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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. bb
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/
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Team Leader. In the past year, he has played the role of the lead agent in the call centre
of the company 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. bb
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
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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. 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. 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
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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 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).
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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 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
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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 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. bb
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
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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
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).
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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 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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