Change management refers to the continuous process of reviewing an organizations capabilities to serve the constantly needs to internal and external customers, its structure, and direction. The purpose of organizational change is to promote development and improvement to enhance responsiveness and effectiveness to internal and external changes through structures, systems, communications, competence, and better management of people. The increasingly dynamic environments prompts organizations to constantly implement changes in culture, process, structure, and strategy. Change facilitates the need for culture change, learning, creativity, and innovation ( Burke, 2017).
Change is a feature that is part of organization and it is present both at strategic and operational level. Change is inevitable. Change is the only thing that remains contain in our current fast changing environment. In the current times, an organization needs to undergo constant change to acquire efficiency. The modern business has extremely high competition level and the environmental and technological development is beyond prediction. The organization needs to have awareness areas where change is needed and have full capability of planning and applying these changes in its structure. Change can occur in the organizational systems and structures including work design, reporting relationship, and reward systems, in employees of the organization including their attributes, values, skills, and ultimate behavior, and in organization interpersonal style or climate such as decision making process, conflict management, and dealing with people’s relationships (Burke, 2017).
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According to Cummings and Worley (2014), change involves application of new advanced ways of operation, facilitating room for improvement within organizational system through practice. A change that enhances success to an organization is recognized as the most important among all changes introduced in the system. Changes are adopted to improve the performance of the organization. In most instances, changes are brought because of external or internal forces at different levels of an organization.
Organizations are a complex entity and generating a change is a complex task. The major steps towards achieving a successful organizational change is to have comprehension of the necessities of the organization and issues with the incumbent management structure. The management of changes has a significant role of identifying the organizational objectives and setting goals accordingly such that these changes eventually bring innovations. Leadership of organizational change is an important aspect in today’s organizations because of the rapid changes taking place due to the shifting trends in demographic and social, an increasing knowledge of workforce, quick pace in technological innovation, deregulation, and increasing globalization. Every organization seeks to have a management system that will improve the capability and strength of an organization and augmenting its competitiveness. Coordinating change process across the organization is a delicate balance that needs able leadership. Effective leadership makes the change process easy. Effective leadership need to recognize that the type of change management approach to be applied should be consistent with the organizational objectives and situation at hand. It is crucial for an organization to foresee situations in the current environment that is highly competitive and needs to be more flexible and ready to deal with any of the situational changes. The organization has to have flexibility in adopting changes for them to maintain their competitiveness in the global market. Organizations facilitate changes in their working structures to offer the best to their customers and to be more competitive (Cummings & Worley, 2014). Therefore, Change management should be well considered by an organization for it to be identified as successful. The organization I have chosen to study for the purpose of this assignment includes Sylvan Learning Inc. The paper will provide insight of change management process in Sylvan Learning Company and provide benefits and loses for the same.
Having knowledge that the business needs change and managing change effectively would allow the organization to adapt to the changing times.
Background of the Company
Sylvan learning, Inc was previously referred to as Sylvan Learning Corporation, is one of the largest profit tutoring company, inspired by the transformation in Americas educational system. It is a company with milestones of success, which began in 1979 in Portland, Oregin at the Sylvan Hill Medical Center Building. W. Berry Fowler, a former school teacher who had worked with “The Reading Game” educational company, founded it. By 1983, Sylvan had established many franchises and it relocated its headquarters to Bellevue, WA. Sylvan went public on NASDAQ exchange in 1986 with more than 500 franchises and established corporate learning centers in major cities. In 1997, Sylvan had expanded to offer other services including distance learning, computerized testing, and teacher training among others. Sylvan Learning was purchased from the parent company Sylvan Learning systems Inc. by Apollo management in 2003. Between 2008 and 2012, approximately 28 franchised centers located in various states were closed. The closing prompted Sylvan to work with franchises in efforts to open more centers. Sylvan Corporate planned to open 200 locations, many of which make use of digital learning system known as SylvanSync that offers lessons on tablets with oversight instructor. SylvanSync is an iPad technology that students use in their learning. Children love learning in the environment where they use iPads to take part in the SylvanSync. The advantage of this technology is that content can be updated frequently, which allows students ate teachers to stay up to date with the current trends. For instance, SlyvanSync technology has been improved the math program by providing online algebra for students in upper classes (Braden, 2013).
Sylvan Learning Center is the leading provider of K-12 tutoring services. It serves over 150,000 students in all skill levels and ages annually in various communities countrywide. It comprises of licensed and corporate additional learning centers that offer personalized instruction in test preparation for state exams and college entrance, homework support, study skills, mathematics, and reading. Apart from the study, math, and core reading skills programs, Sylvan is recognized for a novel academic program for writing that is an essential skill for school-aged students. The Company has focused on providing K-12 students with the services mentioned above through franchise-operated learning centers for the past 35 years. Sylvan is known for offering high quality service and supporting the educational needs of its customers. It has a unique record of accomplishment of serving people and assisting them in realizing the joy of learning. The dramatic changes that were taking place in the education industry propelled Sylvan Learning to adopt some changes and meet the emerging needs of society. For instance, the Sylvan Learning leadership made the decision to embrace and implement necessary changes in education after seeing a correspondence between healthcare and education. Today, Sylvan Learning has over 800 centers across North America and the highest market share of paid tutoring brands that outcompetes their competitors. These centers function under Schulerhilfe brand. It has been recognized multiple times as one of the top franchises in America (Braden, 2013).
Braden (2013) points out that Sylvan has grown from a small network of leaning centers and expanded to become one of the leading educational service organization across the globe. Sylvan Learning Centers offers lifelong educational services via its different business segments. In the past decade, the Company has focused on expanding its business in online education markets and in post-secondary education. Sylvan Learning Centers comprises of new segments for K-12 Education Services including International Universities, Online Higher Education, and Sylvan Education Solutions. K-12 education services are designed to offer personalized tutorial programs to school-aged children. Online Higher Education segment offers graduate degree programs and professional development programs to teachers through the Sylvan Teacher Institute. The revenue of the Company has raised from $68 million in 1993 to more than $500 million in 1999. The growth has been facilitated by the ability of the company to achieve a clear market leadership, form outstanding partnerships, exploit synergies among its business, and recognize new growth opportunities. Additionally, the growth has been promoted by forming alliances with leading with institutions, organizations, and corporations worldwide and through internal acquisitions and expansion. For instance, Sylvan acquired ASPECT and Wall Street Institute and was able to merge its leadership in English immersion and instruction. Today, Wall Street Institute is one of the largest companies training English language with about 300 training centers. In addition, Prometric Inc. grew under Sylvan, which has established 2,900 locations worldwide that deliver millions of computer-based tests. The ability to identify the inherent synergies, Sylvan was able to acquire Universidad Europea de Madird in 1999, which opened the path for the Company to enter the international university level of education and provided it with a new opportunity for international expansion (Braden, 2013). Therefore, these acquisitions have allowed Sylvan to expand into major ears of education.
Sylvan Learning Center is a section of Educate, Inc. and has 24 years of experience hence holds a unique position in the educational industry. It has trained and certified teachers who offer personalized instruction in the services offered by the company. The Company’s educational instruction is based on branded sequence and prescriptive valuations that identify the weaknesses and strengths of a student in academic. This allows teachers to establish a personalized instruction program that addresses the needs of each individual student and achieve the objectives of parents. It is focused on inspiring love for learning, triggering intellectual curiosity, and building academic confidence. Students are able to develop confidence to do everything else better as well as do better in school. The future of a child relies on a solid educational foundation and love for learning. Teaching students how to learn helps them to develop skills required to acquire success in school and in the world outside school. Sylvan produces exceptional results whereby their students experience double or triple growth in their reading and math scores compared to other students. Producing exceptional results is the reason Sylvan tutoring franchise has earned the trust of millions of families. Sylvan has acquired accreditation status as the first provider of private supplemental educational services. The Company provides adequate support to franchisees, by offering educational programs via Sylvian University to assist them achieve their financial aims, provides training in human resources, operations, and marketing (Thomas, 2018).
Sylvan comprises of a number of education solutions. These include establishing partnership with schools to offer high-quality research-based supplemental education services. In addition, it focuses on providing educational services to over 70,000 students in the 900 centers across the districts in North America and others in Italy, Austria, and Germany. Moreover, Sylvan education solutions offers support to schools with specialized programs and services including counselling, early childhood education, and after-school programs. Sylvan Education solutions has established its reputation on performance. The name is a reflection of the Company’s full solution as a partner in promoting excellent teacher certification, teacher training, and academic opportunity assessment. Sylvan education solutions offers direct services to students including tutoring as well as provide support for professional development in private and public schools. It was first unique program that integrated the services of private education into the most challenged urban schools in the country to provide rigorous instruction to needy students. It funded through different sources including local, state, and federal. Each year, the programs serve more than 95,000 students through language and speech programs, counseling and psychological services, and tutoring. These programs are tailored to meet the standards of obtaining measuring outcomes in enhancing academic performance of students (Braden, 2013).
Need for Change
Despite Sylvan having experienced decades of success, it needs to change its structure to meet the needs of the people in the current time because they have different expectations compared to those in the previous days. It attempts to transform from the traditional franchise, Sylvan is changing into a digital learning firms to compete better in the current environment. Sylvan is determined to adapt a digitalized platform that would re-engineer their learning strategy and process and support them. In the past years, the company has made significant progress in certain areas of the organization. These include allowing its franchise to venture into local libraries and other public spaces, adopting the digital experts to substitute many of its traditional advertising agencies, introduced an educational app store, established its own learning app, equipped franchise centers with iPads, and digitized its entire learning curriculum ( Krippendorff , n.d).
Krippendorff (n.d) state that the digital media is redefining the educational and media landscape thus it is not surprising that Sylvan should assume such as transformation. Technology is advancing every single day and it is important for schools to ensure this change is reflected in their curriculum. Adapting to this change helps to ensure children are strong, smart, and safe users of consumers. Integrating technology in education has huge benefits. For instance, when technology is involved, students tend to be more devoted, fascinated, and involved in their learning. Use of technology in learning is worth the time of students and teachers and technological support in schools allows students to be at per with the continuously changing world around them (Collins & Halverson, 2018). Sylvan is dedicated towards investing in their students to ensure they are empowered in a connected world. It has shaped and recognized standards for leading, learning, and teaching in the digital era. Digital skills have proved to be a necessity in the digital era for student’s preparations to contribute to the different areas of society.
Educational technology has propelled students to shift to online at a high rate. The number of K-12 students who take online lessons has increased significantly. With the growing demands for digitization of education, Sylvan offers online math tutoring and reading with live teacher interaction. Parents need more choices for their children. Educators are looking for new educational models to assist children to succeed in the digitized educational landscape. Sylvan is focused on adapting the educational technology, which is noteworthy because most companies are not doing anything to adapt. For instance, Sylvan has adopted the eSylvan, the leading provider of online academic tutoring services for students in grades 3 to 9. It has certified teachers with intent technology knowledge who offer students with a personalized, collaborative program from their computers at home. These online programs have proven to deliver quality academic results. The leadership of the company recognized they needed change in their business to be competitive in the global market ( Krippendorff , n.d).
Sylvan Learning Centers has brought technology in its plan for franchise expansion applying interactive lessons to enhance students’ involvement. The digital learning system has provided Sylvan with a competitive edge in the educational industry unlike the traditional learning system that were used previously. Digital learning is more flexible and learning can occur anywhere including at home, library, or classroom. At Sylvan, students relate with newest technology and great teachers. The leading technology at Sylvan Learning Centers include STEM programs, mySylvan, and SylvanSync. The mySylvan technology is an individualized web portal for every family and SylvanSync is the company’s adaptive practice sessions. SylvanSnc is used to integrate technology into the learning experience. Lessons are provided on an iPad®, which establishes an enhanced learning experience compared to the traditional methods of learning such as writing on a piece of paper or on a chalkboard. A student is able to finish their assignments on the iPad®. Moreover, the iPad® mirrors the student’s individual learning plan. The interactive exercises makes learning rewarding to the child. This technology allows teachers to assist the child in their areas of weakness and makes it easy for them to grade students. The use of education technology has enabled teachers to identify the individual skill gaps of a student easily. Teachers utilize technology to develop a specific program that helps to bring a child to speed. Students are able to finish their lessons or assigned work on iPads and teachers offer immediate feedback. mySylvan technology keeps the family updated and engaged. It allows very member of the family to plug in. The student’s web portal allows a child to learn at home. The parent’s web portal allows parents to have actual information regarding the progress of their child. In addition, parents can see the coming lessons and activities ( Krippendorff , n.d). Therefore, integration of technology in education is the most effective ways of involving students in learning new skills.
Scope of Change
Baruah (2018) state that the market for e-Learning internet companies is big and developing. Sylvan has ceased the opportunity to tap into the e-leaning market to improve their existing customer base, power their robust brand name, and to establish new partnership and ventures in the internet arena. Technological advances plays a changing role in education, which has been integral to rapid growth of Sylvan. The internet has become a major force in the world economy and it is anticipated that the growth will continue. The number of internet users worldwide has growth significantly over the years and it is still growing. It is projected that the internet will revolutionize education in major ways and Sylvan focuses on playing a central role in the evolving “e-Learning” marketplace. Sylvan has taken the lead in the developing multi-channel education in the market. To implement this plan, Sylvan has to make investments in the new technological ventures through training technology and select initiatives in the field of education.
Drivers of change
Various issues that drive the need for change catalyze the existing change in today’s economy. Change is commonly driven by situations along with a specific goal. Examples of the common drivers of change for Sylvan Learning Company include technological advancements to enhance process efficiency, to be competitive in the global market, and to be up to date with the changing environment. The goal of the whole change process is to direct the organization into a future state that would meet the changing needs of the current stats in which the organization operates (Hottle, 2013).
These factors could be external or internal or both. Some of the internal driving factors include human resources. In Sylvan, there was a time when it made some structural changes due to the changing environmental landscape. This is a vital moment for education in the K-12 environment because many people require supplemental education support for their kids. Supplemental education is important in assisting students achieve their academic success. For instance, the new K-12 structure provides Sylvan with an opportunity to focus wholly on children in pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Corporate strategy is also a change factor. In Sylvan, some changes were undertaken because of some new strategies that have been found to benefit the business in today’s economy. Cultural factor that involves shifting the values of the business to meet the culture of society in which the organization operation. Considering Sylvan is an international corporation, it has to implement the cultural change at the countries in which it operates (Hottle, 2013).
Some of the external driving factors include technological advancements. When an organization recognizes that its operations do not correspond with the current technological environment, then change is needed. Sylvan is not an exceptional case in adopting technology to ensure it remains at per with the changing landscape. Globalization is another driving factor, considered one of the strongest forces of change. It is gearing up changes in the world, which has made to be wide open and make necessary changes to meet globalization needs. Sylvan has made significant changes to survive in the competitive world. Regulatory constraints is a factor for change, whereby, all organizations working in a particular country must follow the legislations provided. Like others, Sylvan adapts to the legislations of the country where it operates (Hottle, 2013).
Initiators of change
Change in an organization has to be initiated, driven, and implemented by leadership that correlates with the process of change management. Having a strong leadership that guides the team through the change process promotes acquisition of successful implementation of change in a staged and planned manner. Change has to be instigated by a leader who has vision and persuasion. Mana gaging a wide organizational change, leadership should possess an extraordinarily expansive and finely honed set of skills. Therefore, leaders play a crucial role in choosing and planning suitable change.
Julia Fitzgerald, the Chief Marketing Officer, who led the Company into transforming into digital landscape, has implemented the change process in Sylvan. It is evident that Fitzgerald has knowledge regarding the intersection between children and digital. Additionally, she has knowledge regarding ways of inspiring a big company to adapt effectively to a changing landscape ( Krippendorff , n.d).
Approaches to Change
Julia Fitzgerald, Sylvain’s Chief Marketing Officer provided steps to embracing successful organizational change. The first step includes building adequate discontent. Fitzgerald joined Sylvan because she was looking for the change she could initiate. She convinced Sylvan franchises in 800 centers to buy in independent franchisee, which is more efficient to the franchisee and effective for students. For instance, moving iPads enables franchises to increase their businesses and reach, providing tutors in their centers as well as libraries and schools. Since the introduction of tablet-enabled coaching, Sylvan has opened over 100 new franchisees ( Krippendorff . n.d).
The second step involves pursuing a vision that is shared and easy to communicate. To achieve buy-in, Julia focused on the needs of customers. She portrayed an image of a mother who recognizes the loss of academic confidence in her child and seeks for a solution. Through this image, Julia demonstrates the need for Sylvan to adapt and embrace its “digital future’. A stakeholder can visualize through the painted picture and able to identify how each proposed strategic initiative assist in discovering this vision being illustrated and the reason why the plan matters ( Krippendorff . n.d).
The third step include producing early results. Meaningful change takes time and many stakeholders are not willing for long time to see the outcome. Prioritizing the areas of the plan that will generate early results will help to keep people engaged. Many of the things Julia would like to accomplish in Sylvan’s “digital future” include the company to be in the front line in the competitive global market and to deliver more instant payoffs to franchisees ( Krippendorff . n.d).
The benefits of Change
Sylvan has digitized its education and this has resulted in significant benefits to the company. The internet has allowed the company to reach out to many people across the globe through distance learning. Distance learning is becoming common in our current society and the number of students is projected to increase in the coming years. The internet is playing a crucial role in making distance learning possible. Sylvan has shifted its internet investments to the eSylvan Company to provide online tutoring to reach a large number of students. Additionally, Sylvan has invested in ZapMe!, which offers broadband internet access to students in high schools and middle schools. In addition, OnlineLearning.net is another investment that offers on-line courses in ongoing education. Moreover, Sylvan is focused on venturing in other areas including facilitating access to portals, links, services, and content for students in all ages in different fields including corporate training and development, college-level, postsecondary, K-12, and education technology (Hottle, 2013).
K-12 offers education services for students from kindergarten levels to high school education. The education services are offered via Sylvan Education Solutions and Sylvan Learning Centers. It applies direct instructor-student interaction that aims to advance the grade level of students. Post-secondary education offers educational services to students at university levels through various institutions including recognized teacher training degree programs and university courses, center-based adult English language instruction, and fully qualified international universities. Services are focused towards resolving the rapid growing global marketplace for shortage of teaching personnel in America and advanced education. The educational services are offered via Canter, Wall Street Institute, and International Universities. Education Technology involves application of evolving technology solutions in the education landscape. The Company aims to establish a stakeholder value by maximizing the opportunity to create a leadership position in the implementation of wireless and internet technologies via Sylvan undertakings Hottle, J. (2013).
According to Hottle (2013), technology has accelerated learning in Sylvan Learning Centers. The Company comprises of the most sophisticated technology compared to other companies that offer supplemental education. Technology is utilized on the daily basis, keeping the students engaged, enhances the educational progress of students, and making learning more fun. For instance, technology is used to keep the students engaged and knowledgeable throughout the learning process, enhances mastery of skill, keeps the student motivated, attentive, and involved, and establish a better teacher-student interaction. Sylvan reputation in the education industry is built on a firm foundation. With technological adaptation, the Company is dedicated to provide high educational standards and quality outcomes, which is mirrored in all its programs including English language, training of teachers, and K-12 students. Sylvan Learning Centers is one of the division of the Sylvan Learning Group. Other divisions of the Sylvan Learning Group include Sylvan Education Solutions and English Language Instruction. All these divisions have are well known for having excellent reputation in the education industry with high brand awareness and branded content that met the educational needs of its customers. The Company has exceptional platforms that allows students to develop ideas and obtain content from as well as offering them with solid opportunities for future growth. Sylvan is well positioned to tap on the important and relevant trends in America and in the international market.
Digitization of education has enabled Sylvan Learning Centers to meet the high demands of a solid, competitive knowledge-based economy in our contemporary society. The number of school-age children has increased over the past two decades and population is projected to rise in the subsequent decades. Technology has played a crucial role in allowing teachers to promote educational achievement and improve school performance in the Sylvan Learning Centers. The Company has continued to discover new opportunities for attracting students and establish new education programs that would meet the educational needs of students in the 21st Century Hottle, 2013).
Addressing the rising significance of technology in learning has allowed the Company to ensure the students have knowledge and skills to operate or work with the latest technology and ensure the global standards for quality and skills are achieved. Sylvan has dedicated its efforts on implementing internet technology to instruction and educational fields. The management has maintained its focus on the strengths of the core business in the training and educational service industry to ensure it achieves its internet applications (Hottle, 2013).
Sylvan has tremendous opportunities across the globe, thanks to technology. Currently, the Company has centers in Canada and America, and has plans in place of expanding to China. Sylvan has updated its program and refurbished its business model, which is more flexible and profitable. The model is designed to handle the franchisees technology enhancements to improve learning in their learning centers. The Company has a solid business experience that understand the value of education and this enhances their competitive advantage in the marketplace. Sylvan deals with franchises that are enthusiastic about education and have a strong business background because these are crucial aspects in ensuring their connection to the community. This is significant because it helps to grow the brand. The Sylvan franchisees make a difference by establishing relationships in the community. Sylvan is research-based and this enhances its competitive edge in the marketplace thereby making it to continue leading in the educational industry. The Company is a leading in technology and it is determined to continue evolving with the marketplace. Additionally, the Company is focused on developing the system with the newly established business model and expand more internationally and domestically (Hottle, 2013). Therefore, Sylvan has plans to provide the best education programs with improved technology and enhanced business model that facilitates efficient franchise operation making it attractive.
Problems in Implementing Change
Conflicts always arise during the process of implementing change. Conflicts often occur either prior or after initiating change. Change can be the reason for failure or success to an organization. However, if conflicts are not resolved timely, then they can generate hindrances in the change that is introduced in the Company. It is crucial for the management to understand that it needs to address all complications before introducing necessary changes. The major reason for initiating change in the organization is to improve the brand image of the company and make it achieve a more competitive edge in the market. In doing this, the Company is susceptible to experience obstacles from internal and external sources. Additionally, it is vital for the management to have knowledge regarding the consent of stakeholders (employees, customers, suppliers, shareholders) because they form an important part of the organization. If all stakeholders are on board with the change, this means the plan would be successful hence beneficial to the Company. Internal factors that may result in conflict include resistance from employees or customers. In the case of Sylvan, resistance from teachers against technological implementation can cause a huge hindrance for the Company to successfully implement the change. Adapting technology requires a lot of work because it would need training teachers on the every now and then to stay updated with the current technology to ensure they deliver quality education. If employees take the change negatively, then it may create issues for the Company to accomplish its objectives for implementing the change. Therefore, in such a situation, it is important for the management to address the issue, earn the trust of teachers so that they can perceive the new change positively, and accept it. A problem that Sylvan might have encountered is identifying the right personnel to promote change and who will be responsible for delivering these changes. Sylvan works only with trained and certified teachers and anything less than this could affect the set standards of quality required. Such obstacles can be problematic for the organization that is why strategic implementation forms a significant part of these changes (Hottle, 2013).
Innovation is something that takes a series of stages to complete the change process. To achieve the change process in Sylvan Learning Centers, the company had to train its staff and take them through the learning procedure to enhance their competence. Lack of knowledge and experience in strategic implementation of change may hinder the company from achieving the desired change. Through training, the staff members will be able to have complete understanding of the new technology and thus be able to support change. In addition, internal conflicts can be generated by differences in cultural issues. It is imperative for Sylvan to have understanding of the cultures of its employees and try to address them. To enhance quality. Sylvan should integrate leadership in the system to improve quality of staff. In addition, working environment should be improved to provide teachers and other staff members with conducive working condition and space. Good team management along with strong organizational culture can be effective in resolving such internal conflicts. Change is part of society and it is something that occurs repeatedly from time to time. To ensure success of the change is sustained, it is crucial for a new management process to be implemented. Stakeholders should be informed that the change is initiated for the betterment of them and this is a path to achieve change management effectively. The management should analyze the current market trends from time to time and be able to project future scenarios to prepare itself for any change that will be initiated in the organization to ensure it is successful (Hottle, 2013).
Recommendations
The success of the new technological changes in Sylvan has been attributed to effective management. Julia, the Chief Marketing Officer provided the required leadership that ensured successful adaptation of technology that has made significant changes in the educational industry. The achievement of these new changes were entirely dependent on the attitudes of society and young generation towards technology. We live in a digital era where everything is digitalized. Changing from traditional learning to digital learning is not an easy process, but with effective leadership and correct implementation plan, the company was able to achieve its goals. Sylvan is seeking to expand to other areas across the globe and it is important for it to invest in the latest technology to ensure it meets the educational requirements of the students in the current digital age. Sylvan has a reputation of being the leading investor in technology and in K-12 education worldwide. It is imperative for the Company to realize both its demand based innovation and technology based innovation to ensure it successfully implement its new ideas competitively in the marketplace to maintain its legacy ( Krippendorff , n.d).
Changes are facilitated by continuous research and development. Research and development are imperative in generating innovation because it allows organizations to identify the current changing trends, recognize the gaps in their structure, and implement the changes to improve the working practices of the Company. Broad research combined with knowledge can assist in providing a new and better way of implementing change ( Krippendorff , n.d). Therefore, investing in extensive research is something Sylvan should focus on in order to maintain a competitive edge in the digital marketplace and in the educational field of supplemental services.
Sylvan Learning Centers will have to develop a plan and implement new strategies that would enhance their effectiveness in expanding their business and delivering quality education technology. The Company needs to ensure its staff is competent enough in embracing change and delivering quality education to students using the advancing technologies. Sylvan has already proved its ability to embrace change by adapting and implanting technology, which is incorporated in their education, and has provided desired results. Change is a complex decision that a company can make and has profound direct effect on the Company’s image. This means it requires proper planning and preparation to withstand or overcome the strongest competition ( Krippendorff , n.d). Therefore, having a good plan is imperative in effective implementation of change.
As per the constantly changing technology, Sylvan Learning Centers should be at per with these changes to ensure the Company stays updated with the current trends. The management needs to examine and observe the current market conditions and identify the areas that needs to be improved. To initiate innovation, it is imperative for the management to monitor ideas that are working and those that are not when change is implemented. The management should establish a safe and support environment that will enhance success of the new changes in the organization. It is evident that a change is good only if it has the ability to enhance competitiveness of the organization in the marketplace and generate more success to the Company. Sylvan being a leading provider of K-1 education in the educational industry, it is important that implementation of the advanced technologies in education program provides it is with a competitive edge in the market and it enhances their success in education ( Krippendorff , n.d). Therefore, it is imperative for Sylvan to keep monitoring the current market conditions and make necessary changes if needed to improve the image of the organization and enhance its competitiveness.
Conclusion
Sylvan Learning Centers was established on successful learning and outcomes. Since its establishment in 1979, it has served over a million students providing supplementary educational services to students in all ages and at different level of skill. It is committed in providing personalized and quality tutorials programs to school age children via the Learning Centers owned by the Company and franchised. Sylvan Learning Center has over 800 locations across North America, and it is recognized as the leading provider of student-instructor interactions in grades K-12. It is shifting the way students learn by encouraging them to be successful both in life and school. Sylvan tutoring approach has proved to be blend effectively with technology providing students with an interactive learning experience. The Company supports the community through each phase of academic journey. The Company has a distinctive franchise structure that assisted it to develop throughout the world markets. The organization has transformed its development and learning programs incredibly. The Sylvan Learning Centers have been beneficial for the performance, motivation, grades, and focus of students in all ages and skill levels. Evidence reveals that students going to Sylvan Learning Center had improved fundamental and foundational skills as well as better grades. It has been able to promote a sense of community across various countries leading to a better experience for all stakeholders, families, and students. Sylvan has strategically implemented and adapted the latest technology in its educational structure. Integration of technology in education has proved to be effective in enhancing and improving education in student-age children. Digitized education provides students with interactive learning, improves their engagement, and make them interested. Adapting the digital learning system has improved the Company’s competitiveness in the educational industry. Technology has made education in Sylvan to be more flexible in that students can learn from anywhere including at school, library or at home thereby making learning exciting for students. Additionally, use of technology in learning allows teachers and parents to keep track of the child’s academic progress and help them to improve their areas of weakness. Therefore, Sylvan used strategic implementation to effectively incorporate technology in education that has provided it with a competitive edge in the marketplace.
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