BUS 503 Case & SLP

barriestochange.pdf

Home >Business & Finance homework help >BUS 503 Case & SLP

��

�

��

While various factors are attacking the status quo, acting as drivers for change, parts of the status quo will strongly defend the existing structure. This is done by erecting barriers to any change that may be pro- posed.

Organisation barriers will usually aim to support fail- ings in one or more of the following areas:

• unclear objectives

• inappropriate structures

• poor communications

all of which are likely to have become entrenched in the status quo (see the diagram on page 26).

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1525

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

Because we generally like things to stay the way they are, these barriers create a very strong force to main- tain the status quo in the organisation. Therefore it is vital to be able to understand how we can identify, improve and use these organisation factors construc- tively rather than allow them to undermine the change that is necessary if the organisation is to survive.

��

People cannot support change if they do not know what is expected of them, particularly when those expectations encompass new procedures. At an over- all organisational level this means knowing what the organisation (the sum of all its resources) expects to achieve over a given time period – its objectives.

?� ��

➝➝➝➝➝

unclear objectives

➝➝➝➝➝

poor communications

inappropriate structures

��

➝➝➝➝➝

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1526

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

Most organisations operate as a collection of smaller, individual departments or sections. To be effective and to take the first step in gaining the commitment of all employees to organisation change it is necessary for every department to have contributed to the original design of the change objectives. That is, you cannot hold people responsible for change plans to which they have not contributed their views and therefore their commitment!

?!�� " � � � �� "� #�� $

Organisation change objectives can be couched in dif- ferent management jargon but invariably add up to the same thing – a series of value statements about the organisation, often comprising one or more of the following:

• vision – a long-term visualisation of what the organisation will look like in the future

• mission – what the organisation expects to achieve in the long term

• goals/aims – specific factors to be achieved in the short term

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1527

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

• objectives – significant, measurable actions nec- essary to achieve the stated goals

• values – standards of behaviour that should be observed by everyone when actioning objectives.

%�&��'� (�&&��'� )�*+&� *�(&� �,-./#�%.& �� %*+�.& �� 00�� 1 � �2� �� 00�� $

!�� "� �� 3��

Since every person in an organisation must share in, and contribute to the achievement of the org- anisation’s mission and goals, if change is to be effec- tively implemented, it is important that they are written in language that is memorable, easily under- stood and concise.

This then makes it an easy task for employees at every level to continually remind themselves of the targets and issues for which they are personally responsible.

?) �� " � � �� ! �� " �� " �� 2� �� /�� " � �� "� �� "�� 3� ��

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1528

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

Some organisations have laborious ‘mission and goals’ statements, which are forgotten almost as quickly as they are written. The more complex the organisation the more likely it is to have a long value statement though it can be argued that this should not be nec- essary – it is also more likely that few, if any, employ- ees would be able to tell you what they were.

Memorable statements often are very short phrases or even single words – for example:

NO SURPRISES (Holiday Inns)

ENTHUSE – DEVELOP – SUPPORT – DELIVER (Training organisation)

/��

In a typical organisation there will be a hierarchy of levels through which change initiatives and the organisation goals have to be cascaded:

Executive

Manager

Supervisor

Front line

➝➝ ➝➝➝ ➝➝ ➝➝➝

➝➝ ➝➝➝

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1529

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

This cascading process should ensure that:

• the executive team determines what actions it needs to take, at this level, and write individual or collective targets to focus on how executive activi- ties will achieve the required change

• the managers of each department or section write and agree with staff the departmental targets to be achieved to ensure that the department’s ac- tivities will contribute directly to the achievement of the required change and the organisation’s ob- jectives

• individuals have agreed targets, the achievement of which will help to achieve departmental goals and ultimately those of the organisation.

The aim of this cascading process is to focus every employee’s performance on activities that will contrib- ute to the overall success of the change process, how- ever remote he or she may be from the centre of operation, the focus of change or from the consumer of the organisation’s products or services.

In many large organisations, and perhaps also in yours, individual goals/objectives are sometimes called by a buzz-title such as:

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Key Result Areas (KRAs).

4�� $

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1530

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

Whatever you call them, personal objectives must fo- cus on areas that add directly to the target changes. Ultimately, your aim will be to improve the capabili- ties of the people in your team, so enhancing their individual performance, the contribution they make to the team, and the value they add to the organisation as the change is successfully introduced.

To be effective, individual change objectives should be:

• specific – clearly identifiable in terms of what you require to be done

• measurable – written so that you will be able to measure performance against them, i.e. what will be done by when and how will we know?

• achievable – set at a level which stretches the in- dividual but which you know can be achieved by the individual (with your support) in order to main- tain and encourage the individual’s motivation to achieve

• realistic and agreed – by the staff member to whom they apply

• regularly monitored – by you and to a schedule that maintains high performance.

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1531

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

If you would like an easy way to remember these char- acteristics, use the ‘SMART’ mnemonic:

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Realistic

Time focused.

* ��

One of the things you may have thought about in Chapter 3 is that the drivers for change can become intermingled rather than identifiable in the neat sec- tions mentioned.

This is possibly true and is a good reason why you should try to create ‘balanced’ objectives across all the drivers rather than rely on objectives couched only in financial or statistical terms, such as ‘Achieve a 10 per cent increase in sales by the end of the year’. This type of goal ignores what the effect might be on custom- ers and staff in the long-term as a result of working towards that 10 per cent achievement.

Areas such as customer satisfaction, organisation sys- tems, development of new products or services etc. may not have goals that are absolutely objective. If you are to get the maximum benefits from a change process, it is important that you are able to identify the really vital factors, without which organisation change has little chance of success in the long term.

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1532

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

For most change processes the following factors are likely to have the greatest impact (though you may want to add other areas for your organisation!):

• customer satisfaction – the ability to deliver an enhanced level of products/services to current and potential customers during and following the change process

• organisation development – the ability to learn continually from your change experiences so as to add positive advantages as you go along and cre- ate ongoing competitive advantage

• people optimisation – the ability to attract, keep and develop the right people to optimise change and continually deliver excellent performance in the future

• organisation processes – the ability and willing- ness to change and manage the organisation’s pro- cesses and systems to support all other factors to a high level

• financial ability – the ability to achieve financial targets and satisfy the needs of the current busi- ness and its investors (if any), and future capital re- quirements, through and from the change process.

?!�� "� �� " �� "��

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1533

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

If you complete this exercise, you have probably be- gun the blueprint for successful change in your organisation!*

By suggesting this process, I am trying to encourage you to focus on the measures that are likely to be most critical to the organisation’s future, and to get you to consider all operational measures together rather than concentrate only on financial indicators.

This creates a ‘balanced’ view of what will make your change processes successful because it will almost cer- tainly concentrate your organisation’s efforts on the really important issues.

��

Organisations will often spend a great deal of time and money discussing and planning quite complex changes while ignoring one of the most fundamental questions – ‘Can our proposed changes work within the framework or structure of the organisation as we know it?’

If you think about your organisation and its history you will possibly realise that the current structure and operational framework has developed and grown over the years and literally controls how you work today. But everything has moved on and you are possibly planning more, perhaps radical, changes in the future. Can you assume that that same structure you have had until now will happily support the ‘new’ present and the ‘new’ future?

* More information and guidelines on designing objectives can be found in our sister book, the Easy Step by Step Guide, Motivating your Staff for Better Performance.

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1534

Co py ri gh t © 2 00 2. C ri ms on e Bo ok

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

?#��" �� 5 � �� *�� 6 �� 2 � ��"� �� "� 7 � � � � ��" � ��

We are used to hierarchical types of structure in our organisations and you are unusual if you do not have layers and levels of authority and responsibility in your organisation. In recent times, ‘down-sizing’ or ‘right- sizing’ and ‘empowerment’ have been presented as changes to traditional organisation structure, but in most cases such initiatives have not been realistically and totally embraced by changing organisations. De- spite committing (in words) to empowerment, there remains in many organisations the same type of ‘rod and staff’ hierarchical chain of command though with perhaps fewer layers.

Fashions of this nature may have provided sufficient incentive for some organisations to review their op- erational frameworks but all too often it has led to little effective structural change. Most organisations are likely to go through different processes before addressing the real problems they face – ones that require, by then, radical change. Such processes are likely to include:

• tightening the bootlaces – cutting costs, staff, prod- uct ranges, production ranges etc. in order to be- come more cost-efficient

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1535

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

• revising the plans, budgets, forecasts and targets in the light of poor performance

• putting the organisation into a downward opera- tional spiral to reflect the ever-deteriorating situ- ation.

The question that needs to be asked when looking at any organisation structure is, ‘If we were setting up this organisation, department, office, or team today, would we set it up in the way it is now?’

?*�" � �� 8�� " �� / �� " ��

7 � � ��

Something that has become apparent in recent years is that patterns of work are changing, partly because of the growth of technology but also because of glo- bal competition and changing attitudes. What we can observe is that organisations are beginning to appre- ciate the need to:

• identify and develop a professional core of workers, essential to the organisation, who own the organisation knowledge which distinguishes the organisation from its competitors. This core is cosseted and well-paid to ensure loyalty and commitment

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1536

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

• contract out non-essential work to sub-contractors who can carry out the work cheaper than the company’s own staff. In fact, this group may be the company’s ex-staff who have set up small busi- nesses to provide specialist services

• hire in for specific projects part-time and tempo- rary workers, or consultants, who take their skills to more than one employer to meet surges in de- mand or extended working hours and shift pat- terns. Some of these workers will operate from home or from local technology centres, rather than from expensive city-centre offices.

?� �� 6�� 2 � � � ��*��

What you need to ensure is that your organisation structure:

• matches and supports your change initiatives; for example, implementing entrepreneurial change will be made difficult within a bureaucratic and rule-based structure

• eliminates barriers between departments and func- tions by involving everyone in a simultaneous change process

• contains a balanced view of the importance of all the organisation factors that will make change

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1537

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

happen and work – people, processes, resources and finance.

Any structure that is not part of, and programmed to change with, the change initiative being implemented will almost certainly harness the strength of the sta- tus quo to prevent the desired change happening!

4 � ��

Whenever I, working as a change consultant, talk with employees about what they see as the problems fac- ing the organisation, they almost always highlight communication as the major problem.

Most employees feel that they are not told enough about what is going on and are not trusted to con- tribute to solving problems. Employers feel that im- portant strategic information, such as intended change initiatives, cannot be divulged to people lower down the organisation. The irony is that, more often than not, people through the whole organisation are aware that ‘something is going on’ or ‘something needs to happen’ and are probably talking about it anyway whether they are correct or not in their guesswork.

4� �� "� �� $

��

It is for all these reasons that, later in this book, I de- vote a complete chapter to such an important sub- ject.

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1538

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

��

• barriers that the organisation can present to any proposed change usually fall under the headings:

• unclear objectives

• inappropriate structure

• poor communications

• objectives become clear when they: involve SMART design; involve the contribution of everyone in the organisation; promote shared values through the organisation; cascade effectively down through the organisation; include a balanced perspective.

• Changing to a new working environment is diffi- cult when continuing to work within an old struc- ture. A new structure should complement change initiatives and reflect the organisation’s visualisation of its future.

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1539

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728

chap4.p65 30/05/02, 11:1540

s. A ll r ig ht s re se rv ed . Ma y no t be r ep ro du ce d in a ny f or m wi th ou t pe rm is si on f ro m th e pu bl is he r, e xc ep t fa ir u se s pe rm it te d un de r U. S. o r

ap pl ic ab le c op yr ig ht l aw .

EBSCO Publishing : eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) - printed on 3/27/2018 8:40 PM via TRIDENT UNIVERSITY AN: 146848 ; Brown, Brian B..; Easy Step By Step Guide To Managing Change Account: s3642728