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  • Essay / A Report on Strategic Change Management and Its Function

    Table of ContentsIntroductionChange: Its NatureApproaches to Change ManagementPerspectives of the Change ProcessNotable Change Management ModelsEvidence on the Scope of ApplicationCompetitiveness of Lewin's Three Stage Model compared to Lewin's three-step model. Kotter's Eight-Step Model of ChangeConclusionReferences: IntroductionSuccessful organizations emphasize business policy and strategic management. Thought leadership places a premium on meticulous planning and execution. The famous management guru Peter Drucker believed that the survival of an organization is above all important. Next come the growth factors. Here, survival is possible at the cost of aligning with emerging trends and initiating the process of change conducive to competitiveness. Change is therefore seen as an effective tool for organizational development and robust growth of any company. The more flexible the change process, the better results we can expect. The change must be dynamic in nature leading to creating a win-win situation for all stakeholders (Arnaboldi, M. and Azzone, 2005). Organizations like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, Amazon and Snapdeal are leading the race simply because they are good at strategic change management. In fact, it is the key to their success. Their change is more global and massive with an optimization of information and communication technologies (ICT). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essayChange: Its NatureExperts believe change is inevitable. It is the law of nature. It must be objective and not at all subjective. Change is impersonal and has a larger than life impact on the overall performance of any business or society. The company's philosophy, culture and values ​​matter to what extent change is achievable and achievable (Helms, Dye & Mills: 2009). Certain factors influence the introduction of change in the workplace. Changes are the expected outcomes in the form of reviewing strategy, organizational structure, processes, performance and finding creative and practical solutions to meet emerging market needs. Globalization has the lion's share of the workplace transition. In addition to this, technology, government reforms, legal implications, incessant customer expectations, competition and volatile market conditions require businesses to plan and execute a change process. These can be classified into internal and external factors. For example, Goods and Services Tax in India has restructured policies, pricing, auditing, etc. of the company. This is a legal and binding implication for target companies to comply with. Sometimes change is voluntary while it is also involuntary. Business strategy is voluntary while legal reforms are involuntary changes. Both have a direct or indirect impact on the organization. Depending on the objective of the organization, changes can be short, medium or long term. Change Management Approaches We note controversial views on the feasibility of the change process. There are essentially two approaches to effectively managing change: top-down and top-down. The concept of top-down approach is related to business re-engineering and business re-engineering.business process. The central idea of ​​applying this approach is the creation and direction of processes aimed at bringing the expected changes in the form of cost, service, quality and minimizing the average processing time. Whereas the bottom-up approach is all about effectiveness and efficiency. The Japanese term “Kaizen” is popular and recommended by management experts to improve processes, systems and for lean management. Modern change management is the best combination of bottom-up and top-down approaches for the sustainable development of an organization. People, processes and systems are at the center of strategic change. Care must be taken to ensure that change is not introduced at the cost of self-interest. Otherwise, it would not only spoil the existing performance but also the overall organization. This could prove to be a slow poison for the company in the years to come. Here, the company and the company are more important than individuals in the change management process. Here, the leader must behave as a catalyst for change and act responsibly. He or she must put all stakeholders at ease with strong conviction. Perspectives on the Change Process The success rate of change depends more on its execution than on its planning. Change must be integrated with strategic objectives aligned with the company's vision and mission. Indeed, the change process is advised and guided by a team of experts. However, when the process actually begins, unexpected elements arise. Their management constitutes a major challenge. Flexibility, duration, task allocation, responsibility, adaptability, preparation, stability, leadership and proactive involvement in the decision-making process really matter in the change management process (Sturdy & Grey: 2003 ). Communication, coordination and commitment must be taken care of from entry to the point of existence. It is equally important to set the right expectations from day one and continue to check, evaluate, update and confirm at every stage. Timely and accurate information leads to transparency in everything we do. This makes all the stakeholders confident and gives the desired result within the stipulated time frame. However, there is no rule of thumb or golden theory for success. It varies from one to another.Notable Change Management ModelsA prominent researcher and change expert, Ralph Stacey, presented a model based on strategic change. It helps to deal with the unpredictability and uncertainty of current market conditions. He called it “The Science of Complexity.” In order to overcome the instability and complexity of an organization, Stacey developed the strategic process. The model is successful for long-term gains throughout the change cycle. He highlighted the importance of the network feedback system by giving an example of a Boolean network. The decision-making process accelerates sufficiently with a strong sense of visualization of the proposed change. It ensures the accuracy and speed of the change process, which is crucial in the execution phase. Few notable change management models are mentioned below. It is interesting to compare a few to measure effectiveness against specific industry requirements. There are different models introduced and proposed by different experts to manage the change process effectively. Some notable models can be mentioned briefly in order to compare and contrast to understand what works best for change management. THE "Kurt Lewin's three-step model is one of the most popular models. It is based on the “Unfreeze – Change – Refreeze” framework. As a physicist and social scientist, Lewin insisted on maintaining the principle of balance at all these stages. This model was introduced in the 1950s, so it may seem outdated over time. However, some companies still use it only because it is relatively easy to understand and implement. Lewin relied on the iceberg theory to justify the different aspects while classifying the three stages. Dexter Dunphy and Doug Stace's contingency model of change management is highly recommended for larger organizations. This is an extended version of the Lewin model. The contingency approach is considered “the optimal solution” since companies differ in their vision, core values, organizational structure and processes. To make the change process more successful and results-oriented, Dunphy and Stace categorized the transition into four main stages. These are “fine-tuning, modular transformation, enterprise transformation and incremental adjustment”. Consultative or coercive change is expected after careful micro-planning and execution (Westover; 2010). It is ensured when the change process is managed by a competent leader. These experts also helped by recommending four leadership styles to execute it. Collaborative style of expert leader, proactive involvement largely from employees, while the consultative leader sets goals and develops expertise and talent pool to achieve them step by step. The transformation leader places great importance on the future of the organization. Naturally, employees participate less in the change process and decision-making. The coercive leader is dependent on the main drivers of change such as the manager, external parties, leaders, etc. After comparison, the collaborative style is more appropriate to obtain maximum results and minimize disruption. In short, the scale and style of change management are also detrimental to its success (Senior & Swailes: 2010). Other models regarding the change process include ADKAR initiated by Josef Prosci. It is the extension of Consciousness, Desire, Knowledge, Action and Strengthening. Basically, it is the best combination of two zones: the activation zone and the engagement zone respectively. Some experts perceive it in three states of change: current, transition and future. However, many leaders are not entirely comfortable applying this model in their organization. Evidence on Scope John Kotter's eight-step change model has proven to be a successful exercise in tactically transforming businesses. This can be proven using a case study. The company named Danish Railways is a joint venture of the Danish railway network and Bane Denmark which provides railway services (construction and technical operation, etc.) in Denmark. Even though there was no competition before, liberalization has had a considerable impact on both the railway sector and European markets. In order to deal with emerging challenges, the management approved and established the Railway Board in February 2007. All would work to make Denmark a leading railway technical contractor in Scandinavia by 2010 and in Europe by 2015. They used the eight-step change model as a reference and converted into a four-pronged transformation plan such as Ready, Set andParty, Best Time on Track, Technology and Business Development. Soren Peterson and Jens Pedersen (2008: 679) strongly believed that the motto “From Bureaucracy to Business” could turn their blueprint for the change process into a concrete reality, as their case study explains. Kotter's Eight-Step Change ModelWorking on the feasibility of change management models is essential to ensure the best returns on investment (ROI). I compared two models of change for this purpose. Lewin's three-stage model and Kotter's eight-stage model. Lewin's model has both advantages and disadvantages. It's simple and easy to understand. It can be applied at the department or process level. This is good for short-term changes. However, this might not work for dealing with complex and long-term changes. Indeed, any change occurs with strong resistance at the beginning and ends with reinforcement. The longer the resistance, the longer it takes. On the other hand, John Kotter's eight-step change model is more comprehensive. It is flexible enough to deal with unexpected elements during the change process. In fact, the very first step in “Creating a Sense of Urgency” is to reduce the resistance itself. Experts believe that change management is a dynamic process. Kotter's change model is not only transitional but also transformational and aims to maximize gains through systematic and scientific methods (Kotter: 2012). Predictive analytics is an essential skill in strategic change management. Taking into account the nature of the business and the industry, we are thinking of redesigning the product for different users. Initially, the product was manufactured only for a particular age group of professionals. Today we have expanded the scope to housewives and young people. We applied the first step of the Kotter model, that is, creating a sense of urgency by integrating it into "awareness camps" and highlighting the future harmful effects of fat or a unhealthy body. The live demonstration must be carried out with the use of a machine to burn calories and keep the body in good physical shape. The user guide is more infographic and in several regional languages ​​unlike the previous one (only in Gujarati). It is a fact that business growth is nothing but career growth and stability for employees. It reduces resistance and increases reinforcement for end users and employees. Changing lifestyle, working hours, health and safety standards and market competitors are taken into account in the revised plan. As a value chain system, the personalized diet plan will be prepared and shared with end users based on their lifestyle. If necessary, personal coaching is also offered. A helpline is newly created to handle customer complaints. A feedback system is in place for everyone. Bi-weekly and monthly reports are important to measure the effectiveness of the change process and bridge the gap. This allows you to stick to the plan, i.e. the last step of the Kotter model. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay. Conclusion: All the discussion above shows that there is no rule of thumb when planning and executing the change process. No one can guarantee what type of change model will deliver., 2 (1), 45-50.