Creating Change
Creating a Guiding Coalition
Change is always critical for an organization that intends to maintain its operations in a changing market. Organizations may not succeed in the current business environment if they maintain the culture that they assumed decades ago. According to Christensen, the first step towards change is to recognize that the current state is undesirable and acting fast to initiate a change process (32). R&D organization has been on the process of change process, as it embarked on establishing more branches and increased its line of production.
The accomplishment of a change process depends on the management’s capacity to establish a guiding coalition. R&D organization’s guiding coalition is driven by the need to update its technology, as well as to accomplish its vision. The form developed a guiding coalition by establishing a team to facilitate the innovation process (Christensen 32). The firm also employed some individuals with no engineering experience to head the team, thus, breaking from its culture.
R&D is contemplating on working with Walmart in its new project. As R&D embarked on working with Walmart, certain changes are necessary to maintain this coalition. The firm must develop a vision and communicate the vision to Walmart so that Walmart can decide on how to support the project. Individuals concerned should work together to eliminate barriers to change. As each firm has its own culture, the two groups can work on aspects that seem to benefit both sides.
The coalition between R&D and Walmart needs to engage several players to give support to the team. The support members include the HR (Human Resource) Manager, Finance Manager, Production Manager, Procurement Manager, and IT personnel. The aforementioned members are vital in guiding the coalition because they create transparency in the process of coalition. They offer their expertise in change process depending on their professions. A coalition requires individuals with leadership skills, high credibility, and extensive expertise in areas that require change.
Resistance to Change
Organizations have to adapt to change in order to remain productive and win the competition battle. Resistance to change involves actions taken by individuals or groups especially when they perceive change as a threat to their survival. Change process is not always acceptable within the organization. According to John Kotter, a former professor at Harvard Business School, resistance to change persists because some organizations are convinced that they can transform the opinions of individuals resisting change. Kotter proposed that individuals or groups that resist change, despite their positions in the organizational management, should be done away with because they can be devastating to the organization. Trying to “win over” their hearts is a futile activity because they put their own self-interests before the interests of the organization. Change is essential for the organization and should be acceptable to all.
Resistance is normal in many organizations, but organizations should be cautious about individuals who oppose change. Resistance to change can negatively affect organizations through lack of cohesion in teams. If individuals who resist change are tolerated in the organization, they may incite other employees to slow down their efforts so that they can protect their interests. Resistance to change can create a division between employees based on their submission to authority. Some employees may lose morale and feel insecure concerning their future in the organization. Consequently, organizations may lose their best employees if they fail to address the issue of resistance appropriately. When the top management strives to win individuals who resist change, some individuals may pretend to support the change process yet they still see threat in their positions. Recognizing the negative effects created by resistance to change can assist in handling the problem.
Works Cited
Christensen, Leslie. “Creating Cultural Change In A 115-Year-Old R&D Organization.” Research Technology Management 58.3 (2015): 30-38. Business Source Complete. Web. 18 May 2016.
Kotter, John. “Resistance to Change.” YouTube. YouTube, Mar. 23, 2011. Web. 18 May 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wdroj6F3VlQ