero iyon sa umpisa mahirap, kapag nagtagal, paunti-unti, ma-adapt din iyon.

Second Interviewee: I value the change, of course. But at the same time, I have the feeling that I dont have any choice. We need to abide to this kind of change, kasi iyong government na ang nag-implement. This change can help us to progress; not only for ourselves, but also for the country.

*From these statements, it can be inferred that two of the faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School conform to the K-12 policy because they do not have

choice since it is the government who implemented the change. In addition, they commit themselves with the change because of the benefits it could bring.
[9]

Vrooms Expectancy theory is one of the most widely accepted theories of

motivation to explain how and why people make decisions. In expectancy-value theory, motivation is regulated by the expectation that a given course of behavior will produce certain outcomes and the value of those outcomes. But people act on their beliefs about what they can do, as well as on their beliefs about the likely outcomes of performance. The motivating influence of outcome expectancies is thus partly governed by self-beliefs of efficacy. There are countless attractive options people do not pursue because they judge they lack the capabilities for them. The productiveness of expectancy-value theory is enhanced by including the influence of perceived self- efficacy. In connection with the interview that the researchers had with these two faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School, one can observe that ones efficacy affects his commitment and behavior towards change. The way he perceives his own capacity to adapt with a certain change, also affect his change-commitment. This has also something to do with motivation. If an individual is expecting for a desirable outcome of his performance, the more he is committed to do something to change and the more he is motivated to integrate to them the alteration. Thus, commitment is an important driving force to implement organizational change. When one is committed to change, he will perform better and the outcome of this change is satisfying and results to the attainment of performance goals. The key to the accomplishment of this transformational change in our educational system is the teachers capacity to commit themselves to creating something that will help in achieving

the goal of K-12 program. Otherwise, he/she will not be able to cope with this change in educational system. However, there are some factors which can affect ones changecommitment; that is, his confidence to his abilities and skills which is commonly known as self-efficacy.

Change-efficacy Another thing to consider when we say organizational readiness is efficacy. When we talk of being committed, we mean to say that we are willing to change and improve ourselves to adapt with change. However, our ability to cope up with this change depends on our skills and capabilities and how confident we are with our abilities. It greatly affects our behavior towards change.
[2]

As what Bandura stated in his Self-efficacy theory,

self-efficacy refers to a

persons belief in his ability to change their behavior. This has something to do with motivation. Self-beliefs of efficacy play a key role in the self-regulation of motivation. Most human motivation is cognitively generated. People motivate themselves and guide their actions anticipatorily by the exercise of forethought.

In an interview with the faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School regarding their self-efficacy, one of them said: Siguro masasabi kong confident ako, kung ako mismo ang magsasabi sa sarili ko na kailangan kong mag-aral, mag-enroll, kung ako mismo ang magpipursue na mag-enroll sa TESDA o TESDA training center o kahit anong training center na supported ng TESDA. Kung sa ngayon, masasabi kong hindi ako

confident kasi kulang ako sa skills. Siyempre paano mo tuturuan iyong mga bata, kung ikaw mismo kulang sa skills? Kailangan bago ka mag-enter sa public talaga, o kung nandoon ka na talaga sa lugar na tipong tinuturo mo na siya, na kahit wala ka naman masydong alam. Halimbawa nagtuturo ka ng dressmaking, pero totally wala kang alam, wala kang background, parang back to zero ka. Dressmaking iyong tinturo ko, kailangan mag-enroll ako for dressmaking para iyong mga natutunan mo, sinasabay mo sa mga bata; para masabi mo na confident ka. Pero ngayon masasabi kong hindi pa, kailangan ko pa mag-gain ng skills. Mag-eenroll siguro.

From this interview, we can relate the

[7]

RISE Model by Dawn Stanley (2010)

which is a very clear sequential and elegant model for self-development, and a brilliant quick reference model for helping others work towards and achieve personal change and development. The sequential elements in Stanley's 'RISE process' are: 1.) Realization the 'light-bulb moment'; knowing and accepting that change is needed, and committing to it - "knowing you want to change". 2.) Investigation - developing clarity about what, why and how change can happen; 3.) Substitution - out with the old, in with the new creating conscious change; and 4.) Embedding - transformational change - reinforcing the change at unconscious competence level.
[1]

In business, changes in the environment create new requirements for success in

the marketplace as customers demand new services or products. Meeting these new marketplace and customer requirements demands the formation of new business strategies, which in turn require certain changes in the organizations structure, systems,

processes, or technology in order to be implemented successfully. In transformational change, the scope of these organizational changes is often so significant that they also require the culture to change for the new organizational design to operate smoothly and produce its outcomes, (Anderson, L.A., et. al). Similar with K-12 policy implementation, this created a new market wherein the students are to be trained differently from what we have used to; thus requires every teacher to undergo more training to be more efficient. This will result to their ability to meet the new demands of the market, thus achieving the goals of this educational change. Another member of the faculty was interviewed and he was asked about the preparations of their school regarding this new educational policy. He quoted: Hindi na kailangan maghanda kasi wala naman talagang Tech -Voc teachers dito, si Maam ------ lang ung nagtuturo sa Tech-Voc. Kapag Tech-Voc School, ang teacher ay required mag-NC, eh kaso hindi naman natupad kasi wala namang available na ano. Walang mga sapat na facilities.

Another faculty was asked about her confidence to deal with K-12 policy. She stated: Yes, Im confident enough. As long as the subject Im going to teach is within my field of expertise, which is computer. Pero kapag Science, ganiyan, Math, ayoko. Siyempre mangangapa ako. Pero kapag computer, Im confident that I have the necessary skills. Ang Fiore naman ay kayang mag-provide ng facilities for K-12 from grades 7 to 9.

*Two of the faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School are confident that they can cope with the change in the educational system because they know they have the necessary skills. It can be implied from the statements of the interviewees that ones confidence of his/her skills and abilities has a great impact to an individuals change-commitment.
[2]

Self-efficacy beliefs operate in different types of cognitive motivation. Self-

efficacy beliefs influence causal attributions. People who regard themselves as highly efficacious attribute their failures to insufficient effort, those who regard themselves as inefficacious attribute their failures to low ability. Causal attributions affect motivation, performance and affective reactions mainly through beliefs of self-efficacy.

SUMMARY

In this paper, the researchers sought to determine the organizational readiness of Fiore Del Carmelo School towards K-12 implementation as to some faculty members change-commitment and change-efficacy. The researchers theoretically explained the interviewees insights on K-12 educational policy and their commitment and efficacy which are important factors to consider in determining their readiness on this change.

Most of them were astonished upon knowing this modification in educational system. But later on, as they realized the benefits that they might reap with this policy, they reacted favorably and pleasantly. They stopped on focusing what they have lost and apprehended what advantages it could bring. The responses of these faculty members are

consistent with what the Change Curve Model states:

[8]

when a change is first

introduced, people's initial reaction may be shock or denial, as they react to the challenge to the status quo. This is first stage of the Change Curve. Once the reality of the change starts to hit, people tend to react negatively and move to stage 2 of the Change Curve: They may fear the impact; feel angry; and actively resist or protest against the changes. Some will wrongly fear the negative consequences of change. Others will correctly identify real threats to their position. As a result, the organization experiences disruption which, if not carefully managed, can quickly spiral into chaos. At stage 3 of the Change Curve, people stop focusing on what they have lost. They start to let go, and accept the changes. They begin testing and exploring what the changes mean, and so learn the reality of what's good and not so good, and how they must adapt. By stage 4, they not only accept the changes but also start to embrace them: They rebuild their ways of working. Only when people get to this stage can the organization can really start to reap the benefits of change.

With this concept, the researchers concluded that at the stage 3 and 4 of the Change Curve, the employees start to commit themselves on the change and consider what they can do to adapt with this. From the answers of the faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School, the implementing organization who executed a change is an important factor in encouraging the employees to commit themselves with the alteration in the system. Moreover, the favorable outcome which the employees expect in conforming to the change is another rousing factor to commend with the change.

To explain, consider

[9]

Vrooms Expectancy theory which is one of the most

widely accepted theories of motivation to explain how and why people make decisions. In expectancy-value theory, motivation is regulated by the expectation that a given course of behavior will produce certain outcomes and the value of those outcomes. But people act on their beliefs about what they can do, as well as on their beliefs about the likely outcomes of performance. The motivating influence of outcome expectancies is thus partly governed by self-beliefs of efficacy. There are countless attractive options people do not pursue because they judge they lack the capabilities for them. However, there are some aspects that may affect ones commitment to a change. One of these is their capabilities and skills, or what Bandura referred to as self-efficacy. Looking at the responses of the faculty members of Fiore Del Carmelo School, one can conclude that when an individual is in no doubt of his/her skills, he/she can easily adapt with a sudden change and more motivated to take action to respond with the said modification in an organizational system. Otherwise, if motivation is not perceptible, one will find aggravation as regards to a change. The answers of the faculty members who are interviewed in this research reflect this thought.
[2]

As what Bandura stated in his Self-efficacy theory,

self-efficacy refers to a

persons belief in his ability to change their behavior. This has something to do with motivation. Self-beliefs of efficacy play a key role in the self-regulation of motivation. Most human motivation is cognitively generated. People motivate themselves and guide their actions anticipatorily by the exercise of forethought.

However, when a change occurred and an individual is not self-efficient enough to adapt with this, but somehow committed to it, he/she will find ways to adapt and integrate to him/her the change. This is what the [7] RISE Model by Dawn Stanley (2010) states, which is a very clear sequential and elegant model for self-development, and a brilliant quick reference model for helping others work towards and achieve personal change and development. The sequential elements in Stanley's 'RISE process' are: 1.) Realization - the 'light-bulb moment'; knowing and accepting that change is needed, and committing to it - "knowing you want to change". 2.) Investigation - developing clarity about what, why and how change can happen; 3.) Substitution - out with the old, in with the new - creating conscious change; and 4.) Embedding - transformational change reinforcing the change at unconscious competence level. In general, in order that an organizational change become successful, it is not enough that the rule, systems, processes or structures change. We must aim for a

transformational change in which people within the organization adapt and change too. Only when the people within it have made their own personal change can an organization truly reap the benefits of change. It is important to make the people within the organization realize the benefits they could have with implementing a change. This will motivate them to work efficiently and/or foster a positive behavioral change.

**********

References
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Theories and Strategies - Self Efficacy Theory and Stages of Change Theory http://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/BanEncy.html

3. De Justo, H.G.A, et. al

An Analysis of the Policy: K-12 Education Program, 2012 http://www.academia.edu/1525168/K12_Educational_System_in the_Philippines_-_A_Policy_Paper The Four Cs of Change Management: Choice, Conviction, Commitment, and Compassion http://www.socialbusinessnews.com/the-five-cs-of-changemanagement-choice-conviction-commitment-and-compassion/

4. Dubow, J.D.

5. Selman, J.

Commitment and Change http://www.paracomm.com/commitment-and-change/

6. Weiner, B. J.

A Theory of Organizational Readiness For Change http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11993577

7. Stanley, D.

RISE Model http://homepage.ntlworld.com/d.stanley10/rise.htm

8. Evison, A., et. al

The Change Curve http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_96.htm

9. De Sousa, L.

Vrooms Expectancy Theory https://sites.google.com/site/motivationataglanceischool/vrooms-expectancy-theory