Organizational Change at Cal-Tek - Essay Example

?Management Change Table of Contents Introduction to Organisational Change 3 Task External and Internal Forces Driving Change at Cal-Tek 4 External Forces Driving the Change 4 Internal Forces Driving The Change 5 Task 2: Implementing Change in the Organisation 6 Task 3: Dealing With Problem 8 Conclusion 10 References 11 Bibliography 13 Introduction to Organisational Change Change can be described as an influential mechanism driving most of the segments of an economy of a country. Change is considered as the life blood of the business. The forces driving the change are more restrained and invasive thus affecting the businesses, the jobs and the daily life of the people. People might realise the change as the advancement in the physical world of construction, however failing to realise the concurrent forces of change in the industry, the business and the personal life. It can be mentioned that if the organisations fail to realise and adapt to the forces of change then it can lead to lower efficiency, profitability, productivity and personal ineffectiveness. In the epoch of globalisation, it becomes significant for the organisations to manage the dynamic and the inevitable changes that take place in the organisation. There is tremendous competition among the firms and as a result it becomes essential for the organisations to be flexible so that they are capable of implementing the changes when it is required for the survival of that particular firm (PHCC, 2008). Task 1: External and Internal Forces Driving Change at Cal-Tek External Forces Driving the Change It is a well known fact that change needs to be accepted as a significant part of the organisational life. There are two main forces that drive the change in the organisation. They are the internal factors and the external factors. It is the external factors that motivate the demand for change in the organisation. The external factors include technology, legal issues, politics, economy and social demand (Weinzetl, 2010). Each of the factors needs to be comprehended better. With the rise and the fall in the economy, the success and the failure of the organisations are affected to a great extent. With the boom in the overall economy and when the customers tend to buy the product, the organisations take advantage of the reserves that it has and thus tries to build new facilities, new customers along with new products. A company needs to analyse if it is the leader in the particular marketplace. There are many factors such as changing tastes and preferences of the customers, mergers and acquisitions and globalisation that pose competitive threats to the organisations and thus challenge the niche of every organisation. Technology can also be considered as one of the significant factors motivating the change. The reason behind this is that it has the ability to change the way the work is done and the relationship, significant to the organisation such as the employees, customers, investors and suppliers. In most of the times, the changes are brought about in the society and culture by means of shift in the expectations, values, people’s needs and values. The attitude demonstrated by the individual towards the quality, work, role of government and national identity tend to be affected by the political and social events. The other external drivers of change are government policies, laws and regulations. Organisations are supposed to operate within the boundaries of governmental influence (Russell & Russell, 2006). Internal Forces Driving The Change The internal forces driving the change in the organisation tend to be internal to the organisation. The internal factors take place within the enterprise so as to push the organisation, its leadership, its investors and stakeholders to move in a different direction from what has been followed in the past. Leadership is one of the significant internal forces of change in the organisation. By means of inspiring others, offering new ideas, the leaders tend to instil new direction in the organisation. It is the failure that pressurises the organisation to bring changes in the organisation (Charles Sturt University, n.d.). It can be mentioned that the internal forces that are triggering change in the organisation is improper management of the staffs in the organisation and the kind of leadership style being practiced by Jane King in Cal-Tek. The external factors driving the change in the organisation has been related to the problems in pleasing the customers at the organisation and the high turnover rate of the employees can also be considered as a significant factor triggering change in the organisation. Task 2: Implementing Change in the Organisation Sam Smith, the new Marketing Development Manager does not have enough time with him. In such circumstances, he needs to be tactful at implementing any sort of strategies in the organisation. Since he is responsible for handling the JPK contract, therefore his role is that of the manager who will work as the change agent in Cal-Tek. It is only through right kind of change agents the organisation can radically enhance the likelihood of success in the organisation. As a Marketing Development Manager, Sam Smith is mainly responsible for guiding the project to complete on time by coordinating its activities in a systematic way. When there is lack of time and a project needs to be delivered within a specific time period, in such kind of situations, it becomes significant for the manager who is in-charge of the project to ensure that the parties concerned for the project are performing their duties in a timely mode and thus make sure that the project remains at focus and is delivered within specific budget. A project manager needs not to be necessarily advanced in all the technologies however he needs to comprehend the overall dependencies. The responsibilities and the boundaries among the vendors need to be identified. In case of conflicts, it is not necessary to grasp all the details but needs to be ensured that the right kind of details is being discussed. A team environment needs to be created at the organisation while implementing any kind of changes in the organisation. The major problem that the organisation i.e. Cat-Tek seems to be facing has been related to low employee morale that has led to low productivity in the organisation. Therefore, in order to fix this issue, it is quite vital for Sam Smith as a project manager to enhance the morale of the staffs in the organisation. This can be done by means of training at the organisation. However, it is significant for Sam Smith to comprehend the main cause of low employee morale in the organisation. It can be mentioned that it is through high level of employee morale, there is likelihood of high level of employee retention in an organisation. If the employee morale can be improved the problems related to the employee turnover can be rectified to a great extent. It is only because of low morale of the employees there is high absenteeism rate at the organisation. It further leads to high turnover cost and thus reduces the overall productivity and profit of the organisation. It is through listening to the employees the morale of the employees can be lifted up. During the times of turmoil or at times of change in the organisation, the relationship that exists among the employees and the organisation fractures and thus it does not demonstrate any signal of improving of its own. Therefore, in this regard, it is the duty of the companies to take proactive approach and thus listen to what employees need to share. It is significant for Sam Smith to acknowledge the issues related to the employees and thus be motivated so that certain sort of improvements can be introduced in the organisation. The feedback of the employees can be taken on a regular basis and thus needs to demonstrate the employees that the organisation values the ideas of the employees (Czinege, 2009). Learning and development also play vital roles in enhancing the morale of the employees in the organisation. The strengths of the employees need to be comprehended and thus the areas in which they would like to develop themselves need to be identified (Shepell-fgi, 2011). It is also important for Sam Smith to make policies through which the job becomes interesting and satisfying for the employees. This helps in boosting the morale of the employees to a great extent (Egyankosh, n.d.). It can be mentioned that if the employees morale can be lifted up, then Cal-Tek will be able to successfully deal with the JPK contract. Task 3: Dealing With Problem It can be mentioned that since the strategy will be implemented at a short period of time, work stress is likely to occur among the employees in the organisation. Although the morale of the employees will be significantly higher in comparison to what it has been before. However, there is great likelihood of work stress which is the biggest challenge for Sam Smith. Enhancing the morale of the employees requires providing them with training and development and thus the employees need to devote much of their time with the organisation. Most of the times, it becomes difficult for the employees to grasp what have been provided during the period of training thus leading to work overload. The employees tend to expect too high from themselves when they are motivated by different means. In such cases, it becomes essential for the managers at the organisation to manage the level of stress in the organisation among the employees. The employee stress can be managed by means of meditation techniques. Furthermore, by promoting self-approval and by evaluating the impact of one’s behaviour on oneself and upon others the level of work stress can be minimised (Linda & Suzanne, 1987). It has been analysed that in the organisation, the level of stress must be such that it does not harm the performance of the employees. At first, Sam Smith needs to identify the factors that can cause harmful stress in the organisation. After that it becomes essential to implement the measures through which the stress level can be reduced and thus it needs to be monitored and adjusted on a continuous basis (Stevenson & Harper, 2006). Sam Smith needs to identify if additional training is required in order to manage the level of stress of the employees in the organisation. It is through training that the level of stress can be reduced to a greater extent. Conclusion Change can be defined as an inevitable part of any organisation. It is because of the changes in the tastes and preferences along with other factors such as globalisation, competition and culture that drive change in the organisation. It has been identified that there are two factors that are predominantly driving change in the organisation. They are internal factors as well as external factors that trigger changes. It becomes significant for the managers to manage the change in the organisation by means of strategies so that the productivity does not get affected. It has been suggested that Sam Smith needs to enhance the morale of the employees in order to deliver the JPK contract on time. Furthermore, in order to enhance the morale of the employees adequate training and development program has been identified. If during implementing the change program any kinds of problems persist, it becomes essential for the managers to solve such problems as well so that the change can be effectively implemented. References Czinege, A., 2009. The Three-Step Strategy to Improving Employee Morale. Workwisecommunication. [Online] Available at: http://www.workwisecommunication.com/docs/3StepStrategy.pdf [Accessed September 08, 2011]. Charles Sturt University, No Date. Business Studies. Managing Change. [Online] Available at: http://hsc.csu.edu.au/business_studies/mgt_change/managing_change/Managechange.html [Accessed September 08, 2011]. Egyankosh, No Date. Motivation and Morale. Objective. [Online] Available at: http://www.egyankosh.ac.in/bitstream/123456789/25313/1/Unit-25.pdf [Accessed September 08, 2011]. Linda, M. & Suzanne, D. C., 1987. Dealing With Stress. ERIC. PHCC, 2008. Managing Change in the Organisation. Introduction. [Online] Available at: http://www.foundation.phccweb.org/Library/Articles/ManagingChange.pdf [Accessed September 08, 2011]. Russell, J. & Russell, L., 2006. Change Basics. American Society for Training and Development. Stevenson, A. & Harper, S., 2006. “Workplace Stress and the Student learning Experience”, Quality Assurance in Education. Vol: 14, Iss: 2, pp: 167-178. Shepell-Fgi, 2011. Building Morale in Workplace. Wellness Article. [Online] Available at: http://www.shepellfgi.com/en-ca/employees%20and%20families/wellness%20articles/healthy%20working/_building+morale.asp [Accessed September 08, 2011]. Weinzetl., M. P., 2010. Acting Out: Outlining Specific Behaviors and Actions for Effective Leadership. Charles C Thomas Publisher. Bibliography Anderson, D. & Ackerman-Anderson, L. S., 2001. Beyond Change Management: Advanced Strategies for Todays Transformational Leaders. John Wiley and Sons. Read More