Introduction
Like all technology-dependent industries, the transportation sector is largely affected by technological advances, innovations in the relevant fields of knowledge, and new inventions. To keep up with the rapid developmental pace, RTA should constantly monitor the environmental changes and respond to them by modifying the internal corporate environment, strategies, and modes of conduct.
Technology advancement influences affect the RTA’s productivity and performance. To cope with the environmental changes, the organization aims to plan, direct, control, and coordinate the development and implementation of technological capabilities to shape and accomplish the various operational objectives.
Impacts of Change
Environmental changes create challenges and opportunities for the improvement of service and business operations. The changes and strategies interact in a dynamic way. Change always drives strategy as well as strategy drives change (Burnes 306). An efficient change management strategy always aims to redirect, transform, reshape, and combine existing organizational competencies with available external resources. It means that the alignment of the external factors with the internal organizational competencies is core to the strengthening of the organizational competitive position.
Factors of Change Process
RTA change management strategy includes the following steps:
- Generation of urgency for change;
- Creation of vision and mission statements based on current and new corporate values;
- Integration of those values and vision within the company, communication with employees about the issues of organizational transformation;
- Implementation of the strategy in practice, focusing on staff education and motivation toward the achievement of formulated goals;
- Monitoring the ongoing business processes, as well as short-term and long-term results;
- According to the evaluation of strategic outcomes, the management makes corrections in the strategy and improves it;
- Sustaining of the positive results.
Approaches to Change Management
RTA change management model is similar to Kotter’s eight-step change model. The eight steps included in the given change strategy are 1) establish the sense of urgency, 2) form a guiding coalition, 3) create a vision, 4) communicate it, 5) allocate power roles, 6) formulate short-term objectives, 7) consolidate improvements through staffing techniques and launching of the new projects, and 8) institutionalize new approaches. The given approach provides a detailed plan and is effective for the creation of greater employee commitment and engagement in the change process.
Lewin’s three-step model consists of such steps as 1) unfreezing, 2) changing, and 3) refreezing. At the first stage, it is important to create awareness of the need for change in employees through communication and informing them about the possible solutions for the improvement (Schein 138). Then, when people are unfrozen, the actual measures for behavioral and structural changes can be undertaken. The second stage in the modification process includes active learning, development of new organizational standards, allocation of power roles, etc. Finally, the publisher will need to refreeze the cognitive restructuring results to maintain new patterns of behavior. One of the best ways to do so is the creation of efficient motivation and reward system that would recognize employee efforts and stimulate them to repeat the positive behavior.
Action research includes data gathering and diagnosis, feedback, recommendations, planning change, intervention, and evaluation of results (Lurey and Griffin 47). Overall, the approach is associated with a high level of involvement in the analyzed situation. It implies cross-sectional collaboration during the research process. The collaborative reflection on organizational needs is the most important step. At the initial stage of the investigation, the management team identifies the most important areas of concern and translates them into the change strategy. At the stage of diagnosis and data gathering, managers convert a general concern into a narrower subject matter and, after this, develop an appropriate change management plan.
Works Cited
Burnes, Bernard. Managing Change. Pearson Education, 2014.
Lurey, Jeremy, and Matt Griffin. “Action Research: The Anchor of OD Practice.” Handbook for Strategic HR: Best Practices in Organization Development from the OD Network, edited by John Vogelsang, AMACOM Books, 2013, pp. 46-52.
Schein, Edgar. Organizational Culture and Leadership (Jossey-Bass Business and Management Series). Jossey-Bass, 2010.
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