Leading Organizational Change

This document provides insights into leading organizational change, including process-oriented leadership styles, assumptions concerning the issue, WMC's anticipation of the need for change, typology of change suitable for WMC, effectiveness of WMC in change management, and the significance of enlisting support from key stakeholders.

Leading organizational change 1
LEADING ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
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Leading organizational change 2
Contents
Task 1...............................................................................................................................................3
1) Process-oriented leadership style to enhance work team........................................................3
2) Process-oriented leadership style for successful change management at WMC.....................3
Task 2...............................................................................................................................................4
Assumptions concerning the issue expressed..............................................................................4
Task 3...............................................................................................................................................5
WMC’s anticipation of need for change......................................................................................5
Typology of change suitable for WMC.......................................................................................6
Task 4...............................................................................................................................................6
Effectiveness of WMC in change management...........................................................................6
Scope for improvement................................................................................................................8
Task 5...............................................................................................................................................8
Significance of enlisting support from key stakeholders.............................................................8
Advice offered to WMC............................................................................................................10
References......................................................................................................................................12

Leading organizational change 3
Task 1
1) Process-oriented leadership style to enhance work team
To complete this task I have assumed the role of Mira. As a leader and part of the decision-
making process of WMC, in the recent past, I have observed certain needs for change within the
manufacturing approach and process of WMC, for which active cooperation from the work team
is required. Process-oriented leadership style, which I am inclined towards, as indicated in my
leading change report, allows me to actively participate in the step-by-step planning and
execution of the change plan. This is a significant element of team management, which is
observed by Hayes (2018) as the most effective leadership style. This allows me to observe the
potential and strengths of team members, minutely, which helps in better task allocation. The
communication of the purpose of the change and its environmental significant helped in
acquiring the support of operational teams. Moreover, my inclination towards rewarding the staff
members in due course of successful completion of a task, active participation and advancement
towards the goal helped me to encourage the work teams to maintain a positive approach towards
the work assigned to them (Muenjohn et al. 2018).
2) Process-oriented leadership style for successful change management at WMC
As mentioned above, I practice process-oriented leadership style which is characterized by
meticulous planning, maintenance of constant coordination among the relevant organizational
department and activities and overlooking the execution at every stage. From the surface level,
my leadership style appears autocratic, as I prefer to overlook the change process at its every
stage (Bonsu and Twum-Danso, 2018). It also seems inspired by the transactional form of
leadership, as I tend to reward the team members for their participation, completion of task, and
progress towards the assigned or shared goals and acquire new skills. This is essential for
encouraging every member of the organizational work teams to remain focused and explore their
complete potential towards the achievement of assigned performance goals and in this case
completion of change process successfully.
However, this style of leadership does not inspire deeper level of loyalty and association among
the work teams with the organization. For instance, in WMC the change proposed, would cause
significant decrease in the number of staffs required, which might generate negative approach

Leading organizational change 4
among the team members towards the plan proposed. For this, communication of the objective of
the proposed change and vision associated with it is to be communicated with the work team
members (Hayes, 2018). Therefore, I also implement certain elements of transformational
leadership style such as creating shared vision, minute planning of the change and implementing
the plan in tandem with the relevant team members. This ensures that the functional teams accept
the change plan, adding to the possibility of success of the change plan developed for WMC.
Task 2
Assumptions concerning the issue expressed
Customers-
Environmental awareness among customers has been germinated and WMC can improve it
further as a marketing initiative. WMC could use the market demand triggered by this awareness
for achieving supply contracts from major international brands like Nike, H&M, Walmart and so
on.
Competitors-
Though major competitors of WMC seem unfazed by harm that they cause to environment,
smaller brands are available that offer environmentally sound substitutes (CBI, 2019). If WMC
fails in reducing environmental footprint, it might cost the company its position in the market.
Technology-
The high cost of implementing biotechnology in textile manufacturing is due to the lack of
enough research on making it economically viable (Maiti, Kulkarni and Adivarekar, 2018 and
Singh and Hooda, 2018). Applying proper research WMC might be able to find a cost-effective
solution to it.
Human resource-
WMC could increase production and operational scales through successful acquisition of supply
contract from international brands. Increased operational scale might lead to less need for staff

Leading organizational change 5
dismissal. By providing proper training for staff members, related to new structure and
technology, WMC could limit staff redundancy.
Change process-
Production at initial stage would be performed in both old and new measures, allowing the
existing staff to gradually transit towards the environment-friendly system. WMC would have to
ensure regular communication of objectives and value created through the change during the
unfreezing stage (McKimm and Jones, 2018).
Task 3
WMC’s anticipation of need for change
From the given case it is evident that environmental footprint of the competitors of WMC that
avail cheaper alternatives to the market, has encouraged Mira and Ryan’s to develop a more
environment-friendly manufacturing system. Hayes’s (2018) open system theory, in this case,
could be applied to understand the trigger for the change here. The theory explains organisation
and its different functional areas as a part or open system of the larger external environment that
actively interacts with the said environment. Roundy, Bradshaw and Brockman (2018) further
explained that the external factors like the customers, competition or the revenue generated from
sales serve as inputs that determine and fund the decisions related to resource allocation,
technology and managerial approaches. In the given case, the external environmental factors like
the harm caused by low-cost retailers, such as Cotton-On and JC Penny, to the environment
during their manufacturing processes, and the interest of large brands like H&M, Benetton,
Walmart and Nike that it has triggered have initiated Mira and Ryan to explore the change
possibility in the company’s Production processes. Therefore, it can be deduced that the external
input, as mentioned above, has led to the output of alteration decision of production technology.
Carey, Buick and Malbon (2018) identified that the fundamental change within an organisation
requires alteration in its cultural and behavioural pattern. As the change proposed by Ryan and
Mira initiates alteration in the basic and long cherished approach of production, both internal and
external entities like the board and the local analysts have opposed it. Worley and Mohrman
(2014), explained that scholars and practitioners often perceive transformational change as a

Leading organizational change 6
disorganised nuisance, to be avoided at every opportunity available. However, Carnall (2018)
identified change as the only inevitable aspect and means of development. This can be perceived
as the perspective that has encouraged WMC to anticipate change.
Typology of change suitable for WMC
Studying the typology of organizational change proposed by Hayes (2018), it has been identified
that re-creation is the type of approach that best explains the change required in WMC. Several
companies are there in the market, that operate on large scale using the old and environmentally-
degradable production procedure without apparent decrease in the number of sales. Thus, at the
initial observation, turning or re-orientation seems more suitable for WCM as per the
circumstance that it faces in the global market. Therefore, the change proposed could introduce
better ways of achieving success in the market in the absence of an immediate threat. However,
observing the market trend and increasing awareness among the consumers concerning the
environmental footprint marks that, in near future, brand with environmentally degradable
procedures might face rejection from a large part of the market (Khar, 2018).
Harnessing re-creation WMC could go through a reactive change that would call for speedy and
simultaneous change in all the basic aspects and elements of the business. This is more
appropriate for WMC as it has brought drastic change in the management ranks and initiate
major alteration in the production process and technology (Benn, Edwards and Williams, 2018).
The entire structure and approach of the organization are to be disoriented and re-determined for
the successful completion of the change process.
Task 4
Effectiveness of WMC in change management
Hayes (2018) identified that the discrepancies between the actual and the desired level of
performance triggered the need for change, indicator of which might be weak but hint a
significant risk to the organizational performance in future. Assessing the given case study, the
following indicators of effectiveness have been identified:
Indicators Effectiveness
Competitive advantage Effective

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Sales and demand Effective partially
Environment footprint Effective
Human resource management Ineffective
Board members’ support acquisition Ineffective
Business growth Effective
Table 1: Effectiveness indicators of WMC
(Source: created by student)
As WMC operates in the cotton and wool textile industry, sales and market demand is a major
determinant of the effectiveness of its strategies. WMC has faced threat of losing sales due to the
availability of cheaper substitutions, produced through a higher pollution process of production.
The obvious solution for this issue appears to be lowering the price of its product by adhering to
similar procedure. However, this fails to appear as a substantial solution. Hence, Myra and Ryan
address the issue by further improving the technology. This might require larger financial
investment, initially, but has better chance of generating a competitive advantage inviting large-
scale demand from major brands.
Implementation of the plan proposed by Myra and Ryan, for changing the technology of
production towards a more environmentally sustainable option, would effectively reduce the
environmental footprint of WMC. However, a significant number of its employees became
redundant as a result, which initially might appear effective in reducing cost of human resource
but led to unemployment for around 400 of its employees.
Board members of WMC do not agree with the vision of Myra and Ryan and condemn the
deviation from the traditional approach that had earned the organization considerable acceptance
in the target market. Finally, potential for business growth is one of the major determinants of the
effectiveness of a change strategy. Lozano and von Haartman (2018) identified that
organizational change is the key to the attainment of the goals that an existing process fails to
deliver. In the given case, WMC’s goal was to acquire preference of large global brands like
Nike, Walmart, JC Penny, H&M, Benetton, Myer and David Jones. Here it is noteworthy that
although WMC appears to be a well-received brand in the market, all its customers were local
designers and local industry retailers. This customer base of WMC was threatened by low-cost

Leading organizational change 8
and environmentally harmful brands that avail substitute products. Therefore, for increasing the
scale of its business, WMC needed to attract larger brands as mentioned above that look for more
environmentally sustainable options. Therefore, it can be deduced that change actions that WMC
undertook served effectively in ensuring business growth.
Scope for improvement
Through the discussion above, it is evident that human resource management in WMC needs
significant improvement to ensure employee security and satisfaction, which is essential for
maintenance and improvement of organizational productivity as it. The organization can ensure
this by offering an employment contract to the staffs, specifying a minimum term of service. In
addition, WMC could address the issue of employee redundancy by increasing the scale of
production and operation and by offering training to the existing staff to effectively use new
technology. This would also help in reducing the disagreement of the board members by
projecting compliance with the traditional approach of the company towards its human resource.
The Myra and Ryan could present a projection of the financial benefit that the technological
change can offer and the loss the company might need to endure in case of failure in this respect
to gain preference of the board members. Finally, the market demand for the product might be
improved by introducing an online sales portal or app for the products on the organization where
the company could directly interact with the end customers.
Task 5
Significance of enlisting support from key stakeholders
Different stakeholders of an organization perceive benefit and success of organizational activities
based on different indicators (Hayes, 2018). Therefore, to enlist their support for a specific
initiative or change the organizational leader would need to offer value specific to their needs.
Customers / retailers
In case of WMC retailers and designer are its main customers. Currently, the market offers a
considerable number of cheaper substitutes, which might attract the customers causing reduced
sales, hence, inevitable loss. Therefore, the organization acquires support from its existing and
potential customers to ensure its success and existence in the market.

Leading organizational change 9
Suppliers
As the organization intends to use environmentally viable measures to operate and manufacture
products, therefore, it needs to acquire raw material from environmentally sound sources as well.
Support of the suppliers is essential for achieving this target.
Employees
Unemployment of over 400 employees, caused by the recent organizational change in WMC,
might have generated considerable unrest among the staffs. Haider et al. (2018) identified that
absence of job security might cause lack of productivity in work teams. Such consequences
would hamper the performance of WMC in long run despite its intent of generating value
through environmental-compliance. Therefore, higher officials need to communicate the vision
of the organization to their subordinates and assure the existing staff of their job security to
acquire their support.
Board members
Board members in the given case are at the opposing end of the leaders bringing change, Myra
and Ryan. This makes the implementation of the plan difficult. Acquiring support of the board
members would not just ease the process of decision-making but also provide support in the
further step of strategy implementation.
Shareholders
Managers are concerned with maintaining positive relations with the stakeholders that have
immediate influence on the performance and operations of the organization (Sulkowski, Edwards
and Freeman, 2018 and Jones, Harrison and Felps, 2018). Shareholders of WMC possess
decision-making and investment power. Therefore, the change leaders need to acquire their
support in decisions like changing the manufacturing technology that brings major changes in
terms of investment and employment.
Government

Leading organizational change 10
WMC needs to acquire government approval for unhindered operation of the organization in
market, as government’s policies, standards and approval determine the validity of the operations
of the business organization.
Media
Image of the business largely depends on the manner in which media presents it before the
market, which is a major determinant of demand of the organizational offerings among
customers, making media’s support essential for organizational success.
Advice offered to WMC
As observed by Malhotra and Hinings (2015), the competing values develop a polarizing patter
within an organization, which is a hindrance towards achievement of the aimed transformation.
Due to the drastic change that Myra and Ryan have initiated a huge number of staffs have lost
employment, causing opposition from internal and external stakeholders. Finding a middle
ground by ensuring employee job security might help in mitigating the issue. Development of
employment contract specifying terms of services might help in instilling that job security.
Specific  Communication of employees’ safety needs
 Determination of a suitable period for the duration of contract
 Development of contract
 Receive agreement form individual employees
Measurable Success of this recommendation could be measured through
 Increased employee productivity
 Improved employee engagement
 Reduced employee turnover
Attainable The organization has relevant legal and financial resources to implement the
proposed strategy, successfully.
Realistic Entering into a legally binding contract would cater to the security needs of the
staffs. It would also adhere to the existing human resource approach of the
company.
Time-based Implementation of this recommendation can be completed within 6 months
Table 2: Advice to WMC

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(Source: Created by student)
Actions Month
1 2 3 4 5 6
Need identification
Consulting the HR team for employee motivation
Consulting legal team for contractual terms development
Development of proposal for board members
Approval from board
Development of contract
Communication with staff
Reaching an agreement with staff
Entering into a legal contract with fixed terms with staff
Table 3: Time plan
(Source: Created by student)

Leading organizational change 12
References
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sustainability. 4th ed. London: Routledge.
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Cross-Cultural and Transformational Leadership. Journal of Marketing and Management, 9(2),
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When formal and informal institutions collide in efforts to address wicked problems.
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Carnall, C., (2018). Managing change. London: Routledge.
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https://www.cbi.eu/market-information/apparel/sustainable-apparel [Accessed 12 April 2019]
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Leading organizational change 13
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