Organizational Change Interview - Essay Example

? Organizational Change Interview Paper Organizational Change Interview Paper Change is inevitable in human life. It is difficult for a society or organization to progress properly if it fails to adapt with the changes happening in this world. The organizational principles, human and societal life philosophies are changing day by day because of the rapid development in science and technology. Current business world is extremely globalized and it is difficult for an organization to stick with its traditional business principles and maintain steady growth. Management and organizational principles were rewritten and restructured in order to cater the needs of the changing organizational world over the last few decades. Schuh (2000) has mentioned the needs of differentiation strategy for successful marketing. In his opinion, “using a common product, price, distribution and promotion program on a worldwide basis--does not seem adequate considering the differences in market conditions” (Schuh, 2000). In order to realize the extent of changes happening in the organizational world, I decided to interview a top official in Coca Cola Company. One of my friends is currently working in Coca Cola Company’s marketing department and he helped me in meeting, Jack Nicholas, one of the sales managers of Coca Cola Company. This paper is written based on my interview with Coke’s sales manager, jack Nicholas. My first question was about the mission, vision, and values of the Coca Cola Company at present and in past. Jack told me that the vision and mission of Coke has changed a lot over the past five years period. Earlier, Coke had a standardized vision and mission statement for the entire world. However, Coke realized that keeping same vision and mission for the entire world is meaningless since the requirements of different regions or countries are different. Focus on needs of our consumers, customers and franchise partners, Get out into the market and listen, observe and learn, Possess a world view, Focus on execution in the marketplace every day, Be insatiably curious etc are some of the values strictly kept in the market by Coke (Vision, Mission and Values, 2011) Jack explained the above point more in detail. He told me that most of the global countries and regions are different, politically, economically, culturally and socially. In other words, the requirements and the purchasing abilities of the people are different everywhere and it is illogical to keep same mission and vision for the extremely diverse population in the world. It was difficult for Coke to operate in communist countries earlier because of the strong opposition Coke faced in those countries because of its origin in America. For example, China was reluctant in allowing American companies to enter its soil earlier. However, at present China is accepting foreign direct investments with both hands. The above changing foreign policies and economic policies of China cannot be neglected by Coke. In short, political and economic climate in the world are facing drastic changes at present which forced companies to change their vision and mission to cater the needs of the changing world. My second question was about the major determinants of change in Coca Cola Company. Globalization was the major cause of changes happening in Coke according to Jack. He has told me that the business principles changed a lot as a result of globalization. Currently Coke is trying to expand its territories with the help of modern business principles and merger and acquisition is accepted as the major mode of entry to foreign countries. For example, Coke acquired ThumsUp from India as part of their business expansion in India. Coke realized that local knowledge is essential for conducting successful business in a foreign market. In order to acquire local knowledge, acquisition or merger is accepted as the best strategy by Coke. Political, economic and legal climate are other major determinants of change accepted by Coke to expand its business in different territories. Jack explained that it is difficult for Coke to use same strategies in China and India because of the huge differences in political, economic and legal climates in these countries. When sending employees to overseas countries, Coke gives ample training to the employees to make them capable of meeting the challenges in the target country. Language, environment, nonverbal communication means, social norms and traditions in different countries are different and coke gives ample training to the employees when it asks its employees to work in a different environment. Coke’s HR department is responsible for preparing employees for overseas assignments according to Jack. Jack also told me that the response of the employees while implementing changes in the organization need not be positive always. Jack told me that Newton’s first law of motion; every object continues in its present state in the absence of a force, is applicable in the organizational world also. Most of the employees like to continue in their present state because of their concerns about the impacts of changes. Employees are of the view that most of the changes implemented by the employers are for maximizing their profits rather than better serving the employees. In other words, employees often think that the changes may increase their workload drastically. The success and failure of a change implemented in an organization depends on the response of the employees according to Jack. If the employees feel that the change is better suited to their requirements, they will try to implement it sincerely. On the other hand, if the employees feel over burden as a result of the changes implemented, they will try to defeat the efforts of the management at any cost. In short, the success and sustainability of changes implemented in an organization depends on how well the management was able to convince the employees about the necessity and benefits of implementing changes. Do not 'sell' change to people as a way of accelerating 'agreement' and implementation. 'Selling' change to people is not a sustainable strategy for success, unless your aim is to be bitten on the bum at some time in the future when you least expect it. When people listen to a management high-up 'selling' them a change, decent diligent folk will generally smile and appear to accede, but quietly to themselves, they're thinking, "No bloody chance mate, if you think I'm standing for that load of old bollocks you've another think coming…" (And that's just the amenable types - the other more recalcitrant types will be well on the way to making their own particular transition from gamekeepers to poachers.) Instead, change needs to be understood and managed in a way that people can cope effectively with it. Change can be unsettling, so the manager logically needs to be a settling influence (Change Management, 2010) “Different people react differently to change. Everyone has fundamental needs that have to be met. Change often involves a loss, and people go through the "loss curve". Expectations need to be managed realistically”(Change Management, 1995). I asked Jack about how the managements will respond if they fail to implement the changes successfully. Jack told me that if the managements fail to implement certain changes in the organization, they will investigate the reasons for the failure. Jack told me that it is possible to implement certain change in different forms in an organization. If one method fails to yield the desired result, the management will seek other methods or options. For example, if the individual work assignments failed to increase the productivity, group work or team work can be tried. Jack concluded that the most important intended outcome of any change management policies is the improvement in productivity and better performance of the company. Change becomes meaningless if the company fails to achieve any of the above objectives. References 1. Change Management, (2010). Retrieved from http://www.businessballs.com/changemanagement.htm 2. Change Management, (1995). Retrieved from http://www.teamtechnology.co.uk/tda/ 3. Schuh, A. (2000), Global Standardization as a Success Formula for Marketing in Central Eastern Europe, Retrieved from http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-28092441_ITM 4. Vision, Mission and Values, (2011). Retrieved from http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/ourcompany/mission_vision_values.html Read More