Total Length: 3839 words ( 13 double-spaced pages)
Total Sources: 22
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Introduction
A change management plan to implement a new process in the workforce to allow for a business to provide more personalized service is needed in the retail industry (Aloysius, Hoehle, Goodarzi & Venkatesh, 2018). Brick and mortar stores must do something to differentiate themselves from e-commerce businesses, which can provide more convenience to shoppers who prefer not to have to leave their homes. In other words, brick and mortar retailers need to give consumers a reason to come in—and that reason is personalized service. This has been demonstrated successfully by companies like Best Buy, which introduced the Geek Squad to provide a service-oriented approach to consumers so as to get them physically into the store (Meyer, Shankar & Berry, 2018). This paper will discuss the topic of implementing a service-oriented approach to consumers for brick and mortar retailers as a change management plan, using examples such as Best Buy for guidance along with the Kotter 8-Step process to guide the change management plan.
The State of the Change Management Field
The purpose of change management is defined as: “to assist the organization in achieving its goals which cannot be attained with the existing organizational structure, functioning and client servicing, and to minimize the adverse effects of any changes made” (Vedenik & Leber, 2015, p. 585). There are many different old models and theories that have been used to implement change management in the past. These include organizational development theory, socio-technical systems theory, business process re-engineering theory, and processual and contextual accounts of change (Buchanan, Claydon & Doyle, 1999). However, the best change management approach for an individual company will depend on that individual company’s needs. In other words, an audit of the company will have to be performed before anything can be implemented. As Vedenik and Leber (2015) point out, “managing change is of key importance if companies or organizations want to remain competitive” (p. 584)—and part of the key to managing change effectively is to know what a company must do to compete and to differentiate itself (Trout & Rivkin, 2006).
With that said, it is possible that a generic model of change management can be adequate for managing change in a company no matter what it is engaged in. A generic model like Kotter’s 8-step model is such a one. This idea is supported by Pfeffer (2013) who indicates that there is a kind of universality to the concept of management.
Current Theories and Areas of Debate
The current theories and areas of debate on change management all boil down to two main approaches to managing change: first is the procedural model of change and second is the self modeling approach. Kotter’s 8-step model for change management is the most popular example of the procedural concept and can be applied in virtually any organization because it provides a basic, fundamental way for managers to approach both the business and the problem of change and shows how context can play a part in managing the change. This can all be seen in the 8 steps of the Kotter change model, which are:
1. Create a sense of urgency
2. Create a guiding coalition
3. Create a vision for change
4. Communicate the vision
5. Remove obstacles
6. Create short-term wins
7. Consolidate improvements, and
8. Anchor the changes
Kotter’s 8 steps are a helpful for when there is a lot of time available for planning and conceiving the appropriate course of action (Kotter, 2007). However, as Kotter (2012) also notes, there are limits to the degree that a company can spend time in the planning and conceptualizing stage and the reason for that is simply this: the Digital Age has ushered in an era of fast-moving parts, and companies cannot afford to spend endless hours in meetings. In some cases, leaders have to act fast, based on limited data—and that is where the self-model of change comes into play. Researchers debate over which is best, but the truth is that it all comes down to the need, time, and context of the individual company.
The self-model of change focuses on the role that the leader plays in managing the change. It stipulates that to effectively manage change, a leader has to have an innovative orientation and an ability to lead; a common leadership style associated with this model is transformational leadership (Warrick, 2011). In this model, the leader has to be able to communicate effectively and get workers to buy into the vision proposed for the change.
The leader is generally required to be charismatic to promote acceptance of the change. This model is especially useful in situations where a change is required urgently and waiting on higher-ups to process information and make a decision after multiple rounds of board meetings is too slow.
For the purposes of this paper, Kotter’s 8-Step model is the preferred model for change management, as it provides a general approach that can be implemented in any retail brick and mortar store (Vedenik & Leber, 2015). By focusing on customers and becoming customer-centric, retailers will need to identify potential obstacles and address them.
The Impact on the Industry
The impact of using the Kotter 8-Step plan for introducing customer-oriented process changes in retail could be so great that it could transform the brick and mortar business industry completely. This change is especially needed because the Digital Age has arrived and given consumers the ability to shop from home. To get them into the stores, companies need to offer something that cannot be obtained online—and that is customer service. And to get employees on board with providing excellent customer service, the Kotter 8-step procedural change model is perfect. As Tobias (2015) shows, however, “the brutal fact is that about 70% of all change initiatives fail. The failure of leaders to challenge themselves to change, and then model the behavior they seek in others, may be a large contributor to these failures” (p. 35). This implies that a combination of leadership change and procedural change is needed. By embarking on a new direction in the industry, the retail brick and mortar based businesses can enter into a service-oriented approach to business to help stem the tide of losing out to e-commerce.
Background
Managing change is necessary because without change, companies grow old and stale (Walker, 2018). This was the problem Best Buy was running into in the 2000s. After slumping at the start of the 21st century facing the rise of e-commerce and web giant Amazon, Best Buy has rounded the bend and recreated itself to be appealing to consumers in the 21st century. After focusing on pricing strategy in the 1990s, Best Buy found itself losing ground to online competitors and to Walmart as prices began dropping everywhere. Understanding that the brick and mortar retailer could still offer something that Amazon and Walmart could not—expert specialized assistance and service—it revamped its strategy to be service-oriented rather than product-oriented.
Best Buy applied the customer-centric model to its retail stores, allowed managers to apply the results only approach with its sales reps, and increased its online presence so as to stay relevant in the Age of the Internet. Best Buy’s chances of staying relevant in the future years are good, so long as its Geek Squad and staff members stay abreast of the latest trends in technology and continue to offer great customer service.
Change is an action an organization engages in to introduce a new concept, method, culture, or initiative (Walker, 2018). It aims at altering the manner in which the organization operates so that it can be more effective, efficient and productive overall. Change is important in organizations because no industry or field is ever static or stagnant. New approaches are always being developed. New technology, for instance, can make old processes outdated or irrelevant. New research into how a workplace culture can be tweaked to boost morale and increase worker motivation is constantly being conducted. New ideas about how to address old issues are constantly being needed (Franken, Edwards & Lambert, 2009).
In order to know whether a change is needed in an organization, an internal audit has to be conducted. This is a process by which the organization’s processes, aims, goals, staff, production, culture, and all other aspects of the organization or evaluated to see if there are any weaknesses or areas that are acting more as obstacles to the organization’s objectives than facilitators. The internal audit can be outsourced or conducted in-house using any method of review. The important point is that no change should be implemented without there being a clear indication that a change is required. Change without justification will never be sold to workers: employees need to know why a change is occurring and the reason has to be justifiable and rationale—otherwise workers will resist it and will not support it, as Kotter made evident in….....
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Change management is one of the most important components in the successful operations of a company or business organization. The modern business environment is characterized by numerous changes that are attributable to various factors including technological developments and globalization. In this regard, business organizations or companies increasingly face the need to adopt changes in their operations in order to align their businesses with the industry they operate it. However, the process of instituting organizational change in complex and can hurt a company’s operations if not conducted appropriately. As a result,… Continue Reading...
reason that the change process could end up being redundant (Cummings, Bridgman and Brown, 2016).
Kotter’s change management theory
1996
John Kotter
Kotter’s theory of change management comprises of 8 different phases. The first phase is creating a sense of urgency. This generates the primary pull necessitated to ensure the team is on the project and is also motivated to adapt. The second step is building a core coalition. This encompasses gathering the leaders and stakeholders within the entity and ensuring they are convinced of the need to change (Varkey and Antonio, 2010). The third phase is forming a strategic vision. The key objective in this… Continue Reading...
environment. As I reflect on the insights obtained from the course, I have learned about change management and found some readings, resources, and assignments helpful in this process as well as some that did not fully engage me. However, I also feel that there are some aspects of change management that I still need to know more about and research more deeply after this class.
Prior to undertaking this class, I knew that change management is a relatively complex process that is difficult to carry out. I believed that its nearly impossible for an organization to undertake change management in a manner that does not… Continue Reading...
will weigh the advantages and disadvantages carefully before making the choice to introduce change (Cameron & Green, 2012).
Many different models for change management and change leadership are used within strategic planning. Which of these models do… Continue Reading...
in the CFO’s management arsenal include strategic management, benchmarking, and change management (“Top Ten Management Tools,” n.d.). I may also rely on some of the other tools of the effective manager that we have covered in the class, such as TQM, but strategic management, benchmarking, and change management are the specific tools that apply best for my ideal position as the CFO of a major Fortune 500 company. Strategic management is one of the most central function of a CFO, someone who is entrusted with the ability to forecast risk and manage uncertainties by taking specific steps designed to protect… Continue Reading...
organizational change often result in partial failures and an inability to meet established goals. The problem is often “change management consists of a (limited) set of interventions, which are regarded as objective, measurable and linearly manageable programs that can be realised in a relatively short time,” contrary to the substantial human as well as logistical challenges of making change a natural and internalized part of employees’ and managers’ mindsets (Pieterse, Caniëls, & Homan, 2012, p.799). The best approach to process-based changes focus on how the change should occur and how to ensure that it sticks.
But before a process can be altered, managers must have hard data on… Continue Reading...
the project manager in directing and controlling the project (Larson et al., 2013). In addition to the scope of the project, the project plan includes contents such as the project team structure, WBS, project timeline, financial plan, stakeholder management plan, as well as the change management plan. Aspects that will be particularly important for this project include the project team structure,… Continue Reading...
involves risk management, metrics development, and cost/savings tracking.
• Supply chain business processes: defines the structure of the organization's procurement process.
• Change management: details how employees will be trained, stakeholders managed and how role transition is handled.
• Value acceleration: identify and act on opportunities in the short-term that help save costs (Halm, 2014).
Step 3: Aggressively Transition to the New Organization Structure
New job descriptions and positions will be launched for the entire workforce. Redundant roles will be eliminated or combined so that there is a meaningful and effective structure.
Step 4: Proactively Manage Stakeholders, Employee Engagement and Communication
On carrying out a thorough analysis, stakeholders will be classified into… Continue Reading...
organization development and change. Theory and strategy provide the support and framework for the change management and culture building process, and they can consist of various approaches to the issue: there theories like appreciative inquiry, experiential learning theory, intentional change theory, and more; there are strategy development techniques that strategic swarming and Three Horizons (Camp, 2012). Theory helps to give a basis of understanding about how the organization development process should be perceived, and the strategy helps to give a basis of understanding on how the process will be implemented, monitored, measured, and adjusted as needed.
To facilitate the implementation of theory and strategy,… Continue Reading...
Importance of Effective Change Management
An old adage goes that "change is inevitable." It is a constant phenomenon. Organisations exist in an ever-changing world. Factors such as competitive pressure, regulatory changes, shifts in consumer tastes and preferences, technological advancements, workforce changes, globalisation, and industry adjustments compel organisations to initiate change initiatives targeting strategy, leadership, management, workforce, structures, and processes (Lam, 2009; Nehar, 2013). The initiatives are primarily aimed at improving organisational efficiency, productivity, and performance. Indeed, the ability to adapt to change has been termed as an important source of competitive advantage in… Continue Reading...
One of the first steps in the change management process is to carry out a diagnosis of the situation requiring change. This entails examining the causes, context, and rationale for the change (Russell & Russell, 2006). Proper change diagnosis ensures successful change planning and implementation. Though change may occur at different levels, including strategic, functional, and process, attention in this paper is paid to the human resource (HR) function. HR is one of the organisational functions commonly targeted for change. Increased competitive pressure, regulatory adjustments, changes in strategic orientation, as well as market and technological shifts often… Continue Reading...
.....change management for any leader.
The most important feature of change management for any leader is the alignment of company culture and its behaviors to suit desired outcomes. Therefore, change management depends on setting strategic goals and objectives first, and then managing change incrementally. As Jones, Aguirre & Calderone (2014) put it, "plans themselves do not capture value; value is realized only through the sustained, collective actions" of the organization's members. This is especially true in large organizations, but change management strategies and philosophies apply to organizations of all sizes… Continue Reading...
the worker. These typically hail from leadership. For example, a good leadership style to have in change management is transformational leadership. This style allows the leader to supply a vision of the change, provide individuals with the necessary understanding of change, and communicate the need for the change. The leader bears a lot of the responsibility in eliminating obstacles in the change, as Kotter (2012) indicates. Likewise if the leader does not attend to the needs of the individuals in the workplace, there will be no way for the individual workers to feel satisfied. Workers want to be included in the decision making, even if it… Continue Reading...
minute sectors) or major (department-wide or company-wide change). The area of Organizational Change Management or OCM can be defined as an orderly framework that gets around the structure propelling novel business processes; it also includes changes to corporate culture. OCM's alternative perspective that outlines its human resource side has been labeled "change management."
Harvard Business Review (2010) states that a few organizations (such as Apple Inc.) capitalize on market changes whereas others (such as General Motors) appear to be struggling even with minor alterations demanded by the market or minor internal changes. A broad gap exists in acceptance of change and a… Continue Reading...
Purpose and Overview
Nurse consultation involves the application of change management principles and visionary leadership to the improvement of healthcare organizations. Guided by evidence-based practice and ethical principles of the healthcare profession, nurse consultation is a process involving multilateral communications, quantitative assessments, goal-setting, and strategic change management. Advance practice nurses can collaborate with nurse leaders to identify problems, analyze those problems and their root causes, and identify meaningful and feasible methods of achieving desired changes and measurable outcomes.
The purpose of this consultation is to work with nurse leaders, administrators, and executives to help the local healthcare organization better… Continue Reading...
Business School professor and specialist in the domain of change management and corporate leadership. Leading Change, the popular, well-received book published by the professor in the year 1995 outlines the aforementioned model. This paper attempts at demonstrating how the courier company, FedEx, can utilize Kotter's model for resolving its present issues of a detrimental financial atmosphere and personnel overload (Kotter, 2012).
Establishing a Sense of Urgency
FedEx has engaged in rigorous downsizing, cutting back on its workforce size. The workers who remain have been overburdened by their everyday responsibilities and duties. Their workload is simply piling up and older,… Continue Reading...
in a different manner (Toribiotoribio and Garcia Hernandez, 2011).
Create a plan for minimizing possible resistance to your change management plan
In order to ensure minimal resistance within the organization with respect to the change processes, there is a significant need for having an effective plan. The following action plan is purposed to ensure that there is diminished resistance to the change management plan within Amazon. The plan… Continue Reading...
time and self-management, negotiation skills, project management, strategizing, innovating, understanding change management, teamwork, conflict resolution, diversity and cultural influence are all ways to become a strong employee who can facilitate the organizational aims of the company and of one’s department while strengthening the overall workplace culture by way of example. Leadership is very important for oneself, for others and for the workplace because it is the pathway by which vision and inspiration are communicated: it is the necessary attribute of any effective change management strategy, and it is required in teamwork and conflict resolution activities (as is the skill of… Continue Reading...
charged with change during the process of integration is communication. This function could make change management seem a bit needless as communication is only focused on the verdict of other panels without having any effect on decisions on its own. Culture could be earmarked as a main obstacle of change management and in this case, its responsibility towards bringing about integration cannot be overemphasized (Miller & Fernandes, 2009).
Case Example:
This method, when applied on a just concluded merger of pharmaceutical companies, was about 40% more effective in identifying collaborations than an intensive and structured spreadsheet-based method. Normally, a day or two are taken… Continue Reading...
from the internal employees can be dealt with so long as the proper tenets of change management and buy-in are managed. Beyond that, the mention of "prioritization" is key to focus on because if the economy is slowing, this is all the more reason to get costs down, lower error rates and keep things efficient. Even if Carrier has to slow things down a bit and/or just be more diligent, they do need to move forward with SupplierLink, based on the information at hand at this time.
Identify the reasons (be specific) why Carrier should be interested in adopting the "new model", the "E-marketplace", as… Continue Reading...
