The Role of teams in Organizational change

Subject: Transforming Employee Welfare

The Needed Change

Amazon has some of the best employee welfare programs in the country. Its employee benefits include medical plans and coverage, support networks, maternity, and parental leave, Amazon employee discount and career choice, adoption assistance, and restricted stock units. However, despite these elaborate programs aimed at improving employee welfare, the company faces a lot of complaints regarding efficacy in implementing the programs. According to a report by Kantor, Karen & Ashford (2021) of the New York Times, what the company portrays on its website and magazines is not what it implements. For instance, according to the report, many employees across the country facing medical challenges had been fired when the attendance software marked them as having absconded duty. In 2020, a warehouse worker in Oklahoma, Ms. Tamara Jones, complained that she had been underpaid by $90 out of $540. She wrote to Mr. Bezos, who ordered an internal investigation into the matter. The review revealed that 179 warehouses had issues with their pay programs (Kantor, Karen & Ashford, 2021). New parents seeking leave and workers with health challenges had been short-changed for more than a year and a half. Such anomalies affect employee welfare and, in return, the overall company’s performance. There is a need to overhaul the company’s employee welfare management systems and personnel to guarantee efficiency.

Stakeholder’s Map

Implementing the proposed change in employee welfare administration will involve the above stakeholders, some of which will be affected directly or indirectly. The chief human resource manager is the custodian of the proposed change and is responsible for initiating the change process. They are also directly responsible for overseeing the implementation of the proposed changes. The employee welfare programs manager has a direct role in implementing proposed welfare changes. System administrators who work under the welfare programs manager will be indirectly affected by the changes. Adoption of new systems could render them jobless. Employees are directly affected by the changes since the proposed measures aim to improve their well-being.

Stakeholders’ Position on Change

The chief human resource manager is a key stakeholder in the change process. Through their recommendation, the top management will agree to set aside resources to acquire and implement the new systems. The new system will benefit the chief human resource manager by guaranteeing a healthy and satisfied workforce, which reduces turnover rates among the workforce and increases productivity. Departmental managers are likely to oppose proposed changes. Any new system that guarantees workers more days off reduces departmental performance, and therefore, the managers in charge of the departments are likely to oppose it. However, on the other hand, departmental managers are likely to benefit from improved performances when workers are motivated due to the new welfare programs. Employee welfare programs managers and system administrators are also expected to oppose the proposed changes since new systems will likely render them jobless. The usual employees are likely to embrace the change since it directly benefits them. An improved welfare program improves workers’ welfare, increases productivity, and reduces turnover rates.

Recommendations for Structural or Cultural Changes

Implementing a change in an organization may face opposition from some stakeholders who are likely to be negatively affected by the change. To manage structural and cultural changes, Amazon’s management should utilize the following steps; prepare the approach to change, manage change and sustain the outcomes (Prosci Inc., 2022). The first step includes defining the change needed, outlining its impact, and defining the approach to be used. Defining change includes outlining what the firm aims to achieve. On the other hand, defining the impact outlines the expected outcomes, while describing the approach involves outlining the necessary steps to achieve success.

The second phase involves managing change and the specific actions include planning and acting, tracking performance, and adapting activities. In implementing the new benefits system at Amazon, the executors must plan how to empower the concerned people to implement changes (Sartori et l., 2018). The system administrators must be trained to handle and manage the benefits administration system. Secondly, the departmental managers must be trained on existing company policies regarding employee welfare programs. Also, they must be enlightened on the importance of employee welfare programs on employee performance. Such initiatives would help reduce resistance to proposed changes.

Alternative Approaches to Managing Change

To minimize resistance to proposed changes by some stakeholders, implementing the new changes must take an inclusive approach. The key stakeholders such as the departmental managers, the employee welfare programs manager, the systems administrators, and the overall employee population must be involved in planning and implementing the proposed changes. Consulting these stakeholders will ensure their views are captured in the change process, and therefore, they are less likely to oppose the changes (Sartori et l., 2018). Consultation and involvement also ensure any arising challenges are solved amicably. Involving the system administrators in procuring and implementing the new system will make them part of the change process, hence reducing their opposition to it.

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