Managing Productivity through People - Case Study Example

Name Institution Instructor MANAGING PRODUCTIVITY THROUGH PEOPLE Executive summary The most critical aspect of present business is the speed at which several changes takes pace. Companies are often faced with several changes within their operations. Most people often reject such changes within organizations. Several forces that are at the heart of constant change exist within the organization. Managers can use several strategies to help solve the problem of change within the organization. Kurt Lewin provides a model that can be used in implementing change within the organization. The paper makes recommendations that the model can help in eliminating challenges among employees. In conclusion, organizations need changes and innovation for them to compete effectively with other organizations. Introduction The most critical aspect of the present business environment is the incredible speed with which it changes. Even if things evolve in either a negative or positive way, change itself is seen as a problem by many people. Technological, scientific, social and cultural innovations are currently taking place at such a breathtaking rate that most individuals cannot keep up.People need to constantly revive their knowledge and skills to adapt to new changes. As to this, most people feel change is ineffective and unnecessary since the employees need to adapt to the new demanding jobs within the organization with most lacking proper educational background. This paper explores different strategies managers can use to deal with problems and issues associated with change among employees. Content Forces of change and innovation Competitive forces Changes in the competitive environment such as mergers, incumbents and acquisitions, bankruptcies, new product offering can substantially affect the operations and strategies of the organization. For instance, if the competitor introduces a new product or service into the market that threatens to take away market share of an organization, it should be ready to change and deploy new strategies that can enable it retain customers. Competition is an important driving force towards the change and innovation within organizations (King and Anderson, 2011). Technological forces Technological innovations and changes are a threat to embracing new technologies that require adaptability. Digital technology is more significant since it is applied to several functions of business, life and society. Business is inconceivable without the internet and other software tools that most companies use to manage their businesses. Currently, most individuals use social media platforms such as My Space, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to communicate with others. Consequently, adaptable companies use digital media to find various ways of evolving their operations for them to gain a competitive advantage (Shore, 2012). Globalization forces For organizations to capture the new global market, they need cultural, product and communicative adaptability. Identifying new opportunities and threats in the world market is very critical for the company to adopt for optimal value. Through globalization, every nation is drawn into a single economic system. Every enterprise strategy should therefore be able to address the globalized market where most individuals participate in business activities that transcend national boundaries. It is important for every firm to understand the current and future global trends on their operations and develop a strategy that can optimize opportunities through exposure to different markets globally. The organization must therefore change its strategies to cope with the global world (Blissett, 2010). Legislation forces New legislations and laws can dramatically change the activities and operations of the organization. Companies should constantly strive to adopt cleaner and socially responsible techniques that can make a sustainable environment. Failing to observe the law can lead to financial detriments and fines, not forgetting negative branding. Thus, the organization is forced to innovate new strategies that can enable them the act according to the stipulated laws (King & Anderson, 2011). Organizational Restructuring Organization restructuring is an internal force that brings change and innovation to the business organization. The company may be forced to alter their existing structure and adopt new development strategies, new product lines, new business units and global expansion. Changing the structure of the organization is the disruption of communications and hierarchies which must be reintegrated. The employees should be given appropriate training on change and innovation and the implication the change may have on their daily operations (Blissett, 2010). Eliminating blocks to innovation and communication change There are several blocks that may hinder innovation and communication change from taking root in the organization. Such barriers include: Fear of risks involved in the innovation Weak leadership Policies and procedures External opposition Lack of adequate resources Failed Innovations The managers should recognize cultural compliance, skepticism or resistance from the employees. The manager should realize that change is hard, and there may exist constant rebellion and resistance throughout the organization. While the managers may critically need changes, the employees may be satisfied with the status quo. The employees may be skeptical since they have undergone through some challenges that were successful. The manager should take the time to demonstrate why the innovation is appropriate and different from the previous change. The best way to do this is focusing on the quick delivery of possible wins. The managers should seek outside experts to help them work with the resistance, uncover various issues and create a plan to reach their goals (Kaplan, 2003). Putting healthy communication plan can help to avoid misunderstandings that can thwart the plans laid by the organization. In their communication, the managers should start by defining their vision and goals. The company should consider all stakeholder analysis and ensure that they consider all individuals and groups they need to communicate with, what are their concerns and the best channel to use when communication to them. Most managers often make common communication mistake by thinking they have covered everything when they have not (HüLsmann & Pfeffermann, 2011). The managers should practice accountability and alignment within the organization. The aspect is vital for the organization's long-term success. If the innovation or project instituted is not part of the organization goals and objectives, and they are not accounted for, then the innovation is likely to demand less attention. The managers should ensure that the right managerial structures and systems are put in place and not skimping when planning for the innovation. They should leverage and access the strengths that exist within the organization. Consequently, they should ensure people are aligned accordingly and be prepared to make necessary changes (Poole, 2005). The employees can complain about heavy workload within the organization. Heavy workload and lack of resources are critical complaints when the company attempts to bring new change. Most people claim that there is a lot of work going on, and the new change is likely to take extra time away from their usual work. Smart change leader should be able to communicate to the employees that the new change is meant to make their live easier and not to add more to their workload. The manager should demonstrate the benefits of rethinking the workflow and using new technologies or process to minimize non-value-added steps (Pfeffermann et al., 2013). Types of changes within the organization Cummings & Worley (2015) suggest the following types of organizational changes: Developmental change: developmental changes are used by the organization to correct or improve their processes within the organization Transitional change: This is a situation where the organization replaces an existing procedure or process with a new process. Transformational change: This is the profound shift in the way the organization operates. It typically involves transitional and developmental changes. Kurt Lewin developed a three model of change. The model provides a practical and simple model for the understanding change process. The models are widely used as the basis of many change models, the model comprised of unfreezing, movement, and refreezing. Unfreezing Before the change is implemented, it should go the process of unfreezing. The aim of unfreezing is to create awareness of how the change will affect the organization. The more individual know about the change, the more they are motivated to accept the change (Scheer et al., 2003). Movement After unfreezing, individuals need to move. Lewin suggests that change is a process where the organization moves from one stage to another. The stage constitutes implementation of the change (Scheer et al., 2003). Refreezing The stage symbolizes stabilizing, reinforcing and solidifying new state of change. Changes made within the organization are refrozen and accepted as the status quo (Buono & Jamieson, 2010). Recommendation From the study, the following recommendations can be made The managers should recognize and accept failure as part of innovation. Accepting failure as an inevitable part of innovation sends a positive information to the workers. Managers who can manage innovation and change more effectively are the ones taking most of their time to celebrate and recognize success. The managers should acknowledge that innovation and change can be stressful and need extra effort. This recognition motivates the employees to respond positively to the innovation The managers should provide training to the employees. They should access the skills and knowledge of employees and determine their readiness to change. If these factors are found to be wanting, then the manager should provide proper training to the employees for them to meet the demands of the innovation. Adapting to innovations requires for adequate mastery of skills and process. They should create an open environment of trust. They should establish open door policies and tools that allow two-way feedbacks. Consequently, the manager should have the willingness to listen to different creative and innovative ideas from the employees. The managers should accept solicit input. Employees are likely to oppose innovative changes that they are not able to influence. When the managers involve them in the change, then they can appreciate and accept innovative changes within the society. Conclusion Change is paramount for the business organization. For any business organization to realize success, it should undergo certain changes and innovations within their promises. The managers should find different strategies of making the employees accept several changes within the organization. The managers should be adequately involved in making changes within the organization. Also, Lewis provides a model that can help the organization to implement change more effectively. References Blissett, G.,2010, Facing the Forces of change: decisive actions for an uncertain economy. Washington, D.C., NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence. Buono, A. F., & Jamieson, D. ,2010, Consultation for organizational change. Charlotte, NC, Information Age Pub. CUMMINGS, T. G., & WORLEY, C. G.,2015, Organization development & change. HüLsmann, M., & Pfeffermann, N. ,2011, Strategies and communications for innovations an integrative management view for companies and networks. Berlin, Springer Kaplan, H. B.,2003, Organizational Innovation Studies of Program Change in Community Agencies. Boston, MA, Springer US King, N., & Anderson, N.,2011, Managing innovation and change: a critical guide for organizations. London, Thomson Learning. Pfeffermann, N., Minshall, T., & Mortara, L.,2013, Strategy and Communication for Innovation. http://banques.enap.ca/Proxy.pl?adresse=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-41479-4. Poole, M. S.,2005, Organizational change and innovation processes theory and methods for research. Oxford, Oxford Univ. Press Scheer, A.-W., Abolhassan, F., Jost, W., & Kirchmer, M. F. W.,2003, Business Process Change Management ARIS in Practice. Berlin, Heidelberg, Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Shore, D. A.,2012, Forces of change new strategies for the evolving health care marketplace. San Francisco, Jossey-Bass. Read More