Leading and Managing Change: Sports Direct Case Study Report

This report delves into the realm of change management, focusing on the strategies and tactics employed by organizations to navigate evolving landscapes. It uses Sports Direct as a primary case study, examining how the company has adapted its strategies, such as acquisitions and rebranding, to stay competitive. The report explores the impact of both internal and external drivers of change, including technological advancements, consumer preferences, and economic factors, on leadership, team dynamics, and individual behaviors. It analyzes the psychological effects of change on employees and the various leadership approaches, like situational leadership, used to mitigate resistance and foster positive outcomes. Furthermore, the report considers organizational change models and tools, like SWOT and PEST analyses, to understand the complexities of change and its effects on organizational structure, strategy, and personnel. The report also discusses the importance of recognizing and addressing the drivers of change to effectively plan and implement successful change initiatives.

Leading and
Managing Change

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................2
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................3
P1 Evaluate the different organisational examples in which change influence on their
strategies and tactics...............................................................................................................3
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................3
P2 Examine ways by which internal and external drivers of organisation affect on the
leadership, team and individuals behaviours of organisation. ...............................................3
P3 Determine the various measures to eliminate adverse effects of the change on
organisational behaviour........................................................................................................6
TASK 3, 4........................................................................................................................................7
P4, P5 covered in PPT. ..........................................................................................................7
CONCLUSION ...............................................................................................................................7
REFERENCES ...............................................................................................................................8

INTRODUCTION
Change management is a collective term used for the all approaches to build, support and
to help individuals, teams and organisation in effective change within the organisation. The most
common kind of change drivers which includes the technological evolution, process reviews,
crisis and change in consumer taste. So it is very much important for an organisation to manage
the change and related activities in order to gain potential outcomes such as properly educating
the employees, redirect or redefine the usage of resources and many more. Respective report is
based on the sports direct which is a British retailing group across the UK which is the largest
sports goods retailer. Respective report is based on the example of different organisations where
change impact on the organisational strategy and operations. Further it includes the ways by
which internal and external drivers of change affect the leadership, team and individuals and
factors that helps to minimise the negative impacts of change. It also includes the different
barriers of change and way it influence on the leaders decisions. At last it includes the various
leadership approaches to deal effectively with the changes in organisation.
TASK 1
P1 Evaluate the different organisational examples in which change influence on their strategies and
tactics.
To remain competitive in marketplace, it is very much essential for an organisation to
evolve oneself to the changing environment (Scarlett, 2019). But the nature of change is
incredibly disruptive that affect on the employee's, top management and achievements of an
organisation. So to avoid all the adverse effects of change needed strong change management
that adopt new kind of strategies and tactics needed to comply with changes.
Over view of the organisational case studies:
Sports direct is a sports brand of the UK that acquired the fashion firm Jack Wills a
fashion brand with motive of building brand identify after considering financial position of a
firm. By adopting strategy of buying as well as adding value irrespective of financial position. In
addition to they pay attention on the reduction of expanses such as rent to operate in proper
manner globally.

The another case study on House of Frazer preparing to invest million of pounds to
turning up to seven of house of fraser's 50 plus stores called Fraser. Fraser stored their stocks
related to designer labels to reach at large no. of audience. Same plan carried out by them in their
all layouts to be rebranded.
Change as a constant requirement:
What is change in a business context?
In simple terms, business change refers to the movement of company from the current
position to the desirable position (SHEIKH, AIBAGHI and LOTFI, 2019). The changes in an
organisation can be relatively small such as bring improvement in the billing procedure,
reforming the entire product and services in unexpected competition. In context of Sports direct
they bought the another fashion firm that bring change in their strategies and tactics.
How does position and perception influence a view of change as negative or positive?
The effect or view of change relies on the way management handled whole change
process. There are kinds of models for effective kind of change that helps to understand the
necessity of change and concern of management about emotional effects of it for employee's. If
management properly articulated change then it is easy for them to positively give one of their
best efforts in order to remain competitive in marketplace (Uohara And et.al ., 2019). For
example if in the change process will consisted the reduction in the no. of employee's, in that
situation the emotional connection of employers affected a lot on the commitment of
organisation. In that case if management not care about the situation from which employee's
affected then it negatively influence.
Types of organisational change:
Organisational change Sports Direct House of Fraser
Structural changes Respective kind of changes
includes the changes made in
the organisational structure
that might be affected by the
internal or external factors. In
context of sports direct they
need structural changes as they
need hierarchical structure
on other hand in House of
fraser they need divisional
structure as they want to
improve their operational
works and activities by
dividing the groups into two
divisions.

Strategic change In respective changes
organisation bring
modifications in their overall
goals, purpose, tactics so it is a
major upheaval the way
organisation conduct their
business activities. In context
of Sports direct they build
strategy to change in their
operations to properly merge
the activities of both the
organisation
on other hand in context of
House of Fraser they apply
departmental growth strategies
to segment two group to add
the unique value and designer
label to provide services.
Respective plan should be
carried out by kinds of layout
to gain rebranding.
Personnel change: In respective change when
organisation apply mass hiring
or lay-offs that bring
significant changes in morale
of employee's and their
engagement with
organisational goals. In
context of Sports direct by
giving training and
development they properly
gave education to them.
In context of House of Fraser
they focus on team
development by delivering
tasks and responsibilities in
proper manner. So that they
while segment two groups
easily distribute tasks person
who specialised in particular.
Drivers of change:
There are majorly two drivers of change that are internal and external, in context of
Sports direct to analyse the driver of change the SWOT analysis is one of best tool.
Strength
The major strength of the respective
organisation that they tie up with the major
brands such as Nike, Reebok that helps to
Opportunities
As per the change in consumer taste and
preferences it is very important for
organisation to record their online presence as

strengthen their brand value in marketplace as
it adds value in their products.
it helps them to reach at large no. of consumer
base positively.
Weaknesses
The weakness of respective organisation that it
is deals in majorly highly competitive world as
it possess slow growth in market. So it is very
necessary for them to optimise in other market
too.
Threats
While they bought other companies they face
several kinds of problems such as change in
their operational activities that takes too much
time and cost.
Dealing with change:
In context of Sports direct they by using the planned changes that are controllable in
nature, clear beginning, middle and end appropriately driven by management in order to gain
desirable outcomes from personnel.
The major strategy of respective organisation while changes occurs within the
organisation that are leader change their leadership style which is situational leadership most
appropriate to overcome from resistance of employee's (Woods and et.al ., 2019). By using
respective leadership style leader they can be able to deliver one of potential of change for
organisation as well as individual in order to gain desirable outcomes.
TASK 2
P2 Examine ways by which internal and external drivers of organisation affect on the leadership,
team and individuals behaviours of organisation.
Change identified as an crucial aspect of the whole process in which each and every
individual liable to implement and contribute one of their best efforts (Ambelie, Alene and
Gebrekiros, 2019). While changes occurs within the organisation there are various factors forces
to imply it that are internal and external forces of change that directly influence behaviour of the
individuals and group of individuals. For an organisation in external forces of change consist of
the social, cultural, demographic and political factors and in business environment consist of the
industry, competition and consumer demand. In internal factors consist of the low performance
and satisfaction, new mission and leadership and conflicts. In context of sports direct while they
bought the another fashion firm that is great change for organisation as it bring changes in

operations, technology and personnel also. In that regards firstly employee resist to accept
changes as it create fear and disbelief in them. They are not ready to adopt new technology as it
endanger their job and create kinds of conflicts within organisation. In regards of leader also
change leadership its leadership style, by using the situational leadership style to mould their
activities as per the situation to gain desirable outcomes. By using the organisational change
model that helps to leader to understand the change in mood and behaviour of employees to
respond them in positive manner.
Psychological Impact of change on people:
Change affect not only physical capabilities of working of human but also affect on the
mental ability to done work with perfection (Ansari, 2019). In context of Sports direct while they
bought the fashion firm Jack Wills and radical changes occurs in their organisation it directly
impact on the psychology of employees negatively as people initially in shock that shows in
faces and body language of persons and reason behind is personal fear. Soon after the shock
stage sets in denial that come from disbelief or even anger (The Effects of Organizational
Change, 2019). After experiencing shock and denial, an individual make conscious or
unconscious decisions that impede changes. Further people choose to stay but not ready to accept
changes and in other stage of people involved themselves in the change by strategic
understanding. At last they embrace changes positively, so it can be said that changes initially
impact negatively on individual psychology to work in effective manner.
Change impacts on team dynamic and way people led and managed:
Changes come from the both the internal and external sources that impact on teams in
different manner (Cameron and Green, 2019). While changes come from internal sources they
executed in systematic manner such as restructuring a new team, hiring of a new manager or
adding new members in team. In external changes that affect team behaviour is advent of new
legislation, actions of competitors or political upheaval many more. In context of Sports direct
while they bought the fashion company by above mentioned activities organisation and their
team get affected. In that regards the by distributing roles and responsibilities in proper manner
and by using result oriented approach by which employees easily adopt changes helps to
overcome from problems by team.
Recognising drivers of change:

There are no. of drivers of change that must be addressed to accurately scope for the
organisation change effort and plan it in systematic manner. In context of Sports direct they
analyse the external source of change by using PEST analysis and their effect on the team and
individuals.
Political factor:
The political stability in the UK marketplace provides various opportunities to the
organisation to adopt the changes in positive manner. With the help of situational leadership
style organisation and their leaders successfully implement changes to fulfil the tasks in proper
manner.
Economic factor:
In the UK marketplace financial stability is very much positive for organisation as it
helps to organisation to bought the other organisation in order to remain competitive in
marketplace (Donald and Donald, 2019). In context of Sports direct by evaluating the economic
environment that are not much fluctuating helps to adopt business situations in positive way.
Social factor:
In social factors consist of change in taste and preferences of consumers that directly
affect on the organisational as well as leaders decision making (Gendzier, 2019). In context of
Sports direct their consumers demand some sort of innovation in their product so they bought the
fashion company to added value in their existing products and services in order to remain
competitive.
Technological factor:
Technological advancement is very much important for an organisation as it helps
organisation to remain competitive in marketplace. In context of Sports direct with help of
technological advancement in UK marketplace helps them to embrace changes positively.
Most impact on leadership, team and individual:
In an organisation the internal and external factors both influence on the effectiveness of
the leadership, team and individuals. It is important for organisation to examine respective
factors in order to eliminate the negative effects of it. In context of Sports direct while they
bought other fashion company various kinds of changes occurs in the organisation. In that series
after evaluation it found that internal factors such as policies and changes in operations affect
mostly on the team and individuals and style of leadership. The external factors such as political,

economic and environment factors directly affect the leadership and its style of leading people.
Impact of internal and external factors all vary from the type and nature of change as it is
gigantic change that influence on every activity and people of organisation. So it is very effective
for organisation to plan and comply with changes in positive manner in order to remain
competitive in marketplace.
So for respective organisation the most significant driver of change is social factor that
people demand the innovation in the products and services so to add value in their existing
products they bought the fashion company that are not presently in administration.
P3 Determine the various measures to eliminate adverse effects of the change on organisational
behaviour.
For an organisation it is very important to respond in positive manner while changes
takes place within the organisation (Mihaljević, 2019). In context of Sports direct while changes
occurs people feel resistance to accept them, so by using various theories and practices
organisation select the way to respond against changes that are as follows:
Systems theory:
The view of the organisation as open social system that helps to interact with the
environment to survive that known as system approach. While changes occurs in the organisation
they have to rely on their environment for kinds of essential resources such as customers who
buy products and services, suppliers who provide raw material, employee's provide labour or
management. So it is very much essential in context of Sports direct to manage or systematise
the activities of respective stakeholders to gain desirable outcomes.
Continuous improvement models:
For an organisation it is very much important to evaluate the opportunities for continuous
improvement that is not just the collection of tools but it is a highly touted program. Respective
model includes the mindset and approach that enables to engage employee's to understand their
consumers and processes towards gaining sustainable changes for better outcome. In context of
Sports direct while they bought fashion company they feel that they needed to adopt some
improvements by using respective model that are as follows:
Plan:

In respective stage of continuous development organisation identify and access the
opportunities, in context of Sports direct they found that to remain competitive it is necessary to
bring innovation by adding value (Nelson and Luetz, 2019). In that regards they bought the
fashion company but people face resistance towards change. So they plan to provide training and
development to properly educate them.
Do:
Before implement the training session to educate the employees so that they can
positively accept changes priorly apply it at small scale so that results and activities of
employees can be observed.
Check:
In respective stage organisation by collecting necessary knowledge and information
evaluate the impact of their step on organisation and their employee's to remain competitive in
marketplace (Njagi, 2019).
Act:
At last by accumulated data and information organisation apply training session for the
people who required it for continuous improvement in organisational change process to remain
competitive in marketplace.
The important measures to minimise the negative impact that are systems theory and continuous
improvement plan that helps to evaluate the environment continuously in order to overcome
from the barriers. Respective changes that occurs in the sports direct are planned priorly as they
are proactive in nature.
Resisting factors and its management:
In context of Sports direct while they bought the other fashion firm they face the
resistance of employees as they are not ready to accept changes. Changes arises fear due to lose
of job and not performing well and many more. In that regards the best strategy used by
organisation that leader planned to communicate in proper manner with their subordinates about
change and its relevance for both organisation as well as individual so that they can give their
best efforts. By using respective strategy employees can be able to give most effective kind of
efforts as organisation also provide training and development to them.
Overcome from resistance of organisation:

In context of sports direct while they bought the Jack wills the fashion firm they needed
to comply the operations of both the organisation so that they can communicate in most effective
manner. Initially people are not ready to accept changes and negative culture also appeared in
organisation. Respective resistance affect negatively on the decision-making of the leader and
individuals. As while they aimed to imply changes positively but due to resistance they not able
to apply changes positively. In that series the leader of Sports direct aimed to apply the training
and development within the organisation to educate properly employee's about changes so that
they can give one of their best efforts in organisational development. So the major focus of
respective organisation is on minimising on restraining factors while changes imply in
organisation.
Style of leadership:
While changes occurs in organisational structure, strategies leader change its leadership
style to take appropriate steps in the change management process. As employees are very resist
to accept changes so respective style of leadership proved beneficial as it is most flexible
approach of leadership to direct people towards accepting changes. At the time of changes leader
need to collaborate within the team members so that they can effectively contribute in
organisational development. In context of Sports direct leader chooses respective kind of
leadership style as it encourage the adaptability that fits in past, present and future situations. So
in context of Sports direct while kinds of changes occurs in organisation which directly affect the
decision making of leaders and individuals as it takes too much long time and difficulties occurs
in communicating changes to the ultimate end user.
So from the above discussion it has been evaluated that for an organisation it is very
much essential to apply continuous improvement to remain competitive and for save the cost.
Therefore, from the above discussion it has been summarised that for an organisation while they
procured with changes the leader change its leadership style that is situational leadership that is
most appropriate as per situation. It is most flexible and adaptive in circumstance of change in
order to remain competitive in marketplace.

TASK 3, 4
P4, P5 covered in PPT.
CONCLUSION
From the above report it has been concluded that changes are very important for
organisation as it helps in gaining competitive advantage by adding values. It is very effective to
manage changes by leading people properly. It is the responsibility of a leader to educate about
changes to their subordinates in regards of its significance for both organisation and individual so
that they can give one of their best efforts. Leader plays very crucial role in elimination of
barriers during the change process by giving decisions and communicating strategically with
people within the organisation. It is necessary for organisation to collect necessary data and
information before implementing changes with help of internal and external factors to gain
desirable goals.

REFERENCES
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the models, tools and techniques of organizational change. Kogan Page Publishers.
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Managing Change in the Age of Disruption and Artificial Intelligence. Emerald
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Uohara, M.Y. And et.al ., 2019. Managing Change. In Quality in Obesity Treatment(pp. 197-
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Online:
The Effects of Organizational Change, 2019. [Online]. Available through.
<https://cmoe.com/blog/the-effects-of-organizational-change/>.

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