Abstract
The increased topicality and importance of the sphere of business result in the appearance of new ways to organize the functioning of particular companies with the central aim to guarantee their rise and stable performance. For this reason, the sphere of management devoted to the organizational change acquires the top priority nowadays. This field of knowledge provides specialists with numerous theories and potent tools for altering the work of an organization in multiple ways to achieve desired goals and ensure that the basis for the further is successfully created. However, the change process might be complicated by numerous factors that have adverse effects on employees and promote the emergence of resistance to change. In such a way, a change agent might face a harsh challenge to reorganize the functioning of a particular company.
That is why the given paper delves into the peculiarities of the organizational change management. The work opens with the introduction section describing the topicality of the issue, its role in the modern business world, and perspectives. It is followed by the literature review of the most relevant and informative sources devoted to this sphere of knowledge. This part of the paper cultivates the enhanced understanding of the basic concepts of organizational change and demonstrates existing perspectives and ideas about it. To show how the ideas of change management are applied to real-life conditions, the case of Manchester City football club is investigated. It was bought by Sheikh Mansoor. In 2008 it entered a period of change aiming at the improvement of the clubs functioning and teams results. Today, it is one of the strongest football clubs of the English Premier League which evidences the efficiency of the chosen change model. At the end of the paper, the conclusion summarizing all findings is given.
Introduction
The modern society passes through the stage of rapid change and development. The majority of current processes are characterized by the increased flexibility and variability which means that they can adapt to new conditions and preserve their topicality. These characteristics are stipulated by several factors. First, drastic alterations in technologies and scientific revolution preconditioned the emergence of new ways to perform traditional activities and attain enhanced efficiency. Second, critical shifts in peoples mentalities cultivated a new worldview characterized by the need for change and innovative methods to achieve success. Individuals look for new solutions that will be able to replace the old ones and guarantee benefits for them. Finally, the rise of rivalry in all spheres of human activity facilitated the necessity to gain a significant competitive advantage that could be used to act better that competitors and remain successful. Under these conditions, the modern era could be considered the period of change and resistance to alterations might be fatal both for individuals and companies.
The processes mentioned above could also be found in the sphere of business. New digitalized environment along with the high level of rivalry introduce the necessity to shift priorities and act to avoid stagnation and gradual decline. Under these conditions, organizational change becomes fundamental for companies and organizations that want to survive and preserve their leading positions. The application of its basic concepts might provide a powerful stimulus for the further development and cultivate a new culture needed to achieve modern goals.
Nevertheless, the organizational change could be defined as the transformation of the organization that occurs when business strategies or basic sections of this very organization are altered (Burke 10). This concept could be considered regarding the change management which is a systematic approach used to transform a companys goals, processes, or technologies with the primary aim to implement new strategies stipulating efficient change. It also monitors all stages of the change process and helps employees to adapt to new conditions and avoid resistance or wrong behaviors. In such a way, using this knowledge and strategies suggested by it, managers can attain the enhanced functioning of a particular company and ensure that it will use innovative practices combined with efficient approaches.
Nevertheless, the organizational change plays an outstanding role in the modern business world and could also be associated with the crisis management that is used to help companies to pass through the period of difficult decisions and poor performance (Burke 11). That is why specialists accept the approachs significant contribution to the functioning of the company and create new ways to establish specific setting needed to guarantee a companys successful transformation and transition. There are also numerous theories and concepts describing how one or another approach could help to attain the outlined goal and move forward.
Altogether, organization change could be considered one of the most topical spheres of management that could be used in different settings to ensure that companies or firms will attain appropriate results and benefit from the use of particular approaches.
Literature Review
As it has already been stated, organizational change is an extremely important sphere of knowledge that is given much attention nowadays. Its significance and impact on the world of business are evidenced by numerous investigations performed by multiple authors. For instance, Abudi in her book delves into the issue and states that the modern increasingly competitive world of business introduces specific demands to companies (23). Organizations that do not engage in change activities and implement innovations are doomed to stagnate and collapse because of the lack of long-term perspectives and fresh ideas. (Abudi 34).
In such a way, the creation of a specific strategy of how to cultivate a culture of change appreciated at all levels (both by employees and top managers) becomes central for any company. Abudi says that the strategic project management apparently can guarantee successful implementation of all efficient practices needed to achieve the desired goal (11). However, the author also admits the emergence of dangerous tendency to disregard risks associated with change management and underestimate the complexity of its implementation to different companies. The fact is that the functioning of any organization presupposes the existence of particular challenges and negative perceptions of organizational change (Abudi 15). In such a way, a change agent, or manager responsible for the transformation, might be limited in practices for continuous reorganization and succession. This also means that the initiation of any change process should be accompanied by the in-depth investigation of the companys functioning and its most problematic areas regarding the concept of change management.
Rene also emphasizes the importance of pre-work while implementing the change management approach (15). Looking at the change process from another perspective, the author states that employees of a company that is going to undertake change should be prepared for all outcomes challenges they might face during the reorganization phase (Rene 87). The fact is that radical changes scare people and cultivate the feeling of uncertainty. For this reason, particular coaching programs to prepare the ground for change could be explored to minimize the risk of strong resistance and develop employees ability to overcome barriers and promote efficient change (Rene 55).
Outlining a step-by-step approach to evaluate workers preparedness and readiness to act in terms of a new environment, the author states that its basic concepts should rest on the peculiarities of the organizations functioning and goals existing at the moment. Only under these conditions, a final success could be achieved. Moreover, Rene states that the efficient change management is impossible without the cooperation between executives, coaches, and analytics team who should elaborate the implementation plan encompassing all aspects critical for the company and providing employees with all information they need to understand the change and engage in the process (45). Rene also supports the idea of the complexity of this process and its significant impact on the future of any firm or brand (87). It means that the decision to transform should be accepted at all levels to guarantee positive outcomes.
Cawsey et al. share the above-mentioned perspectives on change management stating that the aggressive competition, increasing customer demands, and drastic changes in peoples mentalities stipulates the necessity to effectively adapt to new challenges and find multiple opportunities to implement innovations and new approaches (43). In such a way, the authors suggest specific conceptual models of change the efficiency of which is proven in numerous real-life scenarios. Nevertheless, one of the central ideas of the source is that the initiation of change activities should be timely and well-thought-out. For this reason, diagnosing of organizations that are going to undertake alterations acquires the top priority.
Revolving around specific frameworks for this process, the authors state that discovery of the most problematic areas or “what” to change in a company is crucial for outcomes as it preconditions the choice of methods and strategies to transform a firm (Cawsey et al. 88). This also means that the change management depends on the initial stage of the company and final goals that should be achieved. If these aspects are clear, navigation trough the alteration phase becomes simple and efficient. However, even under these conditions, it is fundamental to formulate a specific code of conduct that should be used to evaluate all actions and discuss results, their character, and nature (Cawsey et al. 91). Moreover, this code of conduct will help to plan the theoretical intervention and make the implementation of new practices more efficient and clear. Being essential for change management, these aspects should be given much attention by officials or change agents to ensure the positive transformation and overall success.
Burke demonstrates a similar understanding of organizational change and its central aspects. Saying that every modern organization undergoes constant alterations and improvements, he is sure that leaders, managers, employees, and CEOs should possess an enhanced understanding of the ways to implement the planned change and how to deal with unexpected complications or problematic issues (Burke 77). In such a way, exploring the nature of change by applying the evidence-based research and newest theories, he researchers the essence of processes that drive change and its nature (Burke 91). The author admits the at the planning stage the process of change is linear and clear (Burke 71). It is quite logical as to achieve a particular goal a company has to pass a long way and reconsider its functioning.
However, the paradox of the organizational change is that being applied to real-life conditions, this plan might alter to be able to meet problems that appear during the implementation phase (Burke 56). This introduces a significant challenge for all workers as they should be ready to act in a rapidly changing environment and demonstrate efficient problem-solving (Burke 121). However, it could be possible only if some specific requirements are met. First, employees should be trained to have needed experience and skills. Second, managers and change agents should be ready to alter the existing plan and omit some stages to increase the flexibility of the strategy and attain planned goals (Burke 124). Finally, a company passing through the change process should create a specific pool that could be used if some unexpected outcomes occur and it is necessary to respond to these threats. Only under these conditions, the company could create an efficient change strategy and implement it.
The importance of organizational change its also discussed by Gibbons who emphasizes the act that the modern turbulent environments demand constant change and specific behaviors from all workers and managers (35). For this reason, consideration of actions needed to implement changes becomes crucial for all organizations. The fact is that flaws in human decision-making could be considered an important factor that impacts choices of appropriate strategies and solutions to guarantee the needed change. At the same time, it is essential to achieve significant shifts in peoples mentalities for them to understand that they can improve their performance and become leaders in a particular sphere (Masteralexis et al. 43).
Bringing greater meaning and mindfulness to a firm or organization should be considered the first stage of any change process as it helps to establish new goals and make employees believe in their feasibility. These alterations are needed to create the mentality of a winner and cultivate a new corporative culture that will drive change (Gibbons 67). Additionally, all organizations, even not leading ones, should be transformed with the primary aim to acquire leading positions in particular spheres of the market (Gibbons 54). It will contribute to the improved understanding of the nature of change and need for it. Demonstration of benefits that could be obtained regarding the success of organizational change is fundamental for enhanced employees functioning and their readiness to engage in the majority of processes. In such a way, the organizational change should start with peoples mentalities.
Case Study
The outstanding efficiency of organizational change and its positive impact on the functioning of different organizations could be proven using the Manchester City clubs case. It was bought in 2008 by sheikh Mansur. Before this deal, it was a usual club of the English Premier League. It demonstrated average results and was not able to compete with such giants as Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool. However, this deal altered the organization and resulted in its becoming one of the top football clubs of that world that would probably become a champion this year. This success was apparently achieved due to the radical reconsideration of existing practices and behaviors. First, new officials established clear goals to become one of the leaders of English championship; play in the Champions League and win it; participate in all possible competitions aiming at first places (Tremlett).
In such a way, significant shifts in both workers and football players mentalities were achieved. The new goals preconditioned the way they functioned and introduced new responsibilities. Therefore, the staff was motivated to enhance their performance by solid rewards available for top players. The given pattern helped to avoid resistant behaviors and ensured that all workers and players would support the new course because of numerous benefits. However, organizational change demands outstanding skills and competencies from all participants. They should correspond to specific quality standards and be ready to work in the changing environment. These actions helped to create a new team of specialists. The clubs officials invited outstanding football managers and coaches to train the team and improve its results (Tremlett). At the first stages of the clubs transformation, it was headed by Roberto Mancini, a famous and experienced coach. However, to move forward and guarantee the further evolution, a new specialist was invited. At the moment, Josep Guardiola, a top football manager, heads Manchester City football team and contributes to its outstanding results.
To empower the key positions, leading players were invited. It helped to create a completely new environment characterized by high level of expectations and perfect understanding of football, its basic components, and tactics. Creation of this new collective helped to transform the club and peoples mentalities. Using skillful players, Guardiola introduced a specific tactic that contributed to outstanding results. Speaking about the financial component of this organizational change, we should admit the fact that the initial stages were characterized by significant investments from the owner, sheikh Mansur. These were needed to reorganize the club, create a new base, and invite leading specialists. However, at the moment, Manchester City demonstrates stable financial showings and earns by selling players t-shirts, rights for TV-translations, souvenirs, tickets, making contracts with sponsors, etc. (Tremlett). These facts show that the in-depth investigation of the competitive environment, alteration in workers mentalities, and significant financial support contributed to positive outcomes and companys successful transformation. Using specific change strategies, the organization managed to turn into one of the most powerful Europe football clubs encompassing good game and outstanding management.
Conclusion
Altogether, the given paper demonstrates the unique significance and efficiency of the organizational change. Being applied to different companies, it helps to improve results and ensure the preservation of leading positions. However, numerous investigations of the issue demonstrate the complexity of processes that accompany this change. The sources provided in the literature review section show that the organizations successful transformation could only be achieved if the in-depth investigation of the environment, workers behaviors, and potential problems is conducted. It will help to select among the most appropriate theories and consider their implementation to cultivate a new culture and attain significant success. Therefore, any organizational change should come along with radical shifts in people mentalities to avoid resistance and demonstrate numerous benefits that could be achieved due to the new techniques and approaches. The case of Manchester City football club proves it. The organization was bought in 2008, and its financial state improved significantly. However, using the basic concepts of the theory of change and correctly realizing the necessity of specific practices that might guarantee a positive result, the owner of the club initiated its radical reorganization with the primary aim to attain the needed shift in mentalities.
The majority of authors who investigate the problem assume that the cultivation of appropriate behavioral patterns is the key to final success and beneficial outcomes (Abudi 187). Only if employees understand the necessity of change, new goals could be established. In such a way, Manchester City football club reconstructed its primary purposes and created a new plan to become the leading English team and compete with the best European teams. The successful character of change could be evidenced by the fact that leading specialists from different countries agreed to participate in the project and contribute to its development. This significant improvement became possible due to the change in leadership and implementation of new models. The new officials offered a new course that would guarantee fame and popularity. For this reason, all workers were ready to follow it and engaged in the change process. Finally, Manchester City football club efficiently combined outstanding financial opportunities with the effective management to pass through the complex period and create a new organization. It was mainly achieved due to the strict adherence to the basic assumptions of change management and its theories. Moreover, the club does not stop in its development and constantly introduces new practices to dominate.
Works Cited
Abudi, Gina. Implementing Positive Organizational Change: A Strategic Project Management Approach. J. Ross Publishing, 2017.
Burke, Warner. Organization Change: Theory and Practice. SAGE Publications, 2017.
Cawsey et al. Organizational Change: An Action-Oriented Toolkit. SAGE Publications, 2015.
Gibbons, Paul. The Science of Successful Organizational Change: How Leaders Set Strategy, Change Behavior, and Create an Agile Culture. Pearson, 2015.
Masteralexis, Lisa, et al. Principles and Practice of Sport Management. Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2014.
Robertson, Rene. The Coaching Solution: How to Drive Talent Development, Organizational Change, and Business Results. Secant Publishing, 2015.
Tremlett, Giles. “Manchester City’s Plan For Global Domination“. The Guardian. 2017. Web.