Midterm - Assignment Example

of South Florida, Management of Technological Change Memo Paul Schnitzler, Ph. D. [Click here and type 9/2 Re: MTC Midterm Examination Report Kotter’s Change Model is an effective method of dealing with organizational change. How it can be applied in Robocorp’s case is explained in this memo. Along with this transition plan, the memo also contains an analysis of the companies that are candidates for the joint venture. The analysis is followed be a recommendation about the action that RoboCorp should take.

The recommendation is made after considering the long term goals of RoboCorp. In order to ensure that the performance of the company is not affected from the joint venture, Kotter’s Change Model would be best suited to serve the purpose. The plan given by Kotter is simple and can be broken into smaller parts. As such, for RoboCorp, we will only need 4 points. The first step is to create urgency for the venture (Stamm). The urgency will highlight the fact that the joint venture is necessary to ensure that the company maintains its level of growth and market share.

The second step would be to communicate to the benefits the joint venture to the company and to the staff (Stamm). This will not only maintain the morale of the staff but may also act to increase the morale of the staff. The third step is to remove all the obstacles, whether they are in the form of internal organizational opposition or regulatory restriction be dealt with (Stamm). The regulatory requirements and restrictions will have to be handled in an efficient manner to allow for immediate implementation of the joint venture.

The last step can be simple stated as the utilization the technology and the expertise obtained from the joint venture will take priority once the joint venture has been initiated (Stamm). For the joint venture, RoboCorp can chose from three companies. Electronic Innovations is a suitable candidate however the layoffs can be a problem as they have the potential to offset the deadline significantly. The delay in the production is something that RoboCorp cannot afford if it intends to gain an edge over its competitors.

As an alternative, Optics America is another suitable candidate without the internal organizational problems of Electronic Innovations. In addition to this, Optics America also gives the option of purchasing the required parts without a merger. However, the shipping costs may reduce the profits, and the fact that the organization will not be a part of the plan may reduce the edge that RoboCorp hopes to achieve against its competitors The shipping costs that may offset the costs of the project in case of Electronic Innovations are not a problem with World Optics, another company that is suitable and like Optics America offers the option of purchasing the products without a merger.

Again, however, the same reservation regarding the loss of an edge over the competitors exists here as well. The morale of RoboCorp’s staff is likely to remain unaffected because of the acquisition if Kotter’s Change Model is successfully implemented. However, it must be noted that Kotter’s Change Model does not preserve the organizational structure. In order to fully capitalize on the acquisition, the organizational structure will have to be altered to accommodate the increased staff and product offerings.

The option of immediately purchasing the required parts appears to be attractive; however, there is a chance that the supplying companies may sell the same idea to one of RoboCorp’s competitors. To maintain the slight advantage that RoboCorp may obtain, a merger is more advisable. In case of a merger, Electronic Innovations appears to be a more suitable candidate. Before the merger, however, EI must be made to resolve the problems that are leading to the layoffs, as a delay is not affordable in the present market situation.

The implementation of Kotter’s Change Model tailored to suit the needs of the company could ease the transition of the company ensuring that the staff motivation is not affected by the merger. The acquisition of Electronic Innovations is a more advisable option as against the other two that are available to RoboCorp. With a new vision and an imporved product offering for the future, this project will present RoboCorp as the new market leader. Works Cited Stamm, Philipp. Change Management: The Analysis of J.P. Kotter’s Eight Steps and Its Comparison to K.

Doppler’s and C. Lauterburg’s Twelve Steps Approach. GRIN Verlag, 2010. Thomas, Stephen J. and Stephen Thomas. Successfully Managing Change in Organizations: A Users Guide. Industrial Press, 2009.