Critical Evaluation and Incorporation of Change Management Tools for Kiribati - Essay Example

Incorporation of Change Management Tool for Kiribati INTRODUTION Kiribati is an island state consisting of thirty three islands. It is located in central Pacific Ocean. Kiribati has its capital at Tarawa. The reigning president of Kiribati is Anode Tong, an economic student graduate from Harvard University. The island state has a very high population density of up to 51000 people per square kilometre. Of significance to the context of this paper are the challenges and problems affecting Kiribati state. Several problems are affecting Kiribati, and of concern are the social, economic political and environmental conditions affecting Kiribati. An acute managerial crisis may be implicated in the observed multi-perspective problems of Kiribati. Kiribati, therefore, serves as an ideal case study on emphasising the role of management in realizing the development of a particular state or people. A proper analysis of the problems facing this state and their possible solutions is a milestone in management. Some problems facing Kiribati includes; (Goldberg, 2013). Poor Infrastructure Infrastructure is of great concern in Kiribati. There is only one road passing through Kiribati and the name of the road is unknown. Also, the available airstrip is poorly developed and very dusty. The airport is serving as children’s playground as children run after the landing plane. Poor infrastructure has limited access to the rest of Kiribati and hence low exploitation of its resources. Other infrastructure such as electricity is not mentioned, implying that the state might be experiencing no real economic growth. Industrialization in such a setup is a real mystery. Poor infrastructure in Kiribati has closed the region to the rest of the world as there is limited access to the region and its resources (Goldberg, 2013). Ecoterrorism Ecoterrorism is a term coined by Kiribati President Anote Tong.It refers to gradual and progressive advancement of Pacific Ocean water to the island. The president notes that there is an estimated 3mm rise in ocean water per year. Kiribati Island is therefore referred to as the drowning island. The ecoterrorism, therefore, puts the president in a great dilemma. On one hand, the president has a responsibility of attracting foreign investors. On the other hand, he has a to devise a plan on how to move the I-Kiribati to a safer destination to protect them from future drowning. Very few investors apart from the fishing company can accept investing in such a place. The I-Kiribati lives in great fear of the ocean. The ecoterrorism forms one of the worst problems to Kiribati (Goldberg, 2013). Poor Social Amenities Kiribati is faced with poor and inadequate social amenities such as hospitals and schools. For instance, some children suffering from leukaemia cannot receive treatment as the government claims that its uneconomical treating such cases. Such children therefore die at an early age due to poor medical care. Accessing formal education is also a challenge due to inadequate schools. The level of education is low and many teenagers are involved in transactional sex with fishermen. Poor social amenities impart adversely on the quality of lives of the I-Kiribati as many die from the curable ailment. Control and management of diseases such as tuberculosis and leprosy are very ineffective. The spread of leprosy increased from 13 people to about 200 people in one year. Due to congestion, the spread of tuberculosis is also of great concern. The Solution to the social amenities problem provides an important way of realizing social and economic development in Kiribati ( Goldberg, 2013). Ineffective leadership The political leaders and other leaders in Kiribati have totally failed to show transformational leadership. For instance, albeit the president should be in charge of the various development agenda in the nation, President Tong is also surprised by the state of the nation. He wonders why the airport is not in good shape. Poor leadership organization also manifest in the organization of various government offices. The ministry of fishing is located in a very poor office. Files are not properly arranged giving a very disorganized outlook. The president office is a two storey building with first floor filled with disorganized document. Religious leaders also preach retrogressive believe the believers. They decline to accept the idea of climate change and are preaching misleading believes. It takes the president time to convince them of the ideal cause of their troubles. Leadership problem is therefore a key problem to Kiribati (Goldberg, 2013). Economic Instability The economy of Kiribati is highly unstable. A Bigger proportion of the bureaucratic budget is financed by foreign aid and licensing of the foreign fishing industry. The fishing industry contributes about 30,000 US Dollars out of the 130,000 US Dollar required for the whole budget. Formal employment is uncommon and the majority of the people are jobless. The economic growth rate for the Kiribati state is therefore very slow. Economic instability majorly occurs due to lack of various institutions that enhance local investment and development of the state Goldberg, 2013). Public Health Concern Kiribati is a very unhygienic coutry.About 60 percent of dwellers do not use toilets. They answer calls in forest and ocean beaches. There is concern that the only water lens is also polluted by human wastes and plans to evacuate those dwelling in water sources have been greatly unsuccessful. Australian ambassador to Kiribati notes that all factors that facilitate spread of cholera is seen in the context of Kiribati. Consumption of imported low quality foods is also on the rise.Prevelance for obesity is on the rise due to poor eating habits. Public health concern is myriad and therefore needs an urgent address (Goldberg, 2013). SOLUTIONS TO KIRIBATI PROBLEMS Creation of Urgency This is a key Kotter’s change management tool. Kotter argues that change can be effected by the creation of urgency in solving specific challenges. In the case of Kiribati, urgency should be created in solving issues such as public health concerns, economic instability, and ecoterrorism among other problems. Urgency creation entails involving all the relevant stakeholders in a meaningful dialogue. Threats and opportunities for the case of Kiribati are analysed and development program devised. In this regard, there is a serious need for president Tong to create due urgency in addressing the problems facing Kiribati. Urgency will lead to a unidirectional focus in solving problems facing this state (Cameron, Esther and Green,120). Creation of Vision for Change Vision for change provides a road map for achieving specific targets. A vision for change must have key central values. For any significant change to occur in Kiribati, a development vision is a requirement. The leadership of Kiribati and other stakeholders must come up with a common vision for change. It requires a transformational leadership to realize the set visions. According to Kotter change management tools, vision for change must have key values, must be able to be summarized in two sentences and must be communicated efficiently. Challenges facing the concerned community here can be systematically solved by the creation of sound mind visions. Visions related to economic development, infrastructure development and another key area can work coherently to achieve the required development (Cameron, Esther and Green,118) Devising a Five Year Strategic stretch Goals Bearing the mission and vision of the state in mind, a short term strategic stretch goals should be created to enables achievement of short wins. Short development programs provide a basis for realizing long term goals. Urgent and pressing challenges such as health challenges can also be effectively be solved. The strategy should be based on stretch goals that basically mismatch aspiration from resources leading to hard work and high performance. For the case of Kiribati, problems such as health problems should include in a five year stretch plan to help remedy the situation (Sheehans,152) Assessment of the Organization For change to be realized, assessment of the organization should be carried out. This involves analysis of the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats in any organization. In case of a state like Kiribati potentials must be fully analysed and exploited. Strategize must be developed to navigate various threats like ecoterrorism in that state. Through critical analysing of Kiribati, most social and economic problems can be readily be solved. This assessment procedure is an adoption of Sheehan’s Mission tool and can be effectively be used in solving various problems facing Kiribati (Sheehans,154) Conclusion Kiribati is a nation faced with many problems.The country faces several social, political, environmental and economic problems. Through adoption of both Keller and Sheehan’s mission tools as outlined. Its possible to navigate all the challenges facing Kiribati and create a prosperous nation. Work Cited Top of Form Cameron, Esther, and Mike Green. Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models, Tools and Techniques for Organizational Change. London: Kogan Page, 2012. Internet resource. Goldberg, Jeffrey. "Drowning Kiribati." Bloomberg Businessweek (2013). Bottom of Form Top of Form Sheehan, Robert M. Mission Impact: Breakthrough Strategies for Nonprofits. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley, 2010. Internet resource. Bottom of Form Read More