Implementing Strategy and Managing Change - Literature review Example

Implementing Strategy and Managing Change 1. Introduction The Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004 clearly stated the core functions of the Fire and Rescue Authorities in the country and these include fire, safety, fire fighting, road traffic accidents, and other emergencies. Along with these responsibilities is the power to respond to other eventualities and other works that may be required to ensure public safety. It is therefore necessary to understand that the scope of work of every FRS is wide and entails satisfying public expectations and moral responsibility irrespective of legislation. 2. Managing Change and Meeting Public Expectations Change can vary in complexity (Cummings & Worley 2009, p.163) and since change is an ongoing process (Kenton & Penn 2008, p.241) it requires more than just following certain legislation. According to Adams (1997), the common barriers that may be encounter when introducing change in an organisation may include: Fear, anger, and uncertainty Inability of some members to see the need for change Seeing all change as negative and detrimental to their interest Wait and see attitude of some members Inability to see the positive opportunities inherent in change. Employees are likely to unconsciously putting up barriers whenever changes occur since they are vulnerable to positive and negative emotions. For instance, transferring an employee to other department can create negative emotions while elevating an employee to higher position can generate positive feelings toward his work and the changes being implemented by the organization. However, the inability of an employee to see the need for change is commonly an outcome of poor change management such as the failure of management to communicate and explain the change. Similarly, the reluctance and hesitations of some employees may be attributed to their lack of participation or involvement in the planning of the new change. For this reason it is best for management to (Adams 1997, p.166): Create an environment of openness – this will give employees the opportunity to ask questions concerning their role and future and prevent them from imagining the wrong scenario. Be ready with the facts and figures supporting the reasons for change - this will enable the employees to see the difference and the benefits of the change. Understand and be sensitive to employees’ emotions – this can help employee see management’s concern over them and encourage cooperation and involvement in the change initiative. Encourage employees to contribute and present alternatives – this will enable employees to have an open mind and accept the positive impacts of change. Give employees time to adjust and slowly help them focus on the new path – this will give employees reasonable time to accept the loss of old and familiar way of working and learn to enjoy their new responsibilities. The success of an organisational change according to Belliotti (2010) depends on top management support, the strength of the organization, involvement of all people in the organization, consideration of numerous relevant factors, careful planning, approached from the stakeholder’s perspective, and commitment to continuous improvement. For this reason, a change in an emergency service should be systematic to ensure all of the above are performed and measured correctly. An Integrated Risk Management Plan can help a fire and rescue organization organize and deliver their service effectively. This in particular includes identifying the risk within their respective area of responsibility to ensure the safety of the public the best way possible. Any initiative for this matter should be tailored to meet the local needs and consistent in the level of service (Office of the Deputy Prime Minister 2003, p.45) However, implementing such initiative requires the full cooperation of every member of the organization thus management need to develop a vision of change that would obtain the interest of the whole organization. Primarily, the extent to which top management is committed to change affects how their people are inspired and share the vision (Bass 2008, p.19). For this reason, the management of a particular fire and rescue service should: Communicate effectively to create a strong and lasting relationship with their employees and other stakeholders. Invite the participation and involvement of employees in planning and implementing change. Understand and support those are experiencing resistance change or having difficulty accepting the change. Communication motivates and nurtures the values of leaders and followers (Miller 2008, p.191) thus the choice of appropriate communication strategies is important for the change to be successful. Communication about change should be (Sengupta & Bhattacharya 2006, p.85): Clear Precise Reliable Consistent Being clear and accurate about the proposed changes enable employees to understand the pros and cons of the change and avoid unnecessary confusion and negative thoughts. Similarly, reliable and consistent communication can increase employees’ motivation and reduce resistance to change. Similarly, participation can lead to quality changes as well as overcoming resistance change. This is because when member’s needs are accounted for, their interest increase and they will be motivated to extend some more effort to make the changes work (Cummings & Worley 2009, p.168). According to Partridge (2007), people who gets involve gain some level of control and consequently they will feel: Interested and engaged in the activities Respected and valued for their skills and ability. Challenged and inspired. Motivated and eventually commit themselves to change. Existing best practices in managing change include training employees as a means to alter the organization culture in line with the change (Vallabhaneni 2008, p.261). A good example of this training is the Workforce Development Strategy 2008-2011 being implemented Lancashire FRS. The initiative is aligned with the recognition that employees are critical to the delivery of services thus require appropriate skills, competence, and motivation (Lancashire FRS, 2011). The practice generally aims to help employees cope with change and fully understand the need for change. However, this is generally done in an accelerated pace since slow implementation can generate extra time for employees to contemplate the potential negative effects of change which in general can undermine the organization’s effort. Another practice is defining performance indications that would determine the achievement and corresponding cost of a particular effort (de Bruijn 2007, p.8). In Lancashire FRS for instance, performance is measured by success and progress. The performance indicators are the number of fires, number of fatalities from fires, number of accidents responded, and number of injuries involving personnel (Lancashire FRS, 2011). One of the most effective ways to monitor the impact of change in an organization is to establish a system of check and balance that can encourage monitoring and review. Monitoring and review of the target sets in the IRMP can (Kumar & Motha 2007, p.6): Enable identification of problems Enable formulation of response plans Improve the quality of risk assessment procedure and outcomes 3. Conclusion Meeting the requirements of the law and satisfying public expectations through an Integrated Risk Management Plan is a complex task since it requires managing change and evaluating the impact of delivering these changes. In order to succeed, management should be committed to initiative and apply existing and innovative practices in managing change. More importantly, management should be ready to constantly monitor and review the impact of these changes and improve continuously. 4. References Adams B., 1997, Streetwise Managing People: Lead your Staff to Peak Performance, Adams Media, United States of America Bass B., 1998, Transformational Leadership: Industrial, Military, and Educational Impact, Routledge, United States of America Bellioti R., 2010, Reference Guide on Understanding Common use at Airports, National Research Council, US, Transportation Research Board, United States of America Cummings T. & Worley C., 2009, Organization Development & Change, Cengage Learning, United States of America De Bruijn J., 2007, Managing Performance in the Public Sector, Taylor and Francis, United States of America Fire and Rescue Services Act, 2004, Fire and Rescue Authorities: Chapter 21, The Stationery Office, United Kingdom Kenton B. & Penn S., 2008, Change, Conflict, and Community: Challenging Thought and Action, Butterworth-Heinemann, United Kingdom Kumar M. & Motha P., 2007, Managing Weather and Climate Risk in Agriculture, Springer, Germany Lancashire FRS, 2011, Key Performance Indicators, available online at http://www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk/downloads/performance/key-performance-indicators/Measuring_Success_April_to_September_2009.pdf Miller K., 2008, Organizational Communication: Approaches and Processes, Cengage Learning, United States of America Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, 2003, Our Fire and Rescue Service, The Stationery Office, UK Partridge L., 2007, Managing Change: Learning Made Simple, Butterworth-Heinemann, Italy Sengupta N. & Bhattacharya M., 2006, Managing Change in Organizations, PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd., India Vallabhaneni R., 2008, Corporate Management, Governance, and Ethics Best Practices, John Wiley and Sons, United States of America Read More