Human Resource and Change Management

Introduction

Organizations must embrace change if they expect to grow in the future. The transformation enables entities to use a different approach to do things. As a result, they can attain their objectives and better outcomes in the future. Change in today’s world is evitable because of many factors that are beyond human control. One of the reasons for embracing transition is because of the nature of work. Some jobs involve several transactions, and they cannot be done manually (Worley & Mohrman 2014, pg 224). Therefore, the entity can find it necessary to shift to an automated system to meet the needs of the clients. Another reason is because of government policies that require businesses to conduct their activities in a particular manner. Besides, rivals can force the entity to alter its strategies to beat the competition in the industry.

Moreover, economic hardships can also influence the management to handle things differently. The main focus of this discussion is to demonstrate how the theories of transformation can be used in modern corporations. It will also show their impact on the organization’s staff members.

There are many theories that companies can apply to facilitate a transition in contemporary times. Some of these models comprise of the Lewin, Action research approach and Kotter model. Lewin’s theory involves many stages mainly unfreezing, change and refreezing. People will always resist new ideas. For this reason, unfreezing can be used to educate individuals on the importance of transition and why the status quo should be altered. This is because people find it difficult to forget about the past and accept new ideas. Besides, employees should be informed that the purpose of bringing change is not to take their jobs. Instead, they should know that it will assist them in handling their tasks well (Todnem 2005, pg 369).

Additionally, the management should inform the staff members that modification will be presented gradually. Thus, they will have a chance to train before it is fully embraced. Moreover, through the use of Lewin’s model, most individuals will accept a transition in the organization. The levels of resistance will decrease significantly as more workers will be motivated to accept the change.

During the transition process, employees will not strive to understand what the alteration is about. The change will help to decrease the uncertainties that that people face in the entity. During the refreezing process, the company can do a follow up to see if individuals are adapting to new things (Noe, 2007). Moreover, the firm can use coercion to ensure that staff members shift from their old habits. However, this is only applicable in situations where the workers refuse to follow new rules after the transition. The main intention of this strategy is to ensure that workers embrace change within a short time. Besides, employees will follow the rules if they are aware that they will be punished for ignoring them.

Also, Kotter’s principle can also be used to facilitate the transition in the entity. His theory is an improvement on Lewin’s work. Another approach of embracing transformation using Kottler’s theory is by establishing a sense of urgency in the business. For example, the corporation can direct all the employees to contribute to a pension scheme (Southerland 2013, pg. 2). It can explain to the workers that the step is vital to comply with the labor laws. This urgency can bring transition in the organization within a short duration.

Consequently, the entity can introduce new ideas by collaborating with other corporations. This can be possible by applying uniform rules in the industry. Therefore, the firm’s staff members may find it challenging to resist the transition. Besides, they will not see any reason to refuse change since other workers in their counterparts entities will be embracing it (Shirey 2013, pg. 72). Additionally, the firm can develop a new vision. It means that the objectives of the enterprise will change; hence, they must accept the alteration even if they are against it. Also, the company can explain the new vision to the employees. It can allow them to raise any issues before the implementation process. As a result, the measure can assist in decreasing conflicts between the management and the staff members. Finally, the personnel will eventually accept the transition quickly.

Besides, Kotter’s model can facilitate the change in the firm by empowering individuals. This will be possible by removing any barriers that hinder the transition process in the corporation. For instance, the firm can allow the workers by training them and advancing skills in their area of specialization (Worley & Mohrman 2014, pg 224).  It will eliminate the fear of being retrenched after introducing the change. Therefore, this technique can help the corporation to bring change without any hindrance. Empowering people will also create a better relationship among all the individuals.

Additionally, it is essential to create and reward short-term gains (Harsey & Johnson, 2007). It is necessary to recognize achievements as a way of motivating staff members. Some of the approaches that can be used in this case comprise sending emails or calling people informing them about their success. The second technique is by identifying hardworking employees during office meetings and parties. The step can make the staffs embrace change since they could have felt to be part of the corporation.

Furthermore, the transition can be facilitated through consolidating, reassessing and adjusting. Therefore, managers should allocate additional resources to the workers to enable them to attain better results. Teamwork should also be encouraged to avoid unnecessary inter-dependencies in the process of implementing change. These gains will justify the need to embrace reforms; hence, countering any resistance. Ultimately, all the employees will accept transition as they may feel that it is intended to benefit them (Franklan,2008). The last step is to reinforce the changes by following many procedures. First, one should gather and analyze employee feedback. It is essential to listen to the sentiments of staff members because they are the ones affected by the alteration. Besides, they will determine if the entire process will succeed or not. The next thing is to check for gaps and managing resistance to transformation. This can be done by encouraging individuals to accept it. However, coercion can be used if there is no other alternative. The final step is to take corrective actions before celebrating success. It involves the steps taken to eliminate any mistakes that were made while implementing the venture. The primary intention is to ensure thatthe executed tasks meet the needs of the company’s staff.

Additionally, action research is another technique that can be utilized to bring alterations in the entity. In this case, the change process is based on the systematic gathering of information, and the selection of change action relies on that data. The first step is to identify the problem that is facing the organization. This will help to solve the worker’s problems in the entity. For instance, the company can use the biometric system to identify employees who are present at work. This may be effective if the manual process is ineffective or can be manipulated. Therefore, it will have a positive impact on the staff. It can save the time they spend on the entrance when writing their names on the notebook. Therefore, their productivity and their working hours will significantly increase (Cummings& Brown 2016, pg 60). The second step is an analysis which involves breaking tasks into smaller parts. The measure can assist the workersin embracing the alteration gradually by handling the jobs in small portions. It may encourage them to accept transition since the learning process will be straightforward. Thirdly, it is essential to receive feedback from the employeeswhen implementing the change process. It will allow them to give their opinions on those areas that should be rectified. Hence, the alterations that will be made will significantly assist them while handling their tasks (Burnes,2004). Besides, permitting staffs to give their response can decrease conflicts between them and the management. Another step is to take action by changing those areas that need to be revisited. Finally, it is essential to assess the benefits that have been achieved since the alteration was applied. The success will enable all the employees to accept the change.

Conclusion

Change is essential for any organization that intends to grow. It will enable the firm to do things differently from the previous periods. Thus, the company is likely to enjoy a competitive advantage in the industry. However, the corporation can experience resistance when introducing alterations. It is because of the fear of the unknown by the workers. Besides, most of them may not be ready for the transition process. In this case, the corporation can use several methods such as creating awareness on its importance before introducing it. Also, the company can train the staff members and bring it gradually to reduce the chances of resistance. Furthermore, the corporation could have assured that their jobs could be safe after introducing the change. This could decrease anxiety between the employees and the corporation.

 

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