Reasons for Resistance to Change
Introducing Organizational changes has never been an easy walk for any walk, and it is no difference when it comes to Dr. Pepper Bottling Company. The HR Organizational changes can be attributed to various reasons including the fact that employees fear to lose their job. When organizational changes are made, job shifts or even dismissal are bound to happen. It is only natural then that the employees would resist these changes to secure their current job duties. Another reason why employees oppose is lack of trust. It is correct to point out that trust is an essential tool when running any successful business or organizational departments. But when the workforce does not have trust in the leadership's ability to effectively make any changes in leadership, it becomes difficult to trust the same administration to introduce successful organizational changes in the operations.
Another critical reason is the fear of the unknown. It is quite natural for employees, and even Dr. Pepper's top management team to be a bit skeptical about the human resource department introducing organizational changes that have never been tried or proven within the company before. There are possibilities that the changes might not bear fruit, and in so not doing lead to losses of both resources and time that would have been invested in the project (Serban & Lorga, 2016). This being the case, employees and company management would prefer not to take any chances with the changes.
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Causes and Sources for Resistance to Change
One of the causes of opposition to change is poor communication. When employees are not adequately offered information about the organizational change, its impacts, both positive and negative, and how they stand to benefit from the changes, then they are bound to resist the changes. Another cause is lack of engagement. It is essential to actively engage employees by asking for their input and outlook on the changes. By feeling part of the process, the employees will more openly partake in the changes, thus offering almost no resistance. Lastly, another cause is poor timing. When the changes are not done at the right time, it is bound to meet opposition. For instance, it is essential that these changes comply with Dr. Pepper's financial capabilities so that they are implemented when the company is ready financially to cater for the costs of implementation. Timing also implies how the act is delivered. It should consider such factors as the workforce that will be needed. This means employees should be trained and well equipped first before they are made to play a role in the process.
A source of resistance to organizational changes is primarily the company's management. The board of directors may oppose the changes if they are not convinced of the benefits and importance of the organizational changes. It is important they are made to understand how these changes would increase the company's productivity. Like the management, the investors also serve as an opposition to organizational changes. This is because it is their resources that will be used in the implementation of these changes. It is critical therefore to explain to the investors how these changes will ensure productivity that will translate to increased profit margins. Lastly, the employees are a source of opposition when they feel that the changes would in one way or the other jeopardize their job securities (Oreg, 2006). No employee would directly be open to any changes that would translate to them being replaced or written off. It is crucial then to point out to the workforce how they stand to benefit from the changes, for instance through exposure to enhanced ways of production.
Plan for Minimizing Possible Resistance to Change Management Plan
As stated earlier on, a corporation from both employees and Dr. Pepper management and investors plays an integral part in implementing organizational changes. It is essential therefore to have a solid plan to get them on board and minimize any potential resistance. My program entails advocating for open communication with these parties that might be opposed to the changes in which I will capitalize on explaining to every stakeholder the reasons for the shift truthfully, straightforwardly and periodically that will serve to update the parties on the progress of each stage. By doing this, I aim at eliminating their fears and doubts one step at a time. I will also capitalize on effectively engaging employees through continually asking for their insight and input on what areas they think these changes should tackle, and how the changes should be implemented in a tailored approach to meet the needs of each department.
My plan equally will capitalize on implementing change in several steps. Most opposition arises from the fact that the parties involved feel like they are being bombarded by new concepts and ways of doing things. So, by implementing the changes gradually, it gives the HR more room to not only gauge the performance of the organizational change model in place, but it also offers the stakeholders room to wrap their heads around the changes (Al-Haddad & Kotnour, 2015). This is done in a manner that will encourage them to ease into the system, embrace the changes, and be ready for the subsequent stages, if not push for it by themselves. In this phase, I will also embrace communicating change effectively by explaining explicitly what is going on in each stage to the stakeholders and what these mean to the company, both in the short term and long term.
The Relationship Between Resistance to Change and Communication
It is important to note that organizational changes are met with opposition by the stakeholders primarily because of lack of proper and effective communication about the changes. When the stakeholders are not made to understand the importance, and the costs incurred while implementing an organizational change model, they would tend to be skeptical about embracing the changes. Take for instance when employees are kept in the dark about a change model. They tend to feel isolated and secluded from participating in the changes, and as such they would not willingly play the roles assigned to them, thus limiting the effectiveness of the changes. The investors, on the other hand, would require to be thoroughly filled I how these changes would boost productivity projecting into improved profit margins. If this is not done, then they assume the changes will only serve as additional expenses eating into their profits. The management lastly would need to be convinced how the implementation of these changes would not be a waste of resources and time, thereby lowering the productivity of the bottling company. As seen communication plays a significant role in highlighting to the various stakeholders how they each stand to benefit from the organizational changes proposed. That is the only way to limit their resistance by getting them on board.
Evaluate Three Communication Strategies
Communication strategies commonly put in place when communicating organizational changes include interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, and graphics or visual communication. Interpersonal communications are typically face-to-face communication setting in which participants engage each other in a minimally restricted dialogue with each other. In simple words, interpersonal communications generally are meetings. These could be board meetings, employee meetings, and such likes fora in which the stakeholders meet at various levels to discuss the impact, tools, and models for implementing the organizational changes. Another strategy that could be applied is nonverbal communication. In this case, it would be essential for the organizational change implementor to learn the art of reading body languages and expressions that seem to communicate information. From another perceptive, the implementor would need to appear calm, composed and confident, authoritative even when engaging the various stakeholders about the organizational changes they propose for Dr. Pepper Bottling Company. This plays a crucial role in counterattacking any doubt that the team might have on the impact and certainty of the program (Kasper & Kellerman, 2014). The last form of communication is visual communication. Though not so popular on its own since it is mostly incorporated with the first strategy, visual communication primarily employs the use of graphic representations that act to project the changes the company expects to realize by implementing organizational changes. This presentation also anticipates the impact the organizational changes are supposed to accomplish as far as boosting production and sales of the company's beverage products are concerned, and the new markets this model could help the company gain access to. It also shows how the model will facilitate enhanced production, capitalize on resources while minimizing the costs incurred per production unit.
Recommend One Communication Strategy
The interpersonal communication strategy would be the most appropriate communication strategy the HR at Dr. Pepper Bottling Company should adopt. This is because it plays a critical role in winning the stakeholders over. By engaging in interpersonal communication, the HR not only shows that it cares about the employees, or the wellbeing of the company relations and policies of engaging effectively with each stakeholder, but it also builds on teamwork. This is because the strategy brings together different levels of stakeholders with diverse expertise and insights and allows them room to freely reason out with each other, thereby developing a sense of ownership and belonging as they contribute towards the implementation of the organizational change. Fostering communication in this scenario is not only about passing information to the stakeholders, but also about giving them room to air their opinions which are then considered in tailoring the organizational change model to reflect this diversity at Dr. Pepper. Players contribute more openly to models of change when they feel a sense of ownership in the model rather than being forced to act along. Interpersonal communication essentially breaks down barriers which stakeholders put up to protect their individual interests.
A Solid Communication Plan for the Change Initiative
A communication plan to facilitate the said organizational changes entails periodic meetings with the various stakeholders to explain the change model, its significance and how the stakeholders each stand to benefit from the changes. These meetings during the various implementation stages will be geared towards explaining the multiple steps of implementations, gauging their progress and getting stakeholder feedback. Apart from meetings, another way I plan to communicate the changes is by drafting the changes' mission and vision which they would be implemented into the daily activities within the various departments. This serves as a constant daily reminder of the change model in place and how the stakeholders are supposed to participate. Another step in the plan is empowering the HR department to advocate for open feedback and airing of issues by the employees. This encourages the employees to air their grievances as far as the change model is concerned, after which there will be avenues to address and put into consideration these insights as the organizational change model progresses. Lastly, these missions and visions should be permanently be incorporated into the company's organizational culture. This incorporation will play a significant role in ensuring that the various players act in line with these goals, and are allowed access to information through the constant mission and vision statement.
References
Al-Haddad, S., & Kotnour, T. (2015). Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change. Journal of Organizational Change Management , 28 (2), 234-262.
Kasper, G., & Kellerman, E. (2014). Communication strategies: Psycholinguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives . Routledge.
Oreg, S. (2006). Personality, context, and resistance to organizational change. European journal of work and organizational psychology , 15 (1), 73-101.
Serban, A., & Iorga, C. (2016). Employee Resistance to Organizational Change Through Managerial Reengineering. In Proceedings of the International Management Conference (Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 366-374). Faculty of Management, Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest, Romania.
