Organizational Changes - Assignment Example

Name Course Professor Date Organizational changes Question 1: Theoretical concepts of organizational change Change, by definition, is a constant and progressive force in an organization. It occurs mainly due to the growth of the company as well as the company’s need restructure. Changes occur in organizations so as to bring better returns and output and objective realization. Rothwell & Sullivan (27) shows that most organizations struggle to bring into aspects all the changes into place and in and ensure that the well put initiatives run smoothly and implemented successfully. The recognition of changes in any organization aims at ensuring that the organizations remains competitive and in the long-run operate according to the well set rules of the company. Learning how to manage the changes is a critical aspect. It is a process and a vital key to the achievement of the objective of the change, regardless of what the change fully entails (Van de Ven & Marshall 1377). Jabri discussed two main theories of organizational change (5). The discussed theories were developed to help in the better understanding of the process and the stages of changes the organization undergoes. The first theory is the change within the organization which involves the organizational development theories. These changes accrue due to the numerous reforms that are put in place by the organization’s management so as to bring the necessary changes into play in the organization. It is, in other words a stage theory that occurs in various stages or steps as discussed above. The second theory discussed is the across the organization theory. This theory discusses the inter-organizational relations theory. It cuts across the organizations and as such is relevant in creating a culture that harmonizes the various operations that are undertaken in the work place. Changes are a very instrumental part of the organization. According to Van de Ven & Marshall (1377), the poor management of the changes can lead to drastic failure in the organizational culture. Poor management of change also leads to employees and the entire operation process failure. Most organizations, according to Jabri (6), fail to ask the very vital questions of as to what changes are needed in place. They should also know what resources will be required to bring these changes into play and how will the changes be managed to success. The impact of the changes on the employees should equally be examined. These questions, once asked and answered successfully, they help in averting the disappointments that come as a result of the poorly managed changes in the organization. Question 2: Organizational change in Huawei Huawei Technologies Inc. is a global leading informational and communications technologies (ICT). It has emerged as the world best mobile service provider thereby surpassing the initial stake held by the Sweden’s Erickson in terms of the total annual earnings by the year 2012. The company was founded by the famous Mr. Zhengfei, former China’s Liberation Army Leader. Today it is 25years since it first entered the world market with branches opened all over the world, 140 countries in total (Osawa & Paul). It has so far employed an estimated over 150,000 employees working directly under it. It has grown from a single sales operation to a global economic stronghold which is quite a huge stride in the market operations as well as the global economy. Being a participant in the fast changing modern environments, and increasing international competition, Huawei has greatly thrived in these turbulent economic windfalls. In this case, it will be a great pain for the competitors, should Huawei go ahead with its plans for expanding and settling in the overseas markets that are dominated by its rivals. In a world fraught with challenges and technological changes, Huawei has been a frontrunner in restructuring its operational strategies. It has also the market played huge part in market innovation so as to remain a major participant in the ICT field (Osawa & Paul). The Huawei Company has in several cases had to reconsider its mission and strategies in the market. Initially it aimed at the Asian market. But the mission had to change the moment it opened its first overseas branch in South Korea. In this case, the strategy was to manufacture phones that would be acceptable across the borders in terms of service and languages. The changes started by training and recruiting staffs from across the continents to help with marketing the product across the seven different continents. The other change that Huawei has continually undergone is the organizational structure. The organization has been forced to set up different teams of small and competent employees who would represent the organization on its overseas branches. As Osawa & Mozur describes in The Wall Street Journal, the structure of the organization also changed in as far as the retail operation is concerned. Initially the organization operated from a central point where all the facilities were provided. Hiring, turnover, roles and responsibility of the staff have equally changed. Training of the individuals responsible for the market of the organization’s products has been critically focused for change of management. The reluctance to change amongst the participants has been a huge impediment to the organization. Cultural change in the organization has also taken a different dimension in as far as the changes in the principles, expectations and the norms of the organization are concerned. The changes in the working habits of the staffs are a clear indication of the cultural changes happening in Huawei. The introduction of sales targets and revenue review are some of the cultural changes that have since taken place in the organization. The changes discusses above, among many others that occur in the organization go hand in hand with the two theories developed and discussed by Jabri (3). The internal changes theory includes the mission and strategy changes and also the organizational structure. The theory of changes across the organization as discussed includes the changes involving culture ad people who work for the Huawei Company. It is therefore important to realize that despite the arising cases of challenges and competition levels in the market, Huawei has continually restructured to adapt to these changes and react accordingly (Rothwell & Sullivan, 27). SWOT analysis in Huawei Hill & Westbrook, (46) describes SWOT analysis tool is used in many organizations to help them curve out a specific niche in the business market drawing from their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and strengths. In the Huawei, SWOT analysis has been instrumental in as far as the changes in the organization are concerned. The analysis has assisted in many attempts to bring sobriety and competition in the market as it seeks to develop and dominate the ICT market globally. Critically examining the SWOT analysis has enabled the corporation to live up to its market expectation and adapt accordingly to the resurgent changes and challenges in the market. Strengths Huawei has always been known for a robust and reliable market niche. It cuts and delivers quality equipment to its customers at a low cost in comparison to its competitors. It has established unsurpassable standards in the telecommunications standards both in the home country china and all over the countries that it is based at. Huawei remains the world leading service provider in electronics. The brand it has established globally remains core strength that it relies upon and has established a strong barrier to entry for the new aspiring entrants into the communications field. The company has, in this effect, enjoyed greater economies of scale due to the increasing large markets it has obtained for its market. There has emerged a necessity to develop a reliable change that has otherwise continued its dominance in the ICT world across the globe. The cultural change has been effected to go hand in hand with the establishment of the better quality equipment that serves the needs of many customers irrespective of the continental borders. The other strength that the Huawei has continually enjoyed is the ability to marshal a large global networking vendor known as the R&D staff. The resource is basically low cost and they are based in china. Huawei has been able to adapt to the changes and adapt to the change in customer demand. These changes are attributed to the organizational changes in the employee and cultural change of the organization. Weaknesses The modesty approach in the telecommunication field approach by the Huawei Company has led to the sudden rise in the Huawei Company. It is true that Huawei does not enjoy the rich history that other telecommunication companies such as Alcatel and Erickson enjoy. This is a great hindrance to its operations and a big challenge in as far as the marketing of its equipment is entailed. The history and experience that comes with market operation can help an organization anticipate and cope with the challenges that arise out of the market and economic changes that occur globally. The geographic weaknesses arise from the North American region of operation whereby the company has been unable to penetrate the vast market which is dominated by its biggest rivals Erickson and Sony telecommunication devices. It is out of this tat the company struggles to concur the otherwise tough challenge of overcoming these challenges. It can initiate necessary changes in the organization that can allow this market to build its stalls and tore. The changes in the culture, structure and employees are all aimed at overcoming such weaknesses that the Huawei company has continually faced. Opportunities There is an increased explosion in the telecommunications industry which offers unlimited opportunity for the telecommunications vendors, Huawei, not left out. The world is fast moving towards a fast and reliable service delivery with the improvement from the 3G network delivery to the new 4G. There is an urgent need for a reliable network delivery with great capacity and with the lowest possible cost per bit. Huawei is in a pole position to take advantage of these improvements in the service delivery to better its market operation stand as well as raise the revenue earning from the service and production. These opportunities do not only exist within the build out of new networks, but cuts across the transformational legacy and infrastructure defined by the IP and mobility. Huawei is driven by the desire to attain a reliable chunk of the service delivery and a hold of the new opportunities. It is, therefore, due to such cases that it has been able to realize its stand in the global market and initiate several organizational changes in order to take part of these opportunities (Hill & Westbrook, 46). Such changes include the modification of its electronics and gadgets to match the new technological standards that are required by the new trends. Threats The consolidation by the key competitors of Huawei seeking to build an economy of scale remains a key threat to the operation of the company. It is worth noting that the Huawei Company has enjoyed service of affordable products due to the economies of scale. It therefore a key threat to the company with the similar products from its competitors flooding the market. This by many measures shall reduce the market chunk of its products. Another threat is the realization of the opportunities by the traditional IT providers such as the IBM and the HP. The chances of these companies entering the telecommunications market is real threat to the operation of the Huawei company as it stands a real possibility of losing its customers to these new entrants, should they go ahead to. It is therefore necessary that the Huawei Company undergoes relevant changes to counter these challenges at the right time. Question 4: The role of Change agent Change agent is someone who alters the organizational system or the human capability in order to attain a greater degree of output for the entire organizations wellbeing. In this case of Huawei, the organization agent stands to be the Human resources department or the personnel. The noble target of a change is to help people attain a better or improved perspective in life. The change agent aims and developing a whole new direction for the entire organization it provides the organization with new well-orchestrated effort to improve on its service delivery and gain a competitive advantage (Battilana & Tiziana 381). . The human resource department has stood out as the greatest change agent in the Huawei company operations and the service delivery endeavors. The human resource department has been able to envision future business prospects and opportunities for the organization. The department is composed of a competent team of passionately fuelled individuals who aim at recruiting only the right people for relevant tasks that are aimed at taking the organization to greater heights of operation and success as a whole (Rowley & Fang Lee). The HR personnel drive passion to other worker to understand and realize the greater good for the entire company and not for individual benefit only. Its remains the sole duty of the human resource persons to self-motivate for the expansion of the entire company. They identify the core competitors and also the draw u the SWOT analysis for the company whereby the company is able to realize a bigger benefit for the entire organization. Battilana & Tiziana (385), the Human resource have been able to demonstrate significant strides over the past many years in emerging as business partners as they demonstrate the values that they add to the business. As change agents in the Huawei Company, the HR have been able to draw up key functional competencies in the business environments and created better management for the future development of the organization at all times. They are able to diagnose the problems that occur in business environments, and analyze the impacts on business on both the long and short term basis. Change agents, the HR have been able to build perfect relationship with the customers and in such a way able to understand both the business delivery as well as the performance in the overseas markets. The human resources are able to develop trust and partnership with mutual benefits and responsibilities in the business world. The personnel have been able to set a clear leadership agenda with a proper reporting framework where problem solution has been made possible and relevant recommendations made (Venkatraman, Loh & Jeongsuk 496). The agents are able to possess the insight that enable them recognize the problems and develop acceptable plans to counter them. In Huawei the HR department is responsible for the setting and implementation of plans to achieve the change goals that are aimed at the organization. For successful organization, the HR department recognizes the need to stand strong and develop the relevant goals that can lead to the proper attainment of goals in the organization. It is by no surprise that the HR department remains one of the key elements that the Huawei Company treasures amongst all the other departments. A listening and attentive HR is the core of the smooth operation and catalyst for the innovation in the organization. The acknowledgement of the reports and concerns by the customers and the staffs alike are also a way by which the organization has been able to develop a better way by which the change has been developed in the Huawei organization. The HR department is responsible for the coaching of the employees to participate in the changes in the organization, which creates a collective responsibility. The department offers feedback and key recommendations necessary-y to effect the changes that are needed in the organization. Question 5: Problem-centric approach to change Epstein & Duane (444) defines this as a change process instigated by the realization of key requirements for someone facilitating a problem solving group. The problem centered changes in an organization arise out of the necessity created by the fall in some operational segments of the organization (Rothwell & Sullivan 29). For instance, the failure by some of the Huawei electronic appliances in the market has created a dire need to create a huge problem solving techniques to provide a better facility that bridges the gap. Problem centered change is basically situational and not people based. These changes happen in order to avoid the worsening of the cases as reported by either the marketing team or even the direct report by the victims (Pinsof 282). Venkatraman, Loh & Jeongsuk (496) argues that problem-centric changes incorporate the mutual interest of the stakeholders. In most cases in include only one main objective, which along the way helps with the realization of many other problems that may arise out of the main one. Problem-centered change separates facts from the interpretation and as such is urgently addressed. For instance, if the targeted problem is the financial situation in the firm, the changes are aimed at the financial sectors such as the improved sales, pricing strategy and competitor assessment (Epstein & Duane 444). It is hence important to acknowledge the benefits that accrue from the solution of the problems at the stipulated time according to the schedule. The members of the problem solving team are in most cases forced to accept the solutions recommended by the majority members of the team an in such cases the solution seeking period is short and specific. According to Pinsof (285) in crisis cases, it is always important to involve all members of the executive in the discussion to come up with the best and reliable solution to the problems. Problem-centered changes also calls for the understanding and evaluation of thoughts and feelings. The changes that are targeted to solve problems are normally temporal and are not expected to have a lasting effect. They are prone to dismissal once the problems are solved and can only be reconsidered in the cases the problems recur (Epstein & Duane 486). The problem centered changes may have a big impact on the organization as it at times leads to the collapse of the entire organization if the change is not well managed. In several cases especially in emergency it does not allow for the examination of the cons and pros of the advised change that correspond to the problem identified in the analysis process (Pinsof 300). Dialogic approaches to change It is important to wisely choose the type of approach if one aims at finding a successful implementation of the change. In the words of Venkatraman, Loh & Jeongsuk (507) dialogic approach to change places great emphasis on the mindset and not the behavior necessarily. According to Wells, Gordon in his Dialogic inquiry, unlike in the cases of the diagnostic approach to change where the decision is arrived at after a proper meeting involving al the stakeholders with a far reaching effects. Dialogic approach in effect does not call for the involvement of the entire staff, but rather the current social breakdowns that exists in the organizations’ framework. A disruption of the status quo presents an avenue in which the necessity of change is presented to the entire public. Dialogic approach by its own way throws to light the various ways by which the organization is able to approach the changes the will see the disruption of the way things are run in the organization. At the second step of the dialogic approach, fact-based presentations are made to offer narratives that are coherent to the organization. The acceptance of these facts automatically leads to the rise of changes in the organization which also means that the organization shall not run things the same way it has always done. The presented facts must comply with the required standards and the organizational culture s well stated in the company’s’ constitution. The final step of the dialogic approach to change involves the introduction of the new way of thinking in the organization. Once the changes have occurred which means that the entire workforce has realized that there is a change in the way of doing things, it is important that a presentation is made accordingly. The presentation should include the new ways to allow people accept the new ideas, and the information to vindicate the change process to the staff. This method of change is found is effective in changing the people’s mindset and indicating to them that the new order can no longer be operational in the organization. The changes are effected high up the hierarchy by the executives and implemented by the junior subordinates such as the supervisors on the workers who in the end realize the need to accept the changes brought to them, however reluctantly. Van de Ven & Marshall (1377) says that by demonstrating to the workers that the old order cannot work they are likely to offer new solution into the way they would like the process to go. In the cases where workers want change, they are likely to fully accept the change when finally presented to them by the senior workers. The core narrative is aimed at changing the mindset of the workforce into accepting the new changes in play. In cases where the attitude of the organization stays the same, it is hard to get the changes implemented fully. The change in the dialogic cases is likely to be accepted since the workforce has been given a chance to fully understand and adapt to it. The dialogic approach to change is likely to be most effective when implemented alongside the diagnostic approach to change (Venkatraman, Loh & Jeongsuk 496) Work cited Battilana, Julie, & Tiziana Casciaro. "Change agents, networks, and institutions: A contingency theory of organizational change." Academy of Management Journal 55.2 (2012): 381-398. Epstein, Nathan B., & Duane S. Bishop. "Problem-centered systems therapy of the family." Handbook of family therapy 1 (1981): 444-482. Hill, Terry, and Westbrook, Roy. "SWOT analysis: it's time for a product recall." Long Range Planning 30.1 (1997): 46-52. Jabri, Muayyad. Managing organizational change: Process, social construction and dialogue. Palgrave Macmillan, 2012. Osawa, Juro, & Mozur, Paul. "The Rise of China’s Innovation Machine." The Wall Street Journal (2014). Pinsof, William M. "Integrative problem-centered therapy." Handbook of Psychotherapy Integration, (2005): 282-402. Rothwell, William J. & Sullivan, Roland L. eds. 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