Introduction
Change is an inevitable part of life, and it is essential to be in control of it to be able to manage different aspects of it. The change which I wish to implement in the near future concerns my ambition to grow further as a professional. Specifically, the aim of the change I want to undergo is to become a director of operation and maintenance in the company I am currently working in.
There are three main reasons behind my intention to undergo the change in question. First of all, career progression is important for me because it provides me with a sense of purpose. I cannot perform the same activity for a long period of time due to the fact that it becomes too repetitive for me. As a result, I tend to slowly lose my motivation for work and cease to associate it with any importance.
The second reason for the change is linked to the previous one, namely, another position and role in the company is a source of new experiences for me. When doing my job, I am excited to face unusual challenges and find innovative ways to overcome them. The position of the director of operation and maintenance involves solving unconventional problems on a regular basis. Therefore, such a job will certainly satisfy my desire to have new experiences, which will help me to enhance my competence.
Finally, the change will yield me more opportunities, including professional and financial ones. The role of a director implies having and constantly developing leadership skills which are to a substantial extent universal and can be applied in other environments. As a result, by gaining leadership experience, I will be able to find another management job in a different company and even industry. Moreover, as the director of operation and maintenance, I will increase my income which is also important for me.
Implementation Plan and Timeframe
The process of implementation of the change I will undergo will rely on the ADKAR model of change. ADKAR was designed by Jeff Hiatt and Tim Creasy, and it is an acronym for awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (Kesterson, 2017). The approach itself highlights the significance of addressing both organizational and personal change together as a comprehensive issue. It takes into account every crucial element which influences the probability of success of adoption of change, including on an individual level (Smith et al., 2020). The ADKAR framework will assist me in describing my plan in detail without missing any substantial aspects.
Awareness of the need for change is the first step which I need to address, and currently, I fully understand the necessity for my career progression. Essentially, the career change which I want to undertake is vital for my future and ability to grow as a professional. The second step is the desire for the change, which I covered above by presenting my reasons.
Knowledge which I need to possess to be able to successfully undergo the change is the most important part of the plan. Since I have a degree as a mechanical engineer and six years of experience working for the company, my level of expertise is appropriate. At the same time, the two areas I need to focus on are the development of leadership skills and budget management. As an MBA student, I receive a substantial amount of information on these two topics. Additionally, I participate in online courses and read books to get more insights into the issues of leadership and budget management.
After finishing my MBA, I will gain the ability to apply my theoretical concepts in practice. During the ability stage, I will ask the top management of the company to provide me with an opportunity to assume a position with leadership responsibilities. It is possible that the top management will be reluctant to appoint me the director of operation and maintenance instantly. Therefore, I will have to first practice my skills as a supervisor or other type of low-management employee. Nevertheless, once I become the director of operation and maintenance, I will transition to the stage of reinforcement, where I will have to retain my new role by effectively performing my tasks. The timeframe of the change will be one year after finishing the MBA program.
Driving Forces
As with any change process, my plan to become a director in the company is subject to both favorable and unfavorable forces. According to the Force Field Analysis, every organization exists in a state of balance between factors which both promote and hinder change (Crawshaw et al., 2017). Similarly, a person wishing to undergo an important change in their life also experiences the impact of such forces.
In my case, there are four main driving forces which actually significantly support my change efforts. First of all, I have the motivation and desire to advance in my career and become a better professional. In other words, I am willing to face challenges which may arise during my transition to a new job and embrace new experiences. Another driving force contributing to the change is my current expertise which includes the skills I have gained in university and while working for the company for six years. Moreover, my education level, which I am currently increasing even further to become an MBA specialist is sufficient for me to occupy the role of a director.
Another vital factor which actually can help me implement the change is the poor performance of the current director of operation and maintenance. The top-management representatives of the company voiced their concerns about the activity of the director at several meetings. The unsatisfactory work of the person can eventually make the company owners look for a replacement, and I may be considered a candidate for the position. Finally, the fact that I have been working for the company for six years and even had jobs in three different departments also makes me a person capable of effectively performing the responsibilities of a director. The top management of the enterprise, as well as other employees, know me well, and our established communication and trust will positively affect my ability to act as a director.
Restraining Forces
At the same time, there are certain factors which can potentially hinder the change and prevent me from advancing in my career. Restraining forces which negatively hinder change include the lack of skills and expertise and can stem from within the organization and the external environment (Deszca et al., 2019). There are four primary factors which have to be considered carefully and seriously when implementing change.
The first force is the potential dissatisfaction of employees with the appointment of me as the director of operation and maintenance. There are several people working in the company who also can be considered candidates for the role, and some of them have managed to build better relationships with colleagues than me. In the case of my appointment, the staff may have a negative view of me, which can result in the failure of the reinforcement step on my part and a subsequent dismissal.
Additionally, there is a possibility that the top management will be reluctant to introduce any changes and will decide against finding another person for the position of director. Such conduct can be described as resistance to change, which constitutes a loss of motivation on the part of employees to recognize the necessity of a new approach (Bratton, 2020). In other words, the top managers can remain passive despite not being satisfied with the work of the current director.
There is also a factor such as the lack of actual leadership experience on my part, which can be a force capable of preventing the top managers from giving me a chance to progress. The company’s owners may have a policy on the appointment of only people with prior experience in positions of higher importance, such as directors. Finally, the change of the director of operation and maintenance can entail additional costs for the company since it will have to provide the newly-appointed person with additional training.
How Resistance Will be Overcome
All of the factors listed above can be resolved through effective strategies, and thus my chance of successfully undergoing the change will increase. The problem of the dissatisfaction of colleagues can be solved with the help of an organizational meeting where I will be able to explain my perspective on the situation. I will highlight the importance of maintaining a conflict-free environment in order to ensure that the company manages to perform at the highest level of professionalism. The second problem concerning the resistance to change of the top-management can be also be solved with a conversation with these people. During the discussion, I will provide several arguments in support of the necessity to replace the existing director, which will include the need to improve organizational performance.
The third factor is the lack of leadership experience which I have and due to which the company’s owners can consider me an irrelevant candidate. The problem can be solved by once again meeting with the top management and proving to them my expertise. I will provide them with information on my education level and remind them of all my achievements during the six years in the company. The fourth factor of high cost related to the replacement of a director can be addressed by listing the eventual benefits of the change, including improved organizational performance.
Conclusion
The change which I seek to implement concerns my career progression and involves me becoming a director of operation and maintenance. The main reason for the change in question is my desire to face new challenges and gain purpose in my work. Despite the fact that there are restraining forces able to hinder my plan, my skills and training enable me to resolve them and successfully get the job.
Reference List
Bratton, J. (2020) Work and organizational behaviour. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Crawshaw, J., Budhwar, P., & Davis, A. (2017) Human resource management: strategic and international perspectives. New York: SAGE.
Deszca, G., Ingols, C., & Cawsey, T. (2019) Organizational change: an action-oriented toolkit. New York: SAGE.
Kesterson, R. (2017) The intersection of change management and lean six sigma: the basics for black belts and change agents. Boca Raton: CRC Press.
Smith, A., Skinner, J., & Read, D. (2020) Philosophies of organizational change: perspectives, models and theories for managing change. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing.