Resistance to Organizational Strategic Change - Essay Example

However the effects of the resistance to organizational change, various ways have been adopted to overcome the resistance. This essay puts into perspective various methods of managing resistance to change through aspects of education, participation, negotiation, facilitation, and coercion. It will further engage in identifying the best strategy to use at a given time, how it is supposed to be used, some of their advantages, as well as the limitations. Opposition to change usually begins with an individual and then spreads to create a faction in the organization (Kavanagh and Ashkanasy 2006).

This essay attempts to answer the following questions: 1. What are the strategic developments that BMW has adopted and how can resistance to change be overcome? 2. How can the strategic developments in company be analyzed using the example of BMW? 3. What recommendations can be made in regard to the case scenario of BMW’s strategic developments? BMW is an international motor company that has engaged in a plan to keep the company top in the industry by making appropriate and timely changes in the organization.

The company has gone to the heights of making changes in its operations, staffing as well as in the management to ensure that they conform to the changing trends. Such changes have confronted opposition directly or indirectly. Resistance to organizational change can be overcome through proper policies that involve adequate preparedness and thorough sensitization of all the involved personnel. When confronted with the need for change, there are factors that organizations need to consider before the change is effected.

Firstly, the organization should have a prospect of the resistance that is expected from the employees and the organizational system. The organization is composite and therefore, all its facets should be put into consideration before a change can be made. Secondly, it is important to consider the agency of the change in order to plan on how to handle resistance. Decisions that are urgent and need immediate intervention are supposed to be handled with caution and the resistance handled immediately it immerges.

In contrary, long term changes may take more time to implement and may involve extensive consultations. Thirdly, the most accurate information should be available about the change. This facilitates ease adoption and casts any doubt and suspicion. Lastly, it is important to consider the mover of the change relative to the position in the organization (Potter and Schlesinger 2008, pg 1). This is because a junior staff pushing a change alone without the support of the senior staff can be an overwhelming task, it is important that all the employees collaborate in effecting the change.

Resistance from the high cadres of the organizational management or indifference can result to failure of the change. Apart from analyzing factors relating to the situation of the change, the rate of the adoption of the change is determined. It is important to analyze the situation carefully if it extensive and is deep. In addition, if the change proves to involve many people and some good amount of information, then it means it will have to be implemented in slow phases. For example, BMW’s change of the board of management structure in 2012 involved extensive consultations across the managers and the stakeholders.

The aim of the change was to incorporate a