Change Management Plan - Essay Example

Although change impacts the entire organization and its employees, in this instance it has an obvious and specific impact on the customer service division since it largely involves the employees who are the primary interface with the customer base once the sale has been completed. As the primary point of contact for customers, the customer service department must be well informed and capable of explaining the change value proposition to all that interact with the company through that channel.

Despite the potential of internal resistance, benefits should be emphasizes so that they can be passed forward as well as actualized internally (Daly, 1995). Since these benefits include improved communications and teamwork through a new matrix management structure, the expected value to the customer is faster and more accurate service, and as a consequence, higher margins for the organization. Internally, it means better utilization of available resource since more traditional lines of organization sometimes add to inefficient skill allocation.

Management can now reach across departmental boundaries as required, and focus on resolution of issues on a more time sensitive basis. It is also recognized that detailed preparation should be made to m. Collection of comments and feedback from employee reaction to the change has been compiled, research of change management theory and academic research studies specific to this topic has been undertaken, and a review of best practices data of successful companies has been initiated. It became apparent from these sources that some key factors to consider relative to maximizing the value and minimizing adverse reaction to change includes reiteration of the enterprise vision and mission, proactively communicating the value, involving employees and stakeholders affected, managing the rate of change implementation, and preplanning the methodology used in the change process.

With these components in mind and in conceptualizing a change management plan for SWC that may assist with guiding organizational movement toward our evolving new structure, it appears that many successful companies that formalize a change management process use project management discipline as template for managing complex processes. Specific to SWC, as the Company expands domestic and global business models it becomes increasing important to define a portfolio management tool to effectively utilize the limited resources available.

Balancing the demands of those resources with process requirements, risk and cost variables, a method of realizing the vision embedded in the strategic plan is paramount (PMI, 2004). This approach is process and time tested, and seems to makes sense for any project that may require concentrated planning and implementation. As a result of this compilation of data, a framework that could be used for future change evaluation and