Introduction
It is apparent that various issues and problems that occur at a particular organization affect it in a negative way. Therefore, it is essential to implement organizational change practices in order to ensure the adequate performance of the company in the future. As the previous assignment elaborated on the organizational structure of Atrium Health, it is appropriate to focus on the discussion of the issues of the workplace environment in the company. This paper aims to develop a proposal for change, paying particular attention to the projected effects of the proposed resolution on employees, anticipated conflict situations as well as practices for their resolution, and the required communication channels.
Description of the Change and Its Benefits
As it was mentioned in the previous paper, the employees of Atrium Health indicated the workplace environment as one of the core factors that is influencing their job satisfaction negatively (Garloch, 2015). Therefore, it is decided to propose the change related to the workplace structure. The results of the study by Alkuwaiti and Saleh (2009) indicate that there are three primary elements of the workplace environment that influence employee satisfaction levels.
These elements are the following: “visual privacy, acoustical privacy, and social interaction” (Alkuwaiti and Saleh, 2009, p. 24). In particular, the authors state that acoustical privacy is the most crucial aspect among others, and thus it is proposed to change the office design to make it more acoustically private for employees. The benefits of this proposal are evident as the increased job satisfaction levels will ensure the improvement in the performance of the organization.
The Impact of the Proposed Change on the Employees
It is expected that the proposed change will have a vastly positive effect on the satisfaction levels of the company’s employees. First of all, they will feel more secure as they will be given more privacy, both regarding visual and acoustical privacy. Additionally, the implementation of the changes in the workplace structure related to social interaction will also have a positive influence. The workers of the company will have a place where they will be able to relax and socialize with their co-workers. Moreover, it is expected that the creation of the public area for socializing will separate the working and leisure time of the employees more efficiently.
Assessment of the Anticipated Conflicts
Even though the proposed change is expected to have positive results, the conflicts still might occur. As it is mentioned by Gilin Oore, Leiter, and LeBlanc (2015), “although conflict at work is a fairly common and often distressing occurrence, it is arguably a vital and necessary element of human interaction” (p. 301). Primarily, it is expected that conflicts might occur between the employees of the company during and after the implementation stage, who will argue over the required time that is appropriate to spend in the social interaction area. The conflict situations also may arise prior to the implementation among the top management of the company, among whom some managers might neglect the need for the changes in the organizational structure related to the workplace environment and privacy.
Three Best Practices to Prevent and Resolve Conflicts
Accordingly, how the anticipated conflicts could be prevented? It is possible to observe the three best practices that derive from the scholarly literature on the topic. Firstly, it is of high importance to mention the application of ethical leadership, which could serve as the foundation for the overall conflict management methods in the organization (Babalola, Stouten, Euwema, & Ovadje, 2018). Secondly, as some conflicts will almost definitely involve the generational factor, it is recommended to employ the generational management practices model developed by Hillman (2014). Thirdly, the workgroup conflict training intervention, investigated in the study by Gilin Oore et al. (2015), would undoubtedly have a positive impact on the conflict resolution.
The Channels of Communication Needed for the Change
Regarding the channels of communication, which are required for the implementation of the change proposal, it could be stated that they are considered standard as nothing supremely innovative is not needed. Primarily, the memo about the change should be developed prior to the implementation and distributed among the employees of the company. During the implementation stage, a survey could be conducted. The purpose of this instrument is to retrieve feedback of the workers regarding their perception of the change project. Thus, the top management of the company will ensure that the project is developing in the right direction.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is possible to state that the development and implementation of the proposed change project would have positive effects on the overall levels of job satisfaction among the employees of Atrium Health. Nevertheless, it is critical to monitor the process of project development in order to prevent possible conflicts and ensure maximum improvement. This paper provides significant insights that are supported by references to the scholarly literature on the topic. Appropriate resolution practices are proposed for the anticipated conflicts. Therefore, it is concluded that the change proposal is reliable and potentially beneficial for the company.
References
Alkuwaiti, A., & Saleh, L. A. (2009). Workplace privacy: An environmental-behaviour analysis of Etisalat offices in Al-Ain. Web.
Babalola, M. T., Stouten, J., Euwema, M. C., & Ovadje, F. (2018). The relation between ethical leadership and workplace conflicts: The mediating role of employee resolution efficacy. Journal of Management, 44(5), 2037-2063.
Garloch, K. (2015). Employee satisfaction at Carolinas HealthCare System dropped in 2015. The Charlotte Observer. Web.
Gilin Oore, D., Leiter, M. P., & LeBlanc, D. E. (2015). Individual and organizational factors promoting successful responses to workplace conflict. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie Canadienne, 56(3), 301.
Hillman, D. R. (2014). Understanding multigenerational work-value conflict resolution. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 29(3), 240-257.