Change and Stress Management - Case Study Example

Change and Stress Management at HIA Name Course Tutor Date Executive Summary The Housing industry Association is company that deals in a residential building and related services. After operating for several years the executive director felt it was time to execute leadership changes in that organization. So during his one of the meetings with staff at Brisbane, the executive director, David Gunsberg articulated the change by informing the staff that Melinda, a secretary to the executive at that branch was promoted from to executive director to (Tee, Eugene & Ashkanasy, 2011, p.632). The decision did not mean well for Deborah who has been with HIA for 15 years as an office manager. Deborah considered that she deserved that position much more than Melinda who has been there just for two years. It was even worse for Deborah because the new arrangement made her answerable to Melinda. David communicated other changes through the email. These changes made Deborah to unhappy and threatened because she would no longer operate as she used to do in the past. She finally asked David to move her to a new department way from Melinda. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 What made Deborah to react in such a manner towards Melinda 5 3.0 Whether these reactions were justified 6 4.0 What Melinda would have done to better resolve this issue with Deborah 7 5.0 Why organizational change is more stressful for team members or team leaders 8 6.0 Possible stressors for organizational members in the workplace as portrayed in the case study 9 7.0 How situation influence organizational or national-level culture 9 8.0 Conclusion 10 9.0 References 11 1.0 Introduction When an organization reaches a point, change is often effected in order to bring in new strategy so as to counter competition from the rivals. However, sometimes effecting change may not go down well with all the employees because of different expectations. Some employees who wanted to be promoted for personal development could be left out of the new arrangement and this may not reflect well to them. Others who are used to comfort zone could also see change as a threat to their job security due to their fear of unknown. As such most employees tend to be resistant to change of any nature. Organizational conflict is said to be unavoidable facet of team membership. Contrary views and decisions may from one occasion to another, hence having a positive and reliable method to achieve a compromise ground is crucial for an effective team (Alder & Tjosvold & Law, 2000, p.631). A team leader has to facilitate organizational conflict resolution whilst giving both sides a chance to air their issues and adopt solutions together. With that realization, this paper how analyses how employees react to change, ways organizations can manage conflicts and stress among its employees in relation to The Housing lndustry Association (HlA) organization. 2.0 What made Deborah to react in such a manner towards Melinda According to Dessler (2002) change in an organization is the shifting of the manner in which employees are arranged. However, the process of restructuring the organization may not be as simple as people may think; in particular when it affects employees as the case of HIA Company. Normally in each organization, people use myriads of means to resist change. Employees frequently demonstrate resistance to restructuring in an extremely rational reaction in relation with their self-interest, fear of failure, fear of unknown, personal conflicts, assumption cultural value and politics among others. Thus, it is perceived people have numerous reasons why they resist change and many concentrate on the idea of reactance; a negative reaction that takes place when people feel their private independence is intimidated. From the HIA organization case study, it can be observed that the company in Brisbane implemented a change in relation to the human resources by promoting Melinda a secretary for 2-years in that company to Executive support manager. In this same organization, Deborah who has been an office manager at HIA Brisbane for fifteen years was not promoted as she had wanted (Tee, Eugene & Ashkanasy, 2011). In a nutshell Deborah was discontented that Melinda was promoted to an executive director’s position. This nevertheless resulted to a lot of negative mind-set in Deborah towards Melinda. Deborah is perceived to have thrown some distasteful remarks concerning Melinda to other employees in the organization by using of strong critics language refereeing Melinda as an egotistical slave-driver who have no respect for people she is supervising. It is believed that she made these remarks because Melinda had become strict making her to lack freedom of doing things in a manner that she used to do. Even though she complains and rebukes Melinda because of the new strict rule, what she enjoys doing at work are unproductive and selfish in nature. She wastes two hours having a break instead of one hour as predetermined by the organization. Not only does she arrive at to workplace habitually, but also leaves an hour earlier than the set closing time with an excuse that she picking her children early from school. Deborah felt exposed that she could no longer enjoy the freedom she used to and more significantly that the office of Melinda will start supervising her. She does not want to give up her self-centered attitude. The basis of her discontentment of Melinda’s new position was the truth she had to settle into new stipulations of rules and regulations of the organization. Deborah also considered that Melinda had no merit for the new position owing to the fact that she had not stayed with compared to her (Tee, Eugene & Ashkanasy, 2011). From the case study, it can be deduced that Deborah was involved in the change resistance situation. Change resistance in the organization threatens power structures with employees resisting and inquiring the process being changed (Proctor & Doukakis, 2003, p.269) 3.0 Whether these reactions were justified Deborah’s reactions towards Melinda were not justified. This is because Melinda was just carrying out her leadership and managerial tasks as set by the organization. Hence was in order for Deborah to appraise her job skills so as to boost her performance. This would enable be her effective and be rewarded with promotion in future. Mullins (2010) argues that job satisfaction is crucial not just because it improves work performance, but also because it boosts employee’s concentration on positive things which enhances their lives. A better method for Deborah to handle dissatisfaction could have been to honestly evaluate her work and give herself a challenge while looking at ways in which she could have been promoted. However, Melinda demonstrated an exemplary leadership by facing Deborah and confiding to her that both of them needs each other’s support so as to perform well. A leader has to also portray humility and occasionally take a retreat and conduct team building with the followers in order to create a good working relation (Alper & Tjosvold & Law, 2000, p.627). Therefore, Melinda only expected acting in a manner that she turned out to be an exceptional leader and an effective manager. 4.0 What Melinda would have done to better resolve this issue with Deborah It would be better for Melinda to hold a joint meeting comprising of all the staffs so as to make clear why working together is for the good of the organization regardless of the rank (Mullins, 2010). This can assist in solving their conflict while creating organizational unity. This would have also helped in defining the tasks of each team member of that company. Nurturing teamwork would have been a good concept in ensuring Deborah understands they must to work in a team environment for effectiveness and efficiency (Mullins, 2010). In doing this she learns that Melinda not just as an executive support manager but also a team leader. The move makes sure they interact and relate in a way which promotes the realization of the set organizational goals. Melinda would have embraced participatory leadership style that gives each person an opportunity to participate in decision making. This helps employees to feel part of the organization and minimizing conflicts. The role of participative leadership in minimizing resistance in the change process is often accepted in an organization, since a tendency to handle this style boosts the possibility that change is likely to be implemented (Pardon-del-Val & Martinez-Fuentes, 2003, p.151). The key impacts associated with the participative leadership style that Melinda would have embraced are that it minimizes resistance to the change process, and also assist in improving the organization’s effectiveness. 5.0 Why organizational change is more stressful for team members or team leaders According to Proctor & Doukakis (2003, p. 265) organizations undergo a flexible and fast changing environment that requires adjustment. Leaders and group members find change a more stressful issue to do their work; the team members ought to adjust to new leadership whilst their team leaders ought to ensure that the performance is improved (Mullins, 2010). However, management basically is the actions of being responsible of managing employees and their conducts. Team leadership function comes with numerous concerns. One of the difficult obstacles faced is offering leadership at the period of change process in a team environment. This can result to conflict between the team leader and participants as duties are reallocated and employees change to the new functions. Proctor and Doukakis (2003, p.276) affirms that as organizations put more emphasis on teamwork, staff finds themselves going under this inconsistency of settling onto to the new changes. Staffs are compelled to adjust to changes within the organization; this result to uneasiness amongst the team. Change is not always easy as it looks, and it is human character to attempt and resist change by whatever means (Proctor, & Doukakis, 2003, p.271). Regardless of this reality, numerous organizations have risen above hurdles to change and embrace new leadership styles. Though, staff still gets it stressful to manage the organizational changes because of various reasons. The team members must meet the set goals of their team. This could be a major basis of stress. As such members must get used to the set regulations and rules and be answerable to team leaders. This forms the situation depicted in the relations between Melinda and Deborah in HIA. Deborah needed to change and get used to new rules. To reduce stress among the employees, team members should form strong values which control their behaviors with each other. This ensures team cohesiveness; team cohesiveness impacts the performance and changes will probably compel them to get together and work to uphold the status quo. A leader will find it very stressful to deal with employees who are fighting to maintain status quo (Proctor & Doukakis, 2003, p.272). The best thing is to convince employees on the importance of change to the organization and let them know that their differences will reflect on the results. 6.0 Possible stressors for organizational members in the workplace as portrayed in the case study Team leaders and employees experience insecurity and uncertainty with regard to their work making them stressful to carry out their work properly (Mullins, 2010). In organizational set up, stressors like new rules and regulations, job roles, and hectic work schedule make it difficult for the employees to progress well owing to fear of failure. Such issues are what results to conflicts in Melinda and Deborah’s case. The organization changed regulations are the stressors compelling staff to settle into these dynamics. The new change required Deborah’s office to fall under the Melinda’s office (Tee, Eugene & Ashkanasy, 2011, p.626). Another stressor for Deborah was to adjust and operate in a way which depicts responsibility. She must again keep time as stipulated in the employment contract. 7.0 How situation influence organizational or national-level culture There are different aspects that extremely influence organizational behavior and culture. These elements rely on personal diversities created by culture. In organizations with high degree of power distance, a wide gap manifest between individual in manager and employees (Pardo-del-Val & Martinez-Fuentes, 2003, p.154). In this form of company, subordinates opinions are not often considered. The top management is entirely distanced from their employees. Organization leadership and cultures have different techniques of showing power distance. This can be reflected in a way that followers talk to leaders and the visible indications. If The Housing industry Association maintains a high degree of power distance, it means that the circumstances will perhaps remain continually in a longer period. Nevertheless, if the level of power distance was regarded low down, Melinda would be in a position to communicate concerning the unrelenting conflicts with Deborah. The other component impacting the behavior in a company is the uncertainty avoidance; this is the acceptance to uniqueness of society’s events (Mullins, 2010). Societies which undergo high level uncertainty avoidance have the tendency of becoming rigid and resistant to change for the anxiety of the job uncertainty. On the contrary, societies which face low level of uncertainty avoidance welcome to changes. To do away with uncertainty, companies set and function within rules. The circumstances depicted by Deborah are infact high uncertainty avoidance, because she is reluctant to adjust to the changes at her workplace. Deborah is intimidated by Melinda’s new in the rank. To make matters is that the Deborah has to report to Melinda. She also has to conform to new laws and regulations. 8.0 Conclusion For organizational change to work, the entire management team needs to get on board and display interest themselves. As such they communicate a message of togetherness to the employees which is a sign of a successful company. The management must also motivate its staff in a rightful manner which is fair and merited. In effecting change, they managers should also not assume that everyone will accept change. Therefore, ought to put proper mechanisms of handling, resistant, conflict and stress that come with organizational change. 9.0 References Alper, S., Tjosvold, D. & Law, K. (2000). “Conflict management, efficacy, and performance in organizational teams”, Personnel Psychology, 53, 625-642. Mullins, L. (2010). “Management and Organizational”, 9th Ed. Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Pardo-del-Val, M. and Martinez-Fuentes, C. (2003). “Resistance to change: a literature review and empirical study”, Management Decision”, 41(2), 148-55. Proctor, T. and Doukakis, I. (2003). “Change management: the role of internal communication and employee development”, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 8(4), 268-77. Tee, Eugene Y. J. and Ashkanasy, N. (2011). “Integrative case study: Change and stress management at HIA. In Stephen P. Robbins, T. A. Judge, B. Millett and M. Boyle (Ed.), Organisational behaviour 6th ed. (pp. 531-532)”, French's Forrest, N.S.W., Australia: Pearson Australia. Read More