Change Management as a Complicated Transaction Essay

Change management is a complex activity. The research focuses on change itself. The research delves into the way the change should be implemented by reducing resistance. Change management can be best implemented using a three phase process.

Description of the situation

William Bridge (Bridges, 2010) emphasizes in his book, Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change”, that the employees were required to shift from manual recording of business transactions to the use of computers within the last six months of the organization’s work environment. For some of the older employees, the change was a huge hurdle to overcome. The old people gave their best efforts to hold on to the traditional way of doing things.

The objecting employees used both legal and not legal means to thwart management’s plans to institute the necessary organizational changes. Some of the complaining employees announced that they have mastered the old way of doing things. The complaining employees brought out their defense that they do no have the physical and mental prowess to comply with the mandatory change to the new working environment.

On the other hand, Robert Paton (2008) states that for some of the younger employees, the change was a welcome sight to embrace. The young employees felt the change was a small hill to effortlessly climb. The young employees were eager to jump into the bandwagon called innovation.

The young employees persuaded the older employees to stop their strong resistance to the new way of accomplishing organizational goals and objectives. The young employees even bragged among themselves that they can easily assimilate the new computerized working environment because of their challenging outlook in life.

Description of the setting

The change from the manual inputting of business transactions to computerized transactions occurred in the accounting and administration offices. The employees were given one month to learn how to use the computer. The employees were taught the basics of the computerized work process.

The management emphasized the importance of accepting the many advantages of using computers. First, the use of computers hastened the employees speed in terms of encoding all business transactions. Second, there are lesser unintentional errors committed by the human employees. The computers do the addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and other routine jobs. The computers can use excel formulas to lessen the time needed to compute for the mathematics results.

Economical, technological, or business factors driving the event

In terms of technology, V Nilakant (2006) reiterated the stiff competition from the company’s market segment drove management to have an edge over the competitors. With the employees’ early submission of the balance sheet, income statement, and statement of cash flows, management will have more time to scrutinize the financial statements. With the longer analysis of the financial statements, the responsible managers can create better innovation in terms of competing in the same market segment.

In terms of economics, Charles Moyer (2010) theorized management that will be able to retrench employees who are redundant. With the advent of the computers, some employees have to be removed in order to save on salaries and wages of the employees.

With the computers, some of the employees will become useless. The computers have replaced the work of some or all of the employees with the computers. The company will save more money using the benefits of the computers over the annual increases of the old employees’ salaries.

In terms of the product, the company is proud to introduce a new innovative product line. The new product line incorporates the old benefits of the products. In addition, many new advantages have been incorporated into the paper. The company can sell the new products faster when comparing the company’s current products and services.

The increase in sales is due to the company’s introduction of the latest products to the current and prospective customers. One clear advantage is the decrease in customers’ product returns. The product returns occur when the customers observe a damage that occurs when buying the kitchen equipments. With the new products, the customers will have longer time playing or tinkering with the current and prospective clients.

The individuals or groups involved in the change and transition

Antje Drechsler (2011) points out that there are many individuals involved in the change and transition. First, the president of the organization is instrumental in ensuring that the change from the manual accounting system is very successful.

The other officers of the company are eagerly explaining to the rank and file employees numerous benefits of accepting the new computerized accounting system. The human resource management staff continually sets up meetings to discuss benefits of embracing the new work processes. The new system will focus on ensuring that the employees will have more time to edit their prepared jobs.

In turn, management will have more time to know if some of the innovative employees have maximized their work outputs. Some of the employees will spread the news that the computerized working environment is better compared to the manual recording of business transactions. With the advent of information technology, the clients can receive their financial statements earlier when compared to the manual encoding of their employees.

Annabel Beerel (2009) insists there are many key players from senior leadership. The chief financial officer is in charge of ensuring the financial statements arrive on or before the required deadline set by the requiring department. The chief operating officer oversees the success of the new computerized marketing system. The president approves the implementation of the new computerized accounting system.

The new system uses the quickbook accounting software, quicken accounting software, Microsoft word software, Microsoft excel software, Microsoft power point software. Likewise, the employees are the other key players for they are the persons required to comply with the organization’s latest recording instructions. The head of the human resource department plays a pivotal role in training the employees to become adept in the new work environment.

Front-line workers affected. Mid-level management volunteers

There are front-line workers affected. The front-line workers are the accounting staff. In addition, the front line workers include the line employees in the accounting department.

The two front-line employees are the ones directly affected by the change to the computerized working environment. The suppliers send their instructors to train the company’s accounting personnel keep up with the new accounting system’s work requirements. The supplier of the accounting software is an expert on how to use the icons displayed on the computer desktop screen.

The supplier’s training sessions will surely augment and hone the line and staff accounting employees to metamorphose into a more advanced and higher quality paper on time. The internal expert (human resource department head) and the external expert (the supplier’s computer expert) both combine their styles, time, and efforts to ensure that the line and staff employees will be equipped with the latest computer knowledge to deliver high quality accounting software to the employees.

W. Bridges’ three phases of transitions applicable to the event

First,Ending, Losing, Letting Go: (helping deal with their tangible and intangible losses and mentally prepare to move on.) In the first phase, the management, human resource department and fellow employees will let the dismayed employee realize that the employee must let go of one’s comfort zone. The old employ is persuaded to let go of one’s current job itineraries. The resistant employee is convinced to accept the reality that there is nothing permanent in this world but change.

Second, the Neutral Zone: (critical psychological realignments and pattern change take place. Helping people get through the critical psychological realignment, capitalizing on all the confusion by encouraging all the employees, including the resisting ones, to be innovators. Eventually, the resisting employees will learn to accept that one’s work has to be changed for the better.

Third, the New Beginning: (helping people develop the new identity, experience the new energy, and discover the new sense of purpose that make the change begin to work. The resisting employees’ resistance disappears. The formerly resisting employees are now revitalized by their focus on creating a new identity (Bridges, 2010).

Reflections: Event Outcomes and Opportunities

There are positive outcomes of the event. Everyone is happy. The managers are some of the luckiest persons within the company. Resistance to change to the new work process has been easily overcome. The accounting clerk is no longer resistant to the use of computer software to hasten one’s financial report output. In addition, friendships have strengthened being freely given to the slow-learning and disgruntled employees. The expert employees are eager to help the slow learning employees with their new job responsibilities.

In terms of opportunities, management has seen that it is easy to revise the current work itineraries. The employees have learned many new tricks of the trade. The employees have gained new knowledge that increases their production outcome. The introduction of the new computer system increases the employees’ volume of work output.

Recommendations

In terms of recommendation, it is highly recommended that all employees will be persuaded to implement the best work process. The best process would increase revenues. The best process will reduce costs and expense. In the end, the company’s net profits will increase significantly.

Based on the above discussion, change management is a complicated transaction. The change has to be implemented. The change management includes ensuring change that should be implemented by reducing resistance. Indeed, change management can be best put into successful motion by using the three phase process.

References

Beerel, A. (2009). Leadership and Change Management . New York: Sage Press.

Bridges, W. (2010). Managing Transactions: Making the Most of Change. New York: REadHowYou Want Press.

Drechsler, A. (2011). Employee Resistance . New York: Grin Press.

Moyer, C. (2010). Managerial Economics. New York: Cengage Press.

Nilakant, V. (2006). Change Management: Altering Mindsets in a Global Market. New York: Sage Press.

Paton, R. (2008). Change Management. New York: Sage Press.