Assignment 5: Change Management Plan

Running head: DIAGNOSING CHANGE 1

DIAGNOSING CHANGE

Diagnosing Change

Name: Gabrielle McNeely

Institution: Strayer University

Diagnosing Readiness for Change

An Overview of the Company

Ford Company is a multinational headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan. Founded by Henry Ford at the start of the 20th century, its major goal was to manufacture automobiles and has continued with the model where it designs, manufactures, and sells automobiles and auto parts. It has ventured into selling luxury cars under the Lincoln brand. The company owns Troller, an SUV manufacturer based in Brazil, which is part of its major revenues. The company also owns stakes in other automakers based in Turkey, Russia, and Taiwan among others (Hughes-Cromwick, 2011). The total assets of the company stand at $256.4 billion. It has an approximated 199,000 employees based in its various production branches and outlets.

The company has a functional structure, meaning that there are functional heads who are supposed to oversee operations and production activities. This structure is influenced by business needs in varying markets around the world. It creates functions that are supposed to meet the needs of the market. On the other hand, in terms of leadership and management styles, the company is traditional and has continually adopted an autocratic leadership style where the top management makes the final decisions (Hughes-Cromwick, 2011). In response to today’s trends in human resource management, it is imperative that the organization adopts a participative style of leadership.

HR Practice, Policy, Process, and Procedure

Ford recognizes the importance of human capital and promotes an approach referred to like people and culture. Hiring and retention are undertaken in a manner that hires the best and retains them. It has partnered with several top universities, where it attracts the best graduates with the aim of promoting innovation. It has an onboarding program that aims at ensuring that new employees settle quickly and learn about the culture. The program is called Get Started and allows the new employees to access the needed tools and network enabling them to be more productive.

The company has a policy that ensures the employees are offered training programs in relation to the global trends in technology. Middle-level managers are supposed to oversee the training programs (Hughes-Cromwick, 2011). Last year, it started the training of the manufacturing technicians in electrified vehicle diagnostics. This is in response to the world-class IT system, it is implementing. The system will maximize the production and the technicians need to acquire skills that align with the system’s capabilities.

In addition, the company has put in place new programs whose aim is to promote the employees’ experience. The top management has implemented new programs such as the HRRev that transforms the HR products and services. It has created People First service centers where the employees’ issues are addressed in a timely manner. The company has reorganized compensation packages to improve the financial well-being of the workers and enable a higher rate of retention. In essence, the company has implemented a people-centered approach where the needs and concerns of workers are evaluated and addressed.

Further, the company has implemented anti-harassment and anti-discrimination policies with the aim of promoting diversity and inclusion. Recently, there have been complaints about discrimination at its Chicago plant where the management responded quickly and addressed the problem. It is working hard to establish a discrimination-free environment and promote the inclusion of all people regardless of their race, age, and gender in line with the employment law.

The Proposed Change

The Ford Company needs to employ a participative style of leadership for these three reasons. First, to meet the current needs of the workers, they need to be involved in the leadership processes. This will ensure their concerns are known in a much quicker manner. The company needs to meet global trends in human resources management. Employees are more satisfied working in an environment that includes them in leadership (Al-Jenaibi, 2014). Finally, the company will realize higher productivity if a participative style of leadership is adopted. The workers will feel more satisfied and motivated hence will be driven to do more. The change can be implemented by employing the Lewin’s change management model. The people and their managers will be prepared for the change, the change will be implemented, and efforts for ensuring the change has been embraced will be put in place.

Diagnostic Tools

In order to assess the company’s readiness for change, there are two diagnostic tools that will be used. First, the COPs Model will be used. It refers to Culture, Operations, People, and systems. This tool is important as it enables the team to assess and analyze the four distinct attributes of the company in a manner that identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each (Goetsch & Davis, 2014). The tool provides the team with the required information before the change can be implemented. The other tool is the Burke-Litwin model which assesses the interdependence of the interior and external factors. This model is important in validating the various ways through which the external factors tend to influence the internal process and functions. This model adopts a prognostic style, meaning that it outlines the causal relationships and predicts the probable outcomes resulting from implementing change.

The COPS model has been chosen because it allows the team to focus on the exact capabilities of the organization. This means that it will inform whether there are adjustments or improvements that need to be undertaken before the real change can be implemented. On the other hand, the Burke-Litwin model has been chosen because it is predictive meaning that the team can predict the likely outcomes (Sartor & Orzes, 2019). This model will enable easier follow-ups and evaluation of the processes.

The Organization’s Readiness for Change

When the Burke-Litwin model is applied to Ford Company, preliminary results indicate that the probability of success following the implementation of change is above 50%. This predictability results from the organization’s average levels of change awareness and agility. The company has slowly adopted a management style that promotes a participative style of leadership. However, for better outcomes to be realized, the company needs to adopt Kurt Lewin’s change management model. This model will allow the company to focus on efforts that will ensure the internal parties are not retracting back to the old way of doing things.

In summary, the Ford Company needs to implement change and adopt a participative style of leadership in a bid to meet the current needs when it comes to human resource management. The Burke-Litwin and COPS models can be used to assess the readiness for change. Kurt Lewin’s model of change management should then be used to cement the change and ensure all the internal parties have adopted the desired change. Over time, the company will realize better performance and improved worker satisfaction levels.

References

Al-Jenaibi, B. (2014). The Impact of Leadership Style on Employee Job Satisfaction. Leadership and Policy Quarterly 3(4), 207-226.

Goetsch, D. L., & Davis, S. (2014). Quality Management for Organizational Excellence. Edinburgh, UK: Prentice-Hall.

Hughes-Cromwick, E. (2011). Ford Motor Company's Global Electrification Strategy. Business Economics 46(3), 13-29.

Sartor, M., & Orzes, G. (2019). Quality Management: Tools, Methods and Standards. New York, NY: Emerald Publishing Limited.