Establishing a Sense of Urgency - Essay Example

Discussion After the Australian government purchased Qantas Airlines, it was under the new management of CEO Allan Joyce. For the purposes of success and survival of the airline Allan Joyce, had to initiate Kotter’s 8-step process of change management. She had to implement the following steps: Step 1: Establishing a Sense of Urgency She examined market and competitive realities. She also identified and discussed crises, potential crises, and major opportunities. She distinguished between the urgent and the important.

Since the company was undergoing transformation, crucial issues were addressed along with managing the urgent daily issues. Step 2: Create a Guiding Coalition Joyce assembled a group with enough power to lead the change effort. She did this by increasing the number of staff and assigning a group of staff members whose sole function was to carry out activities that facilitated the change of management. She also encouraged teamwork within the groups. Step 3: Developing Clear Shared Vision Joyce created a vision to help direct the change effort.

This was done by laying out policies that indicated clear visions and goals that initiated change. She also improved on the initial strategies while developing new strategies for achieving that vision. Step 4: Communicating the Vision She uses every possible channel and resource to communicate the new vision and strategies. By so doing, this process instilled new behaviors through the example of the Guiding Coalition. People's issues were at the heart of change. Emotional and behavioral issues were identified, addressed, and discussed as they emerged.

Step 5: Empowering people to take up the Vision This step is meant to remove obstacles that hinder change. Joyce changed systems and structures that undermine the vision of Qantas Airlines. She encouraged risk-taking, activities, and actions that enabled the achievement of the company’s visions and goalsStep 6: Generating Short-term Wins Joyce had to plan for visible performance improvements and facilitated the creation of those improvements. She also recognized and rewarded employees involved in the improvements by giving incentives, bonuses, and promotions.

Step 7: Consolidate a Build on the Gains At this point, she used increased credibility to change systems, structures, and policies that don't fit the vision. Joyce hired, promoted, and developed employees who could implement the vision. She Reinvigorate the process with new projects, themes, and change agents Step 8: Institutionalize the Change Finally, she had to articulate the connections between the new behaviors and organizational success and develop the means to ensure leadership development and succession.

All this was embodied by Involving staff from all levels in the change. Involvement creates commitment and ownership. Identify informal leaders at every level and push the decision-making down as low as possible. Set up teams at every level and ensure continual communication within and among the teams. The leadership sets up minimum requirements for the teams while decisions about how to proceed are left up to the staff.