2009-2011 Change Management Process in British Airways (Coursework Sample)

2009-2011 Change Management Process in British Airways
Name
Date
2009-2011 Change Management Process in British Airways
Internal and External Factors that led to Change Management
One of the main external factors that led to the introduction of change in British Airways is cost increment due to a rise in oil prices in the economic downturn which saw staff retrenchment and freezing of pay rises. The company also lost most of its customers due to low cost airlines such as Virgin Atlantic (Balmer & Greyser, 2009). Moreover, an internal factor that caused change management strategies is the sudden loss incurred in 2009 (from 875 million Euros to 401 million Euros).
Nature of the Changes
The nature of the strategic changes mainly revolved around reduction of costs. Workers were being told to do work that was not paid for in a one month interval—the CEO, Mr. Willie Walsh led by example. The number of staff was significantly reduced with 15 crew passengers being reduced to 14 and 4,978 employees losing their jobs (Cabanis 2011). Meals in the company were also reduced with breakfast being the only meal left, even for the cabin crew (Whysall, 2010).
Change Management Strategy Outline
Reduction of operational costs from the top to the bottom.
Ensuring strategies are managed and implemented accordingly.
Articulating and addressing a clear vision from the CEO to the staff members for harmony and working towards a common goal.
Adopting to new realities effectively and finding ways to deal with them soon as possible.
Monitoring and evaluation of performance against standards.
Realizing areas that need change and establishing a framework for the same.
Challenges and Difficulties in Implementing Changes
While the management led by Walsh was preparing for a schedule to reduce their costs, the cabin crew members were planning a strike. This was during the festive period (December 22nd – January 2nd). This would mean losses for the company but it secured an injunction to stop the strike. The company also had the difficulty of communicating better with the personnel considering that the system being used was authoritarian (Dyer, 2010). Workers were not being heard yet the management needed t...