Importance of Radical Change in Management Practices - Assignment Example

ORGANIZATION CHANGE The concept of organization is a complex process that requires many factors that put into consideration and its successful attainment is an issue of time and in-depth critical assessment of various societal characteristics. It is worth noting that sound management skills are the backbone of any firm’s management. This should capture all the formal and informal interactive approaches in respect of the entire working and business environment. It is important to breakdown analysis of the components of such a successful organizational structure and function in the broader picture of the internal and external perspective (Burtonshaw-Gunn & Salameh, 2009, p50-71). It is worth to underline the level of the organization in terms of the stage of development so that the approaches made are conformable with the challenges and issues present. An organization which has just begun an is still an infant in terms of all the aspects of operation requires less effort to turn around as compared to a firm that has existed for some time and has developed in-depth tradition in various departments within the employees, management and the general public. It therefore means that revitalizing an ongoing organization that has been in market for some time is the most relevant issue owing to the contemporary competitive global business market. A complete overhaul of the entire organizational policies has never been effective approach to deal with the challenges that are part of its performance. This means that the management has got to be patient and take ac systematic move in order of priority such that the image of the firm to the public is maintained as internal factors are gradually taken through reforms. The order of actions for rejuvenating the performance of an organization should begin with deeper diagnosis of all the factors that explains the position of the firm at that given time (Boonstra, 2004, pg328). This would form the basis of setting up the most pertinent issues that are key to the survival of the organization as further adjustments are in progress. The next stage is strategic planning with reference to the diagnosed problems so that all the alternative modes of approaches are used with the view of improving the synergy of the organization while keeping the cultural identity of the form. Planning is the link to the problems and the solutions and therefore remains one of the critical concepts for successful achievement of the organizational goals. Implementation of the plans is the stepping stone to realizing the underlying benefits that are attached to the stipulated objectives. The actual practical input on the strategic plans also provides opportunity for unraveling the hidden technicalities that are not observable from the paper work planning and this in turn presents the best opportunity to learn on how to institute a solution that will set precedence over the similar such incidence in the future. This is imperative due to the concept of going concern in respect to a business enterprise. Evaluation and monitoring of the implementation progress is an eye opener on some of the adjustments arising from ongoing activities as a result of uncertainties that are part of the business community and the society at large. Re-energizing the organization to rise on its feet and perform is like a project with all the characteristics that defines the same. Evaluation of various activities as the implementation is under way is part of appraisal that ensures that nothing is taken for granted thereby sealing any possible loophole for failure. Various models are significant as the guiding tool to the direction of the progress of the implementation program. The three major objective of any organization as far as the concept of performance is concerned entails, customer satisfaction, least cost input factor combination and efficient productivity. Raising an organization to some level of performance must consider some factors that cannot be changed but can only be influenced since they are the basic point identity of the organization both to the staff and the public. If this is changed then a lot can be lost in the market since some confusion will engulf the client community and the workforce alike. One of these factors includes the organizational culture which defines the image of the organization and the structural and functional focal point of the firm. Organization culture is more than just the image of the organization since it carries the mantle of management of the organization. It is important for any manager to note the tradition of the organization as this will provide the direction of the management from the inception of the firm (Black,2003,pg 23-35). The behavioral characteristics of the staff and the managers are much embedded in the tradition that has been set for the organization. The image of the organization to members of the public is not limited to the name and the logo but to the quality of the products associated with it. It is therefore important that any structural change in the organization takes an upward quality delivery strategy as this is the only way to sustain the customer confidence in the currently competitive global market. In as much as some concepts of the products can be altered, it is imperative that certain brand details are not affected. The consumers and various stakeholders to the organizational also attach the customer care services to the culture of the firm. This explains why many peoples will always judge an individual from the organizational affiliation. It is therefore worth noting that culture is practiced by people who are part of the organization and its perpetual existence is pegged on the input of the people. The only fascinating issue that comes out of the organizational culture is that it is created by man but turns around to influence the actions of the same man. That explains why it is important to capture the central role that the beliefs of the organization play in the overall spirit of performance by the firm. The emerging trends in the business world especially in response to the effect of globalization are steadily calling for new approaches when restructuring the organization while maintaining its culture. This is not something that can be done just in line with the firms documented policies but, it requires the input of personal initiative with regard to the social, economic and political diversity that various stakeholders are affiliates. Some of the cultural concepts that are vital to the new managers include the management structure and the human resource practices since this form the background of all the operational technicalities and production efficiency. Organization process is almost similar to planning and must be well crafted for sustainable growth. It involves the assignment of duties to various individuals according to their ability and arranging the workers in an appropriate decision-making framework. It is important for the good manager to observe that the organization consists of unified parts that act in harmony in execution of various tasks to achieve goals efficiently and effectively (SchäL, 1998, pg 19). A well implemented organization process will yield a work environment in which all the players are aware of their duties and responsibilities. Failure by the management to capture the presence of this will lead to confusion, frustration on the workers which degenerates to inefficiency and limited productivity efficiency. The overall steps involved in organizational process constitute; job design which exhaustively explain what is expected of the person assigned the given duty, departmentalization as a way of macro-breaking down related duties and clustering them over one supervision and co-ordination for easier management control, delegation which defines the real meaning of being a manager so that the implementation progress ids easily traceable, span of management which will explain the depth of understanding and familiarity of the workers with the organizational tradition for better performance and chain of command which ensures effective flow of decision communication from either end of the management structure depending on the organizational policies. Effective coverage of the processes will largely influence the performance and competitive bid for the organization. The figure is retrieved from: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/The-Organizational-Process.topicArticleId-8944,articleId-8875.html The diagram above gives the general organizational process framework which is universal in application and effective in goals achievement. Analytical research findings establish that an organization may have all the requisite facilities and able human capital but the process determines which structural policy will yield the desirable goals. The explicit idea in this framework is that its forms the bedrock of all the other functional and structural aspect of the organization. The structure of the organization explains the various management positions and other designations for all the other staff in the organization. This is a very important factor since there are cases of redundancy in roles of various workers leading to conflict of interest and additional cost with a lot of inefficiency which may not be healthy for the organization. It is advisable that a clear cut separation of duties and corresponding job description is assigned to staff members so that confusion and duplication of roles are eradicated for easy accountability of each person on any given duty. One of the contemporary approaches to striking a balance between cost and efficiency in co-ordination and control of the organizational activities is demutualization. This involves removing some positions that seem irreverent in the management ranks or introducing new ones to reinforce the existing structure. This is likely to bring in a new flavor to the organization’s entire workforce and morale that will boost its competitive edge against other firms in any given industry. Making changes to an organization after it has been in operation for a long time with a given static culture is fairly challenging. The system gradually becomes solid and indispensable and any attempt to undertake a massive change drive will attract a great resistance from different sections of the organization. This will come from both the management team and the subordinate staff. It therefore requires creative and critical thinking to begin making changes from points that are not so sensitive to the perception of the stakeholders to the firm. This is achievable by using internal transfer of various departmental heads and reshuffling the other staff members in designated duties that are closely related to their capability so that they don’t feel dejected and overlooked. This wills effectively working some departments like sales so that the bond already created by persons with the client is maintained. Any attempt of completely eliminating some workers can greatly affect the image of the organization and relevant procedures need to be taken so that their link with the clients is still kept intact for sustained performance in the market. It is important that outstanding leadership virtues are exhibited by a manager since this will create confidence among the fellow managers and other workers. Resistance to change can only be mitigated when the management or the individual initiating such changes serves as a good example with a desirable track performance record that will be seen as feasible to the organization. It is imperative that the interests of each person in the firm are taken into consideration in an attempt to introduce various changes in the way things are (Lussier & Achua, 2010, pg79). One of the management approaches that has always initiated opposition to change is the traditional autocratic decision making style where the few cream management executives make changes in full disregard to the social structure of the staff team. It is important to note the socio-cultural diversity that defines various workers and the alternative unilateral organizational objectives that bring them together. It is therefore that religious affiliation, cultural norms and other personal issues of the employees are taken into consideration. The treatment of workers sends bad signals to the public and may significantly redefine the perception of the stakeholders about the new management team. It is high time various organizations accept participatory decision making as the most viable change introduction approach. This include free communication channel to the top management with the lowest ranked employee. Such cordial relationship creates a friendly environment for expressing various ideas and giving the other employees to present their ideas. Gathering the wide variety of the views will be important in reconciling the internal realities of the organizational performance and the external competition pressure. Shear resistance from some changes within the organization provides opportunities to explore the hidden concepts that may be vital for the survival of the policy recommendations (Palmer, 2004, pg83)). It is unethical to trash all the complaints raised by stakeholders when imposing new concepts on them since at the end of the day their will and spirit determines the success of the ideas. The most feasible remedial measure against resistance to changes in the organization is motivational oriented leadership style. The emotional status of the employees is a major tool for productivity and efficiency. One of the non-monetary payments that can be given to performing workers is to motivate them. This gives the man incentive of recognition and boosts their morale due to realization of self-worth. The organization is a social set up and individual self-esteem is a significant productivity enhancer. A leader serves as the figurehead of the organization and is revered as the source of hope to the entire organizational achievement. The current socio-cultural realignment that characterizes the society is very vital in defining the nature of the existing labor market. Employee appraisal is important in initiation of internal control and improving the marginal contribution of any additional employee. This can be done through periodic assessment of any additional academic accomplishments of the workers and the corresponding efficiency that can be attributed to the additional training. This is also healthy in terms of career improvement and experience curve effect which is beneficial to the organization in terms of marginal cost versus marginal revenue and the corresponding profit margin. Identification of such staff efforts is motivational since some are likely to be promoted and rise up the management ladder and contribute immensely to the organization. The concept of power and influence greatly defines the ability of a good leader. Mobilizing people to work in the organizational set up does not entail mere issuance of instructions but captures even the ability to understand the social characteristics of the various employees (Schriesheim & Neider, 2006, pg 70-76). In management, there must a distinguishing understanding of power and influence. Power is derived from the legal framework formulated and assigned to a holder of a given position within the leadership structure of the organization. On the other hand influence comes naturally when people believe in the actions and policies of a leader unconditionally due to their inherent feasibility and applicability in real life situation. A manager is in a better position of initiating changes with influence rather use of power since the will of the people is the force behind successful implementation of various strategic plans. Power is only efficient if it is blended with the ability to rally people behind a given idea. The general convention of management is that the needs of shareholders and stakeholders must be met and this requires some power and influence used in the best way to yield results. There are some rules that corporate leaders should adhere to for effective management of change within the policy framework of the organization. It is significant to underscore the role of thoughtful planning and sensitive implementation. To achieve this consultation with the people who are affected is more practical and result oriented. To influence major structural changes in the organization, it is important to note some personalities who may not be in management positions but command respect among fellow staff and convince them towards a given course of action. This may also include social inclination towards former leaders of the organization who still has ties with the staff and the public. Consulting such individuals is one of the viable efforts towards achieving smooth transition of the organization from the old status to the next level of productivity performance. The idea of globalization is not avoidable by any right thinking manager and it is therefore important that all the fundamental management strategies that are oriented towards it are adhered to. The world of today requires a combination of technology as one of the most vital input in increased productivity of the organization. Communication as the backbone of any organizational set up is particularly improved by the expansion of information and communication technology that facilitates co-ordination of various activities in the firm. For organization that are classified as multinational the diverse points of value creation and the widely spread geographical coverage of the market is a matter worth deeper consideration. There is need to put in place a sound communication system that will enhance smooth conveyance of information. It has been realized from past research studies that miscommunication is fairly costly to the organization. The channel and mode of passing information requires user friendly technology and this depends on the directives and policies of the management. It is common to realize that the flow of information if interrupted has deplorable consequences which may significantly bring the organization to its knees. However the ethical consequences of technology need to be addressed so that the public and other stakeholders of the firm are not affected negatively. Negative use of social networking sites are products of technology that need to be addressed to avoid uncensored dissipation of the organizational classified information that may harm the image of the organization. A relevant example is in the judicial system where the internet technology is greatly shunned and actions of the staff are under strict scrutiny. The widespread case of cybercrime that is rampant across the globe is a threat to the business society thereby calling for the critical intervention measures from good managers. It is advisable in the contemporary society that managers apply the concept of soft system methodology in their quest to turn around the performance index of the organization (Jackson, 1991, pg133). This is a management model that gives various challenges real life approach and seek to establish the possible remedial measures that cuts across various realities of organizational management. The influence of the working environment, social components of the working place and the ever changing business environment needs in-depth analysis in making any decision for the wellbeing of the firm and its various stakeholders. It is important to note that internal environment of the firm is more important when it comes to effective public display of the organizational image. Solving the problems of other workers through sound human resource management practices is crucial in redefining the meaning of quality service delivery and productivity. The market structure in which most of the organizations belong keeps shifting in the contemporary society but the common denominator is competition. There is a challenge of increasing costs in production and the best way to survive is either produce quality or cut prices. The latter option is detrimental to the prosperity of the organization. This explains why information is one of the greatest tools for competition in the market. It is in this respect that online data collection is fairly vital for relevance in operating in a competitive market in for any business venture (International Monetary Fund, 2005, pg 34-51). It is therefore the duty of the managers to take information gathering policy as very pertinent and a positive culture for level competitive ground concerning the prices of factor input and final output. A sound analytical framework for information gathering must indicate the reliability and validity of the source. This is in regard to the negative side of uncensored posting of unverified information in the internet which is also vulnerable to malicious manipulation by other parties for personal vested interests. This includes even the information regarding the global economic cycles and financial market trend so that decisions made are compatible with the prevailing business climate. There is no success in an organization without PESTLE and SWOT analysis. Breakdown of PESTLE is vital in examining the influence of external environment on the overall performance of the organization (Murray-Webster & Williams, 2010, pg 88). Political climate is a vital concept when it comes to the local and international prices of factor input and final products. It is also important in regard to the social interaction between the employees. This is due to the political affiliation of different people within the organization and their conflicting ideas that can sometimes overlap to the working place and degenerate to workplace politics. This is a great blow to the staff as this could sometimes lead to strained interpersonal relationship among workers leading to inefficiency and deteriorating productivity. The other concepts within PESTLE will guide the manager on possible changes that can be achieved with ease and the ones with technical demands. SWOT analysis is a competitive tool for the organization and it forms the basis of goals and objectives of the team. It is imperative that the entire organizational stakeholders are given exhaustive outlay of the SWOT analysis that the leaders have set forth so that all actions are directed towards the concerned areas. In conclusion it is undisputable that there is need for radical change in management practices to accommodate the ever changing society. From the employees to consumers, globalization has taken over the management policies and restructuring an existing organization to effect rejuvenation of performance requires broad and critical analysis of internal and external factors that affect the organization. List of references Black, R. J. (2003). Organisational culture: creating the influence needed for strategic success. [United States], Dissertation.com. Boonstra, J. (2004). Dynamics of Organizational Change and Learning. Chichester, John Wiley & Sons. Burtonshaw-Gunn, S. A., & Salameh, M. G. (2009). Essential tools for organizational performance tools, models and approaches for managers and consultants. Chichester, U.K., Wiley. International Monetary Fund. (2005). Kenya: report on the observance of standards and codes (ROSC) : data module, response by the authorities, detailed assessments using the data quality assessment framework. Washington, D.C., International Monetary Fund. Jackson, M. C. (1991). Systems methodology for the management sciences. New York [u.a.], Plenum Press. Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2010). Leadership: theory, application, skill development. Australia, SouthWestern/Cengage Learning. Murray-Webster, R., & Williams, G. (2010). Management of risk: guidance for practitioners. Norwich, England, The Stationery Office. Palmer, B. (2004). Making change work: practical tools for overcoming human resistance to change. Milwaukee, Wisc, ASQ Quality Press. SchäL, T. (1998). Workflow management systems for process organisations. Berlin [etc.], Springer. Schriesheim, C., & Neider, L. L. (2006). Power and influence in organizations: new empirical and theoretical perspectives. Greenwich, Conn, IAP - Information Age Pub. Read More