Managing Change and Alignment
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Managing Change and Alignment
Change management is one of the constant and critical changes in the current era of increased business competitiveness. However, top executives ought to implement effective strategies in managing change to attain the core set objectives. Notably, the market, customer base, and even customers are likely to change and, thus, adapt quickly towards the market trends. Organizations need to adapt to new business environments by changing their strategies, processes, and products. However, it can be difficult to attain the core set objectives, especially if employees resist change. For this reason, the top management ought to involve them in the process of making critical decisions as a way of expediting effective change management and timely accomplishment of core set objectives. Since change management is a fundamental aspect of facilitating the attainment of set goals, organizations must realize the need to establish effective communication and involve employees in the decision-making process to address any resistance to change.
Situation Overview
In the case of Selena, the main issue is the resistance of employees to change since the owner failed to involve them in making critical decisions regarding developing an online store. Although Stylize provides the best services, Selena needed to include employees from the initial plans of creating an online store. In most instances, change is uncomfortable and, thus, the need to formulate new ways of thinking. In the case study, the employees would be uncertain about developing a vision of life following a shift of business operations to an online store. Equally, some of the employees could fear losing their jobs after the business switches to online stores.
Equally, lack of clear communication could be the major contributing factor to the resistance to change from the employees. Selena failed to inform the employees about the plan to switch to an online store early enough, thus resulting in their resistance to change. If workers are uncertain about changing protocols that they are more comfortable with, they will resist even a significant development. In other cases, they could have difficulties understanding new roles, thus resulting in increased resistance to change. In most instances, the change towards the online store could have disrupted security and confidence among the employees, especially if they were unsure of their benefits.
Considerations
The theories of organizational change and resistance are critical to helping understand change management in an organization. Equally, neoclassical and managerial theories can help explain the antagonism between firm owners and employee’s interests and goals. According to Hussain et al. (2018), mistrust and lack of confidence are the major contributing factors to resistance to change among employees. If employees fail to trust a change within an organization, they might have low confidence and resist such a change. Lack of confidence and mistrust relates to agency theory focusing on the divergence of interests between employees and top executives. In most instances, chief executives and organizational owners might face difficulties in controlling the behavior of employees in a corporate setting. Notably, mutual mistrust between employees and top executives can doom well-conceived change initiatives and hinder accomplishing set goals.
Besides, ineffective communication is a contributing factor to resistance to change among employees in an organizational setting. Notably, the strategy through which top executives communicate about the change process is critical in determining their reactions. If the top management fails to convince the employees about the significance of the change, they are likely to become reluctant to embrace the change process (Heckelman, 2017). Conversely, employees are likely to embrace any form of change if the top management convinces them of the benefits of the change process. The barrier relates to neoclassical theory in that chief executives have to make rational decisions regarding the likelihood of resistance to change. Just as aforementioned, employees are likely to receive changes with little or no communication poorly. In other instances, miscommunication can arise if the top executives pass an insensitive or insignificant message, thus causing resistance to change.
Furthermore, shock and fear of the unknown contribute to increased resistance to change among employees. The responses of employees to organizational change can range from panic and anxiety to enthusiastic support. During a change process, some of the workers might have the urge to cling to the past business processes if they perceive it as more secure. If the past behaviors had worked for employees, they might be reluctant to change them out of fear that they might fail to attain their objectives (Yang et al., 2018). The less the employees understand the change process, the more fearful they are likely to become. For that reason, an organization must be prepared for change through two-way communication. Equally, some of the employees fear change in fear of loss of control. In most instances, familiar routines help employees to develop a sense of control over the working environment. Therefore, any change can make employees feel confused and less powerful, thus being reluctant to change.
Equally, unrealistic timelines can be a major contributing factor to resistance to change. If top executives are focused on change, they can neglect critical elements of a change plan. In some instances, employees can resist change if top executives introduce change while other initiatives are ongoing. Undue resistance can arise if leaders introduce changes in an awkward or insensitive way. In most instances, incompetent leaders are likely to encounter challenges in implementing a change process (Hussain et al., 2018). Therefore, change must necessitate that leaders possess the right skills for an effective transition. However, some employees can resist the change process if they are hesitant to try new routines to express their unwillingness to learn new mechanisms. Any form of resistance to employees who have decided that change might fail to work might impede the growth of an organization and adaptation to the change process.
Recommendations for Managing Change
Top executives should consider the theoretical basis as a critical aspect of managing change within an organization setting. Stage theory is one of the models that chief executives should consider in managing the change process. One of the key assumptions of the theory is that organizations go through a series of events as they realize a change of operations. In such a case, the top executives have a chance of developing new goals, technologies, ideas, and programs. Since managing a change process is one of the most complex aspects of an organization, leaders should align the employees to reasons for changing business strategies (Mitra et al., 2019). Organizations can only attain the core set goals if they plan change initiatives proactively and engage employees in making critical decisions.
One of the key strategies of managing the change process within an organization is to involve employees in making relevant decisions. Successful change management...