Understanding and Leading Change: Impact, Leadership & Decisions

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of organizational change, focusing on its impact on strategy and operations within Vodafone and BT Group. It evaluates internal and external drivers of change and their effects on leadership, team, and individual behaviors. The report also assesses measures to minimize negative impacts of change and analyzes barriers influencing leadership decision-making using force field analysis. Different leadership approaches to managing change are explored, and the extent to which these approaches effectively deliver organizational change is evaluated. The analysis includes assessing drivers for change, the types of organizational changes they have affected, and applying relevant theories and models to critically evaluate organizational responses to change. The study uses real-world examples from the telecommunications industry to illustrate key concepts and provide practical insights into leading and managing change effectively.

UNDERSTANDING AND LEADING CHANGE

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................2
TASK 1: MANAGING THE IMPACT OF CHANGE..........................................................................3
P1: COMPARE DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONAL EXAMPLES WHERE THERE HAS BEEN AN
IMPACT OF CHANGE ON AN ORGANISATION’S STRATEGY AND OPERATIONS.....................3
P2: EVALUATE THE WAYS IN WHICH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DRIVERS OF CHANGE
AFFECT LEADERSHIP, TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOURS WITHIN AN ORGANISATION...6
P3: EVALUATE MEASURES THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO MINIMISE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF
CHANGE ON ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR.........................................................................8
M1: ASSESS THE DIFFERENT DRIVERS FOR CHANGE IN EACH OF THE GIVEN EXAMPLES
AND THE TYPES OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE THEY HAVE AFFECTED...............................9
M2: APPLY APPROPRIATE THEORIES AND MODELS TO CRITICALLY EVALUATE
ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSE TO CHANGE..........................................................................11
TASK 2: LEADERSHIP DECISION MAKING.................................................................................13
P4: EXPLAIN DIFFERENT BARRIERS FOR CHANGE AND DETERMINE HOW THEY INFLUENCE
LEADERSHIP DECISION MAKING IN VODAFONE CONTEXT..................................................13
M3: USE FORCE FIELD ANALYSIS TO ANALYSE THE DRIVING AND RESISTING FORCES AND
SHOW HOW THEY INFLUENCE DECISION-MAKING.............................................................15
TASK 3: LEADING CHANGE.......................................................................................................17
P5: APPLY DIFFERENT LEADERSHIP APPROACHES TO DEALING WITH CHANGE IN A RANGE
OF ORGANISATIONAL CONTEXTS.........................................................................................17
M4: EVALUATE THE EXTENT TO WHICH LEADERSHIP APPROACHES CAN DELIVER
ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE EFFECTIVELY APPLYING APPROPRIATE MODELS AND
FRAMEWORKS......................................................................................................................19
CONCLUSION............................................................................................................................21
REFERENCES.............................................................................................................................22

INTRODUCTION
Organizations change takes place when a company creates a changeover in its current state
to reach some future desired state. In recent times, it is necessary to undergone changes in
every company as per the business environment needs and to remain competitive. Rapid
technological changes and market globalisation are some factors are some evolving issues
for businesses to respond for survival. For the purpose of this assignment, we are
considering two popular telecommunication companies in UK i.e. Vodafone and BT Group.
This assignment is based on the different drivers of change which have affected our chosen
companies and their response to these changing drivers. We will also evaluate the internal
and external drivers of change affecting the company’s leadership behaviour, team
behaviours along with individual working. Furthermore, we will discuss the potential impact
of change and the measures taken to minimize the negative impact of change. In this
assignment, we also show the impact of change on the company’s operations and
strategies. Finally, the assignment focuses on the different barriers which influence
leadership decision making and the driving and resisting forces which also influence the
decision making.
We have selected two telecommunication companies. Vodafone is a British Public limited
company, founded in the year 1991. Vodafone is a world-famous telecommunication
conglomerate headquartered at London, UK. BT (formerly known as British Telecom) Group
is also a British Multinational Telecommunication Company headquartered in London, UK.
BT Group is founded in the year 1969.

TASK 1: MANAGING THE IMPACT OF CHANGE
P1: COMPARE DIFFERENT ORGANISATIONAL EXAMPLES WHERE THERE
HAS BEEN AN IMPACT OF CHANGE ON AN ORGANISATION’S STRATEGY AND
OPERATIONS
In every company, change is undergone for betterment and survival in the highly
competitive environment. To have growth in business it is must to adopt with the
organisational changes and understand its impact on the overall company’s strategies,
processes, and operations. In the rapidly changing world of business if the business doesn't
respond to these changes it has to suffer on the part of sustainable business growth and
development (Jones and Jones, 2013). Following are the organizational changes and its
influences observed at Vodafone and BT Group:
VODAFONE
Strategies and operations of Vodafone are:
 Vodafone current strategies and operations are facing challenges in the development of
new technologies for data, video and voice transmission. In the rapidly growing
telecommunication market, Vodafone needs to adopt a strategy being a leader with its
high-speed services for internet in the UK.
 To deal with the competition Vodafone needs to adopt a differentiation strategy with
the adoption of latest technology like 4G LTE.
 Vodafone is focusing on mobile data and voice and searching a partner to cater good
broadband facilities or investing in creating own broadband services network via. LLU
either their own strategies or acquisition strategies ( Webb, N., 2013).
 Vodafone could make a strategic alliance with the BT.
Influences of the change on the Vodafone strategies and operations:
 Developed and settled a global change framework with a set of best and world-class
practice of processes and steps which will assist in change management at Vodafone.

Figure 1: Global Change Framework
Source: One Strategy, 2018
 Make employees capable enough to deal with the business restructuring: Market
changes and business has catered the company to make important reorganization in the
group functions.
 The reorganisation of global technological function: The reductions are made in the
contracts with global technology function. Affected employees are interacted through
meetings on one-to-one bases and also given an extraordinary support in the change
process (Ghezzi, A., 2013).
BT GROUP
Strategies and operations adopted by BT Group are:
 The aim is to provide and deliver the great consumer or customer experience in the
telecommunication industry with improved care with 24 hours landline faults fixing
facility. This could be possible with the reliable as well as consistent services of BT.
 The company is focussed to make an investment in five important strategic areas to
generate revenues for sustainability. This will help to underpin the operations & financial
performances along with strategies contributed towards the key performance indicators
(KPIs) (De Wit and Meyer, 2010).
 The most important strategy is to transform the costs. This could be possible through
rigorous analysis, strong governance and operate change management leadership.
Influences of the change on the BT Group strategies and operations:
 The change management at BT incorporates an incremental approach. The incremental
approach of change by BT is helpful in internal as well as external environmental

changes to be best suited to make any rapid and sudden changes in relation to
organizational culture, people, technology or financial aspect.
 The incremental strategy would allow BT to make rapid technological changes and
conditions suitable for employees. This would be a positive transformation for BT
sustainable and reliable business.
 The BT change management programmes focus on the rightsizing, total quality
management, turnarounds, cultural changes and restructuring. This needs an effective
change program with innovation and adapting to the desired changes (Bunker and
Alban, 2012).


P2: EVALUATE THE WAYS IN WHICH INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DRIVERS
OF CHANGE AFFECT LEADERSHIP, TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL BEHAVIOURS
WITHIN AN ORGANISATION
The companies in the clothing industry are impacted by various internal as well as external
environmental factors in a positive and negative way both. The internal and external drivers
of change that impact the leadership and individual behaviour at Vodafone and BT Group
are as follows:
EXTERNAL FORCES
Governmental forces
Government rules and regulation along with interventions also influence the need for
change. The following governmental forces which could determine the organizational
change needs:
 Deregulation – It relates to the decentralization of economic intervention or power in
reducing the government intervention in the country's economy.
 Protectionism – With increased competitive pressures governments enforce few
regulations for protecting the impacted industry.
 Anti-trust laws – These laws are enforced by governments to curb the unfair trade
practices (Doppelt, 2017).
Political forces – In the ever-changing global and political scenario, the world’s economy is
also making fast change with several encounters for making an organizational change like
changes in policies, economic framework and regulations depicted in liberalization and
globalization (Kezar, A., 2011).
Economic forces
These forces impact the change management in an organization either through providing
opportunities or catering roadblocks in the path such as economic challenges or
uncertainties and increased competitive pressures (Benn, et al. 2014).
Technological forces

Technological innovation as well as advancements in the different communication
technologies and the computer-based technology, have transformed the functioning in the
organization in terms of new paths for working and new services and products and creates
the need to have change management framework for actively responding to the roadblocks
in the path of making such changes resultant from technological forces (Cummings, and
Worley, 2014).
INTERNAL FORCES
People-focused change
Here the main focus is on the people and the current existing competencies in the
organization, human resources planning, replacement of employees, their reorientation,
and structural changes. This could also include new recruitment policies in line with
technological changes (Thomson and Thomson, 2012).
Change in structure
This changes need to modify or alter the organization's structures along with overall
business design. This is a strategic step for improving the revenues and gaining the cost
advantage. These changes could be in form of decentralization, job redesigning, or
downsizing the company etc.
All of the above-mentioned forces whether internal or external affects the leadership
decisions along with the team and individual behaviours in the telecommunication business
of Vodafone.

P3: EVALUATE MEASURES THAT CAN BE TAKEN TO MINIMISE NEGATIVE
IMPACTS OF CHANGE ON ORGANISATIONAL BEHAVIOUR
Change is essential in every business organisation but many a time it could impact in a
negative way for the stakeholders of the companies. The negative impacts need be
identified in a timely manner with proper resolution and then cater towards positive
changes for the company. The following are some of the measures of actions need to be
performed for minimizing the negative impact of the organisational behaviour changes:
Enhancement in the employment participation will empower the organizational behaviour
changes by developing their positive outlook for the company and the respective change in
the company. The organisational behaviour changes must be communicated on timely bases
to the employees as they will feel a sense of belongingness towards the company they are
working in. The negative aspect of the change is seen in the attitudes of the employees in
form of resistance for such changes, to avoid this employee’s participation need to
encourage (Fishbein and Ajzen, 2011).
The effective communication strategy will facilitate the top leaders to assume the changes
and make people adjust and ready with the newly developed changes. The top leaders at
both Vodafone and BT Group need to not only make announcements and introduce
strategies but also make the employees know the impact of the change in the company.
Adequate Cultural shift planning the companies need to make adequate planning for
making the cultural shift in the company. The company planning should focus on the work
reporting structure, administrative structure, work area responsibilities, along with job
responsibilities (Doppelt, 2017). Another important aspect in making planning is to not
overlook the employee’s feelings and intuitions. This needs the objective analysis and
critical thinking to make such planning.
Knowledge of current changes the best measure for dealing with the negative impact of a
change is to be aware of such change. The companies must be aware of the idea of the
current changes in the industry and organizational behaviour. It is necessary to introduce
and implement change by making a proper assessment and understanding of the

organization's current blueprint. This will also safeguard the companies from the
changeover in a future state.
M1: ASSESS THE DIFFERENT DRIVERS FOR CHANGE IN EACH OF THE GIVEN
EXAMPLES AND THE TYPES OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE THEY HAVE
AFFECTED.
The following are the key drivers of change at Vodafone:
o Competitors increment
o Consumers behaviours changes
o Lack of innovation
o New technological advancement
The above mentioned changing drivers influence the Vodafone in following ways:
 The increased competition with the new entrants in the telecommunication industry
has mandates the company to have an expert of marketing and sales for dealing with
the ambiguities in the Vodafone advertising and promotional activities for altering
needed changes.
 The changing consumer behaviour and necessity of innovation in the company have
allowed the company to introduce the new technological advancements in the
company’s structure and processes through extraordinary and innovative strategies in
the telecommunication industry (Alvesson and Sveningsson, 2015).
 The technological advancements have made the Vodafone to mandatorily have an IT
strategy, outsourcing as well as working with the solution providers for dealing with
the future changes in the IT and innovation (Tompkins et al. 2010).
The following are the key drivers of change at BT Group:
 Declining sales and revenues
 Software and IT scarcity for accessing the customers’ needs and preferences
 The absence of multi-channel or multi-currency functionality
The above mentioned changing drivers influence the BT Group in following ways:

 The decreasing sales along with revenues have made the BT Group enable and develop
the innovative strategies in its telecommunication business by understanding the
consumer’s demands catering the relevant services. This will provide the BT Group to
have a larger customer base along with increased sales and profitability (Choi, 2011).
 Lack of IT teams and software have made BT Group suffer more in terms of customer
accessibility with technological ease and facility. This reason has made the group to
adopt a system for centralizing the information for its international, branch
merchandising teams, and group finance that will facilitate better access to data and
enable more informed decision making in the group.
 The business intelligence system was introduced and implemented as a result of lack of
multi-channel and multi-currency functionality of legal applications. This system has
enabled the BT Group’s staff to deliver the reports on timely bases many a time on
demand and helps them in making decisions (Liu et al. 2011). This system has also
enabled the BT Group’s management to make an analysis of information to make
informed decisions for marketing, finance, purchasing or merchandise-oriented area.