The Communication Challenge In Change Management - Essay Example

 The Communication Challenge In Change Management Abstract The proposed dissertation will be a familiarization tour of sorts on change management, a newfangled management concept that came along with knowledge management, both of which seek to magnify and systematically handle all known and unknown elements that could increase business efficiency and productivity. Knowledge management is concerned with ideas and talents that may be trapped in an organization, while change management bears down on changes that present-day business has to contend with – globalization, new technologies, stricter regulations, increased competition, pickier customers, different market behavior, social and political upheavals, higher costs of labor and materials. These are the external changes that an organization needs to anticipate and react to. There are as many internal changes that require planned management, such as lack of motivation and initiative among employees, low productivity, faulty production processes and the like (Nichols, F., 2004). Since as far back as the 1950s, the very nature of business has started undergoing a dizzying pace of change (Allen, F., 1952). To manage change, an organization has to communicate this strategy to all the different people involved in running a modern-day business – accountants, lawyers, engineers, statisticians, workers, etc. This is easier said than done, because the content and process of change, according to the literature on change management, differ from company to company. For example, some firms are profit-oriented and belong to the private sector, while others are non-profit and in public. It stands to reason that a different tack in communication is called for in each company to make change management understood and accepted from top to bottom. For this reason, the proposed dissertation focuses on how change management is communicated across an organization, fixing its attention on the challenges posed by such a task in different business settings. This is an important facet of change management not yet fully explored in the available literature. Introduction Research Question The dissertation will attempt to address the primary question framed as follows: What is change management? The secondary questions: 1) How can change management be effectively communicated throughout the organization? 2) What is the importance of an open and honest communication in change management? 3) How can you validate any insights gained from the initial research based on sub-questions 1 and 2? Rationale. The dissertation project starts off with the concepts and theories on change management to give us a handle on what the process is all about. We acknowledge that enough has been written about the subject, but a thorough discussion of its theoretical roots is necessary for us to pin down the object of our own research, which is expected to be uncovered from the results of the survey and research based on sub-questions 1 and 2. These sub-questions are as interesting and necessary as the primary question because they will allow us a look-see on how the change management theories are translated into actual practice, and how communication plays a role in that process. We then attempt to justify this information through a case study of companies that practice change management. Relations to Existing Literature The basic idea of change management is to bring order to a disorderly situation (Newell, A. & Simon, H., 1972). It is also described as the process of locating and identifying problems for the purpose of solving them. Once the problem is identified, change is then carried out either by transformation, reduction or application. By transformation, the objective is to change the situation from a “problem state” to a “solved state.” Through reduction, change management is aimed at lessening the magnitude of the problem to at least blunt its effects on the organization. As for application, management deals with the problem by calling in specialists to transform, reduce or eliminate said problem. For efficient management of the changes that could influence the smooth operation and viability of business, there are four basic change management strategies set forth in the literature, which are led by the “empirical-rational” strategy. In this particular strategy, Lewin, K. (2002) says the changes are communicated to the employees by setting up reward and incentive systems based on the notion that people, being rational beings, respond positively to a give-and-take proposition. The chief concern of the proposed dissertation is to sketch change management as it is applied and communicated in different industries, of which precious little is mentioned in the existing literature. For the most part, the literature is only concerned with the theories and concepts of change management. Probably because it is a relatively new management concept, no exhaustive studies have as yet been documented on its usefulness for individual organizations. For example, it would be interesting to know if a change management strategy works for a fast food chain and fails in a manufacturing enterprise. The bottom line is to find if inter-company communication can spell the difference between a successful and unsuccessful implementation of change management, and whether the distinctions in the business environment affect its effectiveness. For this reason, the proposed dissertation intends to take up a case study of organizations representing major industries like retail, fast food, manufacturing, banking, messenger service, etc. Each case study company will also be drawn from the profit-oriented and non-profit sector, public and private, long existing and newly established firms, partnerships and single proprietorships. The idea is to gain insights on what makes change management work for which type of company. Research Methods Research for the proposed dissertation will take the combined form of the descriptive, causal and conclusive types of study, which choices leave out the exploratory and primary types of research as mentioned in the relevant literature. Olin Uris Libraries (2003) describes exploratory research as one conducted to bring final resolution to a problem that has eluded definition for so long, while primary research is narrowly confined to a specific subject. Neither type will do for a study on change management, which deals with a multitude of business-related problems. As descriptive research, the proposed dissertation seeks to provide data on the techniques of change management currently employed in selected companies to see which are effective and which are not. The paper will also fit into the causal type of research by attempting to determine which variable might be causing a certain behavior, such as people’s resistance to change. In the process, the proposed research takes on the attributes of a conclusive research in that its intention is to provide information useful in reaching a decision or conclusion. As for the conduct of research, the proposed dissertation will use both the observation and direct communication methods in equal measure. There is more focus and intensity in the direct communication method since it narrows its scope of study to subjects by person-to-person interviews, farming out questionnaires and carrying out place-specific surveys. Thus, it provides what is referred to as primary data. The observation method, on the other hand, yields the secondary data since it sweeps the field and collects data from such sources as books, trade journal, websites, codified papers from seminars and forums, and other institutional publications. Both primary and secondary data generated by the two methods of research are important to a study of this nature for the following reasons: the primary data will give us a first-hand look at the individual companies that pursue change management, while the secondary data will afford us a broader perspective on the subject that will enable us to see how the management concept applies to different industries. For the same two-fold reason, the research will be designed in such a way that would achieve both the quantitative and qualitative purposes of research. In a quantitative design of research, a wide variety of tools are used to bear on an equally large number of subjects to generate a mass of data (Yin, R., 993). This will provide our research more choices of data with which to validate our thesis. But we also cannot do without gearing our research for a qualitative purpose, which by using a few selected tools, gets into the human angle of change management – the meaning and implications, attitudes and beliefs (Ogier, 1998). Out in the field, the preference will be on face-to-face interviews and encounters, but if this poses some problem we will resort to direct communication through e-mail, direct mail, telephones and messenger service. We hope to extract the most accurate data from subjects by framing the questionnaires based on suggestions by experts. One of such advice is to use open-ended questions, which encourage the subjects to respond in their own words and to express their own ideas. We will avoid the closed-ended type of questions, which tend to elicit a predetermined response and even confuse the subjects. Reflections Change management is essentially a task of “problem finding for problem solving (Nickols, F., 2003).” Once a problem is detected, a search commences for a solution or course of action that would take care of the problem. Thus, change management is simply a process of moving from a problem state to a solved state. The literature points to three steps to arrive at this solved state, which as earlier mentioned, consist of transformation, reduction and application. Transforming the problem means identifying the differences between the two states or conditions. Eliminating these differences becomes the purpose of reduction, while application is concerned with putting players into action to actually effect the elimination of the said differences. According to Newell, A. & Simon, H. (1972), the basic question asked in such transforming process is “why.” For example, why does the company need to be creative? Or why does the firm’s productivity have to be improved? In the reduction stage, the question is “what,” such as: What are we trying to accomplish? What standards apply to our company? What changes are necessary? As for application, it’s the “how” that matters, as in: How do we get the company to be more innovative or productive? How do we reduce the product life cycle in our development process? The why, what and how are therefore the theoretical problems that guide change management in finding possible sources of problem and seeking appropriate solutions. In the implementation stage, a problem to problem solving that keeps recurring in the literature is resistance, which has something to do with individual values and culture. People resist change because of cultural, social or organizational factors (Sturges, D. & Minor, M., 2000). Such resistance becomes palpable when the company employees covered by the proposed changes are strong on ideology and ethnocentrism, among other things. The social influences may be caused by beliefs in group conformity, rejection and conflict, while organizational factors may be traced to people’s fear of threats against their power and influence. In fact, the so-called Prosci study of 254 change management teams found that the biggest obstacles to a program of this kind are the fear and resistance of employees, as well as executives not supportive of change (Bocklund, L., 2002). To overcome this resistance, the Gleicher formula for change proposes that the organizational “vision and tactical action” must be stronger. This study also showed that the visible and active participation of company executives is critical to the success of change management. In carrying out the field research for the dissertation, the code of conduct in this undertaking will be followed faithfully. Upon request, for example, names of respondents and their respective companies will be omitted. Conclusion The literature suggests that for change management to proceed without hitches, the desire and determination of the company must be stronger than the employees’ resistance and the conviction of non-supportive executives. Clearly, the need is to communicate this desire in the most forceful and persuasive manner so that everyone will look at it the management’s way. This is where communication comes in, which is emphasized in the literature as another vital key to unlocking the cooperation of all individuals concerned. The role of communication in this enterprise is in fact among the eight steps to a successful change espoused by Kotter, J. (1995). The complete list of these steps in their proper sequence are: 1) increase the program’s urgency, 2) build the guiding team, 3) get the vision right, 4) communicate, 5) empower all the actions to be taken, 6) create short-time wins, 7) don’t let up, and 8) make the changes stick. In this connection, we will concentrate the research for the proposed dissertation on the efforts taken by the case study companies to effectively communicate their change management programs to employees. Our overriding goal is to find as many communication programs as we can that could match or improve upon the strategy adopted by British Airways, which serves to increase awareness of the contribution of each department to the common goal of achieving excellence in service (Aspery, J., 1990). British Airways set up a program called “A Day in the Life…” which introduced all individuals to the operational procedures of all departments that they don’t normally come into contact with. ============================================================= Timetable 2006 Steps Dates ============================================================= Oct. Nov. Dec. _______________________________________________________________________ Submission of Proposal 20 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Submission of Outline 28 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supervisor’s approval of Outline 4 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Start of research fieldwork 6 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- End of fieldwork 19 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outside commitments ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sundays & holidays 31 1 23-26 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Writing of Dissertation 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Submission of Dissertation 10 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supervisor’s comments 16 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Revision & improvement 20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supervisor’s approval 22 ______________________________________________________ Appendices Sample questions in proposed Questionnaire: 1. What is your position/official designation in the organization? (Pls. check the appropriate box) Top management level (GM, CEO, COO) Senior executive level Mid-level executive Junior executive Others. Specific………………………………………………………. 2. Your total work experience and number of years in present organization. -- 0-5 years -- years with the organization. -- 5-10 years -- years with the organization -- 10-15 years -- years with the organization. 3. Are members of your organization familiar with change management? -- Yes -- No 4. Is your organization currently implementing change management? -- Yes -- No 5. What are the change management objectives do your organization pursue? Change in work attitudes Change in production processes Change of operations due to environmental laws Change to improve productivity Change of suppliers due to poor quality materials Change in wage structures due to dwindling revenues Others. Specify………………………………………………………. 6. How is change management implemented in your organization? Empirical/rational (providing incentives to get employees’ cooperation) Normative/re-educational (discarding old norms and values in favor of new ones. Power/coercive (compliance is based on authority and sanctions) Environmental/adaptive (building a new organization from the old one) 7. How is change management communicated to individual members? Company meetings Morning pep talks Seminars In-house publications One-on-one sessions with managers Department discussions 8. Identify the gains your organization derives from change management, if any. Improved Little improvement No improvement List of Tables Table 1 – 8 Key Steps in Change Management Table 2 – Techniques of Organizational Change Table 3 – 5 Building Blocks of CM (ADKAR Model) Table 4 – 4 Basic CM Strategies Table 5 – Skills needed in CM Table 6 – General Systems Theory Table 7 – Subject Matters of CM Table 8 – 3 Goals of CM Table 9 – Gleicher Formula for Change Bibliography Allen, F.L.(1952). “The Big Change: 1900-1950.” Bantam Book, Harper & Row Publishers Inc. Aspery, J. (1990). “British Companies Meet the Challenge of Change.” Communication World, International Association of Business Communicators, Dec. 1990. Bocklund, L. (2002). “Rising to the Challenge of Change.” ICCM Weekly, Oct. 10, 2002. Hiatt, J. (2006). “ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and our Community.” Prosci. Kotter, J. (1995). “The Heart of Change.” Lewin, K. (1951). “Field Theory in Social Sciences.” Harper & Row NY. McKenzie, J. (2000). “The Research Cycle.” Beyond Technology, chapter 8; vol. 9. no. 4, December 1999. Newell, A. & Simon, H (1972). “Human Problem Solving.” Prentice-Hall, Eaglewood: 1972. Nichols, F. (2004). “Change Management 101: A Primer.” Distance Consulting, 2004. Olin Uris Libraries (2003). “The 7 Steps of the Research Process.” Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Sturges, D. & Minor, M. (2000).”Total Quality Communication.” PowerBook G3-266. University of Melbourne. “Guide to Managing Research Data and Records.” Faculty of Education Yin, R. (1993). “Application of Case Study Research.” Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication, 1993. Read More