A Self Reflection of Change Management

Managing Change Self-Reflection
Author’s Name
The Institutional Affiliation
Course Number and Name
Instructor Name
Assignment Due Date
Managing Change Self-Reflection
Organizational change is something that people dread, but it is inevitable and one of the most beneficial techniques to meet modern demands. It uproots many old practices, mindsets, ideas, and outdated communication techniques, replacing them with qualities and skills that take organizations to new heights. Liquor may not come across as a complex business; however, there are many deep-rooted issues at the management level that take place even in liquor stores. As an employee, I have been through several phases of several changes in the store. They were not entirely pleasant or well-received, but they were necessary to meet the demands and keep the business going.
I have been working as a cashier for Super Liquor New Zealand for a long time. Not only is my experience limited to working as a cashier, but I have also skillfully taken note of the inventory and maintain a strong check over it. Everything was pleasant till the management changes occurred.
Perhaps one of the biggest challenges that came my way was the organizational changes that took place recently at the store and on a management level because of the COVID-19 crisis that struck the globe. Not only were these changes unexpected, but it became difficult for our team to cope with these management changes. There were four main changes on the management level that had taken place. First, the managerial changes were unexpected. It is already quite challenging to cater to such changes, and it was made twice as tricky owing to the crisis. Second, the store manager was with us for a long time. Due to being affected by the virus, the manager was unfit to lead the team. He was pretty weak in dealing with the changing dynamics of the store. As a result, the owners decided to replace the manager. It is not an unknown fact that settling in with a new person becomes challenging, especially when they are in the leading position. Third, I was happy with my job as a cashier, but inventory management became a tough job. The new manager required constant reporting from my end regarding the inventory. Since there were dry spells and the stores would remain close due to the lockdown, the record-keeping was insufficient. Many other workers also indicated that some bottles have gone missing. It was considered to be a cause of employee theft since the staff was shuffling through the week. The staff was divided into two groups, and each group would come on alternate days of the week. It was an ambiguous situation for the team as well as the customers. Customers often feel comfortable dealing with the people they know; if their favorite sales representative is not present, they often felt let down. Although there was high flexibility in work practices introduced by the manager due to the severity of the crisis, I was unhappy as an employee because my inventory track records were disrupted. I was unable to handle the change with the pressure of the pandemic.
My cognitive response to the situation did not come across as the best one because I could not tackle my previous responsibilities well with the pressure of new management and new timings of the store. I had to be on my best to provide customers a good experience with our store, but because my mind was baffled and confused about the new culture and practices, my behavior was not at its best. In addition, I had other responsibilities such as honoring coupons, helping customers avail discount offers, bagging all the items and check for proper packaging before handing them out, requesting proper price checks, and of course, handing in good change before the customer leaves. Unfortunately, my cognitive power and affective responses were not as strong as before, owing to the confusion in the workplace. I became slow with the processes due to a lack of understanding, and hence my response rate fell by a significant degree.
If I consider the six main assumptions about organizational change, it will be easier for me to explain why I was uncomfortable. First of all, there is no change without a sense of urgency (Ten Have et al., 2019). Our staff was demotivated, and the manager also found it challenging to keep the team together in such conditions. Second, many technical changes like account keeping, data recorded in systems were shifted to weekly instead of a monthly one, which was easier for us, so I realized that it is true that 70 percent of changes do fail, but 30 percent work out (Ten Have et al., 2019). Third, our team lack...