Organisational Change Management Report for Blue Marina Restaurant

This report examines organisational change management within the context of Blue Marina, a family-owned restaurant facing challenges from competitors and economic fluctuations. The analysis begins with an introduction to change management and its significance, followed by an examination of the change context using PEST and SWOT analyses to identify internal and external factors influencing the need for change. The nature of the required changes is identified, focusing on structural and operational adjustments. The report then critically examines potential employee reactions, including fear, anger, doubt, and enthusiasm. Recommendations are provided, emphasizing the application of Lewin's change model to guide the implementation process, including unfreezing, changing, and refreezing stages. The conclusion underscores the importance of proactive change management for organisational survival and success in a competitive environment.

Running head: ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE MANAGEMENT
Organisational Change Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Table of contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Analysis of the change context..................................................................................................2
Analysis of the nature of change in the Blue Marina.................................................................4
Critically examination the reactions of the employees..............................................................4
Recommendation........................................................................................................................6
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................7
Reference....................................................................................................................................9
Appendix..................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
Change management is an important aspect for most organisations as it is the most
consistent form of a factor that exists in HR (Attfield 2015). The assignment states the
importance of change management and the context in which the changes are made. The type
of changes and the reactions of the employees on the changes are analysed. For the purpose
of the assignment, a case study is followed that outlines the reasons for maintaining changes
in the organisation. The case study focuses on the Blue Marina a family owned restaurant in
Italy. The assignment analyses the factors that contribute to the implementation of the
changes in the organisation and the manner in which the analysis needs to take place. The
analysis is done by considering the external as well as the internal factors that affect the
changes in an organisation. In the case of Blue Marina, the external sources for the
occurrence of change are analysed. The internal sources are analysed by conducting a SWOT
analysis. The nature of change that is to be implemented in the restaurant is the overall
change in the structure of the restaurant. Recommendations are provided that signify the
change process required to be undertaken by the manager of Blue Marina to implement the
changes.
Analysis of the change context
The change that is to be undertaken by the mangers of Blue Marina needs to be done
by taking into consideration the internal and external factors of the company. To do so it is
necessary that a PEST analysis is conducted for analysing the external factors that affect the
organisation. The case study provides evidence that Blue Marina has lost a great deal of
finance have contributed to a negative point for the organisation. This is mainly because of
the lack of quality service provided by the restaurant. The political factor of Italy does not
provide any restriction to the entry and establishment of the new restaurant as long as it

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maintains a sustainable business (Doppelt 2017). Hence, the opening of similar restaurants
and a pub have posed a huge threat for Blue Marina. Apart from this, the other negative
factor that has contributed to the occurrence of poor profitability within the restaurant is the
economic crisis of the country. The emergence of similar business has prompted the
restaurant to make changes that can help it to gain recognition and increase the profitability
of the business. However, keeping the external analysis in mind it can be said that internal
factors also need to be considered before the implementation of changes in the restaurant.
According to Cameron and Green (2015), the internal analysis can be done by
conducting a SWOT analysis of the company. The analysis shows that the strength of the
restaurant lies in the fact that the restaurant can be accessed easily. It is considered as one of
the most important aspects that provide a marketing advantage for the restaurant. Apart from
this, the restaurant also provides quality service by providing the ordered food within 15
minutes. The menu is fuss-free and diversity is present that helps in the consistent inflow of
customers. However, the weakness of the restaurant recently has been its service. This is
mainly because of the lack of employees. The restaurant employs relief workers and part-
timers that work in double shifts during the weekends. Another weakness is the fact that it
has problems in maximising the efficiency and in the reduction of turnover. The biggest
threat to the restaurant is the establishment of other similar restaurants in the mall. The
economic fluctuation in the country also is the reason for the loss of profitability. Having
analysed this it can be said that proper changes and management can help the restaurant
maximise its standards and increase the number of suppliers. Opportunities may emergence
to form a joint potential alliance and potential partnership operating in the same industry can
be formed (Refer to appendix).

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Analysis of the nature of change in the Blue Marina
Grant (2016) stated that one of the effective ways to ensure that organisational
success is attained is by enforcing changes. Change is one of the essential factors that are
consistent in the business environment. Changes are made to ensure that the internal and
external threats are mitigated and that an organisation can have a successful business. In this
regard, it can be said that the nature of change that needs to be implemented varies depending
on the situation. As stated by Huang and Bae (2018) the nature of change may be in the form
of adopting a new method of doing work or in the introduction of a new product or process.
Wyllie (2017) stated that the changes could be in the form of organisational structure
wherein, an organisation changes the hierarchy of the work pattern. Changes in personnel
policy and in the benefits provided to the employees also play an important role in identifying
the nature of changes in an organisation.
In this regard, it can be said that the analysis of the case study of Blue Marina signify
that the nature of change needs to be in the form of doing the work. It has been seen that the
restaurant has witnessed a significant loss of profit due to the unavailability of employees,
low economy and threat from the competitors. With the managerial reigns being handed over
to Marcel, the restaurant can have significant changes that can help it to mitigate the
weakness and the threat it can have. However, the biggest challenge of Marcel is going to be
while trying to convince the employees about the changes. As stated by Hayes (2014) the
opposition provided by the employees is an important challenge that needs to be faced by the
managers.
Critically examination the reactions of the employees
Kuipers et al. (2014) stated that employees form a united voice to resist changes in an
organisation. This is mainly because of the fact that the changes brought about by the

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management may have contrasting reactions from the employees. The possible reactions that
may be seen from the employees working in the Blue Marina are analysed:
Fear: As stated by Lozano, Ceulemans and Seatter (2015) fear is one of the most
common reactions to changes in an organisation. The thought that changes may bring about a
threat to the job security of the employees brings about a sense of fear among them. This may
result in the loss of organisations, as the employees cannot provide their full effort while
thinking about the changes and its impact on them. In the case of the Blue Marina, one such
change that needs to be undertaken is the introduction of new systems. The introduction of
the new systems may pose problems to the employees, as they may not have the expertise to
use the systems.
Anger: Changes that result in the status quo of employees may cause anger among
them. This is because the employability of the employees may be at stake and the benefits
that are received by them may be stopped because of the anger. The anger of the employees
may be visible with the outburst of the employees and the call for strikes and quitting of jobs.
The anger of the employees may result in the questioning of the leaders of the company. This
can affect the reputation of the organisations (Hornstein 2015). The employees of Blue
Marina may show anger with the transferring from one branch to another. Although the
seniors are said to have a bigger responsibility in the new branches, the fact that training may
be provided to them may create anger.
Doubt: Another reaction that may be shown by the employees is that of a doubt.
According to Verhulst and Lambrechts (2015), doubts over the managers are cast during
changes. This is because the process and policies that are included in the change management
mechanism need to be addressed after analysis various sources. The employees lay their
doubts based on the resources and capabilities of the organisation. The reason for the

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implementation of the changes is mostly doubted by the employees as the new set up may
pose problems in the smooth functioning of the organisation. In the case of Blue Marina, the
employees have doubts over their new manager and the policy adopted by him. As evidenced
by the case study, failure of the changes adopted by Marcello may have a negative influence
on the restaurant and may degrade it.
Enthusiasm: This can be considered as a counter-reaction of the members of the
restaurant. The enthusiasm is a form of positive response in which the employees vest their
interests in the application of changes in an organisation (Cummings, Bridgman and Brown
2016). The employees may feel the opening of opportunities to improve in the organisation.
The changes implemented may help the organisation to increase its productivity and improve
its reputation. Employees may also have the opportunity to improve their salary, position and
job responsibility. For Blue Marina, the restaurant needs to ensure that the employees are
motivated so that the changes can be implemented successfully. The development of a strong
brand image can help the employees to remain enthusiast in the organisation.
Recommendation
According to Worley and Mohrman (2014), the application of Lewin’s change model
is one of the most effective manners in which change can be implemented in an organisation.
It is a three-stage model that provides a simplified method of the application of changes in
organisations. In the case of the Blue Marina, the three stages that can be used to plan and
execute the proposed changes include:
According to Lines et al (2015), at the unfreezing stage, an organisation needs to
accept the necessity of the change. The employees in Blue Marina need to implement the
changes based on the situation of the restaurant. The analysis of the PEST and SWOT signify
that the weakness and threats of the restaurant may create huge problems for the restaurant.

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The freezing stage is usually referred as the uncertainty stage in which the employees remain
sceptical about the changes that are implemented.
Thus, the employees need to be convinced about the requirement of changes by
motivating them and providing them with the assurance that the changes implemented in the
restaurant are for the betterment of professional lives of the employees. With the
implementation of the change in the restaurant, the managers of Blue Marina can look to
provide a new direction towards the happiness of the employees. According to Hussain et al.
(2016), such transition cannot be made overnight and require convincing from the part of the
managers. The common assumptions that are made by employees need to be mitigated so that
the employees can accept the changes as it is meant to be implied. However, it is required
that the changes be monitored at all level. The application of the change needs to be such that
positive results are received by the restaurant. Burnes (2017) states that the unfreezing stage
of Lewin's change model talks about the importance of enforcing the change for a long period
of time. Thus, the managers of Blue Marina need to ensure that such monitoring process can
be implemented by employing department heads in every branch of the restaurant.
Conclusion
After the analysis of the assignment and the condition of Blue Marina from the case
study, it can be said that the restaurant needs to undergo the proposed changes. In the
competitive world, the existence of competitions can pose a huge threat to organisations.
Hence, it is necessary that every organisation undertake change at regular intervals to stay
ahead of the competitors in the market. In the case of Blue Marina, the restaurant needs to
ensure that the application of the change management process has a positive effect on the
restaurant. The application of Lewin’s change management can help the restaurant to

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implement the changes in a proper manner and ensure that the reactions of the employees are
made to be the enthusiast in accepting the changes.

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Reference
Attfield, R. 2015. Ethics of the global environment. Edinburgh University Press.
Burnes, B. 2017. Kurt Lewin: 1890–1947: The Practical Theorist. The Palgrave Handbook of
Organizational Change Thinkers, pp.1-15.
Cameron, E., and Green, M. 2015. Making sense of change management: A complete guide to
the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., and Brown, K. G. 2016. Unfreezing change as three steps:
Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management. human relations, 69(1), pp.33-60.
Doppelt, B. 2017. Leading change toward sustainability: A change-management guide for
business, government and civil society. Routledge.
Grant, R. M. 2016. Contemporary strategy analysis: Text and cases edition. John Wiley and
Sons.
Hayes, J. 2014. The theory and practice of change management. Palgrave Macmillan.
Hornstein, H. A. 2015. The integration of project management and organizational change
management is now a necessity. International Journal of Project Management, 33(2), 291-
298.
Huang, L., and Bae, Y. 2018. Chaotic Dynamics of the Fractional-Love Model with an
External Environment. Entropy, 20(1), p.53.
Hussain, S. T., Lei, S., Akram, T., Haider, M. J., Hussain, S. H., and Ali, M. 2016. Kurt
Lewin's change model: A critical review of the role of leadership and employee involvement
in organizational change. Journal of Innovation and Knowledge.

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Kuipers, B. S., Higgs, M., Kickert, W., Tummers, L., Grandia, J., and Van der Voet, J. 2014.
The management of change in public organizations: A literature review. Public
administration, 92(1), pp.1-20.
Lines, B. C., Sullivan, K. T., Smithwick, J. B., and Mischung, J. 2015. Overcoming
resistance to change in engineering and construction: Change management factors for owner
organizations. International Journal of Project Management, 33(5), pp.1170-1179.
Lozano, R., Ceulemans, K., and 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,
pp.205-215.
Verhulst, E., and Lambrechts, W. 2015. Fostering the incorporation of sustainable
development in higher education. Lessons learned from a change management
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Worley, C. G., and Mohrman, S. A. 2014. Is change management obsolete?. Organizational
Dynamics, 43(3), pp.214-224.
Wyllie, J. H. 2017. European security in the new political environment. Routledge.

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Appendix
SWOT analysis
Strength
 Easy access
 Quality food and on-time service
 Diversity of products
Weakness
 Lack of coordination
 Problems in maximising
efficiency
 Lack of employee strength
Opportunity
 Undergo a joint venture
 Form partnerships
 Increase number of suppliers
Threat
 Economic factors
 Opening up of similar restaurants