Lakeland Wonders: A Case Study on Organizational Change Project

This case study analyzes Cheryl Hailstorm's approach to organizational change at Lakeland Wonders, a toy company, focusing on her attempts to implement Theory E type changes, such as offshore manufacturing and entering mid-market retail. It identifies gaps in her approach, including a failure to establish a sense of urgency, inadequate communication, and insufficient negotiation strategies. The analysis suggests alternative strategies, such as improved communication, strategic work division, and a focus on understanding employee behavior to facilitate change adoption. The study concludes that a more comprehensive change management plan, incorporating the 4-dimension change approach, could have mitigated the identified gaps and improved the project's success.

Analysis of the nature of
organizational change project
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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Adaptation of the change approach by Cheryl Hailstorm............................................................................2
Gaps in the change approach.......................................................................................................................3
An alternative approach that could be taken................................................................................................3
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................4
References...................................................................................................................................................5
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Introduction
The paper will help in evaluating the adaption of the change approach by Cheryl Hailstorm who
has been the CEO of a toy company called as Lakeland Wonders. She struggles to get her team
members in the right direction to execute the business processes to achieve the goals and fulfil
the requirements. The paper will analyse the gap that posited within the change management
approach adopted by her. Moreover, communication was supposed to be as one of the critical
difference that restricted clear understandings to the concerned employees regarding the work
processes.
Adaptation of the change approach by Cheryl Hailstorm
The primary motive of Cheryl Hailstorm was to get her team members on board to execute her
plans and vision that she had for her company in future. She wanted to establish and enhance the
manufacturing lines for lowering the production cost which will finally increase the
competitiveness of each of the products concerned. To adopt the change, Cheryl effectively used
the theory E Type to lead offshore manufacturing lines and to enter the mid-market retail
segments. Moreover, this cannot be considered as the perfect approach for achieving the
concerned targets (Van der Voet, 2014). The change plans proposed by her were more on the
structure and direction change for the firm.
It has also been seen that one issue was of conflict with the traditional culture. It was required to
enhance his leadership skills to do something for the firm that would have helped in improving
the overall performance of the organisation with high effectiveness. There was also one change
that needs to be implemented, and it was regarding the cost. There were few of the crucial cost
changes which were brought like the cost associated with the power, competence, relationship,
rewards along with identity (Cummings, Cummings, Bridgman, & Brown 2016). She also
focused on establishing proper communication with the employees so that the overall
productivity and profitability can be enhanced to a great extent. She mainly focused on
improving the overall structure of the organisation and also wanted to provide an adequate and
suitable direction that would be helpful in bringing up the desired change with appropriate
success for the organisation. She entirely was dependent on analysing and utilising the Theory E
Type for the execution of the desired change management approach that was going to take place
(Donnelly & Kirk, 2015). Also, the focus was provided on leadership and improvement related
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to the change in the employee's attitude to increase the reliability of the work processes within
the firm.
Gaps in the change approach
Cheryl failed to establish the desired sense of urgency to let the management regarding the
marketing position of the firm and the crucial need to expand the revenue of the organisation.
There were few of the critical gaps which generated the significant amount of impact on the
entire approach of change management. One of the significant differences was that she did not
any significant steps for blending herself into the growth of the company. There was a lack of
appropriate communication techniques which can help in motivating for the employees so that
the entire work gets enhanced.
On the other hand, she had the plan but not proper support from the staff members to execute the
program with the proper strategies and measures (Guérin, Lebel, Hall & Bussières 2015). The
entire way of management was not appropriate to implement the change for the welfare and
growth of the company. Moreover, the other gap was in the proper execution of the negotiation
along with the communication, she wanted to change the culture along with other things but
without appropriate use of bargaining and the communication techniques (Kuipers e al., 2014).
Also, there was nothing available to reduce the conflicts or issues that sometimes occurred with
the traditional culture of the firm.
The alternative approach that could be taken
Few of the primary strategies that could have been implemented to promote the efficient growth
of the firm was to communicate effectively with the team members, dividing of the suitable work
as per the skills and capability and execution of the newly developed plans with great care.
Moreover, there are few of the practical suggestions like, to use 4-change dimension to analyses
Hailstorm's behaviour and to offer combined recommendations for each of them effectively.
Proper implementation of the communication strategies and negotiation strategies was required
to bring out the change as per her need in the concerned employees. There was the requirement
of understanding the behaviour of the employees and attitudes to adopt the shift within the
organisation successfully. The changes put forward by Cheryl focuses on being much congruent
with that particular value (Hornstein, 2015). One of the advice that could be provided to her is to
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slow down and formulate each strategy and plan regarding the proper implementation of the
required changes.
Moreover, there should be a fulfilment of the gap regarding the communication made with the
employees as they need to be motivated regarding the execution of the business processes as it
will help in evaluating the preferred growth of the firm throughout the concerned competitive
market areas (Lozano, Ceulemans, & Seatter, 2015). Furthermore, one of the other alternatives
will be to develop suitable and efficient strategies regarding the reduction of new costa in
designing the structure and in executing the business procedures (McNulty, 2002). There should
be appropriate strategies that will divide the work as per the skills and capability of the
employees as this will provide the required elevation in the business procedures.
Conclusion
The paper concluded that Cheryl was following theory E type to implement the adopted change
which would bring success to her organisation. There were few of the crucial gap in the
execution of the change management approach by her, and this could have been mitigated by
bringing up with practical strategies and efficient change management plan. The use of the 4-
dimension change approach would have helped her in realising the actual change that was
needed to be implemented. Moreover, she only focused on bringing out the difference in
developing the structure and providing the best direction for the firm.
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References
Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., & Brown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing change as three steps:
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Donnelly, P., & Kirk, P. (2015). Use the PDSA model for effective change
management. Education for Primary Care, 26(4), 279-281.
Guérin, A., Lebel, D., Hall, K., & Bussières, J. F. (2015). Change management in pharmacy: a
simulation game and pharmacy leaders' rating of 35 barriers to change. International
Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 23(6), 439-446.
Hornstein, H. A. (2015). The integration of project management and organisational change
management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2),
291-298.
Kuipers, B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., & Van der Voet, J. (2014). The
management of change in public organisations: A literature review. Public
administration, 92(1), 1-20.
Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K., & Seatter, C. S. (2015). Teaching organisational change
management for sustainability: designing and delivering a course at the University of
Leeds to better prepare future sustainability change agents. Journal of Cleaner
Production, 106, 205-215.
McNulty, E. (2002). Welcome aboard (but don't change a thing). Harvard business
review, 80(10), 32-5.
Van der Voet, J. (2014). The effectiveness and specificity of change management in a public
organisation: Transformational leadership and a bureaucratic organisational
structure. European Management Journal, 32(3), 373-382.
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