Essay: Change Management Principles For Effective Implementation.

Change management often involves focused modifications or transformations of some of the identified critical aspects of the business operations (Rosenbaum, More & Steane, 2018). Some of the key strategic objectives of change management can be referred to in this context. Change management can be introduced to shape the overall collection efficiency of an organization (Al-Zoubi, 2018). The strategic roadmap, in this context, can involve the sustainable transformation of the leadership, organizational culture, and skill and knowledge levels of the employees, among other factors. However, one factor that facilitates the change management process is the involvement and acceptance among the employees. The case focuses on some of the core principles associated with change management initiatives and the overall acceptance of cooperation from the internal team members. The overall analysis will be supported by evidence-based research findings.

One of the key aspects highlighted through the case study is the active involvement of the leaders. Ideally, the change agents play vital roles in the overall transformation process (Binci, Belisari & Appolloni, 2019). The change agents should be representatives of the leadership team who have robust equations and networks with the team members. The case study suggests that the potential change agents should be identified among the leadership team. The leaders should be delegated with the responsibility of shaping the behaviour of the team members. The overall strategy is ideal as the initiating point of the change management process. The strategy can be further streamlined by adopting the change management process recommended by Lewin. The change agent can explain the rationale of the transformation and the need to depart from traditional culture through effective communication with the team members (Deborah, 2018).

The case study prioritizes the overall readiness of the employees in terms of accepting the change management process. Ideally, the proactive participation of the team members is vital to ensure effective change management implementation in the long run (Matthews, 2018). Therefore, the recommended strategy of ensuring employee engagement can be considered relevant and effective. However, the process can be further strengthened through a proactive assessment of the potential factors that may cause resistance to the changes in the long run (Srivastava & Agrawal, 2020). The leadership team, in collaboration with the change management team, can engage in effective communication with representatives of the team members. The discussion should ideally point out the issues and challenges associated with the change management process. The findings of the discussion can help in addressing the roadblocks proactively and minimizing the scopes of resistance in the long run.

Leader intervention

According to the case study, the presentation of the change management plan is of prime importance. Ideally, the team members should be aware of the core individual and collective benefits of the change management plan (Gitau & Monari, 2019). The case study recommends that the core benefits be highlighted as the primary message of the change management communication. The fundamental principle of the Expectancy Theory can validate the recommendation. The theory states that the internal members of an organization tend to create parity between the outcome and rewards provided by the leadership and the effort put in to obtain those (Lloyd & Mertens, 2018). Therefore, in this case, the team members will tend to compare the individual and collective rewards of the change management with the range of adjustments they would have to adopt in the long run.

One of the key findings of the case study is that the employees should be proactively involved in the overall change process. One of the recommended steps includes selecting voluntary representatives from various departments. Moreover, monitoring of the progress of change management and employee feedback had also been recommended. The recommended strategy can be considered feasible and relevant based on evidence-based theoretical references. The change management process recommended by Kotter partly relies on selecting voluntary agents from among various departments to create a microcosm of an ideal project management team (Laig & Abocejo, 2021). The agents will supervise the changes, address any gaps and coordinate with the immediate authority in case of further resource or training requirements. The theoretical reference further validates the necessity of reinforcing the changes through concrete supervision.

The case study had focused on the importance of learning and gaining knowledge through both formal and informal methods. Job shadowing has been highlighted as one of the recommended methods. Relevant evidence-based research suggests that informal learning methods can effectively implement change management processes (Zia et al., 2021). However, strategies such as a concrete knowledge management infrastructure had been recommended as one of the key strategic tools in this context. The digital knowledge management tools can be considered platforms for documenting and sharing both tacit and explicit knowledge bases (Lei, Gui & Le, 2021). The change management volunteers can document the relevant knowledge base on the tool and establish a community based on the interactive exchange of feedback, experiences and suggestions.

Rewards and recognition had been considered the key strategic tools to sustain the best practices of change management. Ideally, a range of tangible and intangible rewards can be offered to motivate the employees (Sanders et al., 2018). The tangible motivational sources can include financial rewards to team members or groups that will show comparatively higher efficiency than others while implementing the change management processes. Moreover, formal events that acknowledge the contributions of the team members can also be included as part of the reward management program.

Employee readiness and engagement

Conclusion

Overall, it can be concluded that the fundamental principles recommended through the case study are aligned with the overall objective of maximizing the involvement of the participants. The strategies can mostly be validated through the range of evidence-based literature. Certain approaches had been recommended to further streamline and strengthen the recommended change management strategies. Lewin’s change management model had been recommended as the fundamental framework for change management. The assessment of the resistance to changes had also been recommended. The introduction of a holistic digital knowledge management infrastructure had been recommended to complement the informal learning process of the team members. Collectively, the strategies will shape the change management, complemented by proactive employee involvement.

References

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https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/358d/785c87653d7daa8bc564997100b0ae882b75.pdf

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https://stratfordjournals.org/journals/index.php/journal-of-strategic-management/article/view/229

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