Running Head: WELLCOME ISRAEL
Discussion Board 3
Welcome Israel
Liberty University
BMAL 504 – Leading Organizational Change
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Discussion Board 3 – Wellcome Israel
Wellcome Israel is a pharmaceutical company, associated with Wellcome Hellas and
Promedico, which has been operating for 40 years and an industry leader it antiviral drugs. Ofra
Sherman is the general manager of this company and has a team of 15 personnel, which operate
out of Israel. Glaxo merged with Wellcome and the merger caused confusion and uncertainty on
the future for Sherman and her team. A leading pharmaceutical company stands to lose a great
asset within its organization due to proper understanding of change from an employee’s
perspective. Sherman and her team stand to lose their jobs due to proper understanding of
organizational change.
What should have Glaxo done
Glaxo merged with Wellcome to create one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in
the industry. The merger did not occur from the perspective of the staff or employee, but rather
for the image, brand name, and bottom line. Mergers are necessary at times and they do occur in
business regardless of the category of business. Glaxo merged to create a dominant force in their
respective category. The merger took place where individuals within Wellcome were not kept
abreast of possible changes and possible outcomes by the process. Sherman and her team
operated under a political umbrella of diversified functions to include payroll. A briefing to
Glaxo from Promedico and Wellcome on the topic of Sherman and her team with their
uniqueness would have put the topic of their future on the table upfront. DuFrene, and Lehman
(2014) write, “Management must have a clear strategy for communicating with employees
through change, as employee expectations for open and honest communication are increased in
times of shift and uncertainty” (p.444). When change is incorporated with little to no knowledge
there can be anticipated frustration, confusion, and resistance. Jick, and Peiperl (2011) write,
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“Even if the change is embraced intellectually, immediate acceptance is not usually forthcoming.
Instead, most feel fatigued; we need time to adapt” (p.337).
Does Sherman do the right thing?
Ofra Sherman takes the right steps to gather information on her and teams future. Ofra
normally spends 50% of her time out of the office visiting with clients. Upon hearing of the
merger, she returned to stay in the office and find out information on the possible future of her
and her team. Although operating under two supervisors from two different companies she
sought the advice and wisdom of both, only to realize they were pitting against one another.
Ofra provided proper guidance to her team by gather as much information on the new company
as possible in order to be prepared to join their team or understand her possible demise. Her
asking of questions for understanding and preparing for all possible solutions put her and her
team in a position to represent their value to Glaxo or their value to a competing organization.
Sherman’s Predicament
Sherman and her team are in a tough situation and as she has understood properly, she
has no control of the outcome. Her preparation of possible outcomes and her and the teams’
response is the only steps she can take. Sherman sought out advice from her supervisors on their
recommendation to act or sit still, but she realized they might not be part of the equation any
longer. Here seeking advice from them should only be from the point of professionalism and not
superior subordinate relationship. Fuchs, and Prouska (2014) write, “…when individuals
actively engage in a change initiative, their involvement will create positive experiences of this
initiative as they feel a sense of belonging and integration” (p.366).
Her predicament of belonging to a few different companies stem from her location of
being in Israel but conducting business with other ARAB countries. She is a political string
hanging from the blanket with which Wellcome operated.
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Sherman Evaluation
Sherman operated, as a leader should, she put the interest of her staff in front of her own
demise and desired the best outcome for her team. She asked questions for understanding and
relied on the guidance of multiple superiors and not just one. She was proactive in preparing for
all scenarios from best to worst. She handled the change as well as she could. She developed
creative and innovative solutions, she adjusted her priorities, and she was open and candid in
speaking to her employees as well as supervisors (Jick and Peiperl, 2011). Sherman prepared her
team as best she could for all possible solutions and was open and honest in her conversations
concerning the matter with all she communicated.
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References
DuFrene, D., & Lehman, C. (2014). Navigating change: Employee communication in times of
instability. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, 77(4), 443-452. doi:
10.1177/2329490614544736.
Fuchs, S., & Prouska, R. (2014). Creating Positive Employee Change Evaluation: The role of
different levels of organizational support and change participation. Journal Of Change
Management, 14(3), 361-383. doi:10.1080/14697017.2014.885460
Jick, T., & Peiperl, M. (2011). Managing change: Cases and concepts. New York, NY: The
McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.
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