MGMT 672 Change Drivers and Impediments

Change Drivers and Impediments

MGMT 672: Strategic Change Management

Abstract

This paper deals with a specific scenario of me being the organizational developer to a consulting group with 60 other companies involved in my portfolio. With this we are changing drastically and going through various steps, drivers, as well as impediments to do that change effectively. Throughout these companies, some are changing effectively and doing good while others are not doing so good. With this in mind, we should look at what is causing them not to do good and what can be done to fix the issues. The biggest thing affecting the companies that are not doing so well is resistance. I will further describe this and the steps, drivers, and impediments in this paper. I will talk about the S.M.A.R.T. method as well. I will conclude this paper by discussing everything in a short paragraph to help you understand things as easy as possible.

As the Organizational Developer with the Organizational Development and Design Consulting Group (ODDCG) there are about 60 companies in my portfolio and currently are going through various stages in their change programs. I have noticed after reviewing the results that some of the companies are doing ok while others are failing due to resistance, so something has to be done to fix this issue. My goal would be to help the team understand what type of resistance they can face and the plan to overcome it by coming up with a game plan to correct it. I first want the team to understand what type of resistance can occur and explain the relationship between the impediments and the change drivers the companies have used. I would also want to make sure there is an understanding of the different internal and external change drivers and their influence on the companies. The next thing I feel would be important would be to make a list of the models we could use that are applicable. I would also make recommendations on what steps I feel that need to be made in order to start or continue the plan for change within the company.

There are companies that have set up planned changes already and now they want to implement them, but they may stall or slow down. There are some companies and the change ideas that they have they have not tried because they feel the response may not be good. I want to provide guidance to the leaders and come up with a plan to help them deal with the resistance to change by understanding this will require an action plan that they would utilize. To fully understand resistance, we would first need to know what is causing it in order to fix it. Finding out the root would help us to better understand the impediments, so we can take the necessary steps to fix it. Diagnosing the problem in the beginning would be the best course of action and that will require evaluating companies, so we can help improve changes. We would need to set goals and come up with a plan to achieve them in a company goal setting is important and with that being said I would use the S.M.A.R.T goal method. It is the most effective tool when it comes to achieving your goals because you are able to chart out your outline of your project. What does S.M.A.R.T stand for?

We would first appoint the team to ensure someone is managing, directing and planning as well as teaching if training or coaching needs to be implemented. I would appoint the right leader to make sure the team has support and the team is adapting to the changes. I would implement support to the action plan by proving 20% of their salary along with an excellent benefits package. The manager of the project would also receive the same package for the year because I feel it would take a full year to achieve the action plan. I would also make sure there are enough trainers so if coaching or extra training is needed we can assess the progress every quarter.

1. Specific- What do we want to achieve exactly? This is where we would need to be more specific clarifying what we are looking to accomplish and what order. This is the where, how, when, with whom, conditions and limitations.
2. Measure- This is where you identify exactly you will see, feel and hear when the goal is reached. It also means to break the goal down in to measurable elements. We would need to ensure we have the correct evidence, so the goal can be achieved.
3. Attainable- We want to make sure the goal can be reached this means setting realistic goals and investigating whether the goal can be reached. You would also have to weigh the time, costs and effort it will take against the obligations and profits you have.
4. Relevant- Is the goal relevant? If you’re lacing certain skills, we can plan for more trainings and ensure that everyone wants to reach the same goal.
5. Time- The most important especially when it comes to deadlines it allows people switch to action. Also keeping the timeline flexible and realistic.

My mission would be to ensure that the leaders are in full agreement as to what is going on regarding impediments and change drivers. When it comes to planning change in a company I want to make sure that everyone is on the same page so that means communication is key. I want to reduce any chance of there being resistance the forms of communication would require change which is considered a change driver. Change driver is for those trying to encourage others to support changes in the company. Impediments can be obstacles that may occur when change is being initiated such as; your team unwilling to integrate. As a leader with change drivers I want to decide how change implemented can affect impediments are the present. Approximately one-third of people requiring change from their current situation will actually embrace it (MUSE,2019). On the other had the one third will be on the fence about change while another one third will not change without being convinced or proof that the change is needed in the first place.

Since a third of the population in an organization are drivers for change while the rest are not striving for change because they may be fearful of what can happen or the possibilities. They don’t want to fail to meet the status quo or feel there is no longer a need for their position or even being concerned about their competence level in the organization. A leader would need to allow concerns to be heard and addressed that would allow us to come up with a proper course of action and also a better strategy to resolve any issues the team may have as we go. I would hire a team that would only focus on helping members in the company adapt to change so everyone in the company is on the same page. Also, if there is doubts or concerns it would be their job to address it and help each member get through, so they have a better understanding.

The agents would provide support to members who don’t understand the change and possibly persuade the team to go with the change. Then you have the proof seekers who no matter what would need evidence to feel assured that implementing change would yield results. Showing them evidence that the change will work will eventually get them to support it with less resistance. This can also be done with either external/internal drivers because they can have an impact on individuals. With all three of the groups it would be hard to support change in the beginning clearly but it will get easier as you move forward with the process when implementing the changes in the company.

There are external/internal drivers as I mentioned before that an organization can utilize to help push change within the company. It has been known that leaders use many internal drivers to aide in the push of their agenda no matter how complex it may be companies are also known to use external drivers as well or both. No Matter which one you choose it will have an effect on the organization especially based on the history of the company along with their externa;/internal environment they were exposed to. The characteristic of the company should help the leader better determine which type of drive should be used for changing along with emerging competition. Let us not forget the competitors the company would go against in the rising market that would need improvements if they will not the company to continue to exist and be successful. External drivers can be very useful because the organization has minimal affect in this area.

We have to remember that an organization cannot stop coemption in the market it will continue to grow as well as the economic status. Making the company more resilient to a lowed organization can make I more adaptable in the long run. Majority of people associate themselves with change drivers that ae internal because organizations usually find something wrong from inside that may need to be changed or improved. This can be setting goals or redesigning the structure of the organization. They should not look outwards instead focus on the changes they feel are needed and perform more self-assessments based on their own personal attributes.

Overcoming resistance will require many different strategies to be used especially for the companies that are struggling and in need of additional help. We would need to implement planned changes accordingly. I would use the company’s culture as a strategy to leverage the changes. I feel that strategy would help the organization’s that are at a standstill or they are slowly moving through the process. Culture can also be used as a highlight that would allow the leaders to prevent resistance in the beginning. Many companies use their historical culture that they desire which can mean communicating their wants to the team because it will be an essential part of using the culture to leverage change. It is also easier for employees to relate to cultural behaviors especially when they want to keep up with status quo. There are companies that may not be responsive to change so they may require a push to get started. When companies implement a change and they sense resistance from employees they should listen to the concerns, so they can see if it is something they can fix. The leader would need to have an open mind and be willing to put plans in order if need be. I feel in any company resistance can also be an opportunity for organizations to improve on themselves. There may be many questions that may arise, and we want to make sure we have the right leaders in place to answer all questions.

In conclusion, the companies that need assistance with how to overcome change should first start with them understanding the change drivers. Also making sure the drivers are not ineffective san if improvements need to be made we will ensure it is done. We also have to recognize that it can easily be the company’s system that results in poorly executed implementations and can be the reason the company stalls. Knowing in the beginning what problems may occur in the company would be the first step to implementing an effective plan of action. The leaders would also have to make a proper diagnosis in regard to the problems the company may be facing. This is where utilizing the S.M.A.R.T option because it focuses on the increases and it helps you to not procrastinate but achieve a daily discipline. As I stated this method is used in many companies because it is a tool that helps you achieve your goals. It would also allow you to evaluate objectives and it creates transparency. I would establish a strong management team in order to come up with an effective action plan and utilize all strategies mentioned earlier to keep resistance from stopping the completion. At the same time the leaders will continue to motivate the team. S.M.A.R.T would also help clarify the goals and help them come in to existence.

References

Three Types of Change Management Models. (2018, November 01). Retrieved August 28, 2019, from https://www.quickbase.com/blog/three-types-of-change-management-models

Your Coach. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2019, from https://www.yourcoach.be/en/coaching-tools/smart-goal-setting.php

What is Organizational Change Management (OCM)?- Definition from WhatIs.com. (n.d.). Retrieved August 28, 2019, from https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/organizational-change-management-OCM

M.U.S.E. (2019). Colorado Technical University. Strategic Change Management. Retrieved August 28, 2019