Effective Change Management Techniques in Organization

Running Head: BUSINESS RESEARCH PROJECT 1
Effective Change Management Techniques in Organization
Name
Insitution

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LITERATURE REVIEW
Organizational change management has attracted debates and publication of discourses
from intellectuals and academic scholars against the backdrop of technology and globalization.
The growing prevalence of change management is because of the increasingly rapid and
permeating change organizations regularly face. Globalization and the proliferation of
technology have made the world a global village. Economic uncertainty and sociopolitical
dynamics are some of the factors that drive change.
Change Management Theories
One of the prominent theory of change management is the Kotter’s Eight-Step Approach
— a holistic change planning and implementation process (Weiss, 2015, p.5). The first step
towards change, according to the theory, is establishing a sense of urgency. Sense of urgency in
this context means asserting the importance of the actions required to address critical issues—
things are central to organizational survival, success, or failure. Kotter contended that it would be
difficult to motivate employees if there is no sense of urgency. Creating sense of urgency,
according to Weiss (2015), involves assessment of markets and competitive realities as well as
accentuating and discussing major opportunities and potential threats (p.7). The second step is
the formation of a powerful guiding coalition. This involves bringing together a group with
agility and efficacy to lead the change effort and foster teamwork. Ideally, strong and visible
leadership creates momentum for change and aids in generating a sense of emotion of being
central to change. The third step of change is to develop a vision. The coalition develops a vision
and strategies that provide a blueprint for change effort and demonstrate an envisioned future
state of the organization once the change is implemented (Darnell, 2013, p.32).

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The fourth step is communicating the vision. Kotter encouraged leaders to employ
effective communication medium and strategies to ensure team members comprehend the new
vision and the blueprint of achieving it (Weiss, 2015, p.8). Effective communication fosters
employees' commitment to change. The next step is to empower others to work on the vision. It
involves enlisting of competent and willing members to implement change. It also encompasses
the removal of impediments to change, such as outdated technologies or performance evaluation
and compensation criteria. The sixth step is the creation of short-term wins, which include the
establishment of tangible and visible performance improvements. The seventh step is
consolidating improvements by using expertise to change structures and policies that are not
consistent with the new vision. The management can also accomplish this step by hiring
promoting, and training employees to implement the vision and enhance the change process
(Jones and Recardo, 2013, p.83). The final step is to institutionalize new changes into the
organizational culture. It involves making the change as an integral part of the corporate culture.
Another theory that supports change management is The McKinsey 7-S model. The model
was developed in the 1980s by Robert H. Waterman, Jr. and Tom Peters to provide a roadmap to
companies in, assessing, analyzing, and monitoring change in the organization (Hayes, 2014,
p..123). The 7-Ss, which the model sits on, are structure, strategy, systems, staff, skills, style, and
shared values. The first three are known as hard elements since they are easy to identify and
define, and management can directly influence them; examples, IT systems, strategy statements,
and formal processes. The last four are categorized as soft elements because they are difficult to
define and are often influenced by culture. Strategy refers to the plan designed to build a
competitive advantage in pursuit of sustaining competition. Starbucks business strategy is
entrenched on product differentiation with a focus on the quality of product and services

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(Dudovskiy, 2017, par1). Massive integration of technology with various business processes,
particularly in the ordering process represents a vital hue of Starbuck business strategy, for
example. When assessing the strategy of a company, there is a need to consider the objectives
and flexibility of the company in accommodating the change. The company's structure— in
terms of hierarchy, communication, and decision-making— should be simple to enhance the
effectiveness of change. For instance, Starbucks has a divisional organizational structure, which
integrates brand-based and geographical divisions (Dudovskiy, 2017, par2). On systems, the
organization should ensure that core systems— document management, finance, and HR— are
accurate, updated, and accessible to support change. In terms of values, the management should
analyze the corporate culture and core values, and identify strong values that inhere change.
Starbucks, for example, emphasizes on "Starbucks experience," which includes friendly staff,
coffee, and comfortable meeting place (Dudovskiy, 2017, par4). The style involves analysis of
leadership approach in the organization in terms of effectiveness, cooperation, and participation.
The organization style of Starbucks is defined as flexible, innovative, and team-oriented.
Assessing staff comprises analysis of specialization needed, gaps to be filled, and gaps that
demand competencies. Finally, the organization should analyze strongest skills and skill gaps in
change management.
Change Management
The concept of change management has been explored and documented by the existing
literature. Change management refers to the processes and approaches adopted by business
content to facilitating the leaders in moving units or entire organization from the present to the
desired state. Change management is underpinned on content-based disciplines of strategic
operations, business, management, and finance. Some of the areas that demand change