Introduction
Organizational change is one of the most important elements of firms’ functioning as it guarantees the gradual development of companies and their further becoming leaders in various spheres. At the same time, it is critical to align the correct alteration of some patterns and the introduction of the new approach. The given paper is devoted to the detailed investigation of the change in the existing company regarding the current theoretical framework concerning this very aspect.
The selected organization is the company working in the sphere of sales. In the paper, it will be called Acro to preserve confidentiality and avoid the emergence of ethical issues. The main reason for the change was the lack of the effectiveness of the existing patterns and the outdated character of the majority of the utilized approaches.
To improve the situation, the company’s top management decided to imitate the radical change that covered the majority of aspects of its functioning. The new approach to work with clients, promoting sales, and cooperation between departments was suggested. It also presupposed the extensive use of technologies to increase the effectiveness of all projects. The change was led by the top manager of the company who was provided with the authority to alter existing patterns and introduce new approaches and ideas.
It resulted in the emergence of multiple positive shifts in the organization’s work. Due to the planned and in-time intervention, Acro managed to improve its results and generate a particular competitive advantage that created the basis for the further development and evolution. For this reason, a detailed analysis of the process as a good example of prior change should be performed.
Activities Contributing to Effective Change Management
Increased sophistication of modern organizations and the multiple challenges they face in their rise precondition the high complexity of effective change management. To achieve the planned result, a specialist responsible for the achievement of the desired change should adhere to the several stage approach that demands consideration of the core elements of change management (Krøtel, Villadsen, & Hansen, 2017). These include the elaboration of the vision of the planned alterations and expected results, motivation to engage in the change process, and accomplish the goal, creation of this very change, its management, and evaluation (Cummings & Worley, 2014).
All these elements are critically important for the final success of the whole process as they help to improve employees’ understanding of the way the company is going to evolve and goals; it is critical for the achievement of beneficial results and transformation of the firm (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Applying this theoretical framework to the Acro case described in the introduction to the paper, all given aspects will be analyzed regarding the implemented change and shifts in the way it worked.
Section 1: Creating a Vision
The majority of specialists working in the sphere share a similar opinion that any change process should be preceded by the preliminary work aimed at the creation of the needed vision among the workers to minimize resistance and avoid misunderstandings related to the goals of the new course. The given task can be accomplished via the special seminars for employees that will provide all needed information about the planned transformation and answer questions that will emerge (Mellina, 2015).
At the same time, the primary task of a person responsible for the change is to monitor the current mood in the collective and be ready to assist all individuals who lack understanding of a need for the planned process and share a new vision with him/her. The success of the given stage depends on the ability of the top management to create a new vision utilizing all available resources and devoting significant attention to staff as its members become the main actors contributing to beneficial outcomes.
Describing the Core Ideology
Speaking about the Acro case, the company managed to succeed in the creation of a new vision and explaining the goals of the transformation. The suggested change process affected all spheres of the firm’s functioning which meant that the description of the core ideology became one of the prior tasks of the change manager. Regarding the fact that Acro shifted its priorities from only traditional to both traditional and online sales, it was critical to introduce a new perspective on its further evolution regarding the suggested framework.
Through the specially organized meetings, the specialist responsible for the change emphasized benefits companies operating on the Internet had, such as wide clients’ base, better cooperation with customers, abilities for further growth. It justified the introduction of the new ideology cultivating the ability to remain in touch with clients and provide them with needed products regardless of their place or time. In such a way, the focus on the description of the core ideology resulted in the elimination of misunderstandings and enhanced vision of the company’s future among employees.
Constructing the Envisioned Future
A detailed description of the current goals and envisioned future of the company also play a critical role. Specialists outline the fact that the appropriate, realistic, and achievable image of the firm’s future contributes to better results by motivating workers to engage in change activities and filling the gaps in knowledge that might emerge because of the transformation (Kogila, 2016). In such a way, the company’s management should devote special attention to this very activity. The creation of reports available for all employees can be considered an effective approach that will help to familiarize staff members with the new vision (Rosenbaum, More, & Steane, 2017).
As for Acro’s case, both PDF and printed versions of the report with statistical information about the planned benefits were distributed before the meeting devoted to the discussion of the future of the company. That is why individuals were able to discuss questions that appeared after reading this document and acquire data they needed to create the complete image of the future company. It helped to minimize problematic issues and achieve better cooperation among workers.
Section 2: Motivating Change
Motivation is one of the central forces that promote change and contribute to appropriate results. The existing approach to the company’s management outlines the need for the monitoring of its levels among the staff to avoid critically low meanings and deterioration of outcomes (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Regarding the change process and transformation, there are two perspectives on motivation. The first one states that the given aspect should precede the creation of the new vision, while the second opinion outlines that motivating change should be the first stage. Nevertheless, workers can be inspired in several ways.
First, the benefits that can become available for them such as increased salaries or better working conditions should be described (Franklin, 2014). It will help to raise extrinsic motivation levels. Second, opportunities for career growth because of the expansion and self-realization should also be revealed (Popa, 2017). It will promote intrinsic motivation among workers. In such a way, the motivating change phase plays a fundamental role in companies’ transformation as it ensures decreased resistance levels and better engagement.
Creating Readiness for Change
Readiness for change consists of several important elements that should be considered by a leader. These are employees’ desire for the transformation, their belief that the planned change is possible and is not associated with multiple risks, planned short and long-term goals, and the ability of current systems to accommodate for the future shift of priorities (Mari Anna & Geir, 2017). In such a way, it becomes a complex task the success of which depends on the ability to work with employees appropriately.
In the discussed case, Acro’s management successfully attained the readiness for change through working with employees and motivating them to engage in the transformation process by explaining the strategy that had excluded serious risks. At the same time, statistical data and calculations of the planned income inspired workers to take part in the suggested processes hoping for the improvement of their positions and better salaries. It became an effective approach that guaranteed high readiness for change and minimized the number of aspects that were potentially dangerous for the company’s transformation.
Overcoming Resistance to Change
Resistance to change is one of the most important factors that might fail in the planned transformation or significantly deteriorate outcomes. Job loss and fears about the inability to work under the new conditions are the primary reasons for the emergence of this phenomenon (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Moreover, the lack of trust and vagueness of the company’s future can also deteriorate employees’ desire to participate in the planned change; for this reason, it is critical to ensure that the bigger part of workers accepts the new plan (Imran, Rehman, Aslam, & Bilal, 2016).
In Acro, the resistance was avoided due to the well-designed and explained approach along with a clear understanding of the need for this very change and the benefits it will guarantee. All members of the staff were promised a raise in wages after the successful transformation and its positive outcomes. Regarding the trustful relations between the management and employees, it helped to achieve the desired goal and minimize the potential threat coming from resistance or lack of desire to change.
Section 3: Creating Change
The creation of change is the next stage of the transformation process that should be given specific attention as one of the core activities needed to achieve success and ensure the company’s further rise. The given phrase encompasses a wide variety of actions that should be performed by the plan. Having created the vision and achieved high motivation levels among the employees by eliminating resistance, change management should start the implementation of new approaches that were designed to replace the old less effective ones (Kuipers et al., 2014).
At the same time, it is fundamental to follow the timeline to avoid complications or confusion among workers and their disappointment with the given process. The success of the given stage creates the basis for the would-be rapid growth. That is why the budget, facilities, available resources, and problems should be considered to attain success and restructure the company. The phase should be coordinated with all departments to align their functioning by the planned goals.
In Acro’s case, creating a change stage was given appropriate attention as the company faced the necessity to radically reconsider its work and implement multiple technologies into its functioning. Analysis of the market, closest rivals, and effective strategies implemented by the most successful organizations were performed. It helped to elaborate on the firm’s plan on how to evolve regarding the available resources.
At the same time, the company introduced the timeline needed for the achievement of the planned goal. The budget was calculated resting on the expected income and spending. In general, the creation of change was accomplished via the cooperation between all departments and their reports about the necessity to introduce alterations to improve their work and achieve better results. Data of the given analysis was incorporated in the plan that was distributed among workers for them to know about all stages and trace the company’s success. They also acquired the ability to offer their recommendations for improvement as it ensured the existence of various perspectives on the process.
Section 4: Managing Change
Change management is another critical aspect as it ensures that all planned actions are implemented and the company evolves in the needed way. It can also be considered a complex stage because of the necessity to ensure that all demanded activities are performed at the appropriate level and the created timeline is observed (Gardner, 2018). Managing change can also require the appropriate teams responsible for activities fundamental for the planned outcomes and achievement of success (Kucukozkan, 2015).
Activities related to this sphere can include implementation of the potent monitoring and evaluation tools to control the basic elements and introduce appropriate measures in case of emergencies. Managing change can also be considered an important task for a leader as his/her activities precondition the overall success of the whole process and implementation of the new vision, ideology, and processes (Abdulla, Singh, Al-Nahyan, & Amrik, 2017). Finally, this phase is the final stage of transformation which will precondition the company’s further evolution which means that there is an essential need for effective management strategies and consideration of all problems that might emerge.
In Acro, during the managing change stage, some problems emerged. The company faced barriers related to the lack of competences and skills among employees to work in the new digital environment. It significantly slowed down the speed of transformation and demanded new investments to organize additional training for workers and teach them how to perform their activities regarding the new demands. It also means that the effectiveness of preliminary work was not doubtful as the management believed in the appropriate level of knowledge among the members of the staff, instead of their examination (Dhingra & Punia, 2016).
That is why the timeline and budget were not observed. To avoid such mistakes, it is recommended to add assessment and evaluation activities to ensure whether all individuals are ready for change and possess the needed level of experience and competence. Otherwise, there is a significant threat to final results as they can be corrupted, and the risk of failure increases.
Section 5: Evaluating Change
Evaluation is the final stage of every change process as its main task is to critically investigate the results of the change process, problems that emerged during its implementation, and create a clear understanding of how a company managed to overcome all difficulties. The importance of the given stage also comes from the idea that the evolution of any organization is the continuous transformation process that guarantees the ability to meet all modern requirements and satisfy customers’ growing demands (Campbell, 2015).
Evaluation can be performed via the comparison of the company’s statistics and performance before and after the transformation to determine the degree of success. Additionally, all incidents and unexpected cases that occurred during the change should be analyzed by the team to ensure the absence of similar obstacles in the future.
Acro has just accomplished its transformation and collects data about the most important points associated with the change and its results. For instance, the manager responsible for the process gathers information from departments related to the new working environment, employees’ performance, and their ability to meet new requirements. At the same time, the above-mentioned problems related to the use of new technologies were evaluated to attain an enhanced understanding of the company’s weak aspects and eliminate them if a new change is initiated.
Conclusion
Altogether, the company’s change is a complex process that demands much attention from a manager responsible for it. The results of the whole process are preconditioned by the success of the introduction of the vision and motivation of employees to avoid resistance and minimize risks related to the emergence of unexpected situations. Management of change, its creation, and evaluation are also fundamental as these phases guarantee that the created plan will be realized and used to gain a competitive advantage and ensure that the company will continue its growth. Having used Acro’s case, the basic aspects of this sophisticated process were outlined and discussed.
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