Organizational Change Force Field Analysis of Lakeside Hall Hotel - Case Study Example

Work and Organization Culture Name: Course: Institution: Date: Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Force Field Analysis 3 2.1 Change Support Factors 4 2.1.1 Customers Influence 4 2.1.2 Competitor’s Effect 5 2.1.3 Globalization 5 2.2 Change Resistant Forces 6 2.2.1 Organizational Culture 6 2.2.2 Leadership Style 7 3.0 SWOT Analysis 7 3.1 Strength Analysis 8 3.2 Weakness Analysis 9 3.3 Opportunity Analysis 10 3.4 Threats Analysis 11 4.0 Recommendations 11 4.1 Change Culture 11 4.2 Technology Application 13 4.3 New Services Innovation 14 5.0 Conclusion 15 References 16 1.0 Introduction The hotel industry is among the growing industries globally, recovering from the effects of the 2008 global financial crisis. In this regard, industry reviews and reports indicate a growing profitability and earnings base, as hotels stabilize and acquire increasing consumer bases. Moreover, industry outlook forecasts indicate that the industry is bound to expand and increase its profitability in the future. However, despite this positive expectation, the global market is gradually changing with changing economic, political and social factors, likely to implicate and influence individual hotels growth and expansion. Therefore, in order to counter these external environmental changes, it is imperative that the hotel industry stakeholders develop the relevant and appropriate development systems as a means to initiate their own change process as a proactive competitiveness retention measure. Nevertheless, Palmer, Dunford and Akin (2006, p.23) noted that although change is an imperative crucial tool, a majority of the organizations face change resistance factors that slow down and derail such desired change process, a move that the authors note can only be resolved through prior against forces identification. Based on the above theoretical analysis, the report develops an evaluation of the Lakeside Hall Hotel and its need for change. In this regard, the report conducts an organizational change force field analysis, as well as its SWOT internal analysis. Consequently, based on the established findings, the report develops change recommendations through which the organization can initiate successful and sustainable change processes. 2.0 Force Field Analysis As already discussed in this report introduction, an organizational force field analysis is a rationale tool through which the forces supporting and resisting a change process are evaluated. In this regard, Hayes (2010, p.42) stated that through such an evaluation process, an organizational management develops a critical approach through which to strengthen and employ the factors supporting a change process, while developing strategies and approaches through which to counter and eliminate the forces resisting positive change development. Therefore, this report section develops a critical review of the Lakeside Hall Hotel features, offering a review of both internal and external factors influencing the proposed change process. 2.1 Change Support Factors 2.1.1 Customers Influence Fineman, Gabriel and Sims (2010, p.45) argued that one of the key forces propelling changes in an organization in any given industry is the concept of consumer influence. In all the organisations, apart from the non profit organisations, the consumers form a critical component as they are the basis on which such ventures earn revenues on products and services supplied in the market. Therefore, meeting and satisfying the consumer needs lies as a critical key organizational functionality. In the case of the Lakeside Hall Hotel, the consumer influence as a change stimulate is evident in the growing trend on consumers’ dissatisfaction (Price, 2009, p.36). For instance, there have been increasing consumer complaints about the availability of phonographic materials in the organizational rooms, a complaint risking the hotel credibility and market brand position and image. Therefore, in order to counter these claims as well as protect against similar future occurrences, the hotel is motivated to change on its supervision and administration of the rooms’ management. Therefore, this report notes that consumer influence through complaints and needs change is a critical change support and motivation factor on the Lakeside Hall Hotel. 2.1.2 Competitor’s Effect Besides an organizational consumer base, the level and nature of competition in an industry influence the operations and practices adopted in any competing stakeholders. In this regard, in the event that a competitor emulates an organizational existing business model and products, or develops innovative services in the industry, it is imperative that the affected industry develops superior systems and products to retain a market competitive edge as well as its consumer loyalty base (Grint, 2005, p.34). In this case, an evaluation of the hotel industry in the English Lake District illustrates that the perceived high profitability rates in the industry have attracted a growing number of hotels offering a similar bundle of products and services such as a bar, spa, and conference facilities. Therefore, in order for the Lakeside Hall Hotel to retain its market influence and competitiveness as a preferred hotel in the region, it is paramount that the venture develops alternative and innovative products to counter the competing regional four star hotels. Therefore, this analysis establishes that a growing competitor’s influence on the hotel industry serves as a change motivational factor for the Lakeside Hall Hotel. 2.1.3 Globalization A final change support factor is the concept of globalization. In this regard, globalization together with technology development and Changes has altered the global market patterns and perception as well as consumers’ expectations (Mills and Dye, 2006, p.59). For instance, globalizations have led to a growing global tourism industry, allowing for eased movements across the globe. Consequently, this has led to cultural integration and transfer across the globe. Therefore, the increasing number of cross cultural clients on international four and five star hotels has necessitated the change of themes, practices and foods reflect a global diverse culture , as a marketing and clients’ attraction approach. In this regard, an evaluation of the Lakeside Hall Hotel illustrates that with an increasing cross cultural client base, the hotel is motivated to change its theme and food supplies as a measure of ensuring that all the hotel clients are catered for and satisfied for increased consumer base loyalty and earnings into the future. 2.2 Change Resistant Forces Although as the report analysis demonstrates, there are strong change motivation factors, the Lakeside Hall Hotel has a share of opposing factors whose emergence could hinder and lead to the ultimate collapse of any initiated change process. Therefore, this report section develops an analysis of these factors to enable the management, identity them and subsequently develop counter measures on these resistance factors prior to developing or initiating any strategic change measures. 2.2.1 Organizational Culture An organizational culture, as Cameron and Green (2012, p.265) noted, influences the manner in which an organization perceives practices and systems. On one hand, the presence of a strong organizational culture is a crucial tool in ensuring a unity of purpose across an organizational workforce in achieving the set organizational goals. On the other hand, under a change environment needs, a strong culture is at times a major hindrance to a change process. In this case, changing and influencing such a culture requires effort and time. In this case, an evaluation of the Lakeside Hall Hotel demonstrates that the organization has a strong culture on management, in that most of the managers are hands-off managers with employee working under minimal supervision and on their own volitions. In this case, any change in the organization involving management and systems change would face resistance as it would be against this organizational culture. Therefore, this report argues that in order to implement any management and leadership change successfully, the hotel management should develop systems through which to break and eliminate the current system. This would be through new employee recruitment or the gradual change of organizational policies based on the departmental levels. 2.2.2 Leadership Style An additional challenge to the proposed and expected Lakeside Hall Hotel change process is the existing management and leadership approaches. In this regard, Adair (2010, p.17) stated that an organizational leadership approach determines and influences the nature and practices through which an organization adopts and is governed through. In this case, the need by managers to retain their powers, rewards and benefits is a one of the imperative causes of change failure in any organization. To this effect, an evaluation of the Lakeside Hall Hotel demonstrates a similar scenario. In this case, the venture managers, such as the sales manager, enjoy an increased security of tenure in office while delivering minimal revenue gains to the organization. Therefore, any change process that could seek to alter this benefits approach is likely to encounter increased immense resistance. 3.0 SWOT Analysis Mullins (2011, p.41) argued on the merits and benefits for the application and use of the strength, weakness, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis tool in evaluating organizational internal systems practices in the market. In this regard, the authors argued that the application and adoption of this system, enhances a conclusive evaluation of an organisations systems and strategies. Therefore, based on this understanding, this report evaluation develops SWOT analysis on Lakeside Hall Hotel as a basis for developing subsequent change recommendations. 3.1 Strength Analysis An organizational strength analysis involves an evaluation of the existing systems and practices that offer increased market competitiveness. In This case, when evaluating an organizational key benefits and capabilities, the approach evaluates both the tangible assets such as infrastructure, as well as the intangible sustainable merits such as skilled and experienced workforce. Indeed, evaluations have established that the intangible benefits and strengths are increasingly growing in popularity due to their sustainability potential in the long run period (Collins, 1998, p.92). As such, on one hand, an evaluation on the Lakeside Hall Hotel strengths establishes that the organizational brand reputation serves as key among its strengths. In this case, the organization has developed a market reputation as an ideal leisure and holiday destination in the region. As such, this is evidenced by the registered repeat visits by the organizational consumers as well as the over 80% room capacity on the hotel rooms across the seasons even during the winter season. As such, this has provided the hotel venture with regular and stable financial base through which to finance and fund its change and other operational practices in the market. On the other hand, a strength analysis on the venture establishes that the hotel location is a key strength in its marketing endeavours. In this regard, although the other industry competitors could offer similar services, the hotel has an advantage due to its front lake view. As such, this offers the consumers an additional attraction point enhancing an increased consumer base and attraction over its regional peers. Therefore, this serene external environment presents the organization with an additional platform through which to retain its consumers in the highly competitive hotel industry, thus serving as its key strength. 3.2 Weakness Analysis On the other hand, for any organizational operations, there are bound to be challenges and limitations. In this regard, the limitations expose such organizational systems to shortcomings and the risk of future failures. Based on this understanding, the report evaluation on the current Lakeside Hall Hotel systems and strategies, establish a number of weaknesses whose failure to control risk the eventual organizational failure (“Harvard Business School”, 1998, p.41). On one hand, one of the organizational weaknesses is the presence of a laid back leadership approach. In this regard, the managers, although tasked with the day to day running of their respective departments demonstrate minimal inclusion vigour. As such, the managers adopt a laid back approach rather than hands on approach as compared to other peer hotels in the region. Consequently, this laid back management and leadership approach has reduced the organizational operational efficiency as well as the employee productivity, failing to match the invested organizational resources on the employees and their ultimate revenues and productivity levels. As such, if unchecked, the laid back management approach will lead to increased production costs, a virtue likely to reduce the organizational profitability, margins, even to a level lower than the market rates. On the other hand, the evaluation report establishes a weakness in the organizational products and services portfolio. In this regard, although the venture has a wide pool of sufficient resources, such s infrastructure and enough location space, there are few innovative products developed to an extent that the organizational consumer base complains for the lack of innovation and creativity in the organizational products and service delivery. As such, this report establishes that failure to develop an innovative and creative culture and approach to redefine the organizational products in the market is a major operational weakness likely to reduce the organizational consumer base control and loyalty levels in the future. 3.3 Opportunity Analysis Paton and McCalman (2008, p.370) in an evaluation of organizational changes noted that an organizational opportunity is based on the availability of market success and growth into the future. In this regard, organizational opportunities are based on two fronts; one is on the individual, organizational systems while on the other hand the opportunities will rely on the industrial development and growth opportunities in the future. Based on this theoretical analysis this report develops an opportunities analysis on the Lakeside Hall Hotel. On one hand, the expansive location space that the analysis estimates to be around 60 acres offers the hotel an expansion opportunity. In this regard, the venture can expand its facilities and services into the future. For instance, the venture can increase its conference hall from the current capacity, thus increasing its current earning revenues. On the other hand, the venture can increase the bar ambience through the construction of a large bar with the desired client modern ambience. On the other hand, industry development and growth probabilities presents and growth opportunity for the organization. In this regard, the hotel industry is experiencing increased effects of globalization that has opened up opportunities for global tourism. In this regard, with a growing global tourism base, the hotel acquires an opportunity for an enlarged consumer base from the initial European market target group to a global computer base in the market. Therefore, this promotes the 3.4 Threats Analysis Although the global market has its share of opportunities, the hotel industry has a wide range of challenges that risk the collapse and failure of the Lakeside Hall Hotel. One of the key market threats in the market is the concept of increasing industry competition. In this case, a rising value on the organizational profitability in the hotel industry has increased the number of new entrants. For instance, the English Lake District offers, a free marketing opportunity, thus allowing for increased competition in the Hotel industry. As such, this increasing competition levels in the industry are likely to reduce the industry profitability levels thus posing the threat of reduced hotel earnings into the future, reducing its attractiveness into the future. 4.0 Recommendations The report SWOT analysis on the Lakeside Hall Hotel establishes that the organization has a share of weaknesses and threats of which it has to overcome to retain its market competitiveness into the future. As such, this report develops recommendations on approaches through which the venture can apply the existing strengths and market opportunities in a change process to increase future market competitiveness. In this regard, the report develops three strategic recommendations, including changing the organizational culture, technology adoption and new innovative product development respectively. 4.1 Change Culture The report analysis establishes that key among the challenges in the organizational operations is the existing organizational culture. On one hand, the analysis establishes that the existing hands-off management approach is a significant change resistant force. In addition, the reduced employee supervision is a major organizational weakness that risks increasing inefficiencies as well as reduced employee productivity and the eventual rise of the organizational production costs. Therefore, on the concept of this understanding, the analysis review develops a change process recommendation on which the venture can alter and change the existing organizational culture. Although the changing of the organizational culture does not function as the actual future change strategy for the venture, it offers a basis and platform for reducing change resistance in the future. In this regard, the culture changing process should start off with an evaluation and review of the existing organizational employment contracts. In this case, the current permanent employment approach leads to a lax approach among managers leading to a hands-off management approach. In this context, a change in the employment terms would necessitate a change in the managers’ approach and hence their leadership style In this regard. This report recommends for the adoption and application of a contract based approach for the managers. In this context, Thompson and McHugh ((2009, p.75) asserted that the managers’ performances should be set at the start of every year and their individual achievements evaluated at the end of each year, listing the variance between target and achieved goals respectively. In this case, the manager rewards should be based on the actual gains on an annual basis. Moreover, for managers whose performance fall below the set minimum targets respectively, the organizational management should be mandated with the task of terminating their services. With the application of this recommendation, the venture will facilitate the application of the accounting matching concept where each manager’s rewards would be based on their actual revenue contributions. Thus, this would promote the development and adoption of a hands-on management approach which would facilitate organizational employee management and coordination. As such, this would reduce employee current experienced liberties and consequently enhance their overall productivity as each employee would have their set targets that would be based on their abilities, skills and expertise, analysis. One key approach to effect this change in the organization will be the development and establishment of an employee appraisal system which would evaluate the actual individual performances upon which their promotion and rewards would be based. 4.2 Technology Application The global market is experiencing an increasing rate and concept of technology changes. In this regard, technology changes have not only implicated in the production practices, but also on the adopted organizational business models. In the case of the Lakeside Hall Hotel, this report argued for the need to apply technology systems in the business model. As a consequence of the need to develop an employee appraisal system discussed above, the venture should develop a management information system. As such, the MIS system would enable and support the management in evaluating ad tracking each of the employee performances on a daily basis. Consequently, this approach would serve as an ideal strategy based on which rewards and promotions would be executed. In addition, this report argues for the need to apply technology as an organizational marketing tool. In this case, this could be based on establishing an online organizational platform through which consumers could book for the offered facilities and food table reservations well in advance, to allow for proper planning and coordination of schedules. As such, this would facilitate the development of an increased relationship and consumer loyalty between the hotel and its consumers. Burnes (2009, p.59) discussed, the application of this strategic approach would provide a feedback platform through which the consumers could raise concerns and complaints and allow the executive management to track response and ensure consumer satisfaction through timely and appropriate feedback by the responsible employee and functions. Finally, the organization can adopt and use the internet as an additional marketing platform. In this case, besides using its current sales force representatives using high end internet sources, the organization would apply and use its own brand online platform as its key internet marketing platform. As such, this would facilitate in the reduction of the overall marketing costs in the future, a tool relevant in the enhancement of reduced production costs and increased venture profitability margins. 4.3 New Services Innovation Finally, this report recommends on the utilization of the organizational large space which is estimated as an average 60acres land, of which plenty remains unused. In this regard, the current organizational weakness is the lack of innovation that reduces its market competitiveness against peers. Therefore, as Andriopoulous and Dawson (2008, p.6) stated, one strategic approach to overcome this competitive challenge is to initiate an innovative culture. One of the strategic approaches through which the organization can implement a change is through the introduction of new organizational offers. Currently, although the venture has a large land piece it lacks creative services and products such as a leisure park. In this regard, the venture management should develop a theme park on which clients can acquire the opportunity to experience a natural environment with vegetation and available and easy to domesticate and manage wild animals. As such, this would elevate the organizational profile form just a hotel for accommodation for tourists en route to other attraction areas, but also as a tourist attraction centre on its own. Therefore, the adoption of this new innovative service as Yukl (2010, p.11) in an evaluation on the role of innovative products noted, would elevate the hotel status in that customers would spend more hours within the premises allowing for increased product sales not only in terms of bed capacity, but also on other products such as foods and beverages. This analysis argues that with the application of a new hotel theme park, the organizational brand image would increase its future market competitiveness in the region. 5.0 Conclusion In summary, this report offers a review of the Lakeside Hall Hotel need for change and the actual change process the venture should execute to ensure change process success as well as a competitive market edge into the future. In this case, the analysis establishes that the organizational culture and leadership styles are key among the change process resistant factors. However, factors such as competition, consumers influence and globalization necessitate a paradigm shift in the hotel operations. Therefore, based on its organizational culture weakness, the threat of future competition and expansive land space, strength, the report develops a series of change recommendations for future market success. As such, key among the developed recommendations include changing the organizational culture through a performance based employment and productivity employee appraisal strategies. Moreover, the report recommends technology application through the development of an MIS system, an online platform and internet marketing. Finally, the report recommends the development of a new theme park as part of innovation and differentiation from regional peers. References Adair, J., 2010, Develop Your Leadership Skills, Kogan Page, London Andriopoulous, C. and Dawson, P., 2008, Managing Change, Creativity and Innovation, Sage, London Burnes, B. 2009, Managing Change, Financial Times/Prentice Hall, Harlow. Cameron, E. and Green, M., 2012, Making Sense of Change Management, 3rd Edition, Kogan Page, UK Collins, D., 1998, Organisational Change – Sociological Perspectives, Routledge, London. Fineman, S., Gabriel, Y. and Sims, D., 2010, Organizing & Organizations, Fourth Edition, Sage, London. Grint, K., 2005, Leadership: Limits and Possibilities, 1st Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke: Harvard Business School, 1998, Harvard Business Review on Change, Harvard Business School Press, Harvard. Hayes, J., 2010, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, Third Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Mills, J H. and Dye, K., 2006, Understanding Organisational Change, London, Routledge. Mullins, L., 2011, Management and Organisational Behaviour, 9th Edition, Pearson Education, Harlow. Palmer, I., Dunford, R. and Akin, G., 2006, Managing Organizational Change: A Multiple Perspective Approach, McGraw Hill, Boston. Paton, R.A. and McCalman, J., 2008, Change Management: A guide to Effective Implementation, Sage, London. Price, D., 2009, The Principles and Practice of Change, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. Thompson, P. and McHugh, D., 2009, Work Organisations – A Critical Approach, Fourth Edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Yukl, G., 2010, Leadership in Organisations, 7th Edition, Pearson Education, Harlow. Read More