Change Management Assignment: Factors Influencing Successful Organisation Change

Question

Task Description: For this task you are required to answer a wide range of questions with which to assess your underpinning knowledge in Lead and manage organisational change.

Procedure:

• Review the written questions provided
• Conduct necessary research. Your lecture notes, online resources and workbook may also assist you to complete this assessment.
• Provide responses to all questions
• Submit your responses to your assessor.

Answer

Q2. Explain factors common to successful change management:

The demand for Change Management Assignments is rising due to the business world changing at a rapid rate and companies are required to adopt certain changes that will assist them in sustaining in the competitive market. Thus, it is important to examine the different factors that are beneficial while implementing changes:

Plan: Before undertaking any kind of change business organizations are required to have a clear and valid vision and mission regarding the change process. The management needs to ensure that the change is measureable, realistic and achievable (Hayes, 2018). The management is required to plan as per the objective and ensure that all the employees are able to understand the importance of the change.

Communicate: Communication is one of the most important aspects that help in a successful change management. If any business is plans to implement a change it is important that the management should communicate the change with the stakeholders, shareholders and the consumers.

Management leadership: Even though all the stakeholders and executive members support the change it is not possible for every member to devote the required amount of time towards the change management process (Gelaidan et al., 2017). Therefore an individual is required who will take all the responsibility of the change and encourage and update others.

Accountability: This Change Management Assignment also explores the role of accountability. The progress of the plan should be measured at a regular rate against the mission and vision that was created along with the present performance of the business firm. If proper accountability is missing then the employees are aimless and demotivated.

Q5. Describe the importance of communication in change management:
Communication is the key of a successful implementation of a change program. It is considered as one of the most complicated parameter as it involves exchange of feelings and idea with people of the firm with the help of different mediums. The components involved in effective communication are:

• The message that is being sent should be genuine and authentic and should be clearly presented.
• The recipient of the massage should be able to understand the massage and provide relevant feedback regarding the message.

As per the Change Management Assignment it is observed that inappropriate communication plan may hamper the change process in a significant manner. The change effort may fail to achieve its objective if effective communication is absent (Matos Marques Simoes and Esposito, 2014). The management makes use of communication in order to create awareness regarding the change program so that all the members of the firms are well aware regarding the changes that are going to take place within the organization. It is important that the employees and the stakeholders of the firm must accept the change so that they can commit to work towards the change process.

Q7. What are the four key factors for success when implementing change within an organisation?
Purpose: Employees will remain positive towards the change only when they are aware regarding the purpose of the change and are supportive towards it. The thoughts of the employees must be in alignment with their actions. If the employees are aware about the positive aspect or necessity of the change then they will be supportive towards the change. Communication between the authorities and the members of the firm is important for successful change implementation.

Reinforcement of behaviour: Changed workplace behaviours can be attained with the help of BF Skinner’s theory of reinforcement. The new behaviour must be reinforced with the help of motivation such as management, reporting structure, and operational process. This will require measuring performance, setting targets and providing monetary and non monetary rewards to the employees in order to reinforce changed behaviour.

Skills for change: This Change Management Assignment reviews the role played by management towards educating their employees regarding their roles and behaviour during the change process (Goetsch and Davis, 2014). Employee engagement is important for successful change management. Employees should be trained for the skills that are required by them in order to assist in the change process. Skilled employees can help in enhancing the change management process in an efficient manner.

Role models: the management are responsible to guide their employees towards the change, however it is very important that influencers at all levels must help and encourage employees to be positive towards the changes. Changes behaviours are considered crucial during the change management process. Leaders are required to set examples for the employees so that workforce is well motivated and dedicated to work for the change.

Q9. Why is managing change important?
Managing change is important for the growth and development of a business firm. The benefits of managing change have been discussed below:

Minimize resistance: Managing change helps in minimizing the resistance within the organization. Interaction between the management and employees increases and the goals and objectives of the changes are made clear so that resistance is minimal.

Increase engagement: Managing change helps in increasing the employee coordination and cooperation levels of the firm. Employee engagement is increased an employee interact and communicate in order to work together so that change is successfully implemented within the firm (Dopson, 2018).

Improve performance: Change management helps in bringing new and required change that will assist in increasing the efficiency and productivity of the business firm. Therefore the performance of the organization is increased as a result of change management.

Reduce cost: Change management brings new and strategic changes within the firm that are helpful in reducing the cost of operation. For example, if any firm adopts technological change then the technology can helps in reducing the overall expenditure of the company and increase the efficiency of the business.

Increase innovation: Change management brings new ideas to the firm that helps in increasing innovation and assist the firm in modifying their services. Improved services and innovative ideas assist in increasing the customer’s base of the firma and the business value is enhanced.

Q10. Describe the Force Field Analysis?
Kurt Lewin is credited to create the Force Field Analysis in the year 1940. This Change Management Assignment is used by majority of business firms in order to make important decisions regarding the business organization (Swanson, and Creed, 2014). The basic concept behind force field analysis is that situations in an organization are maintained with the help of equilibrium between forces that drive the changes and other forces that resist the changes. It is important that the driving forces should be strong or the resisting forces should be weak. There are five basic steps that should be followed by management in order to use the Force Field Analysis within their organization. The steps ate as follow:

Step 1: The goals and vision of the change should decided by the management and the authorities.

Step 2: The management is required to analyse the factors that are acting as the forces for the change. Some example of factors that contribute towards change are, outdated machineries, reducing team morals, disruptive technology and more.

Step 3: The management needs to identify the forces that are against the proposed change. Some of the most common resistance to change are employee’s fear of the unknown, the present organizational structure, commitments to the partners, certain governmental legislation and more.

Step 4: the management must critical analyse the forces and try to rate them on a scale of one to five, one being the weakest and five being the strongest. The forces should be rated as per their degree of influence they have on the stated plan. The management must add up the scores of each positive as well as restraining force.

Step 5: Force field analysis is completed the management now has the report regarding the forces acting on the plan and they can make a decision whether they should proceed with the stated changes or not.

This Change Management Assignment will help the management of the firm in analyzing the most effective decision for their business. They can analyse the impact and then move forward with their change management process.

Q12. In terms of organisational behaviour describe what the following traits refer to:
Openness to experience: Openness to experience in context of organizational behaviour refers to individuals possessing an active imagination, attentiveness and curiosity. They are very creative and bring in new ideas that will benefit the business process in a positive manner.

Conscientiousness: These are individuals who are considered to be very responsive, organized and resistant. Most of the managers and leaders of the firms are conscious regarding the changes and the business processes so that they can carry it their responsibilities in the most efficient manner so that the business s process is not affected.

Agreeableness: These individuals are cooperative and trusting; they believe in the management’s decision and policies and are very cooperative towards any change being implemented within the firm.

Extraversion: These individual are assertive and sociable, they are very helpful and try to assist their fellow colleges or any members of the firm that requires any kind of assistance.

Neuroticism: These individual are very moody and may experience worry, anxiety, fear, frustration, anger and more such emotions. This Change Management Assignment outlines the organisation employees neuroticism and reasons why they are not very productive and may be resistant towards any new changes being implemented by the firm.

Reference List
Dopson, S., 2018. Managing change. In The Clinical Directorate (pp. 63-76). CRC Press.

Gelaidan, H.M., Al-Swidi, A. and Mabkhot, H.A., 2017. Leadership Behavior for Successful Change Management. In Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance (pp. 1-6). Springer International Publishing.

Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.

Goetsch, D.L. and Davis, S.B., 2014. Quality management for organizational excellence. Upper Saddle River, NJ: pearson.

Matos Marques Simoes, P. and Esposito, M., 2014. Improving change management: How communication nature influences resistance to change. Journal of Management Development, 33(4), pp.324-341.

Swanson, D.J. and Creed, A.S., 2014. Sharpening the focus of force field analysis. Journal of change management, 14(1), pp.28-47.