Communication And Resistance To Change: A Case Study Of Cheetham And Wyame Law Firm

Resistance to Change and Its Impact

The primary motive of this case study is to outline and discuss about the communication and resistance to change issues which are being faced by the two partners while functioning. The paper outlines that how Cheethnam and Wyame could able to shift office at new place. Various tactics and strategies that used by the partners have been elaborated below.

Resistance to change is the action or step taken by the employee or groups when they perceive various managerial changes while functioning globally. Resistance to change put direct impact on the performance and productivity of the workers and organization as well. The new partners have started new business to maximize and enhance the profitability and outcomes (Blin and Munro 2008). The new partners further started to evaluate and analyze the worker’s reaction to their new open plan office shift. There were several people who were resisting to adopt new open plan office. At the same time, most of people were adopting and welcoming the new managerial change in their organization. There are various reasons due to which company has to bear ample of losses and issues globally (Allison and Martiny 2008). Due to many personal life issues, there were many people who are unable to accept the changes within the organization and some of the people refusing these changes were complaining professional and major concerns and challenges (Crozier et al 2008). In the initial time, senior managers or partners were first who complaining about their new office sitting and they further demanding for a separate space in the office. There are various reasons for employees resisting the change to an open plan office approach which has been discussed below.

• Poor communication is one of the significant reasons that is why employee resist the change for an open plan office approach in the organization. Generally, after a meeting people had stayed in one of the meeting rooms to talk and discuss about their employment or jobs. Due to new office plan approach, the employees are unable to stay in the conference and meetings rooms.
• Along with this, the employers are unable to provide proper and enough space to the workers in the workplace. It may affect the working capacity and effectiveness within the organization. Due to lack of proper space, they could fail to spend time together during launch and tea time (Chenoweth and Cunningham 2013).
• Aside this, the newly opened office is far from the market so people are unable to go in the market easily. The other employee says that it is very expensive as compared to previous plan. That means, there is a less connectivity from the global market. In addition, the employees cannot take calls in the meeting rooms due to this new office plan. Furthermore, the people cannot see outside while working and functioning in the office (Bouckenooghe 2010).
• Privacy issues also are dealt while setting new office plan along with this, the employers are facing various complexities while online bookings of conference and meeting rooms for client and guests meetings within the organization. Moreover, many advocates have complained that they usually need to discuss private matter and issues with guests or clients over the phone and are failed to take the calls in meeting rooms (Alvesson and Sveningsson 2015).

Cheetham and Wayme are operating and managing a law firm as they trying to handle and resolve the various issues which are being faced by them. They have decided to implement new open plan office shift to run the business activities successfully. The partners have used various strategies to resolve and overcome these issues and challenges, some of the efforts that might have done by Cheetham and Wayme have been discussed below.

• Cheetham and Wayme appoint young executives to render a separate private place or space for the personal use and meetings. This place will further help to provide a place where people can talk and spend some time at the workplace. After a meeting, a few of the paralegal workers can stay in this private or separate room. This effort will help the two partners for reducing and eliminating the resisting to change issue. The new private office would also help to make happy and comfortable to the workers as it also helps in managing their personal life and grievances successfully. Lack of private space problem can be minimized and removed by providing private space and meeting room to the subordinates while functioning and working in the organization.
• The expensive market and less connectivity were the biggest issues or challenges in law firm which being dealt by the partners. To resolve this issue, reallocation of the market might have done by the employers at the workplace. It will also help in reallocating the projects and tenders among the employees smoothly and effectively (Hon, Bloom and Crant 2014).
• Privacy was one of the significant and major concerns for Cheethnam and Wayme while making and fixing the private conversations with guests or clients in the global market. To handle and overcome this issue, partners are rendering online booking facility for meetings, routine conversation with guests about their personal issues and topics. It will further help to provide 3-4 conference room where subordinates can discuss their personal matters and issues. It will further help to handle and prevent the challenges and issues that the workers are entertaining while booking online conference rooms. By putting all these efforts, the two partners would able to minimize and handle the resistance to change at the workplace (Alvesson and Sveningsson 2015).

It is stated that there are ample of barriers are being faced by the law firm related to the noise at the workplace. This issue also affects the performance and productivity of the firm and employees as well. Noise issue also affects the working capacity and effectiveness of the employees in a large extent (Hon, Bloom and Crant 2014). It is a serious and biggest concern that needs to be handled and managed by making unique and attractive strategies and policies at the workplace (Bruckman 2008). Noise issue is not acceptable in law firm because professional persons work in the organization as they need full silence and concentration while working. Some of the communication (noise) issues have been drawn below.

• It is noted that employees perform different tasks and duties at the workplace while functioning in law firm. But some people were disturbing the work of others because they being involved in personal chats in the workplace instead of doing work. It could affect the effectiveness and efficiency of others who were working sincerely in the organization (Self and Schraeder 2009).
• Personal talk during working hours was another issue that dealt by the employees while sitting in the conference and meeting rooms.
• Poor and ineffective communication was another concern that affecting the outcomes and profitability of the firm. During the meetings, the lawyers were discussing their personal issues and grievances that is serious issue for the firm (Jones et al 2008).
• Due to lack of communication, the lawyers could fail to focus on the tasks and duties when making communication and conversation with clients. Noise also affects the growth and success of the business as it is a serious concern to the professional and significant communication in the workplace (Thomas and Hardy 2011).

There are enormous ways to handle and eliminate the communication or noise barriers in the law firm while functioning. Some of the significant ways have been discussed below.

• Shift in the new location is one of the biggest ways to reduce and handle the communication issues in the workplace. The new location or place would help to make personal discussion easy and effective while working. In this new location, people are further permitted to talk about their personal life and daily life. This will help in preventing and reducing the communication (noise) issues at the workplace.
• The company can provide a separate client meeting space for the workers to eliminate the communication issues while working. Conference and meeting rooms can be used for this purpose within the organization. Confidential meeting rooms can be provided to the employees for reducing barriers and issues related to communication (Fiske 2010).
• Noise cancelling earphones could be used to overcome the communication issues at the workplace. Cathy and Mark can buy such earphones for their workers to enhance and improve their effectiveness and productivity. By using such efforts and noise cancelling earphones, the company can overcome the communication concerns and challenges which are being occurred at the workplace.
• Maintaining good and strong relationship with workers further help in minimizing and handling communication barriers while functioning in the organization (Anderson and Anderson 2010).

Strategies Used to Address Challenges

Power may be defined as a tool or method that is implemented or exercised by the leaders or managers within the organization to guide and assist the workers effectively and efficiently. By using effective power, the managers or leaders are able to influence the workers for performing tasks and duties in a hassle free manner. The power which exercised by the leaders is unique and quite different in every organization. It will help to accomplish the desired objectives and goals effectively (Daft, Murphy and Willmott 2010). There are various sources of power including legitimate power, reward power, coercive power and expert power. Some of the power can be used by two partners in the law firm which are discussed below.

Legitimate power: The legitimate power may be defined as a power that derives from the employee to hold the formal office or position in the company’s hierarchy of authority or power. The employee is responsible to give their reviews and feedback to the workers while functioning in their team. The two partners have responsible to delegate the roles and responsibilities among the employees in the workplace. This power put direct impact on the performance and effectiveness of the workers in the workplace because it helps in maximizing the efficiency of the workers ( Wheelen et al 2017).

Reward power: The reward power refers to a power of a leader or manager to give some type of reward to a worker as a means to affect the worker to act. Rewards can be tangible and intangible because it helps in maximizing the working capacity of workers in the competitive market. Reward power may put direct impact on the performance and productivity of some other workers. This power further will make happy the employees at the workplace and they do not deny to accepting managerial changes which are occurring in the law firm. Reward power increases and enhances moral, loyalty and trust of the workers in the workplace (Alvesson 2013).

In the given case of Cheetham and Wayme law firm, the partners have joined the company only 4 years ago. These partners are founder of the law and used power or authority to influence employees for fulfilling the roles and responsibilities effectively and efficiently. They decided to shift the office at new place to maximize performance effectively. Along with this, they did not prefer the employee’s comfort zone and happiness while shifting this office. Power is used by the leaders to know that what people want at the workplace. Power also helps in implementing the managerial changes in the organization. Without exercising power, the employees could not able to overcome the various issues such as communication and resistance to change. Apart from this, power also helps to know and identify the tastes, preferences, attitudes, goal, objectives, and behavior of the employees. Power is further significant because it helps to overcome the consequences and conflicts which are occurring in the workplace. This also helps in providing competitive benefits in the workplace. Power training can be conducted by partners in order to improve and enhance the financial position and image of the organization. Personal chats and client meeting spaces are being used by the partners to overcome the communication barriers and issues at the workplace (Pettigrew 2014).

Effective Ways to Handle Communication/Noise Barriers

To influence employees, partners were using various strategies and tactics including legitimating, coercive, rational persuasion, exchange, pressure, motivation, ingratiation, personal appeal and coalition. By using all these powers, the employees were trying to reduce and eliminate the resistance to change impacts. Both the senior partners took the decision to shift the office at new place. Furthermore, they were not taking suggestions from the workers about the new open plan office. They were providing separate cabins and space to employees for boosting their morale and self respect. The measure impact of these tactics or strategies is that they want to augment efficiency and outcomes of the employees in the law firm (Buchanan and Badham 2008).

Conclusion: 

It is concluded from the above mentioned study that the company have to face ample of challenges and issues while making the changes in organization’s infrastructure and resources. Resistance to change may put adverse impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the employees and organization as well. The paper analyses that how law firm could implement tactics or strategies to overcome on the various issues related to the workers. Cheetham and Wayme use ample of effective and dynamic strategies to reduce the communication and noise issues at the workplace. It is recommended that two partners should maintain strong and power relationship with employees to avert and reduce the resistance to change issues. Furthermore, training and development shall be held by law firm to explain the benefits of the changes at the workplace.

References: 

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