Understanding Change in the Workplace - Assignment Example

Understanding change in the Workplace Name Institutional Affiliation 1. Understanding change in the Workplace AC 1.1 Internal and external factors for workplace change The internal environment comprises of the events or factors that are under the company’s control. These structures and systems can culminate the need for change due to many reasons. The leadership style will influence the organization's decisions in the sense that each leader has their way of doing things. Restructuring of the leaders will mean that new leaders come in with their ideas. These new concepts may increase organization efficiency in different ways. Besides, the organizational culture can influence the need to change by improving production. Such an instance is characterized by the purchase of new equipment annually which will increase the quality and quantity of production (Holbeche, 2007). Need to reduce cost may also influence the reduction of the staff and rearranging of work responsibilities. The external environmental factors influencing change include competition, customers, technology, politics, and social structures. Competition influences change in the organizations in terms of restructuring productivity so as to achieve a competitive advantage. In such an instance, identifying the competitive advantage of the organization may improve the level of sales. The needs of the customers make an organization restructure its products in the sense that it covers customer requirements. Furthermore, the operations of an organization are influenced by technology. The use of top notch machines can be used for production; computers make work easier and influence the long-term sustainability of the organization. External factors should not be ignored as it may be detrimental to the organization. Change characterized by external forces enables a company adapts to this environment to improve productivity and maintain sustainable operative conditions. AC 1.2 Team member’s responses and attitudes to change Change can be difficult in an organization due to the difference responses and attitudes by the team members. Team member’s perceptions towards change are influenced by the prior experiences regarding the effects of the change to the way they were treated and how they were expected to adopt in the workplace. I think some team members may be against change in the event the level of threat from the change is high whereas acceptance of change may be influenced by positive impacts to the members and the work environment. Resistance to change may be due to the fear of loss, failure, or disruption of relationships. Thus, these members may view the change as unproductive, negative, and continuously stressful (Greenwood & Hinings, 2004). Conversely, some of the employees may embrace change in the context that it will benefit them and the organization. The different personalities of my team members are the reason some members are prone to change than others. Those adapting to change have personalities that embrace new issues and instances whereas the others do not accept change due to their love to maintain the status quo. Nevertheless, the way change is brought into the organization determines whether the team members will have positive or negative responses and attitudes towards change. The different responses and attitudes in members of the same team result in a lack of unity that may affect the final output of the team. When all the team members have positive attitudes towards change, they will work together t ensure that their final output meets the standards of the organization and the expectations of the consumers. AC 1.3 Barriers to change and their solutions Even though change is expected to improve the operations of an organization, there are barriers that prevent its successful implementation. There are two types of barriers to change including practical and human barriers to change. Practical barriers include the lack of communication with the employees by the management. Change cannot be implemented successfully when the workers are not involved fully. Besides, lack of understanding of the change and poor alignment of the methods of change may result in employee resistance to the change. Poor communication results in mistrusts and lack of commitment to the change process by the employees involved(Greenwood & Hinings, 2004). Good communication and involving the employees will result in acceptance of the change. Showing the employees the benefits of the change with respect to having a clear direction, vision, and policies will influence their attitudes towards the change process. The practical barriers to change include lack of funds, resources, complex innovation processes, and increased competitive forces. Some change processes involve the need for huge amounts of funds and resources. Lack of the required resources or funds may hamper the change process. For example, buying new equipment for integration and increasing the quantity of production requires huge amounts of money, which if not made available will prevent the occurrence of the change. Typically, resources and funds go hand in hand as they are used interchangeably to refer to the same element. Complex innovation processes may require technical expertise that may be hard to come by. As such, it acts as a barrier to change in the long run. Solutions to these problems include embracing deep-pocketed investors to finance new projects and hiring equipped personnel to deal with the complex processes. AC 1.4 Potential benefits of change There are many benefits that are associated with organization change. Personnel changes compel employees to think in exciting and new ways. As such, the creative way of thinking not only benefits the employee but also the organization. I think the development of new innovative ideas is used to keep the company fruitful, fluid, and exciting. Furthermore, through change, work monotony is broken. When employees are not bored, they tend to be more involved in their jobs. Exciting jobs tend to influence the general long term and short term productivity of the employees. Doing away with boredom enables the employees to enjoy what they do and excel in the process. Through change, my colleagues can refocus their energy and increase their interest. Besides, change provides new opportunities in the workplace(Morrison & Phelps, 2010). Incorporation of changes including cross training specialized work team development, and description job flexibility results in the improvement of productivity. Thus, more products equal to increased profits that are enjoyed by the staff, management, and the shareholders. Practical changes require employees to learn new skills for the accomplishment of new duties. As a result, the skills of the employees are enhanced as they will have opportunities to learn new means of completing tasks and master new technology or software. Mastering new skills not only benefits the employees in the form of skill development but also the organization in the form of embracing diverse methods of productivity and products. Besides, the true colors of employees can only be seen during the change process. I think employees who accept change and adapt to the new requirements tend to be more reliable than those who resist the process. Thus, the company can identify who they can rely on under difference circumstances. 2. Supporting Implementation of change AC 2.1 How a team leader can implement workforce change The implementation of change in the workplace should be in such a way that it minimizes the instances of resistance. Employee resistance to change may be due to a variety of reasons depending on the type or form of change introduced. Nevertheless, a team leader has to master the skills and concepts of implementing workforce change. Therefore, I have to ensure both the planning and implementation stage of the change process are not contradictory to the values, mission, and visions of the organization by emphasizing the need to embrace the organizational culture. 1. To facilitate change, I have to show respect not only for the business but also the employees. When the business needs like increased profitability, efficiency, and productivity are promised at the expense of the employees, the level of resistance and stress will be increased. Thus, the two must be balanced. 2. The staff should be informed of the change especially if it will affect their way of life or duties. As a team leader, I have to explain how and why the change has to take place. 3. Highlighting the importance of the change to the employees. A team leader has to stress the benefits of the change and show the people that the forthcoming change will have definite remuneration. As a result, the employees will feel like they have owned the change and will be eager to participate and welcome the changes made. 4. I have to involve the employees in the implementation and planning stages of the change. The inputs of the employees are essential in the planning stage, and employee training is of great benefit during the implementation stage. Employee training will make them comfortable and ready to replace the old with the new. AC 2.2 A team leader supporting change The team leader should have the ability to support change. Such support can be garnered by involving the inputs of the members during the change. I should solicit feedback and listen to the employee concerns. During the change, team members usually need clarification. A team leader should be approachable and open-minded to answer the member’s questions and help in gaining clarity. Besides, the team leader can be supportive by setting the milestones and celebrating employee accomplishments. As a good team leader, I will not let any accomplishment go unnoticed. Therefore, recognizing the progress of the team and the changes that have occurred is another way of supporting change. Team leaders should recognize the roles of his/her team and the skills of the team members(Morrison & Phelps, 2010). It is important to know what works for the team and the members who have the skillet to accomplish a task and those who don’t. Such a categorization will improve the coaching skills of a team leader when guiding the members during the change. Moreover, knowing the skills of the employees will enable a team leader recognize their potential and help them reach their goals. A team leader should also help the members overcome obstacles as a means of supporting them during the change. AC 2.3 Developing and maintaining cohesions during change To develop and maintain cohesion during change involves the members trusting each other and having the same mindset of achieving a common goal. I have to nurture the characteristics and skills of the members and guide them through the change process. The authority and flexibility of the leaders have to be balanced with trust. Without trust, the team will disintegrate, and cohesion will not be achieved. Trusting each other will enable the team members embrace change together and work towards ensuring that they succeed despite the changes introduced. Besides, setting a clear mission and vision statement will enable a focus on ideas and an improvement of the team identity (Walton, Allen, & Gaffney, 2012). The team members should be allowed to contribute their ideas during the process of change. The contribution of all the team members will not only increase the level of trust but also make the members feel more involved during the change. However, poor cohesions may be detrimental to the productivity of the team. For example, cohesive members will put less effort in meeting deadlines when their norm is working at a steady rate. Also, cohesive teams can be suspicious of the contributions of outsiders and may shut out external ideas thereby leading to irrational decisions. References Greenwood, R., & Hinings, C. R. (2004). Understanding radical organizational change: Bringing together the old and the new institutionalism. Academy of management review, 21(4), 1022-1054. Holbeche, L. (2007). Understanding change. Routledge. Morrison, E. W., & Phelps, C. C. (2010). Taking charge at work: Extrarole efforts to initiate workplace change. Academy of management Journal, 42(4), 403-419. Walton, R. E., Allen, C., & Gaffney, M. (2012). Innovating to compete: Lessons for diffusing and managing change in the workplace. Jossey-Bass. Read More