Change Management

Change Management Plan

No matter which type of industry is discussed - change management is an essential component in today's ever-changing business environment. To better understand this concept it should be recognized that change management is not just a task to be checked off and considered finished - instead, it is a constant process that should be undertaken with a sense of urgency, implemented swiftly, and monitored continuously to ensure a successful transformation. To illustrate the knowledge of the change management process throughout the simulation, the learner is assigned the task of providing the information necessary to build a culture in which to sustain change. Using the key concepts identified throughout the course is essential in the accomplishment of the assigned task.

Background Information

CrysTel is a telecommunications company operating in Illinois, U.S. The company has employee strength of 2,500 personnel and generates annual revenue of $200 million. CrysTel's product offerings include data cables, wireless solutions, and network development. The rapid advancements in the telecommunications industry will require CrysTel to cope with technological and administrative changes on a regular basis, thus placing it in a position to improve the range of emerging telecom technologies in a "bid to increase product offerings" and keep up with the "volatile demands of the market" (simulation).

Identify the major implications of the change at CrysTel, including any human behavior implications.

CrysTel is a responsive organization that keeps up with the unpredictable trends of the market - as such, CrysTel is likely to change its product portfolio or offer new products on a regular basis. These occurrences will, undoubtedly, have an impact throughout the entire organization. The flexibility that is exhibited by an organization to adapt to such changes, either internal or external (or a combination of both) is the foundation that success is built upon.

The change at CrysTel will not come without a price. Developing, implementing, operating, and marketing new technologies will require substantial capitol investment and a degree of risk-taking. It seems that after all the above conditions have been put into place that it falls on the shoulders of the Sales and Delivery department to ensure that the investments pay off in the form of financial returns - unfortunately this department is identified as one of the weakest based on the behavioral parameters of: leading by example; risk-taking; and resolving conflicts. Ironically, it was the suggestion of T.J. Smith, Vice President of Sales and Delivery, to commission an Employee Satisfaction Survey in which the above weaknesses were identified. These weaknesses of the department will need to be addressed and the employees associated with it require additional training.

Select an appropriate change model for CrysTel. Develop a plan that addresses human variables and potential resistance to change. Be sure to include contingency strategies for managing any resistance.

Resistance to change will derail even the best laid plans if not identified and dealt with in a positive, re-enforcing manner. In Organizational Behavior 6th Edition, resistance to change is defined as, "an emotional/behavioral response to real or imagined threats to an established work routine" (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2003). If employees of any company feel comfortable with the processes that they have been using and cannot identify a reason to change these processes, than resistance seems a likely response. In Organizational Behavior 6th Edition ,Robert Kreitner and Angelo Kinicki also identified ten of the leading reasons why resistance to change occurs in the first place, which are:

1. An individual's predisposition toward change.

2. Surprise and fear of the unknown.

3. Climate of mistrust.

4. Fear of failure.

5. Loss of status or job security.

6. Peer pressure.

7. Disruption of cultural traditions or group relationships.

8. Personality conflicts.

9. Lack of tact or poor timing.

10. Non-reinforcing reward systems.

Developing a relationship through communication with employees will assist leaders in identifying whether or not any of these conscious reasons are impeding the change process or if there are organizational obstacles preventing the execution of change. These obstacles could consist of such things as not providing necessary training, revenue, or personnel to accomplish the change. It is important to initiate activities that complement a department's profile to change weaknesses into strengths as well as to analyze the resistance factors in the department prior to implementing the activities.

Implementing an "expectations agreement" as found at MTW Corporation, which provides web-based software and services, would provide a means to monitor expectations of employee and company and thus help ensure a respectful relationship exists. As defined in the text Organizational Behavior 6th Edition, "the expectations agreement is a two-way, ever evolving document that follows an employee throughout his or her career..." (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2003).

Specifically addressing the individual departmental information obtained from the relevant commissioned surveys (Employee Satisfaction and Climate) during the Building a Culture for Sustaining Change simulation, the strategy to manage change should include, at a minimum, implementation of training and mentoring programs to address the needs identified from the Marketing department. It was also discovered that defining job roles and setting specific performance objectives by seniors, the performance of the department could improve. The Sales and Delivery department is hindered mostly due to lack of communication and the inability to confront issues or resolve conflicts in a timely manner, so it is imperative to a successful change process that problems are addressed and solutions are communicated.

"No matter how technically or administratively perfect a proposed change may be, people make or break it" (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2003). According to the social psychologist Kurt Lewin, who developed a three-stage change model of planned change,

"1. The change process involves learning something new, as well