The human resources (HR) situation that is to be improved in the company is increasing the levels of productivity amongst the employee to enhance the competitiveness and level of market share for the company.
The first step is establishing a sense of urgency. The employees must be sensitized on the need for change through open and honest dialogue. The dialogue will revolve around the potential threats that the company is facing and the danger of not adjusting its approaches in areas like customer service, product development and marketing tactics.
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The strategy to address this stage involves developing scenarios and summaries of trends that reveal the danger the company is facing in the future if there is no change. Also, the scenarios will further reveal how, through change, the company will have the ability to exploit the opportunities available in the market and reduce the competitive threat it is facing from rivals (Koprulu, Aksoy & Oznacar, 2017). The management will initiate discussions with employees at every level to convince them that it is only change that can guarantee the survival of the company. The discussions are crucial in creating the employee buy-in into the change process.
The second step in the model is developing a coalition that will guide the change management process. The top management in the organization led by the chief executive officer will spearhead the change process. The chief executive officer will then collaborate with other individuals within the organization that will be the members of the coalition for change. Besides status, the leadership of the change process will entail other leaders based on their expertise, experience, and personality amongst others.
The strategy in this stage is to identify the crucial leaders and obtain their emotional commitment to the change process. The leaders will be at every level in the organization to enhance the visibility of the change process. Also, the leaders i.e. the members of the coalition will have complementary characteristics in areas such as experience, expertise, status, job titles and political relevance. It implies that the main focus of this stage is on team building amongst the members of the change coalition.
The third step is to develop the vision and the strategy for the change. The engagement amongst the members of the change coalition will lead to the evolvement of various ideas and concepts that will be central to the envisaged change. These ideas and concepts will then be organized and linked in an easy and memorable manner to create the vision that will guide the change process (Niculescu & Voicu, 2018).
The strategy in this stage is identifying the values that are vital in guiding the change process. After identifying the values, a summary of one or two sentences will be developed to capture what is envisaged as the future of the organization. Then, the strategy for attaining the vision will be developed. It will include identifying the man processes or activities that must be undertaken to attain the vision.
The fourth step is to communicate the vision. The vision that is developed will be communicated frequently and in an engaging manner to employees and other stakeholders of the company. The strategy in this stage is to address any anxieties or concerns that stakeholders like employees may have towards the vision. Also, the vision will be applied to every operational aspect of the business. It means employees will be required to ensure their activities align with the vision. For example, employee training programs will aim at attaining the envisaged goals identified in the vision.
The fifth step is to empower broad-based action. The change coalition will identify any obstacles that could be curtailing the implementation and attainment of the goals envisaged in the change process. The removal of any barriers will ensure the individuals playing different roles in the change process are empowered and motivated.
The strategy at this step is to evaluate systems like the organizational structure, compensation systems, and job descriptions and ensure they align with the vision for change (Walker, 2018). Any hindrances should be rectified to enhance the level of enthusiasm and motivation of the employees towards the change process. Another issue at this stage is to recognize individuals and reward them for their involvement and contribution in making the change process successful. It will also be necessary to identify any employees or stakeholder that is resisting the change and convince them on the benefits and attributes of the change process.
The sixth step is the generation of short-term wins. The change coalition will create short-term targets like weekly or monthly targets. The attainment of these targets and their attainment will be an indication that the ultimate goal of the change process is realistic and attainable (Hughes, 2016).
The strategy is to identify targets relating to the change that are attainable even without the support of anyone opposed to the change process. Then, the required resources to attain these short-term wins will be made available to minimize any possibility of failure. Any failure at this stage can demoralize the team members and can hurt the attainment of the goals of the overall change process.
The seventh step is consolidating the gains of the change process and producing more change. The attainment of the short-term wins should not derail the focus of the change team on the ultimate goal of the change process. The short-term wins must be perceived as the start of what should be done to attain the overall goal of the change process.
The strategy is to evaluate the short-term wins and identify what worked and the areas that require improvement. Then, further goals should be set for continuous improvement of what has been attained. Such goals maintain the momentum of the change process and ensure the employees and other stakeholders involved remain relentless. Also, new members will be incorporated into the change team to ensure the change ideas remain fresh and flexible.
The eighth step is to anchor the new approaches into the culture of the organization. It is necessary for the change attained to become part of the organization’s culture. The values that have guided the change process must be visible in the performance of the daily activities in the organization. Also, the leadership of the organization will demonstrate commitment by communicating the aspects of the change process continuously.
The strategy at this stage is to narrate the success stories of the change. Also, the values of the change process will guide organizational activities like recruitment and selection. Any new employee hired must exhibit the values to ensure they fit into the culture of the organization (Medeiros, 2016). It will also be necessary to recognize the members of the change team and appreciate their contribution in the various stages during the change process. Also, a plan will be put in place to replace the main leaders of the change process to ensure the legacy they created is not lost or forgotten.
References
Hughes, M. (2016). Who killed change management? Culture & Organization , 22 (4): 330-347.
Koprulu, F., Aksoy, Y. & Oznacar, B. (2017). An analysis of preparatory school managers' strategies for managing change. International Journal of Economic Perspectives , 11 (1): 610-619.
Medeiros, A. (2016). Dynamics of change: Why reactivity matters. Communications of the ACM , 59 (10): 42-46.
Niculescu, G. & Voicu, F. (2018). Review of International Comparative Management , 19 (1): 88-96.
Walker, G. (2018). Change management: Organizational change. Training & Development , 45 (2): 30-31.
