Change approach for BHP Billiton
The participation and involvement approach as well as Kotter’s 8-Step Change Model will be used in executing the change in BHP. These are proven and successful strategies in change management which will help in achieving success in BHP (Hyman & Mason 1995).
Participation and involvement approach
In the participation and involvement approach to change, it is necessary to ensure the resistance to change is defeated by disseminating the necessary information in designing a change (Wilkinson et al 2010). A participation and involvement approach is very efficient in terms that it helps in countering employee resistance. BHP will hereby benefit from a high level of efficiency in administering change since the employees are more likely to buy the change ideas (Kritsonis 2005).
Kotter’s 8-step change model
Kotterâs change model, widely used by managers in the business sector, has proven its effectiveness and can thus bring success to BHP. Kotterâs change model entails 8 steps, which acknowledge the principles relating to the response of people towards change. Adoption of this model will help in achieving success and attaining the change goals (Kotter 1996).
Create urgency
The management should develop a sense of urgency among all the members of the organization. The management should be honest and convincing in explaining what the company is really facing. The various risks in the business should be discussed. By opening a dialogue on the issue, a sense of urgency and purpose of change will be developed. The management should disclose in discussion the sustainability, operational, financial, and business risks facing the company (Cameron & Green 2012).
Form a powerful coalition
The management should put the right people in place. The management should participate in convincing employees of the necessity and importance of change. In order to attain this, good leadership, as well as the support of the key people in the organization is required. Team building should be emphasized since it is a key element in achieving organizational goals (Warrilow 2011).
Create a vision for change
The top management should work together with the change team to create a vision and strategy for the business. Special attention should be brought to creative and emotional aspects so as to ensure efficiency. The establishment of a clear vision will help in creating emotional commitment and efficiency (Gilley 2005).
Communicate the vision
BHPâs success in the change process will be determined by the effectiveness of communication. Since the change process adopts a participation and involvement approach, there will be a great need in embracing communication. The company should ensure all the staff members are involved in communication. The issue of change should be talked about everywhere to ensure all people move at the same pace (Kotter 1996).
Remove obstacles
In realizing the change initiatives, the management should offer the necessary support for the employees in order to overcome potential barriers. A structure for the change process should be instituted, thus helping in removing difficulties. Recognition and rewards should be adopted for motivating and empowering the people (Warrilow 2011).
Set short-term goals
BHPâs management should set short-term and easy-to-achieve targets. A manageable number of initiatives should be created which will help in ensuring success in the change process (Kotter 1996).
Build on the change
After administering the change, BHP should build on the change. Many projects do not attain success since change is not maintained in the day-to-day operations. BHP should ensure persistence and progress in the change process (Gilley 2005).
Anchor change in the corporate culture
For long-lasting change to be realized, BHP should incorporate the changes into the companyâs culture. The values of the change should be demonstrated in the day-to-day work (Gilley 2005).
Strengths and weaknesses of Kotterâs change model
Kotterâs change model is a very efficient tool in initiating change in business organizations. This model is advantageous in the sense that it focuses on people and fits well in traditional organizational structures. This model can perfectly be integrated into the participation and involvement model, thus ensuring success in administering change. On the contrary, Kotterâs change model is a top-down model, which creates possibilities of resistance. Many people within the organization may miss many opportunities since not all are involved in the creation of the team as well as setting the common vision. Kotterâs model is prone to resistance among employees (Warrilow 2011).
Kotterâs change model is best suited in administering change in BHP. The behavioral change models and theories of self-efficacy, social learning, planned behavior and stages of change model support the insights offered by Kotterâs model (Burke 2010). The insights offered by organizational theories like scientific management, bureaucratic and neoclassical theories have a lot in common with Kotterâs model (Demers 2007). In administering the change process, the ideas of contingency theory depict that no good way of organizing a corporation should be put in mind (Cummings & Worley 2008).
Reference List
Burke, W 2010, Organization Change: Theory and Practice, McGraw Hill, New Jersey.
Cameron, E & Green, M 2012, Making Sense of Change Management: A Complete Guide to the Models Tools and Techniques of Organizational Change, McGraw Hill, New York.
Cummings, T & Worley, C 2008, Organization Development & Change, Prentice Hall, New York.
Demers, C 2007, Organizational Change Theories: A Synthesis, Routldge, London.
Gilley, A 2005, The Manager as Change Leader, Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Hyman, J & Mason, B 1995, Managing Employee Involvement and Participation, Wiley & Sons Press, London.
Kotter, J 1996, Leading Change, Harvard Business Review Press, New York.
Kritsonis, A 2005, âComparison of Change Theoriesâ, International Journal of Scholarly Academic Intellectual Diversity, vol 8, no. 1, pp. 1-7, Web.
Warrilow, S 2011, Practitionersâ Masterclass, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Wilkinson, A et al 2010, The Oxford Handbook of Participation in Organizations, Oxford University Press, Oxford.