Abstract
Many dynamics characterize the business world regarding the manner in which organizations operate in aid to generate revenue as well as profits. The dynamics influence the manner in which operations of a business are conducted, thus influencing business performance. Among the dynamics that influence business operations thus performance includes change. As a result, business theories, as well as particular concepts such as the organizational development concept, which is employed in a bid to facilitate or manage business dynamics or elements such as change. Change management is a process or tool employed in the facilitation of effective and efficient adoption of change, especially among the workforce in an organization. The organizational development is one of the change management concepts that can be employed in a bid to solve a certain problem or issue within an organization. The aim of this paper, therefore, is to describe how the concept of organizational development can be used in change management to solve a particular problem or issue in an organization such as Wal-Mart.
Introduction to problem or issue at Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart is among the most flourishing companies operating in the retail industry in the United States. The success of the company can therefore be attributed to factors such as the company’s competitive positioning as well as its human resource posture. Employees are an integral part of a company’s performance as they are the ones who conduct the daily operations of a company. Therefore, when the human resource posture does not translate to or promote the profitable operation of a business, then that becomes an issue for a business organization. Certain problems exist concerning the human resource posture at Wal-Mart, which can be addressed through change management that incorporates the concept of organizational development, such as inefficient technology.
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The Concept of Organization Development (OD) as a Change Management Concept/Model
Organizational development as a concept for change management can be described as a study in which an organization establishes the most effective and successful organizational change, as well as performance (Cummings & Worley, 2015) . Therefore, in the event of introducing change into an organization, the organization goes ahead to look for means of making effective, organizational change, as well as performance changes. This is done in a bid to address a particular issue affecting business operations of the organization. Organizational-development change management hence refers to a company’s major component reconditioned in an attempt to fix ineffectiveness at the workplace. OD is a more systematic, formalized and planned change that typically influences all levels of an organization. During change management, OD is used to improve efficiency, performance, production, as well as morale in an organization (Cummings & Worley, 2013) . This can entail the hiring of consultants who analyze and formulate a change plan for an organization.
Organizational Development at Wal-Mart employed in Addressing the Issue of Ineffective Human Resource Posture
Based on the understanding of what organizational development change management is and entails, it is possible to show Wal-Mart has used the concept to solve the issue of ineffectively with regards to its human resource posture. The human resource posture at Wal-Mart, based on the understanding of what organizational development in change management, is the major component that requires fixing in a bid to improve performance. The element of human resource posture is an important element that promotes company performance. Therefore, in the event of establishing a means for conducting change management with regards to organizational development, an organization such as Wal-Mart can improve employee performance. Employee performance improvement is a specific way of resolving the issue of ineffective human resource posture can be done through many ways as is evident at Wal-Mart. At Wal-Mart, the human resource posture can be described as requiring different ways in which employees have been equipped to positively influence the company’s performance.
Among the ways in which organizational development change management at Wal-Mart improves company performance is through conducting training programs for employees. In the event Wal-Mart introduces new ways of conducting certain operations, which influences the general production process, employees are trained through programs on the changes. Training programs ensure that employee posture is improved by facilitating the ability of employees to understand and implement introduced organizational development changes. At Wal-Mart employees are offered training through the training programs that are meant to facilitate the performance of daily tasks by employees, which also includes promoting their ability to adapt to the retail industry’s emerging trends (Thompson, 2017).
Company performance in the entire organization of Wal-Mart can be improved through improved human resource posture owing to the performance management activity. Organizational development as change management entails conducting a study to establish how a certain element of production is an overhaul to improve the performance of an organization (Cummings & Worley, 2013) . At Wal-Mart, it had been established that the human posture needed improvement in a bid to improve the company’s performance. Therefore, the company adopted performance improvement techniques such as performance management in an effort to improve employee performance, hence improved human resource posture. Performance management entails establishing employee strengths and weakness, which helps an organization maximize on the strengths and minimize the implications of the weaknesses. When employees are operating at their optimum, the human resource posture improves. This, in turn, demonstrates effective addressing of a company’s major component in a bid to improve performance.
Organizational development in change management done in an effort to resolve the issue of ineffective human resource posture can be in the form of introducing and facilitating the use of technology (Cummings & Worley, 2015) . Presently, the times and working of the business world require the adoption of technology as it facilitates the easier and faster accomplishment of company goals. Therefore, by providing g employees with the right technology, an organization promotes effectiveness, which improves the quality and quantity of production. At Wal-Mart, technology has been introduced as organizational development change management, which has contributed to the company’s excellent performance. For instance, changes within the Company’s workforce are analysed using a software that is responsible for the automation of processes, thus benefits of technology (Daniel, Neves & Horta, 2017). Owing to its use of technology, Wal-Mart can conduct change management upon establishment of whether the workforce changes have negative or positive implications.
Through the technology, Wal-Mart is able to receive, process, organize and store data from all its stores, which improves efficiency, thus positive implication of organizational development as a concept of change management. This improves the ability of the company to develop and incorporate strategies within its change management plans in a bid to improve human resource posture, thus improving company performance (Bussler, & Davis, 2002). The use of technology to manage human resource promotes better performance of the employees especially when they receive adequate training on using the introduced technology. Therefore more firms and companies should ensure in the event of organizational development that involves introducing new technology, it provide the required technology and training on the same to facilitate easier use among employees. Therefore, the success of Wal-Mart can be attributed to organizational development that facilitates the use of technology, which improves employee performance, thus human resource posture.
At Wal-Mart, organizational development has been employed towards ensuring employees are motivated to perform their duties thus trying to resolve the issue of ineffective human resource posture. At Wal-Mart, there was the introduction of benefits and compensations, which was aimed at improving employee performance due to increased motivation, thus improving the contribution of human resource through an effective human resource posture. Human resource strategies are used within organizational development change management to promote increased productivity among employees, such as a rewards system (Howard, Turban & Hurley, 2016). A rewards system is a form of motivation that is meant to promote better performance among employees, thus is a positive organizational development change management strategy. A rewards system is typically characterised by aspects such as compensations and benefits, which increase employee productivity, thus improve human resource posture. According to Bryant and Allen (2013), employees that are motivated through rewards demonstrate more productivity when compared to their counterparts as the rewards promote their excellent performance of daily duties within the company. At Wal-Mart, the employees receive benefits and compensations owing to organizational development which adopts the use of a rewards system to achieve the desired results of a productive workforce. For instance, at Wal-Mart employees enjoy rewards such as the 401k plans, retirement benefits, training, as well as health care plans (Thompson, 2017). In the event the company wants to introduce new changes it already has in place, motivation strategies incorporated into its organizational development change management.
Conclusion
Organizational development focuses on specific areas or aspects of the business which need improvement or fixing in a bid to improve effectiveness and performance of an organization (Cummings & Worley, 2015) . At Wal-Mart, organizational development focused on human resource posture, which means devising ways of resolving issues to do with the ineffective or poor performance of employees. This entails incorporation of organizational development changes that promotes motivation among employees such as benefits and compensations. Complementing and improving the operations of employees by organizational development changes such as introducing technology and its training programs. The form of organizational development change management technique promotes the effective performance of the component of an organization that is human resource posture, thus positively influencing organization performance.
References
Bryant, P. C., & Allen, D. G. (2013). Compensation, benefits and employee turnover: HR strategies for retaining top talent. Compensation & Benefits Review, 45 (3), 171-175.
International Trade Administration. (2017). Retail Service Industry in the United States. Retrieved June 26, 2018, from http://www.selectusa,gov/retail-service-industry-in-the-united-states
Bussler, L., & Davis, E. (2017). Information systems: The quiet revolution in human resource management. Journal of Computer Information Systems , 42 (2), 17-20.
Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2015). Organization Development and Change . Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Howard, L. W., Turban, D. B., & Hurley, S. K. (2016). Cooperating teams and competing reward strategies: Incentives for team performance and firm productivity. Journal of Behavioral and Applied Management , 3 (3).
Thompson, A. (2017, March 27). Walmart: Human Resource Management. Panmore Institute . Retrieved June 26, 2018, from http://panmore.com/Walmart-human-resource-management-hr-management
