Role of Management in Change - Coursework Example

Change Management Student’s Name Institution Affiliation Q1 Introduction Successful implementation of change in organisations mainly calls for effective leadership (Gill, 2003). In this regard, it is apparent that changes require active involvement of the managerial staff, as well as participation of the workforce. In most cases, organisations have failed to implement change effectively because of the differences that come up between the leaders and the workforce. Variations in the perception of change can create major conflicts in an organisation and eventually lead to poor performance in operations. This centres on the prominent organisational relationship within the firm. For management to effect change, they must plan for it, as well as communicate beforehand to the workforce about the upcoming changes (Difenbach, 2009). In doing this, they can face minimal resistance from the workforce when time for change comes. Implementing changes also requires the ability to sustain it. Change without sustenance can be damaging for an organisation. In the contemporary business arena, change is considered inescapable. This is mainly because of the changing technologies being incorporated in the workplace, as well as the upcoming innovations. The management needs to keep track of the changes happening around them to manage competition. Role of Management in Change Management plays a prime role in effecting, as well as sustaining change. Kaminski (2000, p.2) observes that, “leaders are responsible for bridging the gap between strategy decisions and the reality of implementing the changes within the structure and workforce of the organisation.” According to this assertion, it is apparent that for organisations to improve their performances through changing their way of operations, management needs to take control of the process. The duty and responsibility of the workforce is mainly to follow as directed by management. Essentially, managers influence various aspects of the organisation, which contribute to its overall performance (Higgs & Rowland, 2011). For instance, the type of management being effected determines the organisational culture, as well as the organisational image. Decision-making is one of the key roles played by management. In this, the management is responsible for identifying the most appropriate strategies that can be adapted in the organisation to enable it to keep up with the market changes. Additionally, the management is also responsible for managing the change implemented while at the same time ensuring that normal organisational operations meet the standards and objectives set for the organisation. To achieve this, the management needs to involve the workforce in the changes to be effected (Kaminski, 2000). Strategies of Implementing Change Conger et al. (1999) pinpoints a number of phases that management can follow to implement change in the organisation effectively. First, they need to create a sense of necessity for change. In this phase, the management mainly creates awareness among its workforce of the existing changes, as well as strides made by other organisations. In doing this, the manager creates the desire for change among the workforce since they would want to strive to stay relevant in the market. Secondly is establishing an outstanding guiding alliance. As indicated in different studies, engaging the workforce in implementing change strategies helps in effecting it. They should work together to ensure successful change adoption. This not only contributes to the effective implementation of the plans, but also creates a sense of unity and loyalty to the organisation among the workforce. Thirdly is to identify a common vision. Working together as a unit requires the establishment of a common goal. Having a collective vision will enable the organisation to avoid conflict of perceptions and objectives. This will highly augment the success of implementing the new changes (Shirvani et al., 2013). Consequently, the next phase is to establish short-term objectives. Change in an organisation cannot be implemented all at once. It is vital for the management to plan and implement change in stages to avoid aggressive resistance to the change. In essence, having short-term objectives provides an opportunity for the workforce, as well as the management to adjust to the new developments. This also helps the organisation to assess the impact of the changes on the organisational operations, and thus, provide the management with a chance to implement new changes when need be. These phases of implementing change in an organisation center on the need to ensure effective communication between management and the workforce. For the management to enhance implementation of change, it has to open up communication links that allow the workforce to take part in the process of change (Todnem & Burns, 2013). Conclusion Change is considered inevitable in business. Contemporarily, there are major changes taking place that impact on the performance of organisations. New technologies mainly influence organisational performance by creating competition. The management is responsible for implementing change, as well as making decisions that will influence the effective implementation of change in organisations. There is a need to communicate with the workforce and ensure that they are part of the change. Prior to implementing any changes, the management needs to evaluate the market and follow certain steps. Firstly, is to ensure that they create a sense of urgency among the organisation’s staff. This will help in speeding up the adaptation of change. Moreover, the management also needs to establish effective working relations with the workforce and set a common goal that will guide the parties involved in the change. By setting short-term objectives, management is guaranteed of successful implementation of the desired change as well as minimal resistance to the change. References Conger, J. A., Spreitzer, G. M., & Lawler, E. (1999). The leader’s change handbook: An essential guide to setting direction and taking action. San Fransisco: Jossey- Bass Difenbach, T. (2009). Management and the dominance of managers: An inquiry why and how managers rule our organisations. Routledge Publishers Gill, R. (2003). Change management- or change leadership? Journal of Change Management, 3(4), 307-318. Higgs, M., & Rowland, D. (2011). What does it take to implement change successfully: A study of the behaviors of successful change leaders. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 47(3), 309-335. Kaminski, J. (2000). Leadership and changemanagement: Navigating the turbulent frontier. MSN Shirvani, A., Dehaghani, M. V., & Mossavi, S. H. (2013). Change management in public sector: A case of gas distribution firm. Management Science Letters, 3(6), 1751-1756. Todnem, R., & Burns, B. (2013). Organisational change, leadership and ethics: Leading organisations towards sustainability. Routledge Publishers Q 2 Introduction Organisational operations are affected by various factors within, as well as without the organisation. The external environment of an organisation usually comprises of different aspects. These include the political setting within, which the organisation has been established, the technological advances that surround the organisation, as well as the social settings. Waddell et al. (2014) asserts that, the external environment of an organisation largely influences the internal functions. For instance, the technology being implemented by competing organisations can influence the internal operations of another firm through initiating change in an aim to keep up with the competition. Additionally, the external environment can also impact on the operations of an organisation indirectly, for instance, the market performance. The fluctuations in the market indirectly influence an organisation’s performance by creating the need by management to initiate changes that will enable the organisation to deal with the changing environment. This commonly leads to the establishment of new strategies for handling future challenges. Examining factors in the external environment that impact on the organisational performance is critical in enhancing the functioning of the organisation. Management essentially needs to examine these factors prior to establishing measures to facilitate effective change (Voiculet et al., 2010). External Environment and Organisational Change Technology plays a vital role in effecting change in organisations. In the present day, it is apparent how new technology has impacted on organisational productivity. New technology has contributed largely in increasing competition in the market (Munich Personal Repec Archives, 2010). Presently, most organisations have incorporated the use of digital media as well as the internet in their operations. Compared to the traditional operations where organisations used filing as a major mean of storing organisational information, the advent of the new technology has led to improvements in information management. The automation of operations in organisations is a clear indication of how the external environment impacts on organisational change. In addition to this, the market performance is also another seeming major external factor that impacts on organisational change (Cruz & Remus, 2007; Caravatta, 1998). Currently, most organisations have created mergers, as well as acquired other outlets to enhance their opportunities in gaining competitive advantage. With the advent of innovations, as well as new entrances of organisations in the market, the demand for quality services, as well as products available to consumers has considerably increased. Organisations have collaborated with others to enhance their production and service delivery. An example of this is the rise in establishment of global organisations (Mason, N.d). Role of Managers in Dealing with the External Environment Management plays an essential, as well as directive role in managing the external environment. Firstly, being in charge of making change decisions, management is placed at the forefront of examining changes in the environment and establishing effective strategies for managing the changes (IDRC, 2011). Managers mainly conduct environmental assessments prior to determining whether it is necessary to formulate change strategies. Considering the unpredictability in the external environment, managers are faced with the responsibility of ensuring that their organisations are capable of handling the changes (Conger et al., 1999). In this, managers establish risk control strategies which are used to deal with unforeseen challenges in the future of the organisation. By being proactive, the managers are able to protect the organisation from possible market overthrow. Conclusion In summary, no organisation can be said to function in a vacuity. The environment plays an essential role in influencing organisational change. Essentially, organisational operations are mainly influenced by different factors within as well as without the organisational environment. Factors like technological advancements as well as market performance are some of the common external factors that influence organisational performances. For instance, the technology being implemented by competing organisations can influence the internal operations of another organisation through initiating change in an aim to keep up with the competition.The market performance on the other hand influences the formulation of new policies like forming mergers as well as acquisitions that will contribute towards the improvement of service delivery and quality production. References Caravatta, M. (1998). Let's work smarter, not harder: How to engage your entire organisation in the execution of change. Milwaukee, WI: ASQ Quality Press. Conger, J. A., Spreitzer, G. M., & Lawler, III, E.E. (eds.) (1999). The leader's change handbook: An essential guide to setting direction and taking action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Cruz, E. L. & Remus, S. (2007). Taking a clinical byte out of paper: Launching a change/leadershipmanagement model to facilitate migration from paper-based to electronic readiness in an academic health science centre. CNIA 2nd National Conference IDRC (2011). Key forces in the external environment. Retrieved from http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev‐28364‐201‐1‐DO_TOPIC.html Mason, R. B. (N.d). The external environment’s effect on management and strategy: A complexity theory approach. Retrieved from www.emeraldinsight.com/0025-1747.htm Munich Personal Repec Archives. (2010). The impact of external environment on organisational development strategy. Retrieved from http://www.techrepublic.com/resource-library/whitepapers/the-impact-of-external-environment-on-organisational-development-strategy/#. Voiculet, A., Belu, N., Parpandel, D. E., & Rizea, C. (2010).The impact of external environment on organisational development strategy. Retrieved from http://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/26303/ Read More