Change Witnessed in the Organization and the Process Used to Bring the Required Change - Case Study Example

Change Management A recent change which was witnessed in the organization and the process which was used to bring the required change Type your name and other details Table of Contents Introduction 3 Overview of Change Management 3 Importance of managing change 5 Background of the study 5 Process in which change management process was initiated 6 Planning 7 Defined Governance 9 Committed Leadership 10 Informed Stakeholders 12 Aligned Workforce 13 Overall Result 13 Conclusion 14 References 15 Introduction Organizations which are stagnant and don’t revolve with changing business environment find it difficult to deal with competition and changing customer needs. This has made change management an integral and continuous part of the business process which is ongoing. A one size fit all approach to change management will be ineffective as organizations have different needs and requirements based on which business undergo the required process of change. This thereby requires developing individual strategies for each organization and based on the need of each organization the change management process should be carried out. Despite having different approaches to change management some common factors exist which helps to undergo the process of change and is found to be present in all organizations. This paper thereby looks to highlight a recent change which was witnessed in one of the organization I worked. The paper will show the manner in which the process of change was initiated and the role the leader played in it. This will be followed by different theories and models which will help to broaden the horizon of change management and provide my own perspective on the manner I would have looked to make the required change so that business operations improved. This will thereby help to draw important aspect and bring forward the entire process of change that will be initiated so that business process and resources improves. Overview of Change Management Changes are witnessed as an exciting opportunity for some where they are able to undertake new roles, policies and developments and a loss of time, threat for others who don’t prefer to undergo the process of change and instead want to continue in the same manner. The manner in which a leader or the management manages the differences helps to determine the success or failure of an organization. Change is thereby an inherent part of business and is a continuous process which is encountered by all organization irrespective of their size or volume. Change can further be simulated due to external factors like change in technology, social change or economic changes or can be encountered due to internal factors like change in customer needs, cost, human resource, and so on. The impact of change can be witnessed in a particular area or can be seen over the entire organization (Bolden, Gosling, Marturano & Dennison, 2003). The different magnitude of change will require that the business develops different change management process to be able to initiate the required change and develop the required parameters based on which changes can be analyzed. This thereby helps to determine change management as a process which aims towards taking a structured and planned approach so that the different directives of change can be aligned with the overall needs and requirements of the organization. The management looks at it as the behavioral adjustments which have to be made so that the business is better aligned and is able to achieve its long term objectives (Davidhizar & Cramer, 2000). There are various models which have been developed to facilitate the process of change and includes Kurt Levin’s Three model of change, John Kotter’s 8 step change model, McKinsey 7S model, and so on (Lipley, 2004). The different models looks to simplify the process of change and taking the help of a change agent further simplifies the process of change and ensures that the business or organization is able to apply the model so that the process of change facilitates the best results. Thus, the basic aim of change models is to instigate the individual change which is required in the behavior of individuals so that their objectives align with the overall goal of the business and the working process facilitates in the use of resources. Importance of managing change A process of successful change is witnessed only when the change process is able to influence the employees and ensuring that they work hard and efficiently in the new work environment. The process of change management is largely dependent on the manner the change is presented to them. The effectiveness of change might be reduced if the employees resist to changes or raise different barriers to change and cause disruptions in the process of change (Murphy, 2005). This requires that the process should be such that employees support the process of change and helps to develop a mechanism through which change management process becomes effective. This will lead towards vital use of resources and will develop a framework through which better changes will be facilitated. Background of the study A process of change was witnessed in the manufacturing organization which I was associated with. The business was encountering problems due to rapidly changing business environment and required to adapt quickly else the competitors would overtake the business and would make the business face difficulty in carrying out their operations. The manufacturing unit was facing difficulty in carrying their operations due to improper management of inventories and not having the required raw materials at their disposal through which customer needs can be satisfied. This required a complete technological change and required that the business adopts newer and better technology which will help to keep track of the inventories and would generate an automatic list of inventories through which the goods could be ordered. This has to be matched by a list of suppliers who could be asked to provide tenders or quotations and based on it the purchase department would be able to initiate the business needs. The entire process required a complete change and transformation and required that the leader looks towards instigating the process of change effectively. This would require that the different bottlenecks being removed from the system and being able to generate the required enthusiasm from employees towards change would facilitate a process of change. The leader at this juncture has to carry out different important roles and process through which change can be effectively measured and implemented. Process in which change management process was initiated I worked as a leader and initiated the process of change by looking into the different dynamics and requirements so that every aspect of the business through which changes could be effectively initiated was presented. I looked to ensure the process of change by working and breaking the entire objectives into the following parts so that change could be better monitored and barriers to change could be minimized Planning: This step followed documenting the change which was to be undertaken and identifying the different resources which will be required to facilitate the change. The process ensured that the change process align with the business objectives Defined Governance: This aspect looked at developing the required organizational structure, passing on roles and responsibilities to others in the organization and engaging the different stakeholders so that the process of change can be carried out effectively. Committed Leadership: This ensured that I remain committed and was willing to undertake the extra responsibility and burden of facilitating the required change so that the different dimensions provides the best results Informed Stakeholders: This looked at stakeholder involvement in the change process by encouraging people to communicate and remove the differences and creating awareness and understanding regarding the manner in which the process of change will help them to prosper Aligned Workforce: This looked at removing the barriers and obstacle from employees by identifying the impact the change would have on human and providing the required skills through training so that employees were in a position to understand the change and facilitated in the change process. Thus, the process of change which I incorporated were based on the above identified fundamentals which were further broken down into smaller subparts to ensure better control and to develop the required fundamentals through which the business goals could be achieved. Planning This aspect looked at determining the goals which was to be achieved and then making arrangements for the necessary resources so that people within the organization knew the process which will be followed and the different areas that will be worked on to facilitate the process of change. This aspect of my change process looked at the following Clear Vision: The process of change ensured that the future vision and the scope and impact which the process of change would bring were clearly highlighted. This ensured that the stakeholders were clear about the future goals and ensured that the stakeholders were able to bring together the different needs and requirements through which the bigger goals of the organization could be achieved (Ospina & Yaroni, 2003). Having a clear vision provided a sense of direction and helped the stakeholders to understand the manner in which technological changes will be undertaken so that better inventory management strategies could have been facilitated. Document the case for change: The change document ensured that it was clear and concise and helped the stakeholders to understand the manner in which technological changes would help to ensure better management of inventories and provide the customer with their needs and requirements. This process provided support from different areas and stakeholders and helped people understand the manner in which the change will ensure better use of resources, ensure financial productivity and increase the chances of achieving the overall business objective Develop Change Plan & Measures: The process of change looked at clearly identifying the objectives and the required measures which are to be achieved. This will help to measure the actual performance and provide the framework through which timely changes can be done (Chan & Chan, 2005). The change plan looked to provide complete details and the manner and process in which change will be done, the different resources that will be used and the entire process which will help to bring better change process. The overall outcome was thereby positive and helped to bring the required change through which resources will be used effectively. Defined Governance This aspect looked at developing the required organizational structure, passing on roles and responsibilities to others in the organization and engaging the different stakeholders so that the process of change can be carried out effectively. To achieve the desired change the following structure for change was used The change process had different committee and agents who worked on to facilitate the process of changed and aimed towards carrying out the following (Marquis & Huston, 2000) Steering Committee: This committee was under my leadership and aimed to provide the required direction through which change will be done and monitored and provided complete information to the stakeholders so that the process of change could be easily implemented Change Sponsor: It was the external agent which was hired by the organization and had the main role and responsibility to bring the required change so that the required technological changes could be implemented Change Agent: The change agent works under the change sponsor and manages the day to day affair which is required to facilitate the process of change. The change agent has to ensure regular contact with the different work streams and ensure proper coordination so that the change could be properly implemented Work Stream Owners: To ensure a complete change the entire work of technological changes was broken down into smaller subparts where each areas was assigned to different people so that the work could be properly compiled and helped to developed the framework for accomplishing the task which was undertaken Committed Leadership This ensured that I remain committed and was willing to undertake the extra responsibility and burden of facilitating the required change so that the different dimensions provide the best results. I aimed towards bringing the different resources to a common platform and by highlighting different leadership traits and characteristics was able to influence people. I demonstrated both charismatic and transformational leadership traits and was able to bring the required transformation through which the process of change was easily initiated and accepted. Visible Support - Setting the Example: As a leader I looked towards setting example by working on the different needs and requirements of the stakeholders. Using my different traits I ensured that I was able to remove the different hurdles and bring people together at a common platform (McNichol, 2007). This will supported by the fact that I was willing to change and made people understand the benefit of change. I looked to work forward and carry out the different objectives and mechanism through which I was able to bring the change transformation. Further, I also ensured that I was present at all times and looked to take the extra burden of transforming the change so that the business through the technological change was able to improve their chances of being successful Continuous Engagement: To fetch the best result which was expected from the technological change which would improve inventory management process I looked at continuous engagement with employees and others at all levels. I ensured that there was continuous engagement with all the stakeholders and worked towards bringing the required change so that the effectiveness in decision making could be witnessed (Adlam & Villiers, 2003). This was matched by taking the required actions so that the different issues which were witnessed could be resolved helped to bring the best out of the stakeholders and provided a comprehensive plan through which the goals were achieved Informed Stakeholders This aspect looked at stakeholder involvement in the change process by encouraging people to communicate and remove the differences and creating awareness and understanding regarding the manner in which the process of change will help them to prosper. This thereby looked at the following fundamentals Purpose of change communication: A clear and complete reasons for the change was communicated to the stakeholders so that the process of change could be initiated. The change document ensured that it was clear and concise and helped the stakeholders to understand the manner in which technological changes would help to ensure better management of inventories and provide the customer with their needs and requirements (Kouzes & Posner, 2007). This process provided support from different areas and stakeholders and helped people understand the manner in which the change will ensure better use of resources, ensure financial productivity and increase the chances of achieving the overall business objective. Understanding the audience – Stakeholder Analysis: The change management process also ensured that the different needs and requirements of the stakeholders were clearly understood. This thereby helped to develop the required tools for training which would help to improve the overall relevance of change. The process also looked at ensuring that the stakeholder were able to bring and initiate the process of change and ensure that the business phenomenon of changed was developed based on the stakeholder needs and requirements (Deluga, 2000). This thereby helped to develop a process of change which aimed towards removing the hurdles and ensures better communication. Aligned Workforce This aspect looked at removing the barriers and obstacle from employees by identifying the impact the change would have on human and providing the required skills through training so that employees were in a position to understand the change and facilitated in the change process. The effectiveness of change might be reduced if the employees resist to changes or raise different barriers to change and cause disruptions in the process of change. This requires that the process should be such that employees support the process of change and helps to develop a mechanism through which change management process becomes effective (Adebayo, 2005). This will lead towards vital use of resources and will develop a framework through which better changes will be facilitated. This thereby ensured that employees supported the process of change and helped to transform the business by making the required changes in the business through the use of technology which helped to ensure better productivity and result. Overall Result The manner and process through which the business looked and encountered the change process helped to improve the productivity and made it easy to implement the required change in the organization. The process thereby ensured that productivity increased and the business was able to implement the new technology in the business. The emphasis thereby helped to ensure easy acceptance with the employee and other stakeholders and thereby resulted in a change. The process thereby ensured that the business was able to bring the required change and ensure that productivity improved. Conclusion This paper thereby highlighted a recent change which was witnessed in one of the organization I worked. The paper will show the manner in which the process of change was initiated and the role the leader played in it. This will be followed by different theories and models which will help to broaden the horizon of change management and provide my own perspective on the manner I would have looked to make the required change so that business operations improved. This will thereby help to draw important aspect and bring forward the entire process of change that will be initiated so that business process and resources improves. This will thereby ensure better productivity and would have a positive impact on the long term performance of the business. References Adlam, R., & Villiers, P. (2003). Leadership in the twenty first century: Philosophy, doctrine and development. Hook, Hampshire: Waterside Press. Adebayo, D. (2005). Perceived workplace fairness, transformational leadership and motivation in the organization: implications for change. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 7(2), 110-122 Bolden, R., Gosling, J., Marturano, A., & Dennison, P. (2003). A Review of Leadership Theory And Competency Frameworks. Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter. Chan, A., & Chan, E. (2005). Impact of Perceived Leadership Styles on Work Outcomes: Case of Building Professionals. Journal of Construction Engineering & Management, 131(4), 413-422 Davidhizar, R., & Cramer, C. (2000). Gender differences in leadership in the health Professions. Health Care Manager, 18(3), 18-24. Deluga, R. (2000). 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