Managing and Leading Change - Essay Example

Managing and leading change: Case study Introduction Change can be described as a process by which individuals alter their behavior, thinking or actions so as to suit the needs of the environment. Change may either be self initiated or induced by external forces. Self initiated changes usually arise out of adaption needs, whereas induced change is usually for achieving specific objectives. Organizational change refers to the process of undertaking specific strategies and procedures so as alter the manner in which an organization functions. In general most organizational change involves adapting to external market conditions such as change in demand, technological aspects or economic conditions (Herscovitch and Meyer, 2002). Changes in an organization may lead to development of new rules and methods of working. In order to implement change within an organization, managers may be required to impart training so that employees can easily adapt with the factors of the external environment. Managing change is highly systematic process and requires specific on behalf of the management and the employees (Jones, 2010). Business environment is highly fast paced and for long term survival it becomes necessary that organizations adhere to changes. Technology is one of the strongest aspects that have induced changes in the way organizations operate. Technological innovations have caused organizations to utilize resource in new and innovate ways (Pettigrew, Woodman and Cameron, 2001). Adapting to technological changes increases efficiency as well as provides scope for the management to operate in new ways. Organizations are also required to change when the requirements of customers change (Fernandez and Rainey, 2006). Evolution induces changes in the needs of consumers. Changes in consumer needs create demand for new products and services. Organizations are required to perceive such developments and change so as to be able to meet the newly created demand (Tsoukas and Chia, 2002). The current case study aims to understand the issues which Capitol Academy is faced with in respect of change management. In order to increase operational efficiency and earn more revenue, Capitol Academy had adopted certain changes. However, due to lack of planning and inadequate resource allocation, the company’s operations were turned upside down causing a number of management issues. The organization was also observed to concentrate more upon the development of its professional programs, ignoring other departments where change management was not implemented properly. The mismanagement has also led to the development of financial stringencies within the organization (Piderit, 2000). The case study aims to critically evaluate these issues and consider ways in which the firm can overcome them. Challenges faced by Capitol Academy Increased demand in respect of innovative teaching had caused Capitol Academy to incorporate changes in respect of their courses offered. The organization had incorporated offering a number of professional development courses for youth development. These programs were recognized successfully in the market. As a result the company considered marketing these programs by hiring a full time marketing manager, Vince Dali. Under the management of Vince Dali, the organization was successful in expanding. The growth was however not at par with the increase in revenues. The company suffered financial difficulties, especially in the bachelor’s program department. The organization was seen to lack in resources so as to be able meet the needs of the professional development programs. The primary issue faced in this respect was the shortage in the total number of academic instructors. The existing instructors were seen to lack in competencies and did not possess adequate knowledge and the occupational background for meeting the needs of these programs. In order to meet the needs of the academy, the company had recruited external facilitators. The facilitators charged a very high salary which imposed greater financial burden upon the organization. Additionally, it was observed that the field instructors were neglecting their duties. The field inspectors had observed that the facilitators of the professional development program were working in comfort and earning more money. Analyzing such a situation, the field inspectors began insisting on being reassigned with working as facilitators in the professional development program. Many field inspectors also began resisting the attention given to the facilitators. As a result of the conflict many field inspectors began leaving their jobs or neglecting their job requirements. It was also observed that Capitol Academy was not following the protocols related to hiring or shifting of academic staff. The new instructors hired were not familiar with the operations which caused a rise in the costs. Many students were seen to leave the organization due to dissatisfaction from services and injuries caused during field expeditions. Capitol Academy also has a pending law suit imposed by a student who suffered from a third degree sun burn on her face. The administrations director, Dr. Amil J. Gonay had a number of disagreements with the authority and with Vince in respect of the manner in which resources were being managed. Amil also holds that the company has not been planning its activities in a proper manner. Kurt Lewin’s force field analysis Kurt Lewin’s force field model of change facilitates analyzing the driving and the restraining forces of change. The model can be described as two different types of forces working in support and in opposition to the change process. The force field model helps to determine; the balance of power which influences change, key players who are engaged in decision making, individuals who are against and for the change and to identify the ways in which individuals who resist change can be influenced. Before a change is implemented, the force field remains inactive and is in equilibrium. Once the change is initiated, the status quo gets disturbed. For a change to be implemented it become necessary for the driving forces to be stronger than the restraining forces (Burnes, 2004). In respect of Capitol Academy, it has been seen that the driving forces of changes were very strong due to which the organization was successful in implementing the change. When Capitol Academy had decided to grow its organization by developing professional development courses, most members of the administrations were supportive of the change. The organization had taken different marketing measures to popularize the professional development program which had attracted a number of students. The academy had undertaken offering programs which helped in building self esteem, leadership, sense of responsibility and team work amongst students. The courses comprised of providing city expeditions, community extension projects and traditional backwoods excursions. The academy also undertook offering workshops and seminars with local business concerns in order to increase corporate exposure of the students. The change was fast paced and within three years Capitol Academy had expanded. The expansion had caused the companies to recruit an increased number of facilitators and instructors. The changes were not resisted by most of the administrators. As a result these changes were quickly adopted and acted upon. Kurt Lewin’s force field model states that when the driving forces are strong, the change process can easily be implemented (Martin, 2003). A similar situation was seen to exist in Capitol Academy. The drivers or the motivators of change were more in number than resistors. Although Capitol Academy could easily implement change without many hindrances, the effect of the changes was not seen to be positive. From the administrator’s panel only Amil was resisting the policies which were implemented. Amil was highly dissatisfied with the manner in which Vince was managing the change. The organization had not invested adequate time in planning for the change. Also, Vince and other members of the administration had overlooked many of the protocols related to hiring of faculty members. In order to facilitate quick change, the educational background and the occupational experience were not analyzed properly while hiring facilitators and inspectors. This led to a number of issues in imparting the courses to the students. Since instructors were not being hired by evaluating their background, a number of injuries were caused to the students. The company had failed to perceive that if the quality of the faculty members is not up to the mark, then the quality of services provided would also be weak. Since the motivation for change was strong than the restraining forces, not much time and attention was given to carefully planning the process. The administrators had also failed to perceive the consequences of recruiting inspectors and facilitators who lacked knowledge. When the issues regarding the organizational change increased, the force fields changed. With the emergence of difficulties the restraining forces became more prominent than the driving forces. At this juncture the organization began giving attention to the points of allegation which were made by Amil. In order to address the issues, the organization had realized that immediate remedial measures must be undertaken. From the analysis of the case study it can be understood that the company had emphasized very little upon planning before implementation of change. The strong driving force had caused the organization to overlook the problems which may arise in the future. The retraining forces were completely avoided in the process of change (Dion, 2000). Strategic plan Key result area Objectives Activities Responsible person Time frame Leadership To analyze the process of change Monitoring the overall activities of the organization Amil J. Gonay (Administrations Director) 2 months Financial control To identify the areas of wasteful expenditure and to reduce costs of operations Preparation of forecasted budgets and comparing with actual results Johnson James (Finance Head) 3 months Planning To identify the implications of strategies of change Preparing forecasted productivity reports. Vince Dali (Marketing Manager) 3 months Resource allocation To prevent wastage of resources To monitor resource utilization in various departments Amil J. Gonay 3 months Allocation of responsibilities To allocate responsibilities as per competency level To scrutinize the skills and knowledge of existing and newly recruited facilitators and inspectors Vince Dali 3 months In order to resolve the issues which are currently faced by Capitol Academy, it is essential that the management looks into four key responsibility areas namely, leadership, financial control, planning, resource allocation and allocation of responsibilities. Change is a highly systematic process and requires careful planning before being implemented (Lorenzi and Riley, 2000). Since the changes were initiated by Vince, it is his responsibility to carefully plan how the organization must incorporate the changes and improve the efficiency of operations. Vince must layout the plans regarding hiring of facilitators and instructors and the type of programs which are feasible for the organization to undertake. From the case study it has been understood that the organization has undertaken expansion without analyzing its capacity. The company also requires undertaking forecasting costs related to the implementation of changes. This would help in estimating the amount of investments which are required to be made so as to implement the changes effectively. The company must consider eliminating those courses for which faculty members are not present or are too costly to obtain. One of the significant shortcomings of the change undertaken by Capitol Academy was that it failed to allocate resources and responsibilities in the proper manner (Ash, et al., 2000). The skills and competencies of the facilitators and the instructors must be carefully be evaluated before assigning them with responsibilities. Finally the overall change related to developing the academy’s professional courses must be carefully monitored by Amil. Considering Amil’s experience with the organization, it is expected that she can effectively carry out the tasks of leading the change. Moreover, from the case study it can be seen that Amil has adequate skills of forecasting and interpreting the impact of change. She had promptly pointed out different shortcomings in the growth strategies, but since the drive to change was strong, less attention was paid to the allegations and suggestions made by her (Buonocore, 2004). Analysis and Conclusion Change is a necessary aspect in organizational growth and success. However implementing change and leading the same is a challenging task. In order to effectively monitor change, an organization is required to plan the process carefully. It must consider the long term impacts of change and analyze whether the changes results in growth and efficiency of the firm. Change must be undertaken by analyzing internal and external conditions. Capitol Academy had perceived that there is a rising demand for professional courses and perceived this as an opportunity to grow. The company neglected analyzing its internal capacities so as to effectively meet the changes. Lack of planning and organization of change process had further aggravated the issues. In addition to the prescribed suggestions for addressing the issues, Capitol Academy must also consider providing training to the facilitators and inspectors so that they can easily adapt to changes. Reference List Ash, J. 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