Introduction/Overview
Overview of the Case Scenario
British Airline (BA) organization intends to introduce the use of swipe cards for clocking in and out during the start and end of shifts (Case Study, p.239). Staff members are uncomfortable with this factor because they feel their employer will be in a position to manipulate their work schedules. Moreover, they will not enjoy compensation for overtime hours. Additionally, they will be forcefully swapped to shifts thus interfering with their free time that they can spend with their families (Case Study, p.239). The worst part is that the senior management board decided on the program without consulting the personnel. Therefore, the employees felt disrespected. The firm made a mistake of introducing the change during its peak season; summer quarter, when it should be making more sales thus denting its reputation and income. This paper aims at discussing the issues experienced by British Airline in the course of introducing the change as well as the change perspectives that best explain the problem.
Discussion Questions/ Debriefing
Critical Issues to Understanding the Wildcat Strike (Question 1)
The primary reason for the wildcat strike is that the management did not consult the staff before employing the change (Case Study, p.240). The workers felt that the company no longer respected them since their opinions did not matter to its success. The cards are meant for electronic clocking in to enable the system to record the starting and ending time of staff members automatically. They argue that such program will allow their employers to manipulate their work schedules. Moreover, one employee claimed that the swipe card would also interfere with their wages because they will be forced to swap shifts. Particularly, they will be transitioned to automats without earning for extra hours. The people who felt most affected are the women with children since the unplanned swaps will place them in a complicated situation with their families.
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The Perspectives that Provide a Better Understanding of the Swipe Card Issue (Question 3)
A combination of change management and organization development provides the best way of understanding the swipe card issue. Transformation is inevitable in every organization hence it is essential for organizational managers to come up with proper change management tactics to remain competitive in the market (PMI, 2018). Change management perspective helps in evaluating the effects of reforms to both external and internal elements of a company. It provides strategies for managing change attitudes in the workforce or individuals. The factor that triggers change is the desire to develop a firm; to outdo competitors. Hence, as much as the BA senior manager felt that this change was appropriate, he or she would have considered the staff members’ attitude that greatly affects the business’ productivity. Organizational development includes comprehending, creating, as well as transforming companies to improve its effectiveness (Leadership @ UF, n.d.). It works hand in hand with employees’ needs to boost their performance thus enhancing a company’s productivity (Vanderbilt University, n.d.). The workforce supports a company’s development hence managers should have strategic planning before implementing any policy or program. Additionally, it assesses the needs of the stakeholders thus seeking their approval for the desired change. Moreover, it trains leaders to act as change agents so that by the time the decision gets on board, the personnel is already familiar with it. If the management had applied the two change perspectives, then they would not have faced the wildcat strike because they would have already adhered to employees’ needs as well as expectations to ensure their cooperation.
Broad Conclusion from this Analysis (Question 4)/ Debriefing
The success of a firm lies in the hands of its personnel. Hence, employers should handle or treat the staff with respect. A change can either build or destroy a business’ reputation depending on how the workers receive it. As a result, suppose a firm wants to introduce a change, it should consider the employees' opinions before employing a change. Based on the BA actions, unions argued that a change needs time before its implementation. Proper timing of transformation that will not affect a company’s performance is also appropriate to its success. Therefore, one can assume that the company has terrible management structure because it did not weigh the benefits as well as the disadvantages of the ill-timed and irrational change.
References
Case Study
Leadership @ UF. (n.d.). Organizational Development - Leadership @ UF [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://hr.ufl.edu/leadership@uf/organizational-development/
PMI. (2018, October 6). Change Management | Project Management Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/featured-topics/change
Vanderbilt University. (n.d.). Organizational Development. Retrieved from https://hr.vanderbilt.edu/training/orgdevelopment.php
