Change Management Report: Unilever and White Water Metaphor Analysis

This report analyzes Unilever's approach to change management, focusing on the "white water metaphor" to understand how the company adapts to dynamic market conditions. It examines the company's planned responses to both internal and external factors, such as increased female workforce, sanitation awareness, sustainable development, health-conscious consumers, and brand loyalty. The report then evaluates Unilever's business strategy in shifting from a calm water to a white water environment, considering political, cultural, economic, and technological factors, and the impact of its sustainable living ambition. Finally, it explores the implications of human resource theories on the HR department's strategic approach to managing change, providing a comprehensive overview of Unilever's adaptability and strategic responses to a changing business landscape.

CHANGE
MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...............................................................................................................3
TASK 1................................................................................................................................3
1: White water metaphor that is apparent in an organisation and result from planned
approach to change...........................................................................................................3
TASK 2 ...............................................................................................................................6
2: Evaluate the business strategy to shift from calm water to white water that affect the
business............................................................................................................................6
TASK 3................................................................................................................................8
3: Implication of HR theory on human resources department to handle the shift...........8
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................10
REFRENCES.....................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Change management include the strategies which are implemented by the
business in order to deals with changes. It basically transform the process or objective of
an organisation to cope up with the planned or unplanned changes. Such transition is a
structured approach that causes because of innovation, cultural change as well as
digitalisation that helps the organisation to shift from existing position to the expected
place. To better understand the report Unilever multinational company has been selected
whose headquarter is in UK. It offer wide range of beauty product, personal care item,
cleaning agent as well as food and beverages. This report cover topics like extend to
which white water metaphor is apparent in an organisation and result from planned or
unplanned approach to change. Evaluate shift from calm water to white water in
consideration to business strategy and external factor that impact the business. Further,
implication of HR theory on human resources department that leads to strategic approach
to handle the shift in changes.
TASK 1
1: White water metaphor that is apparent in an organisation and result from planned
approach to change
Change management refer to the process of adopting new pattern or inculcate new
regime of doing work which replaces the system as well as process of an employee within
the organisation. For the better implementation of changes business make effective plan
and then test the changes to receive the better outcome. As the company operate in
dynamic environment that keep on changing so due to the changing tread and
requirement of people business adopt the new culture and latest technology that helps
them to remain ahead of their competitor. In context to Unilever company not only
introduce new product in order to widen its marketing mix but also bring modification in
the existing ones. Like, nowadays people are more health conscious which lead to
increase in maintaining heath and hygiene factor. For this company introduced sanitizer
in their sanitation programme that include soap and multi purpose cleaner. The idea
behind sanitiser was to clean the hand without the usage of water. Therefore, along with

this company has adopted various planned approaches that has helped the business to
maintain planned approach to change for white water metaphor.
White water metaphor: It include unpredictable changes which needs to be
managed by the company in order to maintain the market share and remain competitive to
achieve long term sustainable development. Thus, changes are natural state which are
dynamic and uncertain but business needs to continuously managed it. In comparison to
calm changes wide changes leads to internal chaos, lack of sustainability as well as leads
to huge pressure on an organisation to maintain the smooth functioning of business. Thus,
some of the planned approach used by Unilever company to cope up with White water
are defined below:
Created more options for female: With the increase in globalisation, emergence
of multinational and increase in growth of start ups the percentage of women working
outside has drastically increased. Due to this the dependency of women in cosmetic and
personal care item was increased that lead to increase in demand for such products. For
which the selected company adopted planned approach like they increase the range of
product in beauty and personal care division. Today it is the largest division of company
that generate approximately 40% turnover for company.
Spread awarenesses to maintain sanitation: The motive of Unilever company
was to attain sustainable growth for which company adopted various planned approaches
out of them one is spreading awareness related to personal health and hygiene. The
company operate in both developing and developed country so to address the social
changes and for the betterment of society company bought up changes and adopted
sanitation programme. Within this programme selected company spread the awarenesses
to maintain the cleanliness via traditional media and print media. This, emphasize on
promoting the use of hand-wash, take oral care and consume potable water. Therefore, it
not only help society to enhance the sanitation and hygiene level along with that it
became one of the strong source for company to generate revenue.
Sustainable development: Introduction of new government reform and
competition level is the part of White water metaphor that leads to internal forces of
changes as it transfer the process to conduct internal operations. Generally the
government introduce various laws to safeguard the interest of external factor as

livelihood depends upon forest so if the company do not abide by the law that they have
to bear negative circumstances. Hence, Unilever prepared the planned approach in which
they took the initiative to achieve zero net deforestation by 2020. For this the company
changed its internal process of doing the things. For instance, they shifted from paper
work or handy documentation to saving all the data in electronic media where the
information is retrieved during the time of emergency. Therefore, the significant effort of
changes has helped the company to maintain its global position.
Cover health conscious people: With increase in awareness among people the
demand of healthy and tasty food has emerged. As Unilever is also into food and
beverage range so company used planned approach in order to change their production
cycle and cope up with emerging demand for healthy food items. For example, company
introduced flavoured health drinks, green tea and nutritious food item. Moreover, they
formed strategic alliance with various non governing organisation like SDGs to work for
the welfare of people who are deprived of basic need for which they promoted health and
well being all across the globe. These practices and flexible nature of company helped
them be one of the largest manufacturer of food items. Thus, helped the company to
address global changes and overpower the strategy of competitor significantly.
Compel customer to remain brand loyal: Unilever company is a part of fast
moving consumer good that is FMCG which faces huge competitive pressure. Thus, the
company cannot stick to one strategy or same process to run business. So in order to
expand the market share and customer base respective company adopted various planned
approach to sustain in existing market and anticipate future changes. Like, it tap to
various emerging economy and maintain its brand equity due to which it earned huge
revenue. The company majorly focuses in their manpower and provide them training and
development session which has landed up in building competitive team that does not
resist changes in context to White water metaphor.
Therefore, the external or drastic changes are not in control of business but the
business must anticipate the changes with the help of research and development
department. This helps the business to set planned approach and deal with dynamic
environment.

TASK 2
2: Evaluate the business strategy to shift from calm water to white water that affect the
business
Calm water metaphor is the periodical change in an organisation which is
predictable and occur after certain interval of time. It is better illustrated from the
situation that it refer to the organisation which usually crosses the large ocean and
occasionally face any hurdle such as storm. It include the role of Kurt Lewin's change
management process which include three stages of change that is unfreeze, change and
refreeze. This changes helps the organisation to achieve new equilibrium state. On
contrary, White water are unpredictable in nature so the organisation needs to anticipate
the external market and build effective strategy accordingly. This may involve huge time
and may create conflict while formulating decision but support company to sustain for
long duration. Hence, it is essential for the organisation to evaluate the external market
which cannot be change by business but help them in formulating most effective strategy.
To maintain the presence of Unilever business in local and global market
company address the macro environment and strengthen its strategy with the help of
PESTLE analysis or external framework to make significant contribution. This help the
Unilever to achieve higher performance by overcoming the changes of threat and identify
the future opportunity in order to exploit them. Therefore, some of the external factor that
affect Unilever company's business bare defined below:
Political factor: It include the role of local authority or government that affect the
business process and demand of consumer good within the country. As Unilever operate
in more than one fifty countries which experience different type of political pressure.
Like, within United State company experience political stability and ease of doing
business whereas political issue within European Union creates difficulty for the business
to dealing in consumer good. Thus, experience different market status lead the company
to shift from predictable changes to unpredictability because business cannot anticipate
the market and forecast the law. To deal with this stage Unilever company can set
penetration price strategy especially for that country which experiences unstable
political condition and where government imposes high tariff. This will help to nullify the
negative impact or external pressure on the sales of product.

Cultural diversity: It refer to the trend, attitude and requirement of the people
which keeps on changing with the passage of time. In context to Unilever has shifted
from cold water to warm water metaphor because of presence of cultural diversity and
rapid influence of change in fashion among people. Moreover, in modern state the
curiously to use branded or luxury product has increased so the country where people are
more brand conscious for them company set differentiated strategy by clearly defining
the special attribute of the product to the consumer. Therefore this signifies that company
based on the external factor changes its strategy to give competitive edge over the
rivalries.
Economic factor: It include the purchasing power, supply and demand, inflation
and interest rate that affect the business process. As the company operate in developing
country where most of the company is rising remuneration for the worker this can either
act as a opportunity or threat to company. Like, increase in income leads to high
disposable income that increase the sales for company but at the same time they also need
to pay high wages to their staff so that the company can retain the employee. Thus,
presence of Unilever company in developed market has helped to generate high growth
also sustain market share in developed country is an opportunity for company to maintain
stability. Therefore, company instead of cold changes experiences white changes because
they have wide range of product and experience huge competition. So to cope up with
changes company set competitive strategy where business matches the price with the
alternatives. This strategy help the company to compel the customer not to switch on the
other brand.
Technology factor: It include the innovation, new trend that lead to better way of
doing business. Research and development department plays an effective role to identify
the advance opportunity which needs to be adopted by Unilever company. To maintain
the pace among competitors automation business strategy is adopted by selected
company to enhance the process of monetary inventory, effective supply chain and
distribution channel. Moreover, instead of periodic changes (cold water) company
experience sudden changes (white water) due to digitalisation. Today most of the
company has their presence in online medium and generate traffic from online sources as
it is cost effective method and helps to generate the result at real time. Thus, Unilever has

its own website from where it deal with the customer along with that company showcases
their cosmetic product in various e commercial site such as Amazon.
Sustainable living ambition: The external party expect that business must
dispose all the waste successfully and display their concern for welfare of society. The
objective of Unilever company is to bring change at the global scale for which company
make various campaign to maintain the interest of society, employee as well as
environment. To make long term plan like Sustainable living plan company shifted from
cold water to white water as it help the company to maintain its policy even when the
external condition is unfavourable. The company adopted CSR strategy, for which it
took initiative to develop “Unilever Sustainable living plan” that formed deeper relation
with their internal employee as well as customer by forming partnership with non
governing organisation. Along with that company eliminate deforestation that help to
fight with climate changes. Further, enhance livelihood for small farmers by helping them
to adopt sustainable culture. It even improved the health of people by maintaining
hygiene habits and proper sanitation.
TASK 3
3: Implication of HR theory on human resources department to handle the shift
As the organisation operate in external environment which is influenced by
various factor that keeps on changing due to which change is the foremost threat which
the company needs to experience irrespective of size and type of industry. To understand
the organizational change it is better explained with Kurt Lewin.
Lewin's change management model: Business needs to function based on the
changes, although employee resist changes because they needs to change their habit of
doing the task. To handle the conflict and internal and external influence effectively Kurt
Lewin's model is used which include three stages that is Unfreeze, Change and Refreeze.
As to overcome resistance the staff needs to let go the existing method of doing the task.
Thus, the role of an organisation is to bring potential changes in order to tackle the
changes successfully.
Unfreeze stage: People usually prefer stable stage where the carry own the
repetitive task and does not gets pressure to develop the additional skill due to which they

remain satisfies and happy. On contrary, at unfreeze stage the internal staff come to know
that they have to change their work pattern. This is the tough stage for employee to pass
due to which they show certain emotions like uncertain to continues with same profile,
doubt, anger, denial as well as impatience. In order to deal with this situation it becomes
essential for the Unilever company to explain the whole scenario to company that why it
is necessary for company to go through this stage. To better understand the situation
selected company can use statistical tool like graph to bring the transparency and receive
acceptance of staff. The company in short can only receive the acceptance if they clearly
communicate with employee. Thus, human resource department receives the negative
implication from the internal staff like internal conflict, chaos and negative policies.
Whereas, it receive the external influence such as competitive pressure and innovation of
technology. Hence, it is constructive approach that advise the employee to adopt the
change process significantly.
Change stage: This stage comes after the unfreeze level, wherein peoples begin to
resolves their own uncertainty and try to look on new things. Also, in this, people starts to
believes and also acts in different ways as support of new direction. In context of
Unilever, change doesn't happens on basis of over-nightly, as it takes time to implement
and comes out in limelight. Thus, people of the HRM Dept. of Unilever are required to
realises that people are becoming sufficient and also actual change is coming in this
organisation. During this stage, effective planning, potential communication and
involvement of an individual is necessary, so that pre-decided changes would be occurs
in a proper manner. This stages is full of uncertainties and circumstances to be overcomes
to implements changes in defined point of time. The positive impact would be proper and
effective working and people management to accomplish defined business goals or
motives. If expects the negative impact, break down of the business performances would
be caused for Unilever.
Refreeze stage: Refreeze refer to the stage where changes are solidify on the basis
of innovation and adoption of new trend. Although it is desirable stage for the Unilever
company to perform the task and carry on business process based on the external market
condition. Still the manager of respective company make sure their employee does not
get back to old method or old regime of doing work as they are more comfortable in those

habit so the changes to get back to normal routine is common. Within this stage the
human resource department can adopt positive as well as negative reinforcement
technique to encourage the staff in order to remain motivated and perform their task
successfully. Extrinsic motivation can include monetary and non monetary benefit such
as appraisal, salary hike, incentive, compensation and so on. This help the employee to
remain keen and make significant effort to accept the new situation and make full
advantage out of it. Therefore, this human resource function helps to flourish the business
by adopting the changes successfully.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been determined that change is a part of business
whose need emerges either from internal or external source. It leads to change in staff
attitude, innovation, skill requirement as well as change in taste and preference of
customer. Thus, successful manager with the helps of their foresight vision anticipate the
upcoming demand and provide training to their staff so that they can manage their
performance accordingly. Moreover, external factor bring a shift from cold water that is
periodic to white water which is unpredictable. Further, based on which strategy is
prepared that help the business to run its process smoothly without any hindrances.
Furthermore, Kurt Lewin's theory include the three changes of changes that influences the
human resource department and handle the shifty successfully.

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Online Source
Health and hygiene. 2018. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.unilever.com/sustainable-living/improving-health-and-
well-being/health-and-hygiene/>