MGT 6681 Application Project (Strategic Organizational Change) (Research Paper Sample)

Organizational change
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Abstract
The aim of organizational change research and practice is to both develop and improve organizations so as to enhance effectiveness and responsiveness to changes in the external environment through better communication, management of individuals, systems, competence, and structures. It is a discipline whose practical relevance does not depend on a sector since the methods and approaches of its application either in government or business are similar.
The increasing dynamics in the business environment explains why organizations are confronted with the need to change their strategies, processes, structures, and cultures in the implementation programs. There are factors that contribute to the effectiveness of such changes in organizations. Regardless of the process of change being planned, unplanned, strategic, and discontinuous they have a significant implication in development and management of individuals. Changes in organizations often evoke the need for creativity, comprehension of the firm's culture, and innovation. These legitimately depend on the sphere of interest of both personnel and development.
Professional, who work in either personnel and development in a strategic context, are important actors in the management of change in issues concerning individual resourcing reward structures, learning and development, and the development of employees relations. The development and personnel professionals have the responsibility of demonstrating their contribution in helping organizations to not only recognized but also provides the interpretation of the relationship between capability, organizational vision, and the external and internal environment. Moreover, they are also responsible for the mobilization of processes that allow processes of change depending on the requirements of the organization at a level deemed appropriate.
The aspects of change that are crucial in the process are the perception of all the stakeholders towards change efforts, respect and mutual trust, vision for the change, management support, change initiatives, acceptance, and how the firm manages the process of change. The transformation of individual cognition is also vital in the readiness for the change. In fact, they are the real source of change since they can either resist or embrace change. Bienerth (2004) advises that the perception of individuals in readiness should be assessed before attempts are made towards the change.
Company Overview
Omega Chemical Company Corporation is a firm that is based in Canada and specializes in the production chiral compounds. These compounds are chiral amino alcohols, chiral protected amino aldehydes, amino acids analogues, building block, and protected chiral amino alcohols (FMOC and BOC). The need for change in the industry emanates from the increased commoditization of in the last decade. There are a lot of pressures that stem from cost, as well as, the ability to succeed depending on better customer service and efficient internal processes. Therefore, for this company to compete in such an environment, it needs to re-engineer its global ordering process including the systems that support it. In turn, it will help in the creation of an ordering process that is perfect (Omega Chemical, 2016). The following are the benefits of a perfect order process.
* Increasing the loyalty of the customers through the creation of flexible, easy, and reliable communication and interaction with the firm
* Eliminate or reduce the cost associated with rework
* Optimize the productivity of the employees, as well as, their satisfaction through the provision of right tools and data.
According to Lewis (2011), the perfect order ensures that it is integrated into work to be smooth, and the process has many components. The first component entails the integration of the desktop so as to provide the clients with the needed information within a short period. The second component is associated with technical service representatives who are cognizant of numerous topics including access to different types of information ranging from the products specified to the regulatory information and product data sheets. Thirdly, the sales representatives should ensure that there is easy access to information so as to address the goals and needs of the customers. Finally, a platform for viewing an account for the purpose of leveraging relationship. It can be a portal to several persons to the account such as representatives in the customer service and marketing that provides them with the leverage of sharing information easily.
Besides ensuring that the speed at which customers gets information, the system, and the process are likely to improve the productivity of the employees because of the reduction in the lockup of the system. The integration of the segmentation of the customer and the customer service rules help in the facilitation of decisions that are on-the- spot by the employees on the front line. Moreover, the intuitive interface of the customers and the simple screen navigation reduces the training time. Therefore, organizational change is mandatory (Buono & Jamieson, 2010).
Target Strategy
The important components of Omega Chemicals' organizational change in the target strategy are the internet or intranet access; fast access to the application of enterprise such as Siebel, SAP, and Rail; Fleet Management System; Contact Profiles in Siebel and Customer Account; Customer Survey; Reporting; assignment of activity sales with the technical support, sales, and Consumer Information Group. To achieve these, the porter’s generic strategies have to be employed. The strategy encompasses pursuing competitive advantage across the scope of the market that has been chosen. The types of the strategies are either differentiated or entail lowering cost, or focus (Eldring, 2009). A company may choose to incorporate any of the above or even two of them. They may lower the cost in comparison to their competitors or even differentiate itself on a particular dimension that the customers value. Furthermore, one or two scopes is chosen, the company may decide to either to offer its products and services to a selected market segment or many segments in the industry (Cawsey, Deszca & Ingols, 2016).
Initial strategy
The initial strategy entails the description of the process through the provision of a brief assessment. Bienerth (2004) explains that a sense of urgency is to be established through the examination of both competitive and market realities and identifying, discussing major opportunities and potential crises. Secondly, there is a need for the formation of a guiding coalition that is powerful. An achieved through encouraging team work and assembling a team with enough capability to lead the efforts towards change. This strategy also encompasses creating a vision, communicating the vision, and empowering the stakeholders to act on this vision. The creation of the vision not only helps in directing the efforts towards change but also developing techniques for achieving it. The other vital issues in the initials strategy are creating and planning for short-term wins and institutionalization of the new approaches. The above planning involves those for visible improvement of performance, creating these improvements, and rewarding and recognizing employees who are involved. Besides, the process of institutionalizing consists of the articulation of the connection between the success of the corporate and new behavior, as well as, the development of ensuring that there is development in leadership and succession (Burke, 2010).
Change strategy
The change strategy involves changing the perception of the employees towards the change efforts and illuminating the vision for the change. Buono & Jamieson (2010) assert that the perception of the Omega employees towards the change is an important aspect of the process in readiness for the change. It can undermine or facilitate the effectiveness of intervention entailed in the change. Burke (2010) adds that workers are central to the success of the efforts towards the change since their skills, attitudes, basic knowledge, motivations are vital aspects of the company's environment in which is an attempt to make changes. Lewis (2011) adds that employees' perception significantly influences the intention of the behavior and attitude of facing the impending change. Besides, their perception towards previous change efforts is likely to impact on the readiness for the change. Also, the attitude of the employees to the impending change has the potential of influencing productivity, morale, and turnover intentions. The Omega Company has to implement the changes with utmost care since changes that are not beneficial in any way to the workers would not be welcomed. It will be worse if they are designed to increase more work to them or even reduce their number and strength. Therefore, the drafting of the strategy should be tactical also to influence the workers positively (Armenakis & Harris, 2002).
The vision for change needs to be illuminated as it clarifies the direction that the company needs to move towards. The transformation efforts can be dissolved into a list of incompatible projects and confusion due to the lack of sensible vision. In fact, it has the potential of leading an organization in the wrong direction. It explains the importance of the workers comprehending the vision of the company, as well as, that of the change. Bienerth (2004) elaborates that is vital to communicate concerning the need for change and the means of achieving it.
Involving the employees will help the management team for Omega Chemicals Company to analyze the crucial aspects of the change. It involves answering questions and queries that employees highlight. Buono &...