Managing Change: Qatar Telecommunications - Ooredoo - Case Study Example

Managing change: Qatar Telecommunications – OOREDOO Contents Contents Sustainability Leadership: Co-creating a Sustainable Future 3 Critical Reflection 3 Self Analysis 4 Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence 5 Critical Reflection 5 Self Analysis 6 Creating a Climate and Culture for Sustainable Organizational Change 6 Critical Reflection 6 Self Analysis 8 Organizational change and the psychological contract 8 Critical Reflection 8 Self Analysis 10 Change experience and employee reactions 10 Critical Reflection 10 Self Analysis 12 References 13 Sustainability Leadership: Co-creating a Sustainable Future Critical Reflection This paper deals with various aspects of sustainability leadership. Sustainable future can be developed by giving attention to unacceptable social factors, natural system viability and a platform for enabling prosperity and wealth to earth’s inhabitants. In this study it has been stated that role of a leader can be easily adopted by individuals. However sustainability approach is essential in order to align leadership with organizational change. A person who opts for leadership position or is focused towards sustainability encompasses wide array of experiences, interests and intentions. All leaders possess a common goal of developing a better workplace environment. Self-organizing change is outlined in different theoretical frameworks. This study even reflects upon the need to acknowledge priorities, uncertainties, etc., within an organization. Leaders should effectively take into consideration contradicting truths so as to make sound decisions (Ferdig, 2007). Ooredoo is one of the most famous telecommunication provider located in Qatar. In recent years it is witnessing tough competition in the market place. Management has implemented effective leadership skills but now needs to focus on sustainability leadership. This paper clearly outlines the fact that sustainable development can be accomplished through integration between social, environmental and economic conditions. It is not a common phenomenon for all organizations and is certainly not applicable for Ooredoo. The management of this company desires to become economically strong and in such scenario environmental conditions are often neglected (Hughes, 2010). According to this journal, change is a self-organizing concept and is driven by top leaders. Leaders often encourage team members to contribute their innovative ideas and this helps to resolve critical issues. Sustainability leadership approach is achieved through collaborative work and it can be linked with workplace practices at Ooredoo. In this organization there are various departmental leaders. These leaders set goals and are eventually followed by team members. However the organization has achieved sustainability goals in such circumstances where collaborative work is not encouraged. Self Analysis I personally have observed some leadership traits in Ooredoo. This firm is a renowned telecommunication company but in recent years it is witnessing tough competition from Vodafone. Leadership style mainly adopted by this organization is a democratic approach where team members are influenced to contribute innovative ideas but final decision is taken by leaders. Change and leadership is correlated and I believe that there are significant changes which should be incorporated within leadership styles at Ooredoo. Firstly democratic leadership is not effective for long run and it needs to be replaced by participative leadership approach. This would enable the organization to enforce collaborative work within the system. I also have observed participative leadership style to enhance business growth since it indicates working together with team members (Price, 2009). On the contrary, in business organizations like that of Ooredoo there is no specific leadership style to be followed according to me. Situations determine appropriate leadership style. In real world business scenario I have seen organizations gain sustainability by being aligned with environmental conditions and undertaking proactive measures. Theoretical frameworks are applicable only for certain scenario but in majority cases leadership is all about achieving competitiveness. Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence Critical Reflection In this journal paper, resistance to change is been outlined along with some supporting attitudes. It is demonstrated by many authors that resistance to change is a negative aspect. This kind of resistance restricts an individual or an organization from further growth and development. Resistance is of various types but the main focus should always be on incorporating those changes which enables a firm to achieve long term business objectives. Resistors often encompass good intentions and they should be included within organizational change. These good intentions are directly associated with resistance conceptualizations. Ambivalence within individuals should always be encouraged as it corresponds to responses to change. Ambivalent attitudes can be divided into three categories. Cognitive dimension is linked with beliefs and attitudes possessed by an individual. Emotional dimension refers to feelings, moods or nervous system activities. As per the study, there is no strong evidence regarding third dimension of ambivalent attitudes. This dimension is called as conative dimension where evaluations of attitude matters as it reflect upon future intentions or past behaviours (Piderit, 2000). There have been some research studies highlighted in this paper. Ambivalent attitude exist in an individual when there is conflict between emotional and cognitive attitudes in context of organizational change. Two forms of ambivalence are usually observed such as intentional dimension or cognitive dimension. Intentional dimension is strictly confined to arguing any form of organizational change whereas cognitive ambivalence takes in organizational change as a necessity for future survival. These dimensions hold significance in case of Ooredoo. The company was inclined towards implementing organizational change into the system. It is evident that some team members shall be in favour of such change and some will protest any kind of organizational change (Carnell, 2007). Theoretical frameworks included in this study are quite relevant as it emphasizes on ambivalent attitudes essential for bringing forth change. Ooredoo had imposed changes on employees and this gave rise to organizational conflict. Negative consequences of ambivalence were not entertained in this company since change agents were the prime focus. Self Analysis I practically have observed change management principles fail in large business organizations. There are different reasons behind this failure. Firms always focus on designing required change and then effectively implementing it with the support of employees. This support cannot be obtained by companies due to negligence towards ambivalent attitudes. Change is not linked with active participation of leaders or change agents. It requires productivity of employees in terms of agreeing with change policy, contributing innovative ideas, etc. There have been research conducted on this field earlier but no such emphasis is given on negative consequences of ambivalence. Ooredoo is an organization which has followed democratic leadership approach over the years. I feel that this eventually restricts the firm to takes into consideration arguments posed by employees regarding any organizational change. According to me any change in long run cannot be effective without support of team members. Resistance at times is beneficial for an organization since it acts as prevention towards failure. Creating a Climate and Culture for Sustainable Organizational Change Critical Reflection Sustainable organizational change can be brought forth with the help of appropriate techniques. These techniques are used for transmitting message to employees. It facilitates delivering long term and short term goals to team members. Every team member is aware about main objective of organizational change and steps to be followed in such change mechanism. Different cultures and climate is necessary in order to incorporate significant changes within organizational system. Management needs to explore wide set of market opportunities so as to implement change and accomplish goals. There are two philosophies outlined in this particular study – socio-technical philosophy and TQM philosophy (Schneider, Brief and Guzzo, 1996). Socio-technical philosophy states that there needs to be integration between technical and social aspects in order to facilitate effective organizational change. On the other hand, TQM approach includes different organizational functions such as human potential, socio or technical factors, customer engagement, etc. Change based on TQM policy is not encouraged within Ooredoo (Hayes, 2010). There are few factors which are given emphasis on like training employees, aligning them with business objectives, encouraging employees to perform well, etc. As per this study, multidimensional failures in organizational change management process can be eradicated through indulging into active decision making. This generally means that all external conditions need to be analyzed well and not just social or technical aspects. It provides team members with a wider base of knowledge which can be incorporated in decision making procedure. Change based on technical or social elements is not suitable for all organizations since it focuses on narrow dimensions (Paton and McCalman, 2008). Culture and climate can be developed in an appropriate way through utilizing TQM approach. As described in the study, managers need to train and motivate employees in order to accomplish set goals. Ooredoo’s managers to certain extent did not possess such quality. They organized training and development programs for employees but failed to acknowledge their hard work. Self Analysis I believe that change management mechanism can only be successful when proper climate and culture is developed by management. This form of culture can only be facilitated through TQM approach whereby management co-ordinately works with employees. It can be stated that employee’s well-being should also be focused on along with implementing change management objectives. Hierarchical structure should not be totally eliminated from an organization as it might reduce control over team members. This aspect has been given importance by Ooredoo since it maintains a hierarchical framework in operational procedure. The company over the years has followed an approach whereby team members are given importance to frame ideas but final decision is taken by top management. I have found certain managerial flaws in Ooredoo. This organization was concerned regarding their competitive position in the market place. In context of achieving competitiveness the firm was not able to understand employee morale (Cameron and Green, 2009). Employee turnover rate in this company has considerably increased in recent years. I think that leaders should be more aware about employee’s needs and wants. Organizational change can only be successful when business goals are aligned with employee’s interests. It is true that TQM approach is able to minimize barriers related to any form of organizational change. Organizational change and the psychological contract Critical Reflection This study is centred towards drawing a relationship between psychological contract and organizational change. Characteristics of change management are usually regarded as predictors. Attitude plays a significant role in entire organizational change management process. Individual’s actions also denote success or failure of any form of organizational change. The overall impact on psychological contracts and restructuring of employee relationships are essential components in change management. An employee’s reaction to a change being implemented in the system denotes its long term effectiveness (Smissen, Schalk and Freese, 2013). For instance, some employees tend to over convinced with any kind of organizational change whereas there are team members who are rigid towards such change. Team leaders should be able to provide clear justifications behind a change as it strongly influences employee’s responsibility in organizational change procedure, facilitates active involvement in the process and enables effective channels of communication. This study even states that change process tends to violate psychological contracts. Organizational transformations as per this journal paper bring forth changes between employee and employer relationship (Burnes, 2009). These alterations are usually observed in terms of rewards, compensation, career opportunities, HR practices, compensation, job security, etc. Change process and psychological contract are strongly correlated with one another. Any form of negative impact on psychological contract tends to reduce level of job satisfaction and thus employee performance. A particular change in majority scenarios is not able to alter psychological contract of employees. There needs to be combination of changes in order to create significant impact on employee’s behaviours. Some of the theoretical concepts can be applied on Ooredoo such as behavioural changes associated with organizational change. Employee-employer relation in this organization was a bit altered with introduction of some changes in the system. However it cannot be stated that employees who have been subjected to organizational change in the past will not have any effect on their psychological contract. Self Analysis I have been observing workplace practices in Ooredoo and it clearly demonstrates a loophole between employee-employer relationships. Management practices forms the basis of success and growth of an organization. Employees are not involved within change management process in Ooredoo. Top management is responsible for setting rules and providing guidance to employees. Team members need to follow these set rules so that organization remains competitive in the industry. It has been observed that employee satisfaction level slowly deteriorates with excessive control of management over employees. Job satisfaction is extensively required during implementation of any form of organizational change. These changes I feel should motivate employees in order to perform well and set high performance standards. Psychological contract I believe is adversely affected when there is confusion in employee’s mind regarding organizational goals and change management practices. The communication level should be effective enough in order to eradicate any form of confusion from mindset of employees. Team leaders are the ones who decide on communication channels and they need to keep in mind interests of employees. Ooredoo needs to remain competitive as well as retain its employee base. These objectives can only be accomplished when leader works in collaboration with employees to structure change policies and employee benefits are not affected due to organizational transformation. Change experience and employee reactions Critical Reflection In this study emphasis is given on employee reactions and change experience. Experience plays a significant role in terms of influencing reactions of employees to change. There are employees who incorporate capabilities so as to stay aligned with objectives of organizational change. Theoretical frameworks are included in this study for outlining relationship between employee reactions and change experience. Experience plays a critical role in context of analyzing reactions for any organizational change. Those employees who are change experienced have limited implications of negative reactions. Positive experience support employees to develop capabilities to manage change. It has been highlighted in this study that managers need to support employees for enhancing skill set. A theoretical framework has been included in this research study and it indicates that there are two aspects of change experience – barriers to change and acceptance. Barriers in turn make team members passive and thus they exist from the system. On the contrary, acceptance denotes loyalty of employees for organizational change. However this framework is highly contradictory with the circumstances at Ooredoo. Employees were passive to certain extent but they showed loyalty towards the organization. Change experience was not acquired by maximum employees in the company but still majority employees were positive towards change. It was a challenge for team members to incorporate best features within organizational system which could foster long term growth and development (Stensaker and Meyer, 2012). Positive and negative process is linked with change experience. Compliance is associated with negative experience and acceptance with positive process. The study assumes that acceptance helps in building capabilities within team members in terms of handling uncertainties, increasing market value and maintaining control. This assumption is not valid in case of Ooredoo since positive employees do not possess capabilities to execute organizational change. They are more determined towards following orders rather than developing skill set essential for change formulation or implementation. Self Analysis I have analyzed many business cases which are related to organizational change management. I somehow feel that arguments posed for change capabilities being dependent on experience is not a valid argument. Experiences usually change since one change management initiative might not be similar to another. For instance, Ooredoo’s case clearly reflects on positive employees not encompassing required change capabilities. These capabilities cannot be gained through having a positive mindset but it requires understanding well organizational objectives. Negative experiences I feel too can incorporate capabilities within individuals. It is all about communicating objectives behind change management practices. According to me management plays a critical role in initiating negative or positive experiences. There is no such framework which gives standard rules from any circumstances. Change in organizations is a procedure to retain market value and improve upon certain areas. Employees need to be motivated in every aspect and this eventually has an impact on experiences. References Burnes, B., 2009. Managing change: a strategic approach to organisational dynamics. 5th edition. Harlow: Pearson Education. Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2009. Making sense of change management. a complete guide to the models, tools, & techniques of organizational change. 2nd edition. London: Kogan Page. Carnell, C.A., 2007. Managing change in organizations. 5th edition. Harlow: FT / Prentice Hall. Ferdig, M. A., 2007. Sustainability leadership: co-creating a sustainable future. Journal of Change Management, 7(1), pp. 25-35. Hayes, J., 2010. The theory and practice of change management. 3rd edition. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Hughes, M., 2010. Managing change: a critical perspective. 2nd edition. London: CIPD. Paton, R. A. and McCalman, J., 2008. Change management: a guide to effective implementation. 3rd edition. London: Sage. Piderit, S. K., 2000. Rethinking resistance and recognizing ambivalence: a multidimensional view of attitudes toward an organizational change. Academy of Management Review, 25(4), pp. 783-794. Price, D., 2009. The principles and practice of change. Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. Schneider, B., Brief, A. P. and Guzzo, R. A., 1996. Creating a climate and culture for sustainable organizational change. Organizational Dynamics, pp. 7 -19. Smissen, S., Schalk, R. and Freese, C., 2013. Organizational change and the psychological contract. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 26(6), pp. 1071-1090. Stensaker, I. G. and Meyer, C. B., 2012. Change experience and employee reactions: developing capabilities for change. Personnel Review, 41(1), pp. 106-124. Read More