Change Management Plan Paper and Defense

Running head: Change Management Plan Paper and Defense

Change Management Plan Paper and Defense

University of Phoenix

MBA 520

Transformational Leadership

Introduction

The natural order of things is to continuously grow and renew. The human body must continuously grow and renew in order to sustain itself in an environment which is subject to weather changes, personal stress, and even isolated conditions of trauma. The cells of the human body are constantly growing and renewing themselves. The various cells renew and grow at different rates over time. What is interesting however, is that within approximately one year all the cells within the human body are completely renewed creating an almost different person. How is this timeless process important to business and organizational behavior?

The same parallels for change can also be drawn to a corporation in which hundreds maybe even thousands of people are involved in successfully implementing change. Change like in the natural world, has become a necessary event for survival in the business world. When an organization fails to change and adapt it begins a steady decline toward death. Not only do organizations fail to change but also fail to affectively manage change. Therefore, this once desirable skill of change management has clearly become an indispensable process.

The important concept here to realize is that the perception of change is to be appropriately viewed not as a negative event to be dealt with but rather an opportunity for improvement and growth that is to be embraced. For example, when cells multiply they can either grow into an improved, stronger version or deteriorate into a deformed or inferior version. Such is the case with change management. If leadership can capitalize on this change event the organization can move forward toward a greater history of production and prosperity. How can leadership capitalize on these change events?

CrysTel an organization poised for continuous change

“It is easier to resist at the beginning than at the end.”вЂ"Leonardo da Vinci

There was once a time in corporate history where the need for change did not occur that often. However, in today’s business landscape the “natural order of things” has even caught up with contemporary business and its leadership.

Case in point is the model for study, CrysTel Corporation. CrysTel is a telecommunications company operating in Illinois. It is a $200 million dollar a year revenue organization. CrysTel’s product line includes data cables, wireless solutions, and network development. (Building Culture for Sustaining change, 2006)

In the simulation CrysTel is characterized as “an agile organization that keeps up with volatile demands of the market”.

CrysTel strives to develop a learning culture and promote innovation that will help the organization sustain change. The leadership of CrysTel will use the Employee Satisfaction Survey which quanitifies satisfaction for work-related issues such as supervisory guidance, teamwork, and communication. Employee feedback from this survey can be used to plan for training and knowledge updates to resolve people related issues. CrysTel will also employee the Climate Survey to measure employee attitudes towards leadership style adopted, communication channels, motivation levels, and job security. Positive feedback with these aspects of the organization will help foster a healthy organizational climate.

CrysTel’s issues were uncovered through Employee Satisfaction Surveys and Climate Surveys.According to the Simulation here are the issues that faces CrysTel:

“The Marketing department is weak in employee and senior communication, does not empower its teams, and does not initiate mentoring activities to train less experienced employees. The Sales and Delivery department does not follow a participative leadership style, does not have a history of taking risks, and does not proactively resolve conflicts. Therefore, these two departments are least likely to adapt to continuous change.

Further analysis of the employment satisfaction survey and the climate survey has revealed that the Marketing department is also not very strong in leading by example, risk-taking, and resolving conflicts. Similarly, the Sales and Delivery department is not very strong in employee and senior communication, empowering teams, and mentoring its employees.” (Building Culture for Sustaining change, 2006)

Two of CrysTel’s largest concerns for change involve (1) a organizational resistance to change. (2) a lack of organizational flexibility. What if these concerns are not addressed?

What are the implications for CrysTel if change is implemented?

In the case of CrysTel proactive measures are taken to measure, quantify, and predict the affects change will have on its various departments. The leadership decides to We will examine the possible implications CrysTel must deal with once change is implemented. The simulation describes two of CrysTel’s largest implications for change involve the measured affects on resistance to change levels and productivity levels. The behavioral activities needed to be improved include:

1. Leading by example

2. Employee and senior communication

3. Empowering teams

4. Risk taking

5. Resolving conflict

6. Mentoring Sessions

The success of CrysTel’s change strategy will be quantified by the forementioned implications. The acid test of CrysTel’s ability to evolve into an organization that has created a learning culture that demonstrates flexibility and adaptability begins with the following change elements to