Leading and Managing Change: Evaluating Corporate Strategies and Management Practices in VUCA Environment

This report evaluates the impact of VUCA environment on corporate strategies and management practices, and how it influences business approaches to planned and unplanned change. It provides recommendations for British Airlines to manage changes effectively and for self-improvement. The report also includes a reflection on strengths and weaknesses of working in a team.

Leading and Managing
Change

Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Main Body.......................................................................................................................................3
Evaluates how corporate strategies and management practices have been affected by the
current VUCA environment and demonstrates how this has influenced business approaches to
planned and unplanned change...................................................................................................3
Makes recommendation to support the business which takes into consideration key areas of
note identified within the report..................................................................................................5
Reflection on my strength and weaknesses.................................................................................6
Recommendations for self improvement....................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

Introduction
It is essential for every company to lead and manage change in their organisation. Change is
adopted in every organisation for the betterment. Hence, it is essential for companies to focus on
their internal and external business environment and then make strategies to adopt effective
change. British Airlines was founded in the year 1974 and it is headquartered in Harmondsworth,
UK. The following report covers corporate strategies and management practices have been
affected by the current VUCA environment and how this approaches to planned and unplanned
change. It also covers recommendations and reflection for self improvement.
Main Body
Evaluates how corporate strategies and management practices have been affected by the current
VUCA environment and demonstrates how this has influenced business approaches to
planned and unplanned change
VUCA stands for Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous. These factors can be
managed effectively by companies by their strategies and management practices (Sohn and Ko,
2021). In context of British Airlines, their marketing strategies and management practices get
affected by VUCA environment which is mentioned below-
Volatile- This factor define that change is unpredictable and rapid by nature. In context
of British Airline, their most of the changes are unpredictable because it carries carriers, parasols
and passengers from one place to another. They are unknown by behaviour of their passengers
and rules and regulations of the country where they land their planes. In context of British
Airline, if their passenger face any emergency then they have to make quick decision for
emergency landing.
Uncertain- This factors tells that the present is unclear and the future is uncertain which
means the factors or issue at present time is unclear and the future situations are unpredictable.
Complex- IT consist of having different interconnected factors, creating confusion and
many others. In context of British Airlines, it is essential for them to communicate with their
employees clearly to understand their needs and wants. It is essential for them to clear their
thoughts to share with each other.

Ambiguity- It consist of having lack of clarity and awareness about the situation (Vega
and et. al., 2021). In context of British Airlines, their employees needs and wants are unaware
by management team which further impacted their performance.
All these factors can affect management practices because when the situation is
unpredictable and unclear then managers are not able to make a affective decision. Hence, it is
compulsory that the company must understand their situations and issues well to make changes.
For example, in case the British Airlines are unable to predict that they are having lack of
employees then they will not think to hire new employees until they get to know about the lack
of employees situation. For example, British Airlines have the situation of conflict between their
employees which further impacting bad upon their performance. Hence, this situation can be
mitigated as soon as possible after analysing the reason of conflicts.
Planned changes are those changes where managers are well known about the situation
and make changes according to their knowledge for organisational benefit (Eliott and et. al.,
2019). Here, VUCA environment can affect this changes. It is essential for British Airlines to
adopt change quicker as soon as possible after analysing any issue which covers in volatility. It
will impact upon one of the most essential business approach that is customer-driven
organisation where companies focus to satisfy their customers. In case British Airlines make
changes quicker then their customers will get more satisfied by their services and secure
behaviour toward their passengers.
Unplanned changes are those changes where managers have no idea about changes within
their environment. In case British Airline face any situation which is unplanned like injury or any
passenger, damages to parasols and carriers while travelling from one place to another then it can
impact negative upon company's image. Hence, it is essential for the company to develop quick
decision making skill so that they will analyse the impacts of their unplanned change and make
decision to mitigate the negative impact of situation (Iglesias-Pradas and et. al., 2021). For
example, a passenger's health get serious while flying in a flight. This is not predicted or planned
situation. Hence, here, they are required to make some changes on the basis of their quick
decision making skill by analysing whether the condition of passenger is serious or not and then
analysing any near airport for emergency landing. This can be unplanned change because here
British Airlines are unaware that they required to land their flight in a emergency case. Hence,

here their operational strategy get affected because they have fixed appropriate time for each task
but due to emergency they get delayed.
Makes recommendation to support the business which takes into consideration key areas of note
identified within the report
There are few of the recommendations for British Airlines which help them to manage their
planned and unplanned changes effectively and these recommendations are mentioned below-
 In case of planned change, organisation is recommended to analyse internal and external
business environment and their impact upon their company so that they can analyse that
how effective plans they have made for adopting change.
 It is also recommended that when British Airline make any change in the company
whether it is related to their organisational strategy or related to their policy, they must
take suggestions and advices form their employees to make them happy and satisfied.
 It is also recommended to British Airlines that they must make a plan first to manage
their known situations and take the advice while making plan for adopting change. For
example, in case they adopt change in their technological factors and adopt advanced
software and tools then they must ask with expert that which software will help them to
gain more benefit for their company.
 It is also recommended that British Airlines must hire employees after checking their
skills and ability and one of the most essential thing is that they can not only check their
IT skills and technical knowledge but they are required to check their non-technical skills
such as communication skill, decision making skill, time management team and many
others (Kraeutler and et. al., 2019). This will help them to manage their unplanned
change effectively. For example, in case any unplanned situation arise then their good
communication skill will help them to convey the issue to superior power and make it
clear about the situation as soon as possible by conveying the precise message on the
specific issue. Secondly, good decision making skill will further help to control the
negative impact of unplanned change by taking quick and on the spot decision to mitigate
risk or barriers.
 It is also recommended to the company that they must analyse the performance of their
decisions for planned and unplanned change by measuring the performance whether they
have made effective decision or ineffective decision. Analysing this will help the

company to check analyse whether they required to make another decision or not so that
in case of making another decision they must make sure that their new decision to
mitigate their risks and barriers will be more stronger than previous decision.
 It is also recommended to the company that they can analyse their competitors and their
strategies to handle planned and unplanned changes so that in case they face same
situation as according to their competitor then they will make effective decision to
mitigate them.
Reflection on my strength and weaknesses
Team working is one of the essential thing that contributes to the whole process of project
completion. I have analysed that the team working has helped me in enhancing my certain skills
and further in effective completion of the tasks.
My strengths of working in a team
I have analysed that I have excellent communication skills which is a major factor that
helps in contribution of the group project. Communication is a major key in the team working
which helps the people in effectively accomplishing the set goals (Jenčo and Lysá, 2018). I
further communicate the areas on which the other team members need to focus so that they can
know how the effective collaboration of efforts can lead to successful objective completion.
Critical thinking is another strength that I have which helps me in thinking out of the box and
further using different tactics so that I can give my best in the team.
My weaknesses of working in a team
My major weakness while working in a team is the leadership skills as I lack in this skills
and sometimes I am unable to well manage the team which leads to chaos in the functions and
activities that needs to performed by the group (Herman, 2017). I am somehow inefficient in
delegating the roles and responsibilities which leads to delay in the completion of the goals.
Further it creates chaos in the organisation as the people working are unaware about the roles
they need to fulfil in the team.
Recommendations for self improvement
I must improve my leadership and managing skills as these are the two most essential
skills that are required in the person in order to create an effective team. The leadership skills of
a person ensures that the team is going on the right path and everyone in the team is well
motivated to accomplish the set tasks. Further the management skills would help me in

delegating the authorities and responsibilities which will help in clarity of the roles that every
team member in my group needs to accomplish. Management skills helps in reducing the chaos
as I will delegate the roles with the deadline which will ensure that the set objectives are
accomplished right on time. Managerial skills ensure that everyone in the group is contributing
their part and everyone is working on the areas in which they are best (Phadermrod and et. al.,
2019). I can further work in more real groups so that I can implement the new strategies into the
real world as the leadership skills and management skills are practical and can only be checked
on the real implementation.
Conclusion
From the above report it can be concluded that business environment is one of the major
factor that directly influence the strategies and management practices that are there in the
business. The planned and unplanned changes in the business influences the business approaches
and the VUCA environment currently effects the way in which organisation makes strategies for
their functions and activities.

References
Books and journals
Eliott, M. and et. al., 2019. Planned and unplanned fire regimes on public land in south-east
Queensland. International Journal of Wildland Fire, 29(5), pp.326-338.
Herman, M., 2017. Creating a Personal SWOT Analysis. MRH Enterprises LLC. Fecha de
consulta, 20.
Iglesias-Pradas, S. and et. al., 2021. Emergency remote teaching and students’ academic
performance in higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study.
Computers in Human Behavior, 119, p.106713.
Jenčo, M. and Lysá, Ľ., 2018. Evaluation of a work team strategy by using the SWOT
analysis. Calitatea, 19(165), pp.39-42.
Kraeutler, M.J. and et. al., 2019. Demographics and clinical outcomes of patients undergoing
anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a planned or unplanned hybrid graft. The
journal of knee surgery, 32(11), pp.1133-1137.
Phadermrod, B., and et. al., 2019. Importance-performance analysis based SWOT
analysis. International Journal of Information Management, 44, pp.194-203.
Sohn, Y.S. and Ko, M.T., 2021. The impact of planned vs. unplanned purchases on subsequent
purchase decision making in sequential buying situations. Journal of Retailing and
Consumer Services, 59, p.102419.
Vega, A.N. and et. al., 2021. Time Required for Planned and Unplanned Episodes of Care in
Primary Total Joint Arthroplasty: Has Anything Changed With a Growth in Outpatient
Arthroplasty?. The Journal of Arthroplasty, 36(4), pp.1195-1203.