How the Power Relationships Might Help Understand Blockages to Change in an Organization - Essay Example

Strategic Management Question: Consider and discuss how the power relationships and in particular the power-interest matrix might help understand blockages to change in an organization. Answer: The firm has to change its position with the changing times otherwise it will literally vanish away from its competitors and more so the customers, for which it actually exists. It must bring about certain efforts which are geared up to make it sound, look and eventually feel different from the rest of the lot and in the long run, have a selling proposition in it and in its products that help it in winning the customers time and time again. Similarly, it needs to make sure that its staff members and employees are amongst the best in the industry and that they can relate with the norms and routines of the top corporations working hand in hand with each other but competing on the business level. In order to earn profits on the part of a company, it is deemed very necessary for a company or a business firm to do something different than the rest of the lot so that it is considered as an entity that provides value and meaning for its customers different from the rest of the remaining lot. This value can be in the form of provision of a totally different and novel service that the company might give at a particular period of time or bring in certain activities that mesh along well with the company’s varied products which are actually being sold under the umbrella of the company’s name. Hence the changing market structure might call for changing strategies and lines of action that would all target the people for whom the product is actually designed as well as the competitors with whom the clutter is being broken in the environs of the marketplace. Thus competition brings in more and more quality at the end of the company with regards to its products as well as more sales in the form of its varied and changed stance on focusing towards the customers rather than the product itself. Apart from that, emphasis on need must be the order of the day rather than bringing out more and more varied stock key units just for the sake of it. The different products should satisfy each and every user rather than satisfy the people sitting in the innovation labs and those who invent just to take the company one step further. This trap should thus be avoided under all circumstances. For all this to happen in the first place, it is indeed significant to understand the notion attached with hiring the right kind of people, who have the exact attitude and skill set which can benefit not only the company in the long run but also provide help towards their individual careers’ growth. The change within an organization is thus looked down up at with an eye of skepticism bringing with it the strengths and weaknesses of the whole system, the employees and the different processes that are in the whole organization, so as to speak. In terms of relationships where power and authority is concerned, this change could be in the form of clearly outlining the points of strength and the areas where downsides reside. The power interest matrix therefore is one such aspect which looks down at the blockages which could arise in the wake of the changes that are pretty much needed within an organization and which are termed as pertinent and necessary to have so that the organization could survive in the years to come. The different barriers to change which could arise with the passage of time include the ways in which the traditionalists think with regards to activities, processes and tasks and not only that but also the cultural hindrances and problems that might arise with those changes. A firm might not be ready to go all global since it does not meet eye to eye with the vision of its traditional owners or the ones who founded it in the first place. The people power is another aspect that can shed some light on the aspect of not changing just for the mere sake of it. They do not want to change their present lines of action and thus there is a serious resentment present within the current lot to not change. This means that the higher authorities face a lot of troubles which could even mean protests, strikes and even closing down of factories if the organizations have any. In other words, this can be the downside of the power interest matrix that we describe in terms of an organization which is doing its best to adopt the changing regime. What the power interest matrix does is to find out proper and adequate solutions to the whole regime of change and the variables that do their bit at either harnessing it or destroying the very essence of the matrix. The strengths of the power interest matrix is that it gives the organization a chance to better understand and equip itself with the changing times and technologies but on the other hand it gives the authority into the hands of the common man who is something or the other within the organization. It finds out who the key players are and then goes out and gives them the responsibility to set things right in the amount of capacity that they are entitled to. Expectations are managed in a better manner after the power interest matrix is incorporated and there do not seem to be any such discrepancies when the matrix is finally in action. In the end, it would be safe enough to state that the power interest matrix does more good than any kind of harm which can owe itself on the shoulders of the matrix. All said and done, it is based on the organization itself as to how it can best cope with the changing times and then think of whether having this matrix within its ranks or not. The blockages towards change in an organization must definitely be shown the door so that there is smooth sailing on the part of the organization and hindrances, if any are removed at the earliest. BIBLIOGRAPHY Lachman, Ran. (1989). Power from What? A Reexamination of its Relationships with Structural Conditions. Administrative Science Quarterly, Vol. 34 Fox, John. (2004). Organizational Discourse: A Language-Ideology-Power Perspective. 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