Change Management and Communication Plan

Change Management and Communication Plan

Name

MGT/311

November 10, 2014

Instructor

Change Management and Communication Plan

Riordan Manufacturing has many factors to consider with the development and implementation of a new customer management system. One factor to be considered is the current formal and informal power structures and how it effects employee behavior. The impact of a change in power structure is a consideration outlined in the proposed change management plan. An effective organizational structure and its related behavioral effects have been selected for development and implementation. There are also potential influence considerations related to the corporate culture, which include potential resistance to change from employees. To assist with minimizing the potential of employee resistance, a communication plan is outlined to select appropriate channels in order to communicate the intended change effectively. Effective communication is an important aspect for consideration to overcome the barriers of the current formal and informal power structures, assist with possible behavioral influences, and to successfully implement the intended change to the customer management system. A possible barrier to communication while implementing this new customer management system could include differences in perception and viewpoint. Since Riordan currently does not even have a system in place at all it is very likely that employees on all different levels will have different expectations on what the system will be like upon completion. This change management and communication plan will be in effect for a 12 month period. The proposed plan will include monitoring for success or failure during the 12 month period. All of these factors have been considered with the development of the change management and communication plan.

The current formal and informal power structures of Riordan Manufacturing have been assessed using the intranet site available to management. Organizational charts, job descriptions, employee files, and policies and procedures were reviewed to analyze the current formal and informal power structures. Currently, Riordan employees function in non-union facilities company-wide. The organizational structure of this company is currently centralized with a division of labor according to function. The company facilitates an open-door policy within each department to allow employees to share concerns with management even if those concerns are management related. There is no formal employee complaint process; however, company employee evaluations do not indicate that the employees have identified issues with the current organizational structure. However, the 2004 satisfaction survey indicates that there is an increase of dissatisfaction in regards to job satisfaction and that many employees would leave Riordan manufacturing for a slight increase in pay. The surveys also indicate that there is a discordance between departments and an increase of employees perceiving a lack of managerial communication between departments. Management will need to address these findings in order for this change management and communication plan to be successful. It will be imperative to implement a new organizational structure in charge of implementing, monitoring, and managing this change.

A decentralized cross-functional team comprised of representatives from each functional area of the company is an appropriate and effective organizational structure for the change management plan. Team members will bring knowledge from each department regarding the use of customer information and the implementation possibilities within each department. The team members will collaborate on potential uses of the new customer management system and allow team members to select a new customer information management system that will meet the needs of all departments. The implementation of a decentralized team will benefit Riordan Manufacturing due to the team employing the authority to implement the change in cooperation with many levels of management. The decentralized cross-functional team is the most effective and appropriate organizational structure for the implementation, monitoring, and management of this change.

There are potential influences related to the current corporate culture at Riordan Manufacturing. Potential resistance is a factor to be considered and managed as a team is formed and begins to evaluate each of the departments for uses of the new customer information system. Due to the growing dissatisfaction with managerial decisions, there is also a potential for behavioral issues or deviant behavioral influences resulting from the perception that the team's decisions may adversely affect employees. Power struggles are also a concern; there is potential that they may emerge later in the implementation phases when centralized management is confronted with the decentralized authority of the cross-functional team. These potential influences