The Role of Communication with Resistance to Change - Assignment Example

Change Management College: Name: Students ID: Date: Course Name: Unit Code: Time: Instructor: Question 1: Discuss the role of communication in coping with resistance to change. Today, organisations operate in a constantly changing environment driven by globalisation, technological changes, and cultural shifts, among other factors. Consequently, the organisations have got to change accordingly in reaction to the environmental changes. This process of change ought to be managed well seeing as it is growing to be a crucial aspect within organisations. However, current research reveals that 60 – 70 per cent of change programmes do not succeed. Resistance to change has been time and again come out as the key factor causative to these failures. Resistance to change can arise as a result of various reasons. Among these reasons is poor communication. Poor communication has been found to be a main setback when analysing abortive change processes. As in any other business discipline, the significance of communication cannot be overemphasized in managing change. Change involves, individuals, teams, stakeholders, along with other groups. Each participant has their own communication needs. Change communications management calls for timely and appropriate generation, collection, dissemination, storage, and ultimate disposition of information. Organisations depend on effective communication to kick off and sustain change. In the end the sensation of whichever change endeavour relies on how well the approach for and the essence of the change is communicated to those who are the targets of change. Research shows that effective communication is very much beneficial to organizations seeking to implement change. Communication with employees keeps them up to date regarding the change progress. Change usually comes with lots of uncertainty. People will resist change seeing as this uncertainty threatens their position. They will more often than not have cynical feelings regarding the outcomes of the change process or the security of their job among other factors. Communication helps to shrink the level of uncertainty by presenting correct information. Moreover, with effective communication, it is possible for the organisation to deal with resistance arising from insufficient or wrong information breakdown from the recipients of change. It helps to prove to people of the desire to change. Communication also entails an exchange of ideas, opinion, fears and doubts. This exchange gives emphasis on a participative approach, where employees in an organisation are involved there by smoothing the process of implementing change. Through communication, the organisation may well attend to concerns held by employees. It also enables the organisation to pay attention to strategic issues, especially in the first stages of the change process. Effective communication can be enabled through various methods, such as, face-to-face dialogue, group presentations, conferences, and reports, among others. The organisation should plan its communication carefully, specifying the method and frequency of communication, which vary depending on the needs. Communication too helps to handle stakeholder expectations. Setting the correct expectations with each and every one stakeholder will smooth the progress of controlling change and ensuring that all stakeholders find essential information. Cultural considerations in communication are also important due to the globalisation of the work environment. The organisation ought to consider various cultural nuances such as nodding, shaking hands, and use of gestures, among others. Question 2: Discuss why it is useful to see appreciative inquiry as having an important role in building readiness for change. Appreciative inquiry is a strand of action research. Action research is a research method that was intended to be more practical and give emphasis to the use of participation in research. Appreciative inquiry was developed to boost the traditional action research method. In the area of change management, appreciative inquiry has gained much attention within the past two decades. Appreciative inquiry is important in managing change seeing as it is intended to arouse social innovation. This predisposes to a constructive and beneficial view towards individuals, organisations as well as circumstances. Appreciative inquiry circumvents one-dimensional problem-solving boxes by arousing the need to generate and find out fresh potential for creating improved existence. Appreciative inquiry fastens the progress of change and builds readiness for change in a number of ways. First, it requires the change process to be positively stated and be a sign of vital issues arising from the need for. Besides, the mainstay premise of appreciative inquiry should unite with the style of change management used, the organisation’s overall vision along with the future goals so as to impose the permanence of the organisational changes considered necessary. Third, the relevance of appreciative inquiry depends on the target people’s way of life. It cannot be applied in a downbeat ambience, since in such a situation there is grand alarm of spreading information. Also, appreciative inquiry comes in handy where knowledge and opinions of various parties exist. Stakeholders are also required to have an open mind-set. Finally, the individual applying appreciative inquiry must harmonise words (what one tells about appreciative inquiry) and actions (what one does). This will boost the rate of success. Apart from the above factors, appreciative inquiry is further supported by five principles drawn from five different constructs and values. These form the outlook that appreciative inquiry takes in effecting change. The five principles are: (1) The Constructionist Principle; (2) The Simultaneity Principle; (3) The Poetic Principle; (4) The Positive Principle; and (5) The Anticipatory Principle. Appreciative inquiry is further cemented by a 4-D cycle framework. The 4-D cycle framework corresponds to four distinctive phases through which change is guided. The 4-D”s comprise: (1) Discovery; (2) Dream; (3) Design; and (4) Destiny in that order. Discovery is an introspective phase that draws people close to the experiences along with high points correlated to the organisation. In this phase information used in the dream phase in sourced. The Dream phase is intended to infiltrate existing patterns and craft likeness of the potential that existing in the organisation. The Design phase develops the Dream phase by probing what is required to realise the vision created in the Dream phase. Characteristically, the Destiny phase makes up the approach used to realise the future state. Brainstorming is crucial in this phase as it enables the establishment of adequate leverage right through the whole organisation. Figure 1: The 4-D Cycle Question 3: Discuss whether there is a single ‘best style’ of managing change, or whether the style of a change agent should vary according to change situations. There are many styles of approach to change management; nonetheless, every style has its goods and evils. No one style is supreme in every one situation. In reality, the most important thing is to choose the style that fits to the situation. Different styles of management are determined depending on the context. For example, education entails elucidating the rationale and means for change. This is more suitable when there is a lack of information or people have been misinformed and can be used to change their mind. In this case, change will possibly be more successful if those targeted by it are drawn in its development and planning. Participation helps to put up ownership in the change process. Participants will be able to cultivate a more upbeat mind-set to change and perceive the restraint encountered and will as a result be more geared up for change. However, excessive involvement can run the risk of finding a way out from the bottom hence there ought to be somebody to intercede. A change agent passes on the elements of the change process to task forces or project teams, who then may be required to collect data, generate ideas, among other assigned duties. But this gives rise to commitment issues as these groups may well execute parts of the change process. Use of direction from the top comes with a plain vision on how the change will transpire and can come with priorities. Coercion is a very much acute form by issuing pronouncements that direct change from the top; for instance, in an emergency. It is clear that each style in appropriate in different contexts. The best approach would be to use different styles for dissimilar stages. This is because styles of managing change can fluctuate in line with the stages in the change process. For instance, direction from the top may be required to trigger off speediness for change and participation can help out in acquiring a wider commitment. Styles of managing change can as well vary with time and scope. For instance, participation could be preferred for incremental or deep-seated changes in an organisation whereas transformational change could do with a directive approach. In reference to power distribution, hierarchical power arrangement could do with direction from the top whereas flattery/ adhocracy power arrangement could do with a participative style. On the other hand, based on personality traits, people endowed with the utmost potential to manage change may well know how to take on dissimilar styles in dissimilar situations. In a nutshell, styles of managing change are not mutually exclusive. Armed with a clear path on the general vision may give support to a more collaborative approach or a more comprehensive strategy development. Whereas education and communication could be more suitable for some stakeholders such as financial institutions, participation possibly will be essential in areas where it is obligatory to put up speediness and capacity. References Jabri, M. (2012). Managing Organisational Change: Process, Social Construction and Dialogue. Palgrave, Macmillan. Read More