Running Head: CHANGE MANAGEMENT PLAN b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b b 1
6-1 Milestone Two: Change Management Plan
MBA 687
SNHU
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Introduction/ Background
The Singaporean Software Solutions organization has been facing issues relating to
communication and disengagement at its U.S. branch. Communication is an indispensable
element that can positively influence the work environment and employee performance
(Martinez & Hurtado, 2018). Similarly, employee engagement is also critical to maximize
organizational performance (Markos & Sridevi, 2010). In order to address the current issues
within the organization, a change management plan has been designed. The report is a critical
component of the change management kit. The organizational and individual activities that are
necessary for the change implementation process have been captured in the report. It can serve as
a blueprint and help to bring about a change in the organizational context so that the Singaporean
branch and the U.S. branch can address their issues by strengthening communication and
engagement.
In the initial section of the report, the key stakeholder for the change process have been
identified, and their significance has been captured. Then the strategic goals are identified that
are streamlined with the change management plan. The need for making improvements to the
organizational systems has been captured. Strategies for team collaboration have been identified,
and a suitable change management model has been identified. Finally, the implementation steps
are presented that will help to make the necessary change in the organizational setting. b
Identification of key stakeholders
Two key stakeholders have been identified who will play an instrumental role in the
change management process. The first stakeholder is the Customer Success Coordinator/ Team
Leader. In the past year, he has played the role of the lead agent in the call centre of the company
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and helped to increase customer satisfaction. His involvement in the change process is necessary
since he spends time interacting with the agents about their performance expectations.
Additionally, he contributes to the evaluation of the organizational personnel. He has the ability
to work along with employees at all levels of the company while understanding the needs of the
customers. Based on his current role in Singaporean Software Solutions, he will play a key role in
the change process and help to address the differences that exist between the personnel of the
Singaporean branch and the U.S. branch.
The other key stakeholder whose involvement is vital in the change process is the Vice
President of the organization. He is primarily responsible for leading departments as well as
operations so that Singaporean Software Solutions can function in its entirety and its goals and
objectives can be achieved. He can add value to the change management process by ensuring that
the values, vision, mission, beliefs, and strategic goals of the company are shared across the
Singaporean branch and the U.S branch. He plays a leadership role in the organization, and his
involvement is indispensable to ensuring that the change management process can be introduced
and implemented to address the existing concerns relating to communication and disengagement.
According to Hayes, the role of leadership in the change management process is vital since
leaders can influence the staff to adapt to change (Hayes, 2018). The stakeholders that have been
identified play a pivotal role in Singaporean Software Solutions, and by being a part of the
change process, they can help to address the current concerns that need to be resolved on an
urgent basis. b
Significance of each stakeholder’s role
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The role of the identified stakeholders, i.e., the Vice President and the Customer Success
Coordinator/ Team Leader. They have been chosen to be a part of the change management
process since they can help in gaining buy-in, acceptance and support relating to change across
diverse branches. According to Doccy, when any kind of change is introduced in an
organizational setting, considerable implications can arise for diverse stakeholders (Doccy,
2019). Thus, it becomes necessary for organizations to identify the most important stakeholders
so that they can be a part of the change management process and facilitate change.
In the context of Singaporean Software Solutions, the Customer Success Coordinator/
Team Leader can help to gain the buy-in of the staff by ensuring that an employee-centric
workplace culture exists, which promotes employee engagement and coordination. He can act as
a counselor and extend support to the member of the U.S. branch and the Singaporean branch to
obtain their buy-in and help them adapt to the change process (Level 6 strategic stakeholder
relationships, 2021, p. 13). Similarly, the Vice President can support the change initiative by
acting as the opinion leader and ensuring that the mindset of the personnel is positively
influenced and they accept the change to address the issues relating to poor communication and
disengagement. Lewis has argued that while making change, the role that stakeholders play can
influence the success of the change management process (Lewis, 2019).
Strategic goals
Singaporean Software Solutions considers people to be its most valued resource. The
company has succeeded in creating value for its customers in the market by leveraging people,
technology, and resources. The chief elements that the company focuses on in order to move in
the desired strategic direction include growth, talent and learning, marketing, and customers.
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While operating in the dynamic and evolving market setting, the company only focuses on the
needs of its customers but also on its employees so that they can get the opportunity to work in a
nurturing and positive organizational climate. The change plan has been designed by taking into
consideration the company’s vision, mission and strategic goals. The entire change management
plan revolves around the staff members so that the current issues that exist relating to poor
communication and disengagement at the U.S. branch can be effectively addressed.
Currently, in the U.S. branch, engagement is a major issue that has increased the turnover
of the staff members. b b Some of the potential causes of turnover that have been identified are low
company morale, limited training and career growth opportunities, lack of work-life balance,
ineffective communication and poor leadership and management practices. According to Siti, in
order to address the high employee turnover issue and the related factors, it is critical for
employers to identify the needs of the staff members and focus on elements like job satisfaction,
work environment, and motivation (Al-Suraihi et al., 2021). In the specific organizational
context, some of the key elements that can positively influence the employees of the U.S branch
include effective and transparent communication, better leadership practices, opportunities for
growth and development and better engagement in the workplace. By emphasizing these areas, it
will be possible to streamline the change process with the organization’s strategic goals.
Need for improvements to organizational systems
In order to bring about the desired change in the organizational context of Singaporean
Software Solutions, it is necessary to bring about improvements in the existing organizational
systems and processes. According to the results of the exit interviews that were conducted, there
exists a broad range of pain points for employees that deter them from working in the
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organization. According to Mokibelo, exit interviews serve as a mirror for employers that must
be used to capture valuable feedback from the existing staff. The feedback can be used to make
improvements in the existing processes or practices in the organization so that a more employee-
centric climate can be established and the issue of turnover can be controlled or mitigated
(Mokibelo, 2020).
In the specific organization, some of the main areas of change that have been identified
with the help of the exit interviews are poor relationships with the management, limited training
opportunities and the lack of career opportunities. Based on the interview, there is scope to
improve the existing processes and policies so that the engagement between the staff members
and the management can improve. Similarly, the needs of employees relating to training,
development and growth must be given high priority. By focusing on these aspects, it is possible
to create a more employee-centric climate within the workplace and boost their morale as well as
the level of job satisfaction. Kandavel has argued that training can positively influence employee
morale (Kandavel & Sakthivel, 2018). By creating training and development opportunities within
Singaporean Software Solutions, it will be possible to empower the staff to upgrade their skills
and capabilities and adapt to the evolving business climate. Similarly, effective communication
and engagement can strengthen the professional association between the personnel and
management and help to address the employee turnover issue (Miles & Huberman, 1994).
Enhancement strategies for team collaboration
Two enhancement strategies have been recommended that Singaporean Software
Solutions can adopt in order to strengthen team collaboration. Currently, the main reasons for the
lack of collaboration between team members across the Singaporean branch and the U.S. branch
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of the organization include the lack of cross-cultural awareness, poor change management skills
and low visioning. In order to address these concerns that deter team collaboration, some of the
enhancement strategies that can be adopted within the organization are the introduction of
transparent and effective communication in the workplace and working on cultural intelligence
skills by the leaders.
Better communication – One of the fundamental strategies to boost team collaboration is
strengthening communication so that accurate and timely information can be shared among the
team members. Keyton has identified collaboration as a form of interaction that can help to reach
the shared goals and objectives (Eynon, 2016). By focusing on better interaction, engagement
and communication, it is possible to ensure that all employees are connected by the shared vision
of the company. An individual employee can be transformed into a team player and foster team
collaboration by engaging with other members, listening to their ideas and actively participating
in the team setting.
Emphasis on cultural intelligence by leaders – The leaders of the Singaporean Software
Solutions organization must work on their cultural awareness ability. According to Jenifer cross-
cultural competence is an important skill for professionals that operate in the contemporary
organizational landscape (Jenifer & RAMAN, 2017). By working on this specific area, the
leaders will be able to understand the differences in culture between the Singaporean branch and
the U.S. branch. The insight can help to respect diversity and differences and create an inclusive
work culture where the members of both teams can function in a collaborative and cohesive
manner. Mosavi has identified cultural intelligence as a critical soft skill that can enable leaders
to effectively function in cross-cultural contexts and engage with the diverse environment and its
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participants (Javaheri et al., 2020). In order to build trust, the leaders must have proper cultural
awareness and suit the leadership style to effectively influence both the branches. b
Change management model
The current issues that the U.S. branch of Singaporean Software Solutions is facing
include ineffective communication and disengagement. In order to address these problems that
negatively affect the work climate, the suitable change management model that can be adopted is
Kotter’s change management model. The 8 step change management model gives a detailed
insight into the fundamental steps that need to be adopted to bring about a change in the
organizational setting. The steps that Kotter has identified in his model are creating a sense of
urgency, establishing a guiding team, creating the vision, emphasis on communication to obtain
buy-ins, empowering action, creation of short-term wins, not giving up, and ensuring that the
change sticks.
The specific change model has been selected since the detailed steps can serve as
guidelines that can help in the facilitation of change so that employees from the U.S. branch can
make the transition. The model will be applied in the U.S. branch so that it could guide the
employees to be a part of the change process and ensure that their buy-in is achieved. While
using the model to bring about the necessary change in the organizational context, some of the
key elements that will be given high priority are communicating with the organizational
personnel and involving them throughout the change process. It will help to ensure that a
common vision is shared among the staff members irrespective of the branches in which they
operate so that a sense of connection and collaboration can be established.
Steps for implementation
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The 8 steps will be used in the U.S. branch in chronological order to drive change. A
sense of urgency will be created by letting the staff know that proper communication and
engagement are vital to accomplishing the organizational goals. A guiding coalition will be
established by creating a team including the key stakeholders – Customer Success Coordinator/
Team Leader and the Vice President so that they can help to manage the change process. The
strategic vision of the firm will be articulated clearly so that it can connect employees at all
levels. This step will be crucial to minimize or mitigate the differences between the Singaporean
headquarters and the U.S. branch. The next step involves conveying the vision with the help of
the key stakeholders to obtain employee buy-in. Then efforts would be made to empower others
by removing obstacles or barriers. Obstacles such as poor communication and engagement, lack
of relationship between the staff and the management, etc., need to be addressed. The next step
that must be taken while implementing change is the creation of short-term wins. Employees
must be motivated by setting small and achievable targets. It must be followed by sustaining the
acceleration of the change and looking for further improvement. Finally, change must be
integrated into the culture so that roust communication and engagement between the two
branches can be fostered (Haas et al., 2020).
While implementing the change, roadblocks in the change management process can be
removed by listening to the views and feedback of the staff and engaging with them throughout
the process. In case any impact of planned and/or unplanned changes and contingencies will
arise, the same will be communicated with the key stakeholders and subsequently with other
employees so that a collaborative approach can be adopted to deal with it. The milestones that
must be accomplished for the change implementation to succeed include higher job satisfaction,
reduced employee turnover, improved individual and team or branch performance. The success
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of the change management plan can be measured by using metrics like employee turnover rate,
increase in employee performance and employee satisfaction level. The role of Key Performance
Indicators (KPIs) will be vital in evaluating the success of the change plan (Bala & Koxhaj,
2017).
Conclusion
A change management plan has been designed for Singaporean Software Solutions that
will help to address the issues relating to poor communication and disengagement at the U.S.
branch. The ideal model that has been selected to implement the change process is Kotter’s 8 step
change management model. The involvement of key stakeholders, namely the Customer Success
Coordinator/ Team Leader and the Vice President, is vital throughout the change management
process.
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