Change Leadership Assignment: Analyzing Change Management at Barefoot

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CHANGE LEADERSHIP ASSIGNMENT
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
1. Select an organization of your choice and explain common types of change that have taken
place in that organization...........................................................................................................4
2. Discuss the barriers that the organization has had to face when implementing the change
(select one type of change from question 01) and critically analyze the techniques that the
organization used to face the change and to overcome the barriers to success..........................6
3. Explain two theories that the organization has used or can use to face future changes and
critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those two theories. Use appropriate models
to support your answer.............................................................................................................10
Conclusion................................................................................................................................15
References................................................................................................................................16
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Introduction
The vitality of change management has been enhanced due to the new changes that take place
frequently in the global business market. The report throws light on the change management
of the Sri Lanka-based company named Barefoot. The report initiates with the brief
introduction of the company and a detailed analysis of the types of changes being dealt with
by the company. The report goes further by explaining the key barriers to the change
implementation in the company. The techniques and strategies to deal with such barriers have
also been mentioned. At last, the two key theories of change management have been
described along with their strengths and weaknesses.
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1. Select an organization of your choice and explain common types of change that have
taken place in that organization
Barefoot is one of the leading companies situated in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is a textile-based
company which deals in clothing and exports its cloths globally. Its store is also situated in
Galle. Today, the business environment is changing at a very fast pace, each and every
organization has to make some changes in order to be competent to survive in the competitive
market. The company deals in hand weaved fabrics, clothes, shoes, bags, and toys. It was
established in the year 1964, by the two sisters. It has no factories or manufacturing units but
all the goods are made by the local workers who focus on the quality of the product rather
than producing the goods in large quantities. The products of Barefoot cost a little more but
last longer.
Barefoot is a textile company which is inspired by the different sources for an example sea,
earth, plants and animals by observing the crux and implement it in the textiles. The company
is mainly focused on the handmade woven and dyed cotton, silk and wool. The company has
a skilled set of designers which use to produce designer bags, toys and household linen. It is
essential for the company to make changes and updates with the current demands and trends.
Some of the changes are given below which has implemented in the company -
1. Reduction in the cost: The company has reduced the cost of its goods in order to
compete with the other competitors prevailing in the business market. The goods of
the company have a higher price than that of others because of good quality. It also
reduced the wages of its employees in order to maintain profitability.
2. Change in the culture: It made huge changes in the culture and structure of the
working of the company. It created a positive work culture in order to prevent
disputes and also motivate people to work harder.
3. More expenditure on advertising: Nowadays the business market is running
successfully due to good advertisement and branding of the company. Barefoot
decided to spend a huge amount of money for the advertisement purpose in order t
reach a large number of consumers and make a strong consumer base.
4. Enhancing the technology: The technology used in the company is enhanced due to
the fast technological changes occurring in the industry (Foss, and Saebi, 2017). New
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machines and software are being used to increase the product and the amount of the
profit margin.
5. Change in the wage structure: Due to increase in the inflation and prices of the
commodities, the company decides to make a change in the wage and incentive
structure of the employee in order to motivate and increase the morale of the
employees.
6. Change in the management style: The company aims at proper management of the
workforce and the resources. It has implemented many changes in the management
and leadership style. The management currently uses laissez-faire style of the
management which created a negative feeling among the employees, but now it has
diverted towards using the autocratic style of management which creates a feeling of
positivity among the staff (Rauter, Jonker, and Baumgartner, 2017.).
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2. Discuss the barriers that the organization has had to face when implementing the
change (select one type of change from question 01) and critically analyze the
techniques that the organization used to face the change and to overcome the barriers to
success.
Significant changes are required immediate implementation in Barefoot for the purpose of
keeping pace with the changing trends of the industry. One of the key changes implies
enhancement in the technology used in different operational areas of the company.
Implementing advanced technology in the company is vital for many purposes such as cost
reduction, enhancing productivity and improving profitability level. The company desires to
implement new information technology by combining the Business Intelligence and Data
Science. There has been a high trend for the utilization of both areas together for more
effective and efficient outcomes. However, incorporating new technology into the company
is not an easy task for the company itself as well as the employees. Following are the barriers
that can be faced by Barefoot while implementing this advanced technology into the
operational area of information technology:
Unclear Scope/Objectives: It would not be wrong to consider lack of scope or objectives
definition as one of the key barriers in the change management (Li, Matouschek, and Powell,
2017). Clarified scope and objectives provide a clear vision of the future of the company or
the change management plan. It is true that if you do not know what to attain then you will
never know how to attain the goal.
Resistance to change: This is considered as the biggest challenge while implementing change
within the company. Resistance to change refers to the practice of rejecting the change
implementation as they think that such a change would be a threat for them. High resistance
to change would sometimes lead to the prohibition of change implementation.
Knowledge and Awareness: Adequate knowledge and awareness of what has been changing
are vital for the employees. Many times, it can be seen that the employees are not aware of
what has been changing which leads to an increase in resistance to change. Lack of
knowledge and awareness would be a barrier to technological implementation in Barefoot.
Poor Planning: Planning is crucial for every phase of the company. Change implementation
cannot be undertaken without proper planning. In Barefoot, it cannot be ensured that the
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management would develop an effective plan for change implementation. Poor planning may
lead to the wastage of the efforts of the employees and management while adopting the
change process (George, et. al., 2016). Planning provides direction and guidance to the
change process including the efforts of the employees and management. Poor planning causes
the increment of cost, time and wastage along with failure in the technology implementation
within the company.
Skills and Competencies: One of the main reasons why the employees resist changing can be
stated as a lack of skills and competencies required for the change implementation. In
Barefoot, changes in information technology require a higher level of technical competencies
and skills. It can be possible that due to this reason, the motivational level of the employees
may get adversely affected. It is necessary for the employees to know about the need for the
change as well as how change can be implemented in the best possible manner.
Improper Leadership: Ineffective leadership may lead to the destruction of the whole change
process and planning. Leadership is a crucial factor for the success of any project, company
or process. The significance of leadership in change implementation lies in the fact that with
leadership, the issue of resistance to change can be eliminated with ease and simplified
manner. Poor leadership may cause a reduction in employee morale as well as the adverse
effect on the performance and productivity of the employees.
Communication Barrier: Communication is to act as the most supportive factor in change
management. It is necessary for Barefoot to communicate the change and its need for the
company at every managerial level. Broken communication leads to the unclear definition of
the expectations of the stakeholders, creation of misunderstandings and confusion. Further,
this can transform into the conflicts between the employees and management that can cause
the failure of change implementation.
These barriers are the greatest challenges for Barefoot that can be faced while implementing
the change plan and process. These barriers may lead to the financial losses, wastage of
resources and time, reduction in the employee morale and inefficient performance of the
employees. However, these consequences can be avoided by Barefoot by using certain
techniques and strategies (Puppim de Oliveira, and Jabbour, 2017). With such techniques,
Barefoot can successfully implement the combination of data science and business
intelligence in the department of information technology. Following are the most effective
techniques and strategies for successful change implementation:
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Training to Employees: Implementing advanced technology in Barefoot requires technical
training to the employees. This can enhance the knowledge and capabilities of the employees
in this field that can also avoid the existence of issues such as resistance to change.
Enhancement in the technical knowledge and skills would assist the employees of Barefoot in
gaining a high motivational level as well as confidence. Prioritizing the training program
shows how much significance is being given by the company to the change implementation
plan. Incorporating employee feedback in the training program can be a fruitful strategy for
Barefoot.
Motivational strategies: It is necessary for Barefoot to motivate employees for the purpose
of change implementation in an effective manner. The company can adopt some of the
motivational strategies such as providing financial rewards to the employees. It is a difficult
task for some employees to adapt to change and those employees should be rewarded or
recognized who gets success in adapting the change. Many times, employees are required
performing beyond their potential and in lieu of such performance, they expect the
recognition and appreciation for their hard work and dedication. Barefoot should consider
this factor very carefully in order to implement change successfully.
Identification of Stakeholders: There are some stakeholders who affect even from a single
or small change within the organization. Barefoot should identify all the stakeholders who
can affect the implementation of this technological change within the company. this would
help in implementing change with ease and effectiveness along with the elimination of
misunderstandings and confusion (Cahen, Lahiri, and Borini, 2016).
Communication: Communication should be one of the key considerations for Barefoot while
implementing new technological change in information technology. Adaption of
communication channels such as electronic communication would be helpful in dealing with
the issues related to miscommunication. Barefoot should follow an effective communication
structure for avoiding conflicts and confusion within the company. The change, its benefits,
need for company, related challenges, expectations and roles & responsibilities should be
communicated clearly at every level of the company. It is necessary for Barefoot to make the
employees clearly understand the requirement of a change in order to minimize the resistance
to change.
Employee Participation: Providing opportunities to the employees to actively participate in
the change management plan. Barefoot should develop a provision for employee participation
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in change implementation planning and decision-making process. This would definitely help
in enhancing the motivational level of the employees that make it easy for the company to
implement new technological change. This can help the company in dealing with the
challenges of resistance to change and ineffective leadership and so on. Barefoot should
realize the significance of involving the employees in the process of change implementation.
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3. Explain two theories that the organization has used or can use to face future changes
and critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses of those two theories. Use
appropriate models to support your answer
Changes are part of the everyday phenomenon. Companies and organizations have to be well
aware of the changes that are taking place all around the business environment and should
adopt the aims and objectives according to the current scenario. It will not only help it to
grow but also maintain its name and dignity nationally and internationally. The Bare-Foot
company of Sri-Lanka has fully understood that change is the only constant and it is trying its
best to accept the changes and even applying it to its work culture. There are countless
theories and models which can help an organization to adopt the changes. It can help it to
understand the current requirement of their subject and guide them to make changes
accordingly.
ADKAR Model of Change Management
One of its which is being adapted by Barefoot is the ADKAR model where A stands for
Awareness, D for Desire, K for knowledge, A for Ability, R for reinforcement ( Blomqvist,
2017)
Awareness- While following this theory, Barefoot is now well aware of the happenings
which are happening in the market. They keep the records of other organization as well which
deals in the same products. This has significantly helped Barefoot to work and more on its
quality. ( Calder, 2013)
Desire- This could help Barefoot to precisely understand the needs and requirements of their
customers. This can be done by providing a proper platform for their customers where they
can address their issues and concerns and can even write about the changes they need in the
designing of the product.
Knowledge- Through this model Barefoot has started keeping complete knowledge of the
latest technology which is prevailing in the business. This can help them to plan out their
changes accordingly.
Ability- It can be defined as the changes which it can imbibe upon its quality for the work
depending upon the current market scenario.
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Reinforcement- It simply means reinforcing the change which is being implemented by
looking over the present need of the customers and providing them quality assured services
for the long run in the business.
Strength Weakness
 This model can help in pointing out
the changes which are required both
from the business perspectives and
customer perspectives.
 This has to be kept in mind that is a
step by step model and none of the
steps should be missed out.
 This can be even beneficial in
analyzing why the current change
which is being implied is not
working fine by comparing it with
the needs and requirements of the
customers.
 It can prove to be very time-
consuming.
 The main vision behind this whole
model is to get aware of the latest
trend and this is very well be
fulfilled by the ADKAR model.
 It can even lead to de-motivation if the
other company is performing really
good.
 The main aim of this model is to
divide the big goal into small goals
and achieve them accordingly.
 It can even result in many distractions.
Kotter’s Theory of Change Management
Kotter’s Theory is the only change management theory that focuses less on the change and
more on the people being affected by it. One of the most utilized theories, Kotter’s theory
was discovered by a professor of Harvard Business School named John P. Kotter. This theory
is an 8-step model in which every step is in a relationship with the responses of people to the
change. Barefoot can utilize this theory using the following key stages:
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(Figure: Steps in Kotter’s Theory of Change Management)
(Source: By Author, 2019)
1. Developing a sense of urgency: It involves the development of a sense of urgency for
motivating and directing the employees towards the attainment of the change
objectives. This step requires having a group of employees for discussing the change
and its need for the company.
2. Establishing a core team: It is the step where a group of the team is developed for the
change implementation. It mainly involves bringing the right people in the change
team on the basis of commitment, skills as well as knowledge.
3. Creation of strategic vision: This theory step states the definition of the change along
with the vision which the company is aiming for. It is necessary to answer- what the
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INCORPORATING THE CHANGE
CHANGE SUSTAINABILITY
DEVELOPING WINS OF SHORT-TERM
ELIMINATION OF BARRIERS AND OBSTACLES
COMMUNICATION
CREATION OF STRATEGIC VISION
ESTABLISHING A CORE TEAM
DEVELOPING A SENSE OF URGENCY