Implemented Change Process in the Department - Essay Example

and Islington College Foundation Degree in Public Services Management Year Two; Semester 2 May Change Management Assignment --Mr Peter Firkin Assignment By Sengho Koffi Student Number-AA40053 Table of Contents Introduction 3 The Implemented Change Process in the Department 5 5 Critical Analysis of the Main Issues with Literature 8 8 Analysis of the Change Management Process with Models 11 Conclusion 16 References 17 Introduction Education and Family Department has been a concern for the government of the United Kingdom in recent times. The department is responsible for creating a first-class education system for the children. It focuses on the opportunities to develop the workforce of the system by engaging talented teachers and highly skilled and young people. Therefore, the government has decided to bring a change management process in the system so that the current expenditures can be reduced and also to improve the services of the system. The necessity for the change management process has been recognised because of the three main issues. One of the prime concerning issues is that the department was not being able to reach around 30% of the population targeted by them. It has also been noted that the department was not being capable to reach the own targets set by themselves with regards to performance, customer service and finance. Thus, the government’s target population was not being able to receive the services that were offered by the department. At last, the local authorities decided that the department should consist of youth who will be responsible for delivering services to all the children within the age group of 0-19 years. The department also has planned to provide support to children at the earliest stage who have been identified with additional needs (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The discussion in the paper will include the major processes that took place in the department’s change management initiative. The change management initiatives can be crucial for the department as they could enable it to rectify the present shortcomings prevalent, which would in turn enable it to serve better the people in the community. The issues that were related to the change management process will be assessed and analysed with different theories and structure models. The Implemented Change Process in the Department The existing department comprises The Extended Service Team which was formed to be a part of the Children’s Partnership Service along with the Integrated Services Team and Young People’s Sexual Health Team. The department achieved their objectives by working in collaboration among the teams that were associated with the department. The teams had to provide services spread over 12 establishments which were costing the local authority very significantly. Thus, the future plans within the change process include setting up of 16 establishments which will increase the budget for the local authorities if the same model or management was followed (Education and Families Department, n.d.). However, the economic downturn made the competent authorities to focus on bringing certain changes in the management structure and processes that could lead them to deliver effective services through efficient planning. Children centres being relatively newer concept, the department decided to establish a forum for governors and local management board members of all children centres. The issues for dissolving the earlier board were blocking the pace for development which made the department to work in partnerships with different boards and government bodies. The Education and Families Department planned to provide excellent services to the families with children under statutory school age. The transformation of the management decided to develop a streamlined governance structure which will be efficient and provide strong support to all the centres across each locality (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The department’s proposed structure included the decision to merge the Early Years Service and the Extended Services Team with the newly formed Children and Family Services department under a new Head of Service post. A few of the old posts have been omitted and new posts have been introduced. The posts of the Early Years Service and Children’s Centres and Children’s Partnerships have been replaced so that the current posts could focus either on the Early Year’s Provision or the management of the Extended Services which will be working together under the newly proposed structure. The department also decided to remove the Monitoring and Information Officer Post because of the change in funding structure which will force to reduce the monitoring and information activities of the department due to lack of fund. The existing roles of the head of services for Early Years and Children Partnerships have been replaced with a new role for head of Children and Family Services. The department has decided to have one Locality Manager for Early Years and Extended Services who will be responsible for managing the Children Centres’ Managers based in each of the five localities. In order to manage the finances effectively, the department introduced Projects and Finance Officer who will support the Head of the Children and Family Services to take forward new projects that will be launched in the future (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The decision to change the line management has been cited and initiatives have been taken by the department to draft an efficient structure of line management. It decided that the Early Years Data Assistant and Finance Assistant post would transfer to the Planning, Information and Performance Service and Children and Families Finance Team respectively. One of the Locality Managers of Early Years and Extended Services was given the responsibility to manage the Childcare Development and Network Coordinator team. Thus, it was decided that most of the posts of Children’s Centre will be managed by the Locality Managers of Early Services and Extended Services. The table below will depict the different posts that have been deleted and a few of the posts that have been introduced to facilitate the change management process (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Deleted Management Posts Introduced New Posts Head of Early Years Head of Children and Family Services Head of Children’s Partnerships Five Early Years and Extended Services Locality Managers Extended Services Neighbourhood Manager Projects and Finance Officer Early Years Service Manager Extended Services Locality Coordinator Integrated Services Manager Head of Children’s Centre Source: (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Critical Analysis of the Main Issues with Literature One of the key issues for bringing about the change in the management was due to non performance. The department’s service area was large and therefore, their targeted population was not being able to receive the services. This might have led to a delay in implementation of new projects aimed for education and family services (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Thus, the department decided that recruitment of youth will speed up their activities which include services to children and families (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The department started deleting various posts and replacing them with the new ones. They introduced measures to continuously improve their activities individually so that the performance at every level can be developed. The department analysed the findings from the data collected from different sources which evaluated the need to change processes in specific areas. Initial research was based on the feedbacks of the staff that created the platform for planning and implantation of the new structure (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Recently, these approaches were considered to implement change management in health care departments of National Health Service (NHS) (NHS, 2001). Similarly, the Education and Families Department divided the employees in teams which were assigned to convey the services at each locality. The people of the department clearly communicated the process to each individual and made them work accordingly. The proposal for setting up more establishments might have given a positive impact to families who have been devoid from the services. Newly recruited Projects and Finance Officer will focus in launching new projects addressed to child care and education. Children with special needs and disabilities were identified at early stages and quick services were adopted to support their families. The new department for Children’s Centre targeted to visit all children born within two months around their individual locality (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The need to appoint new positions in the management for departments like finance was evident due to the availability of fewer funds provided by the government to the local authorities. Thus, the inclusion of Finance Officer will help the Head of the Children and Family Services to manage the fund for launching of new projects or services. The department focused on ways to cut costs but not the services. The department wanted to be in a position to allocate the resources from where the outcomes will be generated that the council desires. Thus, the department deleted the posts that were inefficient and expensive, and brought different centres under one Head or post. According to the Chief Executive of Education and Families Department, the economic downturn has been affecting the employees of private organisations where huge pay cuts and loss of jobs are being experienced (Education and Families Department, n.d.). However, the department emphasised that it will take all possible measures to protect the most vulnerable groups from losing their positions. Apart from that the department also promised to keep down the tax burden and ascertain maximum value-for-money (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The organisation clearly communicated to all the employees that it is developing ways for a comprehensive and unprecedented efficiency to secure ?30 million over four years. Though it is a real challenge the department believes that the courage and the flexibility from both the parts i.e. officers and councillors will allow them to identify and deliver the necessary savings (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The new structure that has been proposed includes a newly recruited projects officer who might be responsible to analyse the feedbacks from the customers and review them to improve the services. Thus, the recommendations could lead to launch of new projects, which will have a positive impact on the community. The introduction of four new establishments along with remaining establishments will take care of the education for children and make the families learn ways for growing up their children. This process will require lots of travelling to cover up the birth of children within two years along the catchment area. Thus, the introduction of youth on the field level can help the department to achieve their targets within the time allocated to that project. Furthermore, the department plans to launch two new multi-agency Customer Service Centres which will work with the neighbourhood local councillors in each of their 21 wards. Additionally, the Chief Executive proposes to encourage residents to make use of the internet 24/7 to obtain information regarding child education and family services. Therefore, these initiatives have been proposed by the Chief Executive of the department in order to improve the overall services delivered to the community (Education and Families Department, n.d.). This paragraph is disorganised in its thinking and not very clear what points you are making Analysis of the Change Management Process with Models Change management process is based on few models that an organisation needs to follow for implementing effective processes that could enhance the performance of the organisation. Therefore, the change management process is analysed through the Lewin’s Change Model. The change model proposed by Kurt Lewin consists of three stages, namely Unfreezing, Moving and Refreezing (Huse & Cummings, n.d.) Unfreezing is the stage where processes are being identified that require changes. The change should be reasonable that can relate to enhance the lower performances of the organisation. In-efficiencies and problems should be identified and solutions should be provided to solve the issues. Therefore after the diagnosis of the inefficient processes has been done, the plan for replacing those changes is designed. In the context of the provided scenario, the Education and Families Department analysed the changes that were required from the data provided by the earlier Data Assistants of the department. The assessment showed that the department was not being able to reach to at least 30% of the targeted population. Thus, this key issue required to be monitored and changed by the department in order to increase the efficiency of the service, which relates to unfreezing stage of Lewin’s change model (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Along with that the organisation was incurring ineffective costs by paying salaries to the ineffective people working in the department. After the identification stage, the second stage of Lewin’s change management is regarded as Moving. Moving is the process referred to implementation of the plan and changes that has been identified. In the context of the scenario, the department planned to introduce youth to speed up their services and to reach their targeted population. Along with that the department decided to delete ineffective posts and introduced new posts with greater responsibilities. Thus, the removing of posts reduced their costs that they wanted to save for better allocation of services. The third stage of refreezing is referred to integrating the new ideas for bringing a stable condition in the organisation. The department ensured that the employees and councillors of the local authority act together in partnerships for improving the services of the Children’s and Family Service Centres. The department organised consultation meetings and ensured that it will continue through each stage with the staff and the trade unions regarding the restructure process. One-to-one meetings would be made available to staff with the HR advisors or Managers. The objective of the meetings was to redress an individual concern and new proposals can be consulted (Education and Families Department, n.d.). The process of change management of an organisation can be interpreted through Kotter’s 8 stage change process. Thus, the 8 stages of Kotter’s model will be analysed with reference to the changes that the department made for the restructure process (Coutts, n.d.). The 8 stages are discussed below: Establish A Sense of Urgency: Education and Families Department believes that the Children’s Trusts will convey better outcomes under the local authority. The government’s plan for building brighter future for the children involved a series of systems and services for the children and young people to work in partnership in providing a protection net for the vulnerable and unlock the prospective of every child (Department For Children, Schools And Families, 2007). Thus, the department ensured that the restructure process commences immediately so that the benefits of the government plan can be provided to all the children around the locality (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Create a Guiding Team: The nine task group that was set up in the previous year has come up with 150 recommendations for implementing the effective changes to ensure that unnecessary variation and duplication can be avoided. In order to modernise the council, the Chief Executive of the department has identified the “One Council” approach which needs to be promoted within the department. Therefore, few of the proposals from the nine task group have been approved by the Chief Executive and he agreed that implementing those practical suggestions of change will be carried straight away. A few of the approved suggestions were adoption of a single financial management system for the authority, the creation of expanded central teams responsible for property and asset management and corporate communications and various other guidance to the staff about the importance of excellent customer care practice (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Develop a Vision & Strategy: The department’s key decision for the restructuring was to make the most efficient and effective use of resources while continuing to improve the extended services. The strategy included general efficiency targets of over ?50 million to be achieved by 2013. The department believes that their proposed staffing will accumulate between ?5-13 million of the savings targets (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Communicate the Change Vision: The department prepared an action plan for communicating the change process to all the staff. They organised formal consultation and one-to-one meetings between the staff and the HR advisors or Managers. The comments and the feedbacks were redressed and the change in the implementation plan was forwarded to the staff (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Empower Organisational Members: The department took initiatives to delete the ineffective posts that were costing lots of expenditure to the organisation. They replaced the existing posts with new leaders and increased their responsibilities across the department (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Generate Short-term Wins: The Chief Executive communicated the managers that the progress on the “One Council” agenda should be seen within a year or two from the time the changes have been implemented. Furthermore, he also told that major moves should be initiated for their current internal market arrangements where invoices and cheques have been haphazardly moving around the organisation without any reason. He wanted an independent review of their current purchasing and procurement arrangements, submitted by March within the year the change process is initiated. Hence, he designed a three day induction session for all the staff which has been focusing in the organisation’s core values, required behaviours and key organisational objectives (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Consolidate Gains & Continue Change: The department ensured that the targeted population could be reached within a time period. They focussed on visiting each child within 2 years from their birth. The department ensured that the limited fund provided by the government was effectively used, that could have been determined from the savings that were accumulated (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Anchor New Ways into the Culture: Finally, the department made continuous efforts to improve the services while cutting their ineffective costs. The managers were given wide responsibilities for the Children’s Centres and Extended Schools outcomes. The department maintained that the partnership way of doing the works in the locality with the councillors prevailed (Education and Families Department, n.d.). Conclusion Change management is a successful process if an organisation sticks to the changes and believes that the change could bring positive outcomes. The department that is discussed above is responsible to carry out social services within a locality. Being a public sector, the funds were provided by the government which were not used in an effective way. Ineffective posts were being held and lots of expenditures were being incurred regarding the wages and the salaries. The capabilities of the existing staff were not up to the mark which could hardly reach 30% of population within the locality. Thus, the people of the department decided to change the line management and processes that will improve the outcome of their services. Therefore, they took initiatives to appoint youth in their workforce to speed up their services. They appointed new and specialised managers who were given greater responsibilities to conduct the services of the department within a specified time. The appointment of Finance and Projects Officer ensured that the funds were managed effectively and the savings could be utilised to launch new projects. Change management process that has occurred in the department has been analysed based on their main issues that led to a change in the management. The references of different theories and models were taken into consideration while determining the different changes that were implemented. It has enabled to identify that the change management process was followed in a methodical way which is expected to enable the department to attain their desired success. References Coutts, P., No Date. Kotter’s 8 Steps to Successful Change. Sirius Meetings. [Online] Available at: http://siriusmeetings.com/files/8steps1.pdf [Accessed April 14, 2012]. Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2007. The Children’s Plan: Building Brighter Futures. Chapter 1: Happy and Healthy. [Online] Available at: http://www.politiquessociales.net/IMG/pdf/The_Childrens_Plan.pdf [Accessed April 14, 2012]. Education and Families Department, No Date. Case Study for Change Management. Case Study. Huse & Cummings, No Date. The Lewin Change Model. Organization Development and Change. [Online] Available at: http://thepositivedarkside.com/articles/The_Lewin_Change_Model.pdf [Accessed April 14, 2012]. NHS, 2001. Organisational Change. Managing Change in the NHS. [Online] Available at: http://www.netscc.ac.uk/hsdr/files/project/SDO_FR_08-1001-001_V01.pdf [Accessed April 14, 2012]. Read More