Change Readiness And Implementation At WMC: An Essay Analysis.

Relationship Between Change Readiness and Change Agents

1. Develop at least four (4) realistic assumptions that you can add to the issues and problems expressed. These might typically be related to management, change processes, managerial information systems, technology, competitors, Customer’s and so on.  Use at least two (2) sentences to describe each assumption.

2. In reference to the classic article by Larry Greiner (Reading 10), explain what is happening between growth and change at WMC. Compare this with what Malhotra and Hinings (Reading 9) indicate about continuity and change.

3. How does the problem statement for WMC resemble what Gersick (Reading 6) indicates about a systems deep structure (see also Hayes (2014) Chapter 3)? What consistencies exist between the facts in WMC and the descriptions of deep structure by Gersick?

4. In reference to the article by Dailey and Browning (Reading 4; see also Module 1), explain why narratives and storytelling were useful to the company.

5. Refer to Hayes (2014), Chapter 6, under the heading ‘Collaborative Modes of Intervening’, which two or more of these modes might change agents in WMC use and why? Who are the change agents in WMC if change occurs?

6. Given the Typology of Organisational Change (see Hayes (2014), Chapter 3), which typology may best describe the approach that WMC might adopt?

This particular case study has provided an in-depth understanding on how WMC has made innumerable changes within the organizational business for rendering the success in the current market. From the case scenario, it has been observed that the attrition rate of the organization is rising rapidly. Due to the increased rate of competition, the business organization is facing innumerable difficulties for maintaining their market share. In order to regain the trust of customers and crate market demand, WMC has decided to implement change management at the workplace with the help of which the performance level of the employees can be improved. The aspects change managements enables the business organization like WMC innovative business strategies and policies as well for improving the entire operational practices. After implementing change management with the process of business, the organization like WMC is able to implement advanced technology for reducing the product cost. The importance of advanced technology is undeniable as this particular process enables the business organization to provide more products and services in limited time range.

Rafferty et al. (2013)) opined that change readiness is the appreciation or beliefs that employees intend to perceive when organization decides to implement change management process at the workplace. Before, implementing change management at the workplace, the impact of employee readiness may be positive or negative. Before implementing the change process at the workplace, employees tend to show their confused attitudes. The changes that are going to be occurred at the workplace may not be in favor of the employees. As a result, the employees may have to suffer immensely after the implementation of new business strategy. On the other hand, change initiation is the  systematic procedure with the help of which employees tend to show their intense initiative for implementing change management at the workplace. Therefore, both the overarching concept change readiness and change management are inseparably related to each other. Change readiness would be effective only when the employees would show their interest on change initiation. In a word, if change readiness can be considered as the cause, change initiation is the effect (Mcfillen et al., 2013). Employees would show their interest in change initiation only when the change readiness is completely effective for the employees.

Implementation Readiness

In case of WMC, the result is quite negative. The organization being large fails to create a positive impact on the organization. After the implementation of change management, a large number of employees have decided to leave the organization. As a result, the rate of employee turnover has been raised innumerably. Cumming and Worley (2014) stated that WMC was not successful identifying the positive impact of change readiness. Before, implementing change management within the business process the business experts of WMC could make an effective interaction with the employees in order to know the perception in which the employees belong.

In order to implement change management within the process of business organization has to maintain appropriate leadership style along with proper direction. As a result, the employees would like to share their opinion on whether they are flexible with the change management or not. WMC is facing innumerable difficulties from the low cost products. As a result, the organization needs to implement new business strategy and policy in order to regain the trust of people. In this kind of situation, change management would help the organization for drawing the attention of customers. Without following a proper leadership style, the business experts would never be able to make an effective communication with the employees in order to collect their feedback.

Figure 1: Implementing Change for WMC

(Source: Hayes, 2014)

Change implementation is highly depend on some of the major factors that include internal resources of the organization, employee behavior, availability of organizational system and control, the availability of technology, the financial ability of the organization and so many. Based on the organizational resources, the business experts can decided whether they would be able to bear the cost of change management (Hayesc, 2014). On the other hand, it is undeniable that success of a business organization is highly dependent on the performance of employees. Therefore, before implementing new business strategy and policy, the business experts have to make a collective decision on how the employees are flexible with change readiness process. Based on the employee feedback and behavior, the organization should decide whether the change management should be implemented or not.

In addition, the organization should have the financial stability as well based on which the organization would be able to bear the cost of new business strategies and policies. At the same time, risk management control analysis is equally important for implementing any new business strategy at the workplace. With the help of risk control program, the business exerts have the chance to implement alternative strategy and policy if the change management procedure fails to draw the attention of customers as well as employees both. WMC should focus on appropriate implementation scheme and development with the help of which the business experts can give equal priority and response on several factors such as resources, technologies, psychology and behavior.

Open System Diagram

Implementation readiness is ensured only when it has the ability to manage four primary factors that include culture and resources, effective process, policies and operation system. Without the existence of effective cultures and resources, the organization would never be able to implement change management at the workplace. WMC is the brightest example of it. This particular company fails to manage change at the workplace.  The business experts of this particular organization have not received supportive behavior from the employees. WMC is large and wide where several numbers of employees from various geographical boundaries like to work within the business organization (Pieterse, Canie and Homan, 2012). Large number of barriers takes place at the workplace among which communication barriers, cultural barriers, psychological barriers, religious barriers are one of the most prominent. In this kind of situation, employees from numerous backgrounds failed to show their co-operation at the workplace. As a result, the primary aim of change management process became failed.

Open System diagram for WMC has been provided below. With the help of this particular diagram, an effective analysis has been evaluated on three consecutive factors that include inputs, transform and output.

Figure 2: Open System Diagram

(Source: Hayes, 2014)

Input implies the efforts that the business managers can provide towards the employees for receiving effective service process on behalf of the employees. Motivational factors are highly important for getting good performance from the employees. Implementation of effective leadership style is one of the most appropriate factors with the help of which employees show their interest for performing well (Rafferty et al. 2013). The employees of WMC need that motivational factors with the help of which the employees can perform well in order to reach the business goal.

In order to receive good performance from the employees, organization like WMC can provide an effective professional training to the employees in order to make them more skillful and competent. On the other hand, competency brings confidence and motivation towards the performance.

Before implementing change management with the help of advanced technology, the organization such as WMC has to raise sufficient funds, based on which the company becomes successful to bear the cost.

Organizational structure implies the infrastructure, external and internal resources based on which the success of business is highly dependent. Before, implementing new business strategy and policy, the company like WMC has to be concerned about the structure so that the business experts can provide necessary equipments for improving the process of management. 

After implementing the change management, WMC should change the organizational cultures and values at the same time. Based on the current trends of market the managers have to implement business strategy. Therefore, organizational culture should also be amended as per the implementation of business strategy.

The entire process of business should be changed after the implementation of change management. The employees would like to maintain different organizational culture and behavior after the entrance of new business policy. At the same time, the process of communication mode should be changed as well after the implementation of change management process (Schiavone  and Smolla, 2013). WMC should follow these aspects within their business process as well in order to gain the trust of people. Therefore, this particular aspect is a serious matter of consideration based on which companies can build organizational image and reputation.

The cause of effective inputs and the systematic transformation is the ultimate cause of an appropriate output. If employees become motivate from the guidance of an eminent leader, the employees would be able to provide quality products as well as services (Barratt, 2004). WMC is not exceptional to that. In addition, employees would like to accept innovative culture at the same time. Based on the output provided by the employees, the organization gets effective feedback from the customers. The primary vision of every business organization like WMC is to satisfy the needs and demands of customers.

As per the integrative model of Kotter’s change is constituted with six primary components that include employees and tangible assets, organization’s structure and operating systems, goals and strategies, external environment, technology; techniques and methods used, and social factors; culture.

Figure 3: Kotter’s Integrative model of organizational dynamics

(Source: Hayes, 2014)

While fulfilling all the elements of Kotter’s companies have to go through some of the necessary organizational processes that include communication style, decision-making style, effective leadership style, producing effective products and service and so many (Ali and Lai, 2016). Following this particular model, it has been observed that when WMC started implementing innovative business strategies and policies, some of the major competitors equally want to change their strategies as well in order to become a serious market threat. Before, implementing an effective business strategy and policy WMC can maintain a market research in order to know the competitors new strategies and policies. For an example, in order to become a serious market threat for the competitors WMC can reduce the cost of product in order to draw the attention of low cost customers (Pugh, 2016). As a result, the range of target market would be high automatically. As it is a new market, WMC must utilize its resources effectively for ensuring least fall at the initial stages. For instance, by reducing the production, changing the target customers and reducing the prices and adopting the pull production the market demand can be raised demand as expected by the Mira and Ryan.

The medium term has provided an in-depth overview on how the ability of the company is decided to maintain integrity inside and outside the business organization. As per the point of view of this particular model it has been observed that company should implement organizational strategy and policy as per the company resources and financial growth. For an example, due to the lack of fund the company like WMC fails to implement trained and competent human resource managers who would be able to make an effective communication with the employees for resolving the issues. At the same time, it is also undeniable that without the implementation of advanced technology the company would never be able to keep a constant record over the entire process of business.

In long-term process, it is evident that the company after implementing innovative equipment within the business process has to think about the external factors. For en example, implementation of advanced technology is not the ultimate responsibility of business experts such as WMC. The human resource managers have to hire professional candidates who are flexible enough with the changing process of technology. On the other hand, in case of customer service department, the customers’ service executives have to be very much efficient in communication skill with the help of which the customers do not have to face any kind of linguistic barriers for communicating with the service providers (Lozano, Ceulemans and Seatter, 2015). At the same time, it is undeniable that the executives should be flexible with both verbal and non-verbal communication so that people from various cultures and backgrounds can show their interest for using the products and services of WMC.

Reference List:

Ali, N. and Lai, R., 2016. A method of requirements change management for global software development. Information and Software Technology, 70, pp.49-67.

Barratt, M., 2004. Understanding the meaning of collaboration in the supply chain. Supply Chain Management: an international journal, 9(1), pp.30-42.

Cumming, T G & Worley, C G 2014, Organization Development and Change, Cengage Learning, Stamford.

Hayes, J 2014, The Theory and Practice of Change Management, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.

Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K. and Seatter, C.S., 2015. Teaching organisational change management for sustainability: designing and delivering a course at the University of Leeds to better prepare future sustainability change agents.Journal of Cleaner Production, 106, pp.205-215.

Mcfillen, JM, O'Neil, DA, Balzer, WK & Varney, GH 2013, 'Organizational Diagnosis: An Evidence-based Approach', Journal of Change Management, vol. 13, no. 2 , pp.223–246.

Pieterse, J H, Canie¨ls, MC & Homan, T 2012, 'Professional discourses and resistance to change', Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 25, no. 6 , pp. 798-818.

Pugh, L., 2016. Change management in information services. Routledge.

Rafferty, AE, Jimmieson, NL & Armenakis, AA 2013, 'Change Readiness: A Multilevel Review', Journal of Management, vol. 39, no. 1 , pp.110-135.

Schiavone, F & Smolla, RK 2013, 'Trust in change managers: the role of affect', Journal of Organizational Change Management, vol. 26, no. 4 , pp. 725-747.